True. At least he was eating everything else on his plate.
Digging into my own food, I listen as Drake tells me about the call he got from his sister this morning. The frittata is dry. So dry I find myself taking a sip of my mimosa after every bite so I can swallow it. The bacon is soggy. I’m not sure if I didn’t cook it long enough or if it was the brand they bought, but it’s limp and dripping in grease.
Poking my hash browns, I pray they are my saving grace and I’m pleasantly surprised. I was going to put them in the oven but decided to cook them in a pan on the stove since the oven was full. They’re nice and crispy on the outside and perfectly tender inside.
“She seems to think that you are the one,” Drake says as I take another bite of hash browns and practically choke on my food.
“Me?”
“Yeah. She’s been watching the show with my parents, and they think you are the best match for me. I tried to explain to her that you and Jace and Lennon kind of have a thing, but she didn’t want to hear it. She thinks you’ll choose me in the end. I swear, after all this is over, you have to meet her. She’s obsessed with you.”
“Why?”
“I think it’s because you remind her of my best friend from high school. She always looked up to her and wanted to be just like her. She wanted us to get married so Jenny would be her sister.”
“That’s so sweet. Are they still close?” I ask as I top both of our glasses.
Drake goes silent, and when I look up, I can’t help but notice the glossy look in his eyes.
“We never dated in high school. We were only ever friends. It wasn’t until college that we realized the way we felt for each other. We’d only been dating a month when she called me one night to pick her up, she was drunk. Leaving a frat party. I was on the phone with her still when she walked out in front of a car. She died two days later in the hospital.”
This night just went from bad food to bad luck in the blink of an eye.
The words I’m sorry are on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t bring myself to say them. It’s not what he needs. My pity. It won’t bring her back. It certainly won’t change the way he still feels about the situation. Because that’s written all over his face.
He feels responsible for her death even though he wasn’t the one who hit her. Or the one who gave her the drinks. But he is the one who loved her.
The way Drake acts, the way he tries to bring humor to every situation, makes sense to me now. He’s masking a lot with jokes and banter. He hasn’t dealt with her death, and I don’t think he’s ready to yet. Which makes me wonder why he’s even here because I guarantee he’s not ready to move on. He won’t be for a while.