Page 24 of Hot Hearts
The last I checked, which was yesterday, all the comments in the negative were about me. Are they going after Brooks now too? I should look at his reviews. That's how a lot of people go after businesses. Shit, I hadn't thought about that. Has some of the tide turned?
"How's it going for you? Were you able to trick Brooks into sleeping with you?" I poke at her, knowing it will ruffle her feathers.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Gabby gives me a smug smirk. One that I would love to wipe off her face.
"I already know." Brooks can be a touch crazy, but I have learned he's not a liar. In fact, he is extremely blunt.
"You don't know shit," she snips back at me.
"Clearly, you don't know shit either." This conversation is over. "Nice running into you again. My Lyft is here." I walk past her. “See you around,” I say before I exit the building.
I hurriedly walk to the car, checking the details and then getting in. The last thing I need right now is for Brooks to come home, which might happen if Gabby is going to go run and tell on me. I need to get to the café and get this over with before he can show up.
It’s not long before I’m being dropped off at Lily’s, a small café in a quieter part of town. Once inside, I spot Sara at a small table in the corner. I take a deep breath and head in her direction. A whirlwind of emotions comes over me. We’d been friends for years.
Sara is staring down at her phone, scrolling away with a happy smile on her face. Glad to see she’s not all torn up about any of this. My mom was never a fan of Sara's. She and I have only ever had one fight before this, and that had been over her sleeping with a married man. That should have been a giant flag for me.
I was so pissed when I found out. Sara had gotten defensive at first but then had a breakdown, saying he manipulated her and she wanted to be better. I now see this might be who she is.
"Hey," I say, making Sara's head pop up. That smile she had falls away, and an expression of sadness takes over. Tears even fill her eyes.
"Hey." She starts to stand.
"Don't." I motion with my hand for her to stay while pulling out the chair with my other to sit down across from her. "I'm here, so what's up?" I get right to it.
"I've missed you."
"Oh please." I roll my eyes. "You haven't spoken to me since I found Felipe balls-deep in you." Her shoulders drop. Sara should have been an actress. I think her bratty tale snapped me out of whatever fog her friendship had on me. "And did you set that up? I mean, you knew I was coming over."
"Slater, you have to?—"
"Don't try to sell me your bullshit." Sara's eyes narrow for a half second before she quickly hides what is truly behind the veneer of who she really is. “You knew I was coming over. You wanted to hurt me.”
“It’s not that I wanted to hurt you.”
“I don’t believe you. Now tell me why you wanted to meet up, or I’m leaving. Be straight with me.” Sara’s mouth forms into a line. I wait.
“You didn’t even like him.”
“If you liked him, why didn’t you say that? You were always pushing us together. You introduced us!” Sara folds her arms over her chest. “If you told me that you wanted him, I would have backed away.” Actually, I don’t think I would have needed to back up. It was Feilipe and her always initiating contact with me.
"Fine, I want you to back away."
"I'm not anywhere near him. He's all yours. In fact, why don't you tell him to leave me the hell alone?" I mean, this has gotten ridiculous. All I want is for both of them to go away, but here we are.
"We're not talking anymore."
"Good, because he's a leech." I'm beginning to believe Sara shares this attribute. They should be together.
"He is not." Her hands slam down on the table, making me jump back in my chair. "He's sophisticated and smart." Oh boy, someone’s been drinking the Felipe punch.
Are we talking about the same person? Sure, he tries to come off that way, but over time you can see a lot of it is fake. She should be able to see that more than me.
"Why am I here, then?"
"I need you to talk to Felipe for me."
Holy hell. This is why she called me here? For me to somehow get her back in Felipe's good graces?
