Page 35 of Falling Too Soon
Me
Hey Lexi—Remember me? I shared a cabin with your good friend Daphne last week
Delete, delete, delete.
God, why was this so difficult? I felt awkward as fuck messaging this girl who I didn’t even know. Finding the right words seemed impossible.
Me
Lexi—I’m in love with your best friend and I need your help.
Full send.
32
DAPHNE
My run-in with Marcus at the diner had totally rattled me. I spent the next week and a half going to and from work and taking up residence on Lexi’s couch. Work was fucking wild. I don’t know if it was a full moon or something, but we were busy as shit. In the past three days alone, we had several codes in the unit, even more on the floors and what felt like a bazillion admissions. I barely left the unit, and I was able to avoid Marcus, although I saw him occasionally while walking in or out of the building. I chalked it up to coincidence and nothing more, since he hadn’t tried to corner me again.
Lexi had to have been so sick of my shit because she was constantly trying to get me to go out with her and get me to leave my new favorite place, her couch. I didn’t want to do anything. I was miserable. Nathan occupied most of my thoughts. I missed him so much. I knewthat, yet I still thought it best to keep my distance, even if it meant making myself suffer.
Nathan deserved a whole-ass person, not someone who was as fucked up as I was. My brain kept telling me that I was the problem, though Lexi kept telling me I wasn’t. Okay, then why hadn’t I told my parents about the breakup yet? Why had every relationship I’d ever been in been so similar? There were two reasons for that—I had a type (assholes), and I was too quick to jump in before I knew the person. While I didn’t think Nathan was an asshole, I also didn’t trust my judgment since, once again, I had jumped in before I really knew the guy. But I didn’t jump in. I got the fuck out before any real feelings could develop. Didn’t I?
I didn’t have to wonder if he was thinking about me, though, because he hadsomehowgotten my address and had been sending me little things to make sure I knew I was on his mind too. Fucking Lexi. She denied being involved, but I knew she had something to do with him getting her address. Every few days, something new would show up for me. Flowers, home-cooked chicken parm, the game Operation, a collection of scary movies on DVD, a fluffy blanket that was eerily similar to my favorite one from the cabin. Everything he sent brought back memories of our time together, and each gift came with its own heartfelt note. He wanted more, and I was just blowing him off. God, what was wrong with me?
I was deep in thought when Lexi came practically skipping into the room. I was laid out on the couch in two-day-old jammies, with chip pieces trailing down my shirt, and my hair definitely could use a brush run through it. She scrunched up her nose at me. “Jesus, Daphne, you look like shit.”
“Oh thanks, love you too,” I shot back, rolling my eyes. I knew I looked like shit, but I’d be damned if I was going to take her insult lying down. Well, I was still lying down, but I wasn’t just gonna take it.
“Seriously, babe, I can’t take it anymore. You’ve been holed up on my couch for days, being a total sad sack. You need to get out and stop feeling sorry for yourself.” She stood in front of the TV with her arms crossed over her chest.
“I’m not feeling sorry for myself. I’m sad, and I’m not ready to pretend I’m happy yet. Sorry if my emotions aren’t working on your timeline.” I rolled myself over on the couch so I didn’t have to look her in the eyes. Lexi had a way of seeing through my bullshit, and I knew she wasn’t going to leave me alone until she got to the real issue at hand, and I wasn’t ready to admit to her or myself that I was missing Nathan.
“Look, there’s a Halloween party tomorrow night at this club and I need my wing woman. Please don’t make me miss it just to sit here and watch you become one with my couch.” Although I couldn’t see her, I knew she was pouting and giving me puppy-dog eyes. “P…p…p…please, Daphs! You love all this Halloween stuff and it’ll be so fun!”
I turned back over and found her on her knees, handsclasped together over her chest, begging me. I rolled my eyes again. “God, you’re so annoying.”
She knew she had me, and I hated that I gave in so easily to her. She actually squealed and threw herself at me. “Oh my God, thank you! You’re the bestest friend a girl could ask for!” She squeezed so tightly, eliciting a small chuckle from me.
“Whatever. You owe me.” I huffed, “Now let me get back to my self-wallowing or whatever.”
“Nope. We need costumes for this shindig! I’m thinking sexy nurses! Whatcha think?” she asked hopefully, but I only hoped she was kidding.
“Not a chance in hell. That’s so fucking cliché.” If I rolled my eyes anymore, they might have gotten stuck there. “I will go as literally anything else, but you couldn’t pay me to go as a nurse.”
“Fiiine. How about sexy clowns?”
“Why does every costume you ever suggest start with the word sexy?” I sighed, knowing I was going to give in to her. “Fine. Sexy clowns it is, but please make them cute. I swear if I have a fake red nose and big yellow shoes, I will not leave this house.”
Lexi jumped up, looking more excited than was necessary for the win. I guess it was the least I could do after she let me stay with her while I figured out my next moves, which have been put on the back burner this week. I had lost my motivation to find a place after our run-in with Marcus, and I was glad she wasn’t pushing me to leave quite yet. It was nice to be here with her while my brain was such amess. I think if I had been on my own, I would’ve been worse off, and I definitely wouldn’t be going out to a party at a club. Fuck, what did I get myself into?
The next day, Lexi presented me with the most ridiculous costumes imaginable. I glared with thin lips at the pile of colorful tulle on her bed as she stood by with arms spread and a huge smile. “Ta-da!”
“You’ve got to be joking.” I was not amused. This colorful array of fabrics did not match my mood in the slightest, and I wasn’t sure how it would all come together to make a costume. It looked like a mess.
“I am not kidding. Just give it a chance, okay? I promise we are going to look so good when I’m done!” Her smile was so wide and so sincere that I had no choice but to go along with her plan. I only hoped I didn’t look too crazy when we left the apartment. I was a fan of Halloween, not looking like a crazy person in public.
She started with our hair and makeup, and she did an amazing job. It wasn’t givingclownclown, it was more like clown chic. Pale skin but not stark white, blue, and purple eye makeup, with perfect red lips and circles of red on our noses and cheeks. For our hair, she had found us some fun-colored wigs—purple for her and neon green for me. I hated to admit it, but we looked really good so far, and I was feeling more like myself. Maybe thiswouldbe fun.
