Turns out, Julian was behind that disappearance. In fact, he still had those keys.
Dickhead, I thought, tuning Drew out as I scrolled through my phone and looked for last week’s exchange about the keys.
ME: When did you even get them?
JULIAN: Swung by your house after the game on Sunday
ME: You just let yourself in?
JULIAN: Yes. You do it all the time at my house.
ME: That’s diffjrnt
ME: And this is fucked up I need my keys bac k
JULIAN: You need to respect her need for space but more importantly you’re only thinking of going because you’re wasted right now.
JULIAN: And the last thing you need is to make a drunken scene over her and land yourself another twelve years before you see her again.
“Tough love,” Drew said, reading over my shoulder.
“What the fuck, dude?” I clicked my screen off and shot him a look.
“What? I had to make sure you weren’t texting the girl.”
“I’m not texting her.”
“Good. You shouldn’t. ‘Cause if she doesn’t want you at your best, then she doesn’t deserve you at your – wait. I don’t know how that expression goes. What is it again?”
I almost laughed.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked as Drew walked back to his locker with his arms held out.
“I don’t fucking know, dude!” he said, plopping back down in his locker. He picked his hat up off the floor and plunked it backwards on his head. “I’m trying to say what people say when someone gets dumped, but I don’t even know why you two broke up, so I’m just… saying shit, who knows. Leave me alone. I got ejected from the game.”
I snorted.
I had to feel a little bad for the guy. He had no idea how to help because I wouldn’t tell him why Aly left. I couldn’t. I still planned on keeping my investment in her restaurant a secret. That was the deal since day one and it wasn’t going to change.
“Hey,” Drew said after awhile. “You should come out with me tonight.”
“I don’t think so.”
“My ass. You can’t keep saying no when I invite you out. It’s for your health.”
“Really.”
“Yes. You can’t sulk over a girl for the rest of your life. That’s gonna kill you.”
“It’s been two weeks. I think it’s pretty fair if I take a little longer than that,” I said.
“I don’t expect you to fall in love again. I’m just telling you to get laid. It’s good for the soul,” he said right before jumping to his feet and howling over something that happened on TV. “Yes! Hell yes!” Drew growled like a beast, pounding his chest three times before pointing at me with such a crazy look on his face that I laughed. “That, my brother, was a sign. That three-run fucking homer was a sign that you need to come out tonight. End of story. Period.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah! That Instagram girl I’m seeing – she’s got a sister you might be interested in. A sister or a friend. It’s one or the other.”
“Do you even know this girl’s name?”