The Spanish Love Deception

My phone pinged again.

Rosie: Sorry, the owner’s husband just showed up, and I got distracted. #swoon

Rosie: He is so handsome. He brings her flowers once a week. *crying emoji*

Lina: Rosalyn, I’m trying to work here. Snap a photo and show me tomorrow.

Rosie: Sorry, sorry. Did you talk to Aaron, BTW? *thinking face emoji* Is he still waiting?

I wasn’t proud to admit that my stomach had dropped at the unexpected mention of something I hadn’t let myself think about.

Liar. These past two days had felt like waiting for a bomb to drop when I least expected it.

No, ever since Monday, Aaron hadn’t said anything about the whole I’ll be your date to the wedding nonsense. Neither had Rosie because we had barely seen each other with how busy both our schedules were.

Lina: I have no idea what you mean. Is he waiting for something?

Rosie: …

Lina: Something like a heart transplant? I heard he doesn’t have one.

Rosie: Ha, funny. You should keep the jokes for when you two talk.

Lina: We won’t.

Rosie: That’s right. You two are too busy staring at each other intently. *fire emoji*

An unwanted blush rushed to my cheeks.

Lina: What’s that supposed to mean?

Rosie: You know what it means.

Lina: That I want to light him up in a pyre like a witch? Then, okay.

Rosie: He’s probably working late too.

Lina: So?

Rosie: So … you could always go to his office and glare at him in that way I’m sure he loves.

Whoa. What the heck?

I moved uncomfortably in my chair as I stared at my phone screen in horror.

Lina: WTF are you talking about? Did you eat too much chocolate again? You know it makes you trippy. *shocked emoji*

Rosie: Deflect all you want.

Lina: Not deflecting, just genuinely concerned about your health right now.

Rosie: *eye roll emoji*

This was new. My friend had never directly addressed whatever nonsense she thought she saw. She still dropped a comment here and there every once in a while.

“Simmering tension,” she had said one time.

To which I had snorted so hard that a little bit of water came out my nose.