“Don’t worry, I called ahead,” Rob reassured us as we piled out of the car.
“Good man,” Justin said, falling in step with me as we headed into the restaurant together.
I tried to sort through how I felt about Justin no longer looking at or talking to me with animosity. For a brief moment, I could almost make myself believe we were all together back at school on a double date. In reality, though, nothing was the same, and I was setting myself up by trying to remember the old days. As we made our way to our table, I maneuvered myself so Melissa and Rob were on either side of me, hoping the buffer would help clear the rest of my mind. What I hadn’t counted on was that Justin would be sitting directly across from me. Throughout the meal, I couldn’t keep my eyes from finding his time and time again. Each time I looked, he was watching me with the same hooded expression that was hard for me to decipher.
Being thrown off by what his looks meant put me in constant catch-up mode on the conversation. After having to ask Melissa to repeat herself three times, I finally lied and said that the trauma of being trapped all day had obviously frazzled my brain. I would rather bite out my tongue than confess what the real issue was, especially when I didn’t know myself. I was having a hard time figuring out if Justin was being cordial because Rob and Melissa were there or because he’d finally forgiven me and was ready to be friends. If it was the latter, I was unsure how that made me feel. Did I want his friendship? That was the question. That and whether I had forgiven him for the part he’d played.
Regardless, I was able to get through the meal without mishap. Dinner stretched into drinks that helped mellow my frazzled nerves. By the time Rob drove back to his office so Melissa and Justin could pick up their cars, I felt much more in control. I was able to relax as I climbed into the car with Melissa after giving Rob a hug and shooting Justin a smile.
32.
Present Day
I woke the next morning in my hotel room, feeling better than I had in two years. Lying in bed, I allowed myself the luxury of enjoying the moment. Maybe now, once and for all, I could finally put the past behind me. I knew I’d never forget about the baby, but maybe I could let go of some of the grief.
My phone chimed, letting me know I had a text message. I smiled when I saw it was from Tressa, yelling at me for not returning all her texts from the previous day. Instead of trying to text all the drama from the day before, I dialed her number. It took more than an hour to fill her in on everything that had transpired. She huffed and cursed her way through how Rob had tricked me but laughed hysterically when she heard about the elevator getting stuck. She grew quiet as I explained everything that had gone down with Justin.
“How do you feel now?” she asked when I finally ran out of steam.
“Relieved, but I still feel like a Mack truck ran over my chest. You know how I hate to talk about everything that happened.”
“He’s still a total asshole for what he did to you. He’s lucky I never flew there. Otherwise, he’d be dickless now.”
“He’s different now. Harder, I guess. I think the whole situation changed him.”
“Yeah, well, you’re different too. He made you go through a tough-ass situation all alone,” Tressa snipped, not ready to give up her grudge against him.
“I know. Believe me, I let that be known. Now, tell me what’s going on there. How did Ashton’s first date go with Panty Dropper?”
Tressa laughed at my question. “Just put it this way, luck has not been on their side. The first night they went out, Mr. Hot Voice ended up in the hospital.”
“What?” I laughed as Tressa filled me in on all the details surrounding our friend Ashton’s disastrous attempts at a one-night stand. Tears of mirth rolled down my face when she told me about Ashton taking a nosedive on her bedroom floor right before her date. Then he walked in on her with her panty-covered butt in the air.
“Poor Ashton,” I said, wiping the tears from my cheeks from laughing so hard. “I wish I were there.”
“Whatever. You’re too busy shacking up with your ex to miss us.”
“I’m not shacking up with him,” I denied.
“It’s only a matter of time. The hard edge you used to have when you talked about him is missing from your voice. Just don’t let the asshole hurt you again, or I’ll overcome my fear of flying and drown him in the Pungent Sound.”
“Puget Sound,” I corrected.
“Whatever. You knew what I meant, and you catch my drift.”
“I understand, but you have nothing to worry about. The only thing that happened yesterday is that Justin and I finally have no secrets and now we can move on. Who knows, maybe we can even be friends.”
“Translation of ‘friends’ for you: He’s so dreamy. Translation of ‘friends’ for him: I can’t wait to stick it in her.”
“Don’t be crude, and you’re so wrong,” I denied.
“Just be careful.”
“I will. Trust me, nothing is going to happen.
Tressa mumbled something I couldn’t quite catch but loosely sounded like I needed a hard smack to the side of the head.
I ignored her mumblings and told her to text me updates on Ashton and Panty Dropper before hanging up. Checking the time on my phone, I cringed when I realized I had less than half an hour until Melissa would be arriving to pick me up. I hastily plugged my cell into the charger, since talking to Tressa had drained the battery. I was applying my makeup ten minutes later when a knock at my door told me Melissa was early. “Shit,” I said, wrapping one of the minuscule towels from the bathroom around my torso before heading to the door.