Page 108 of You and Me, For Real
After the food arrives, she turns on the blender, talking over the roaring. “Oh my gosh, you have no idea how long it’s been since I’ve had a girl’s night.”
I mumble under my breath, “Probably not as long as it’s been for me.”
Satisfied with her blending, she shuts it off and begins pouring our margaritas. “Okay, how about you start by telling me how last night went? I didn’t get home until midnight, and you still weren’t here! So, spill! But first, tell me what you think of this?” She slides a frozen margarita glass across the counter.
I take a sip. “It’s tart, but delicious. Though, I’m going to need some queso and chips in my system before I get too carried away on this.”
Wren lifts up on her tiptoes and peeks over my shoulder. Teddy, the pups, and Churro are running madly around theliving room. I brought the puppies over, wanting to avoid Griffin as much as possible.
They’ll wear themselves out in no time.
She brings her focus back to me, studying me for a minute, tilting her head. “I have to say, for someone who spent half the night out with a gorgeous man, you’re not quite glowing like I’d expected you to be.” She sips her drink, waiting for my response.
“Griffin’s dad came over earlier. He said some harsh things.” I take a big gulp of my drink.
“Wait. Let’s dig into the food first.” She ushers me to her informal dining room where we set out all the Mexican food. She digs into the containers and withdraws the most gigantic tub of queso I’ve ever seen.
My eyes bulge at its size. “We’ll be constipated for a week if we consume all that.”
“But it’ll be worth it.” She laughs, licking a dollop of queso from her finger and looks at me. “Trust me, you’re gonna love this stuff. This queso is like Pringles. Once you pop—you can’t stop. It’s literal heaven on earth.”
I chuckle. “Are you supposed to eat that stuff? I figured you’d be on some kind of specific diet.” At the very least, isn’t dairy bad for your vocal cords?
“Oh girl, I can’t eat this stuff while I’m on tour, but I love it. I’m savoring all the foods I won’t be able to eat once I leave on tour for almost three long months.”
She scoops a giant blob of queso on her chip and cheers me in the air before shoving the whole thing in her mouth.
Between chews, she says, “I’m ready. Tell me about Griffin’s dad.”
I tell her the gist of what he said.
She dutifully responds with the occasional gasp or “No, he didn’t.”
I appreciate the feminine support. It makes me feel a little less childish for how I took his comments.
I grew up with money for most of my life. It wasn’t until my adulthood that I experienced near-poverty. I’m not ashamed of it. I made personal decisions to live a particular lifestyle. But the way he treated me was like I’m downright trash. He doesn’t even know me, but already he assumes I’m not good enough for his son. It hurt. Then again, he just reacted how most of the public perceived me in the video Wren tagged us in—an interloper in Griffin’s relationship with Scarlet.
Wren reaches across the table and places her hand on mine. “I’m so sorry. That’s terrible. Even if his dad feels that way, I’m sure Griffin doesn’t.”
“I’m not so sure about that. Griffin not defending me sure felt like he agreed with his father.” I shovel a gigantic chip into my mouth and gesture toward outside. “And now, he’s out there…with her…having some hot date. No doubt making out. Who cares if it’s fake if her lips get to touch his?”
Okay, so maybe the margaritas are a bit strong and loosening my tongue too much.
“No. No. Trust me, he won’t be kissing her tonight. Maybe a polite peck on the cheek for photo purposes. That’s it.” She swats the air. “Griffin was just having an idiot boy moment. I’m sure he’ll come to his senses and make it up to you. Just wait.”
I hope she’s right, but it doesn’t stop the nerves from churning in my stomach over him going out with Scarlet again. They may’ve had a conversation about keeping things friendly, but women in love can go to great lengths for the one they care about.
Wren snaps her fingers in my face. “Hey, hey. Girls’ night, remember? We’re supposed to be having fun.” She perks in her chair. “I know! Let’s do facials and watchAustenland.Have you seen it? It’s hilarious and always cheers me up.”
Her face lights with such joy there’s no way I can deny her. Besides, I could use the distraction. “Sounds good.”
She grabs the queso and a bowl of chips and ushers me to the living room couch. “Grab your drink!” Her face is beaming as she clicks on the movie. The dogs come to settle around us on the couch.
A little over an hour and a half later, the movie credits roll across the screen. Wren smiles from ear to ear—which is an incredible feat considering we both have facial masks globbed on our faces, now dried like caked green mud. “Wouldn’t that be so fun to dress up like you’re living in a Jane Austen novel in real life?”
“I don’t know. I sort of like indoor plumbing and not wearing stays under my clothes.”
She giggles. “Oh, but those dresses were divine. Sometimes I wish I was an actress instead of a singer so I could have the chance to wear fabulous costumes like those.”
