“Your observation would be correct.” I scowl in her direction, my gaze dropping to the perfection that is her ass.
I look away before I become too fixated on it.
“Coming over to our house to get blindingly drunk won’t help matters,” Tony says, ever the logical one.
“It’ll help me cope,” I say with a halfhearted smile.
“Do you really need alcohol to cope, Jackson? If that’s the case, you have a bigger problem than just Ellie,” Tony continues.
“I don’t need you giving me shit tonight,” I mutter, glaring at the table. If I look at Tony too long, I might get pissed at him, and I don’t want that. I like the guy. It’s not his fault I’m in such a foul mood.
My bad mood is like a wet blanket draped over all of us. We’re downright somber as we wait for our food and I blame myself, though I’m also blaming that dick Caleb for bringing up Ellie’s date with Carson in the first place. Deep down, I know I’m just shooting the messenger or however that saying is supposed to go. I shouldn’t be mad at Caleb for telling me.
I should be upset with Ellie that she went on a date with someone else.
Though really? I guess I shouldn’t. We’ve never once defined what we are. Currently, we are friends. Who kiss on occasion. I gave her an orgasm once. I’d like to give her a bunch more, and I’d love it if she gave me a few as well. Could that ever happen?
I’m hopeful. But she might let my ass down easy tonight. She might like Carson, and want to pursue something with him. He’s the better guy for her. I know this. I can’t guarantee shit. I have too much going on, and I’m anti-commitment, while she is the poster child for a long-term relationship. You look up commitment in the dictionary and there’s a photo of her above the definition with the caption, ‘This is the type of girl you look for as a wife’.
Yeah. That’s Ellie. She doesn’t want a one-night stand or a couple of quick hook ups. She’s the real deal.
By the time we get our food, we’re a little more talkative, though we’re consuming food at an efficient rate so not much is being said anyway. Caleb takes off to go flirt with a girl who’s in one of his classes and the second he’s gone, I breathe a sigh of relief.
“I’m pissed at him,” I tell my remaining friends.
“You shouldn’t be,” Tony says in defense of Caleb. “I hate how he said it, like he wanted to taunt your ass, but I’m pretty sure he’s telling you the truth.”
“Yeah, he wouldn’t lie about that,” Eli adds.
I stare at Eli hard, but he won’t look me directly in the eyes.
Hmmm.
“What do you know?” I ask him.
His gaze barely meets mine before he looks away again. “Nothing.”
“Liar,” I murmur, lightly pounding my fist against the edge of the table. “Tell me, Eli. Did Ava say something to you?”
He sighs. Shakes his head. Takes a sip of his drink. Stalling like crazy. I practically growl in frustration before he finally opens his damn mouth.
“Fine. What Caleb said was true. Ellie did go out with that guy to the movies. It happened Monday,” Eli confesses.
I frown. “A few days ago?”
He nods. “All the girls encouraged her to go, including mine. Ava told me about it last night.”
“And you didn’t think you should tell me?” I ask incredulously.
“I didn’t want to, because I knew you’d act like this,” Eli says. “You’re all pissed off, but come on. You two aren’t actually together. You hooked up with her once and haven’t really talked to her much since. She figured you lost interest.”
Say the fuck what? “When did I ever act like I’ve lost interest? I’ve been busy. Just as busy as the rest of you.” My gaze scans the table, and Tony and Eli just shrug. “I’ve been talking to her at night. We text almost daily.”
“Right. Like usual. Like you used to. She truly believes she’s been regulated back to her old position in your life. The girl ‘good enough’ to be friends with, but ‘not good enough’ to date or whatever.” Eli waves a hand, his expression vaguely disgusted. “I sound like a girl. I need to stop hanging out with them all the time.”
When is Eli hanging out with them all the time? He makes no damn sense.
My gaze switches to Tony, who’s watching us with an impassive expression on his face, still eating. Quiet as usual, the broody motherfucker. “What do you think about all of this?”