Page 90 of Phishing for Love
The silence lasts maybe thirty seconds. “Well, maybe not Mr. Hastings,” Kenzie admits. “But only because he’s last on the postal route.”
“Wait, before I tell you guys what happened with Nathan, when did Aaron get hold of you?”
“Last night,” Kenzie reveals. “I was still at Sofia’s house. By then, we’d already heard some of the rumors.”
Sofia pours milk into the cups. “We were about to jump into my car and head over to you when Aaron called.”
“He told us you’d gone to bed because you were exhausted,” Kenzie continues. “And he let us know he was staying over at your place to make sure you were okay.”
“We made an executive decision to leave you in his capable hands.” Since it’s Sofia, she’s unable to resist. “And are they capable?”
I shoot her a look, but I can see she’s not serious. “You know he slept on the couch,” I point out.
She sighs in exaggerated disappointment. “I know. He’s one of the noble ones.”
Kenzie hands me my cup of tea. “Now it’s your turn.”
“Tell. Us. Everything,” Sofia demands.
And so I do, or at least everything I remember. There are chunks of the evening that remain a blur.
“What do you think everyone’s takeaway is?” I ask after I’m finished. “That Nathan’s a cheat? Or that I’m a crazy, wine-throwing girlfriend?”
Sofia blows on her hot tea. “Better to be an object of wrath than one of pity.”
“Not too many people are happy with Nathan right now,” Kenzie reassures me.
I sip my tea. “We should have called it quits ages ago. I think we both knew our relationship wasn’t really working, but I guess we were too comfortable to end it.”
Kenzie nods. “Sometimes when your lives are so entwined it’s easier to simply go with the flow. And a year is a long time.”
“It is.”
“What’s the term celebrities use when they break up?” Sofia asks. “Uncoupling?”
Kenzie wrinkles her nose. “That sounds so clinical.”
“Our break-up feels more like a ripping apart.” I bite my lip. “I never wanted it to end in such an ugly way.”
“You know,” Sofia says, over-gesturing, like she always does, “maybe it’s good it happened like this.”
I stiffen. “What are you saying? That Nathan did me a favor?”
“No,” Sofia says calmly. “I’m saying he forced your hand. You caught him cheating and you were strong enough to break it off with him. If he hadn’t cheated, maybe you would’ve just drifted along in your relationship, not really happy, but not strong enough to break it off either.”
I glare at her. “I hate it when you’re right.”
“I hate it sometimes too.”
“Are you hungry?” Kenzie asks.
“I am,” I admit, surprised to discover it’s true. “I didn’t eat dinner.”
“No surprise there,” Sofia mutters.
Kenzie glances at her watch. “It’s not even eight yet. We still have plenty of time to get to work.” She pads to the kitchen. “Let me see if I can whip up some scrambled eggs.”
I hear her opening the fridge. “Uh, Tess...”
