Page 56 of Just Friends Forever
I try to get myself ready for another burning set of squats. A quick glance at her biting her lip tells me whatever she’s looking at, she doesn’t know how to feel about it.
“What is it?” I ask.
“It’s Maggie’s cousin, Landon. He wants to know if I’m free tomorrow night.”
Oof. So soon.
I make a mental note to have plans that are really engrossing tomorrow night so I don’t drive myself crazy. Maybe cardboard Austin can sit with me while I do the New York Times crossword or watch another special on more crazy Australian creatures. Heaven knows there are enough options.
Or maybe I’ll burn myself to oblivion with hot sauce. That ought to keep my mind off Stevie being on a date. It’s not like I’ve never sat at home while she’s gone out.
Be a good best friend, Troy.
I take in a breath. “You’re telling him yes, right? I mean, wedidhave a standing appointment forFresh Princeepisodes, but I suppose they can wait.”
She turns off the screen. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s not a good idea. We’ll have paparazzi following us everywhere. They’ll sit at the table next to us so they can overhear our conversation. There’ll be camera flashes and no privacy at all. And so much speculation afterward. It’ll be awful.”
I walk over to her and take her by the shoulders. “Hey, you would want to go, right? If it weren’t for the paparazzi?”
She looks up at me, her eyes searching mine.
There’s hesitation, and that little villain who refuses to die is standing on my shoulder, saying,She’s hesitating. Maybe she wants to be going out withyou.
The hesitation disappears, and she nods. “Yeah. I do.”
The feelings-for-Stevie villain has been successfully shot down again. I wish I could say I’m confident it’s for good.
I squeeze her shoulders, then let go, shrugging mine. “Then we just have to get creative.”
Her expression is skeptical.
“What if I told you that you could go out on this date, and the paparazzi would never know you’d even left?”
“I’d say you’ve forgotten about the twenty cameras parked outside.”
“Haven’t forgotten them. I promise.”
She narrows her eyes. “You’re not going to spray them again, are you?”
“No, but not because they don’t deserve it.”
“I don’t think it’s possible to go out with them completely unaware, Troy.”
I grin. “Then let me prove it to you. We can do a practice run tonight.” I don’t know if it’s my newly minted determination to be a good best friend or if I’m overcompensating for not wanting her to go on dates with anyone but me, but either way, I’m going all in on this. Overenthusiastic Dating Cheerleader is now my middle name. It’ll suck to fill out legal paperwork going forward.
“Troy, you don’t have to do this,” Stevie says. “I’ve made your life crazy, and I already feel terrible about it.”
“You say crazy, I say fun. Besides, if you don’t get out, you’ll get cabin fever.”
Her mouth twists to the side. She knows I’m right, so I take the opportunity to drive home my point.
“I see how you watch my departures longingly.” Okay, that wasn’t the word choice I was going for, but I said what I said.
She chuckles. “Idomiss the days when I could leave in my pajamas and not worry about it.”
“Exactly,” I say. “Just imagine yourself frolicking around in your pajamas tonight, not a paparazzi in sight.”
“That’s not really your plan, is it?”
