Hard

“I figured it’s not too early for wine and snacks, right?” Crestin sounded hopeful. Even if Izabella hadn’t known her friend was back and assumed it wasn’t on the best of terms given her sudden arrival, the fact she’d brought wine at two in the afternoon told Izabella she was going through a tough time.

“Come on.” Izabella led them into the living room. She cleared off the coffee table and set the dish down. After taking off the aluminum foil to find cheese, fruit, and crackers, she realized Crestin had gone into the kitchen, so she sat down.

Crestin came back in with two small plates and two wineglasses, and once she was seated on the loveseat across from Izabella, the silence stretched.

“What’s going on?” Corbin took the back seat in Izabella’s mind as she focused on her friend, one she’d known longer than anyone else.

“That prick Rich cheated on me.”

Izabella pursed her lips as anger for her friend filled her. “What an asshole.”

For the next ten minutes, Izabella listened to what had happened, feeling anger and also sadness for her friend. Crestin might not have planned on staying with Rich, but catching someone she’d been intimate with cheating on her, then finding out it’d been going on for a month at that still had to hurt.

“Good riddance to the asshole. If I knew I could kick his ass, I’d go down there and do just that.”

Crestin started chuckling. “Corbin said the same thing in not so many words.”

Izabella felt her face heat, knew it was turning red, and glanced away.

“Hey, you okay?”

Izabella nodded. “I’m fine.” She cleared her throat and grabbed the wine bottle. It wasn’t a fancy one that had a cork, but one of the twist-off caps. But she and Crestin had never been the posh kind of wine drinkers. Box-O-Wine was their style, although this one was at least in a glass bottle.

After Izabella poured them both a glass, she grabbed a plate and started loading up on the snacks. She leaned back in the seat, the silence stretching. For several seconds, they didn’t speak, but then that awkwardness left Izabella as Crestin started talking about her job and how she loved the city she lived in, minus the douche she’d been seeing.

“What are you going to do about him?” Izabella asked. “Have you even talked to him since catching that tramp leaving?”

Crestin shook her head. “No, but he’s called a few times. I left while the woman was still there, so I’m sure she went back inside and told him all about our exchange.” Crestin shrugged. “I don’t give a shit, though.”

But Izabella could see her friend did on some level. The guy had betrayed her, and that had to hurt no matter how their relationship had been going.

“Well, you’re here now, so fuck him.”

Crestin smiled. “Yup, fuck him and his small dick.”

Izabella had been taking a drink of her wine, but after hearing Crestin say that, she choked on the alcohol when she couldn’t contain her laughter. “How long are you in town?”

“Just over the weekend, probably. I have to face my life at some point, and I want to be face-to-face with Rich when I tell him he’s a dick.”

“I’m sorry he did that to you.”

Crestin shrugged. “That’s life, I guess.” She smiled widely. “Let’s go out tonight,” Crestin asked, hopefulness in her voice. “As long as you don’t have to work.”

“I don’t work tonight or tomorrow, and I’d love to go out and party like we used to.” Okay, so partying like they used to wasn’t exactly how it probably sounded. They never went to the bar and drank like lushes. They did go to the clubs on occasion, but more often than not, they hung out at the house, drank beer, ate pizza, and watched movies.

“Yeah, I thought the three of us could hang out, maybe go to dinner.”

Izabella swallowed the wine that had been in her mouth, knowing her eyes were wide. Her heart started beating fast and hard, and she hated that she felt this way. She wanted Corbin so much, and even though she’d “had him,” she wanted more. What Crestin would say about it all when it came to light had Izabella nervous, too.

And how would dinner go tonight anyway? Would Corbin be able to keep his cool? Izabella didn’t know if she could because acting natural seemed really damn hard right now.

“If you want to, that is.” Crestin was looking at her a bit strangely, and Izabella knew she wasn’t hiding her discomfort well at all.

“Okay. Yeah. Sure.”

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay? You have been acting really weird since I got here.”

Izabella shook her head. “I’m fine really. I guess I’m still upset about being ditched at the bar last night.”

Crestin sat up straighter. “Wait. What?”

Izabella told Crestin about the night and stopped talking when she got to the part where she was in the car and too drunk to drive because continuing would mean she’d have to admit Corbin picked her up.