Page 60 of Bad at Love
And with that and a little wave from her, she walks away to the back of the restaurant.
Marina is staring at me with an expression I can’t read. Is she…impressed?
“You know you’re getting famous when the famous are coming after you,” she says under her breath before she sips her drink.
“Famous?”
“You didn’t recognize her?” she asks incredulously.
“I don’t know, she kind of looks like everyone else in LA.”
“That’s Colleen Croix. She’s a big deal. She’s like in every movie now.”
“I stand by what I said.”
She leans across the table slightly. “She wanted you. Like, very obviously. You should go over there.”
“No,” I tell her.
“No? Why not?”
I study her carefully. I don’t know what she wants, if she’s pretending not to be interested in me because she thinks it will scare me. Or if she actually isn’t interested. So I decide I’m just going to tell her the truth.
“You say we’re just friends,” I tell her. “But we are on a date. And that means something to me. As did that kiss yesterday. I’m not going to go talk to that chick because I’m not interested in her. Right now, I’m interested in you.”
She watches me for a moment as she carefully swallows her drink. I think she’s trying not to choke on it. It’s not unusual to say what’s on my mind but I’ve never said anything about her quite like this.
Of course now she’s not saying anything in response, so there’s probably a reason why I never say shit like this.
But I’m just going to fucking own it.
“Look, Marina, I?—”
Her phone starts ringing from her clutch on the table, rather loudly.
She jumps, spilling a bit of her drink and then quickly fumbles for it, glancing down at the screen. She frowns and holds up a finger, motioning that she’s going to take the call.
“Naomi?” she says into the phone. “What’s wrong?”
I watch Marina and wait. She worries her lip between her teeth, nods at whatever Naomi is saying. “Oh fuck,Naomi. I’m so sorry. I…yes I know. You did the right thing. No, don’t do that. Promise me you won’t do that. Okay, look I’m going to come and get you right now.”
Fuck.
“No, I’m just with Laz.”
Just with Laz.
Ow.
“But I’ll be there in like forty-five minutes, okay? You shouldn’t be alone right now. No, it’s fine, really. Okay I’ll be there soon.”
Marina hangs up the phone and gives me an overly apologetic look.
“Laz, I amsosorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine,” she says. “She just came home and found another woman in bed with Robert.”
