Page 128 of Rebound
“I can try to make lasagna again and this time not set off the smoke alarm,” I suggest.
“The lasagna was fire, though. No pun intended.”
Once her laundry is folded, I follow through on my promise. I get us coffees and drive us to the bookstore. For us, being at the bookstore is like coming home after months away. It’s also a game of telling each other all of the books that we’ve read and that we plan on reading and that we wanted to read but never got around to because the mood didn’t strike.
“Do you want me to pick the two books for you or do you want to pick them for yourself?”
Jules twists her mouth, thinking about it. “I think I prefer a surprise.”
“Great, you go that way, I’ll go this way, and then we’ll meet here in twenty minutes.”
We turn and walk in our separate directions. I find two books for Jules, both standalones because Jules is always hesitant to read a series. One is a cute little romcom inspired by Sleepless in Seattle,which happens to be her favorite movie, and the other is a dark romcom where the male main character is a stalker.
I’m on my way back to our meeting spot when someone calls my name.
“Lavinia?”
I spin around and see Desi Reynolds, a girl Jules and I went to high school with. One of the things I love about Desi is that she’s unapologetically herself. It’s freezing and snowing outside and she’s wearing a short skirt and high heels.
“Oh my gosh, Desi! Hi!”
I give her a quick hug.
“It’s so weird running into you here. I heard about what happened with Josh.” She makes a cringe face. “I’m so sorry.”
I wave off her apology and concern. “That’s old news. I’m actually married now.”
I show her my ring and as expected, she squeals with excitement as Jules rounds the corner. Desi and Jules exchange greetings and hugs.
“Who’s the lucky guy?” Desi asks, still holding my hand.
“It’s Roman Maddox. I don’t know if you remember him?”
Roman and I didn’t go to the same high school because he went to boarding school. He sometimes hung out with my friends from high school when he’d be home during the summer. Most of the time, Roman and I hung out alone.
“The tall, dark haired one? The one who was always looking at you like he didn’t want to share you?”
“That’d be the one,” Jules agrees with a nod.
“I don’t think that’s how Roman looked at me,” I say.
The looks that Jules and Desi give me are pitying. Clearly, they know something that I don’t know, or I didn’t see. There’s no way Roman wanted me all the way back in high school and never said anything.
“I’m on my way to see Callie,” Desi says. “You heard what happened to Callie?” She leans closer. “Her nose job got butchered.”
Jules and I exchange a quick glance before looking away.
“Oh no, that’s terrible,” Jules says.
“It really is,” Desi says. “She was so hopeful this one would be the one.”
I have to try so hard not to look at Jules because if I do, we won’t be able to control ourselves. With a massive sigh, Desi gives us another hug, tells us to stay in touch, and walks off.
“I told you she got a nose job,” Jules says, as soon as Desi is out of earshot.
“I know, I believed you,” I say.
“It’s not the nose job itself that I have a problem with. I mean, your body, your choice. If you want to look like Barbie, look like Barbie, who cares? It’s the fact that she claims to have a “platform” and then lies on it. You wouldn’t get cosmetic surgery and not reveal it or lie about it.”
