Page 39 of My Merry Mistake
Tiny meatballs and girl talk!
There’s a short break from texting, then they pick it back up again.
Eloise
Let’s just keep texting until the buzzing of her phone gets too annoying.
Ray.
Raya.
Ray-Ban.
X-Ray.
Tell us about the guy.
Poppy
EL. She’s going to hate us!
Eloise
Tell us.
Psst.
Poppy
Just answer so she’ll stop.
And we are going to need details
Eloise
Can’t stop, won’t stop
And we won’t sleep till we get them deets.
Poppy
Text when you’re on your way!
I click the phone off, knowing full well they’re not kidding. If I don’t answer their questions immediately, theywillshow up at my house tonight.
I start my drive and weigh my options. I have so much work to do—but it’s not quite 8:00 p.m. I can stop by Dallas’s house, explain to my sisters that I met Justin—where? What am I going to say? I can’t tell them about my experiment. And I don’t want to lie. I’m a terrible liar.
I click my phone open, find Justin’s name, and hit the call button.
“Raya?” he says when he answers. “This is a nice surprise.”
The cocoons in my chest don’t even budge.
“Sorry to disturb you,” I say, tone short. “Just a quick question. How should we say we met?”
There’s a half-a-breath of a pause before he comes back with, “How about this: I saw your photo on a reply you posted on theapp, and I reached out. I was very forthcoming and not creepy at all, stating in gentlemen’s terms that I think you’re lovely, and I’d like to take you out for dinner.”
I laugh at his formal response, but decide it’s perfect. “I don’t want to make it sound too clinical, but my sisters are known for turning everything into a fairytale.”
