Page 84 of Just Friends Forever
Thank heaven for Evelyn—the only person who could make me smile on this miserable night. Most clients do not bring cookies to open houses, but part of what makes her so lovable is her enthusiasm, and the more lovable she is, the more likely the agent and seller are to consider our offer.
Troy
Only if there are enough for me.
Evelyn
I’ll make a double batch *GIF only a grandmother figure would send of a bear hugging a heart*
I close out the thread and set down my phone, glancing at the time. How have they only been gone an hour and a half? It feels like a lifetime.
What I need is a good workout.
I head to my room and change into basketball shorts. I don’t put a shirt on because I need to stop making all my decisions based on Stevie. I also need to stop trying to impress her. Best friends don’t try to impress each other, and they sure as heck don’t try to impress their brother’s girlfriend.
Am I getting ahead of things here? No. It’s called preparing for the worst.
I stick in my wireless headphones and turn up the volume on my workout playlist so loud, my watch warns me I’m damaging my hearing. Hey, whatever it takes not to hear Austin and Stevie’s return from their date. Their date thatIset up and that they went on inmycar.
I pull dumbbells from the rack and get to work, focusing my brain on exhausting every last ounce of power from my biceps. It takes all my concentration, which is a relief after so much time fighting my thoughts.
I rack the weights after my fifth set, breathing heavily and paying attention to the burn in my arms. The burn doesn’t last nearly as long as some hot sauces I’ve had, and I momentarily consider chugging one of them.
Desperate times.
A tap on the shoulder has me whirling around, and Stevie rears back to avoid my reaction.
I pull the earbuds out of my ears, trying to calm my breathing. “Sheesh. I thought you were a paparazzo or something.”
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” she says, “but Ididcall your name like five times. You must have your music pretty loud.”
“Yeah, it helps me stay in the zone.”
“And I just pulled you right out of it.”
She has no idea. I’m not sure what time it is exactly, but it can’t be very late. I’m surprised she’s home already. Has she come to debrief me on her date?
Just the thought makes me queasy. It’s something I had to get used to in high school and college—Stevie talking about Austin or whatever date she just went on—but I’m not up for it right now.
The silence stretches on for a few seconds, and her eyes are on me, like she’s not sure what to make of my mood. Normally, I’d make a joke about her scaring me or I’d reassure her it’s okay. I just can’t fake it right now. It took everything I had to set her up with Austin, and I’ve got nothing left in me to give. I’m spent.
But part of me needs to know how the date went. What if tomorrow they go out again and I’m not mentally prepared for it?
I grit my teeth. “How did it go?”
I wish I’d brought a shirt with me. I made the choice not to when I was running on adrenaline and a need to assert myself. Now, I feel weirdly vulnerable without it.
“It was… good. Nice to catch up.”
“That’s good.” I busy myself with cleaning up the workout space so I don’t have to meet her eye.
“But I don’t know. I think I might take a break from the whole dating thing.”
My hand pauses on a carabiner. “Why’s that?”
“I mean, everyone has been nice, and I’m glad to be making friends, but… that’s all it is. I don’t feel a desire for more.” She sits down on the bench and looks at her feet. “The guy from last night tried to kiss me at the end, and I—” She stops, and my muscles tense. If I have to hear about her kissing another guy, I will lose it.
Not lose it as in go berserk. Lose it as in break down on this gym mat and cry like a half-naked, six-foot-one baby. That’s how stable I feel at the moment.
