Page 41 of That Friendzone Feeling
“It’snot like you’ve never seen me in my underwear before.”
Shesets her phone down on the nearest workbench, its light shining directly upward, bouncing off the half a roof and partially illuminating the shell of the building around us. “Thatwas then.”
Shegathers her hair together over one shoulder and wrings it out like a dishrag, forming a small puddle by her sneakered feet. “ThankGodIwasn’t wearing heels.”
Myphone’s damp from being in my pocket but turns on. “Atleast this has survived.Andhas a signal.”Iopen the browser. “Let’scall a cab and get the hell out of here.”
“Thinkthere’s only one cab inPortPenny.”
“Hereit is.Joe’sTaxi.”
“That’sit,” she says, raking fingers through her wrung-out hair. “Ithink there’s onlyJoe.”
Iclick to dial the number. “Youmean, just one cab and one driver?”
“Yup.”Sheshakes her arms and drops of water fly from the sleeves of my orange windbreaker.
“It’sringing and ringing.Theycan’t be closed, can they?”
“Whoknows?January’shardly high season on an island that thrives on tourism.”
“Hello?” says a woman who sounds shocked that anyone might call her.
“Hi.IsthisJoe’sTaxi?”
“Oh, yes,” she says, like she’d forgotten.
“CouldIorder a cab, please?”
“Erm.Whenfor?”
“Wewere hoping for something close to now.”
“Oh.Whereare you?”
“Doyou know the construction site at the opposite end of the island?”
“You’rethere?”
“Yes.”
“Ona construction site?Atnight?Inthe dark?Andthe rain?”
“Yes.It’sa long story.Butwe really need a ride back to the village.”
“Holdon.”
There’sa muffled conversation, like she’s put her hand over the phone and is talking to someone.
“What’sgoing on?”Emilyasks.
Ishake my head and mouth the words,Noidea.
“Okay,” the woman says. “Hecan be with you in an hour.”
“Anhour?”Thewords shoot from my mouth, sounding ruder and more ungrateful thanI’dlike.Butthe thought of standing in the puddles inside my shoes and with every item of clothingI’mwearing plastered to my skin for the next sixty minutes can do that to a person.
“Anhour?”Emilywhisper-shouts, her eyes wide.
