Page 115 of Forever

Part of what he’d just said was really sweet. Would he have actually used it for that? I smiled. “Okay, what do you want?”

“I’m circling back to the prank idea. On Thanksgiving.”

“You don’t need to remind me.”

“I’m not talking about the prank 16 years ago. I’m talking about this Thanksgiving. Your rehearsal dinner. I want you to help me pull a prank on Tanner.”

Was he serious? Tanner was being so sweet to let us have the rehearsal dinner at his apartment. “Rob, no.”

“No means yes.”

“No, no means no.”

“You have to do what I ask. That’s how deals and favors work, Sanders.”

“Absolutely not. It’s my rehearsal dinner.” All my friends were staring at me. “No pranks.”

Penny laughed and shook her head. “Rob.”

“You don’t really get a say here…” Rob started.

“I thought we were friends,” I said.

“Friends, lovers, potatoes, potahtoes.”

“We were never lovers, Rob.”

Daphne shook her head. “He’s being extra Rob-y tonight, huh?”

I nodded.

“Only in your dreams, Sanders,” Rob said.

“I’m not pulling a prank with you on Thanksgiving. That’s not even funny. You know what happened last time.”

“That’s why it’ll be so epic. No one will see it coming. I’m glad you’re in. Because I’m gonna need the blueprints to Tanner’s place.”

I shook my head. “How would I even get them?”

“I don’t know. But I’ll make the pudding.”

“No pudding.” I groaned.

“So much pudding. It’s a classic Hunter-Sanders mess around.”

“Robert Hunter, no.”

“Brooklyn Sanders, yes. You owe me. And you waited 16 years to give me my favor. So it has to be very extra. And it has to be this. No negotiation. I’m taking Tanner down on his own turf. He won’t even see it coming.”

I thought about the hole in the ceiling 16 years ago. He was going to ruin Tanner’s apartment. And probably blame it on me. The night before our wedding. “No,” I said more firmly.

“I feel like you should be spanking me right now,” Rob said. “Or at least calling me daddy.”

“Grow up.”

“Never.”

“This is ridiculous.” But for some reason I was smiling.

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