Page 2 of Dr. Do-Right
What game was he playing, and why was he involving Sonia? It was very, very against the rules. I reached into my makeup drawer for my tube of NARS lipstick in her favorite red shade. I needed to do something with my hands.
She rolled her eyes when she plucked it from my fingers. “No clue. You know how dramatic my brother can be. Maybe he’s flying us to Cancun? Maybe he got us a new blender to replace the one he broke last month? Who knows?”
Do. Not. Look. At. The. Chair.
I huffed, mindful not to bray a laugh like before. “Let’s hope for Cancun.”
“For sure. Okay, I’m going in for more twinkle lights. If I go quiet in there, I’ve been electrocuted.”
“I’ll come help you in a sec!”
My sigh of relief was on the tip of my tongue, but she whirled around before she got to the hall.
“Did you see that package from earlier? Birthday present?”
In my imagination, the box behind the chair suddenly poofed into flames while neon arrows blinked and a giant sign unfurled, reading,“Look at me! I’m a secret box!”
I suppressed the audible gulp that rose in my throat. “Nah, it was just some shampoo I ordered from an Instagram ad a few days ago. Nothing fun.”
“Ooh! That new viral one with the green tea? Can I try it?”
“Duh.” I made a mental note to order a bottle on rush delivery when I got the chance. The longer this charade continued, the harder it was getting. This wasn’t the first time Sonia had innocently questioned one of Malachi’s little deliveries. It probably wouldn’t be the last.
“Unless you end it with him. Put both of you out of your misery. Stop lying to your best friend,”a little voice inside my head whispered. I accepted the wave of guilt that washed over me. I never hid anything from Sonia, ever. Except this.
After six months, I still wasn’t used to the unease slithering around my belly. I felt torn in two, half of me rushing after Malachi, the other half clinging to Sonia, my best friend in the whole world. From the rift in the middle, guilt surged, bubbling over to trap me like a fly in sticky, inescapable fear.
I couldn’t lose her, but I knew I’d always regret it if I lost him. I was caught in between them and unable to make a decision either way.
I carefully placed the Louboutin bag in my closet as she walked away to find more lights. A silent sigh gusted out of me. I listened to her footsteps, making sure she was all the way in the living room before I grabbed the note and the box. I clutched them to my chest, fingertips brushing across the edge of the cardstock.
He’d held this in his hands. Thought of me while he penned it.
Ugh.I was ridiculous. That still didn’t stop me from carefully placing the note and box underneath the Louboutin bag on my shelf. I folded the cloth over reverently. I’d come back for it tonight.
Later, lights hung, guests arriving any minute, Sonia clicked her glass against mine.
“To my bestie. Long may she reign.”
“Here, here! What am I the queen of, again?” I took a sip, the lime and tequila hitting just right.
“Amazingness. Badassery. Looking hot.” She grinned when I snorted, looking me up and down. “This is, by the way. Very hot. Boiling. ‘Project get Rija laid’ is definitely a go.”
I glanced down at my clothes. I’d picked them out when I’d thought a certain someone would be attending my party. But celebrity business has a tendency to pop up unexpectedly. I understood why he’d had to bail, but now I wished I’d worn something more casual. I wondered if it was too late to go grab those flip-flops, or if changing my shoes would make Sonia suspicious.
After all, I was supposedly wholeheartedly bought into this getting laid plan.
“It’s been a while for you. Do we need to go over the rules?” Sonia leaned against our kitchen counter. It was gleaming white. Sleek. Just waiting to get buried in bottles and Solo cups and lime wedges.
“Ah, yes. Don’t mix liquors after midnight. Always use protection. Code word is papaya if some dude is getting too weird and clingy. And…of course…” A burr stuck in my throat. “Hands off your brother.”
“Memory like a steel trap, this one.” Sonia applauded while I hid my grimace with another taste of margarita. Right on cue, a knock sounded at the door. “Dry spell ends tonight, baby!” She grinned, swinging open the door to reveal a handful of our nursing school friends. The first in an endless wave of partiers who’d help me ring in a new year of life.
I fixed my smile on my face, running through the rules again in my head, repeating the only one I’d ever had trouble with.
No mixing after midnight.
Use protection
