“Huh, oh yeah,” I giggled, trying to play off the awkwardness as a joke. I could handle this. We had just ridden next to each other in his jeep. Of course, we had bucket seats with a gearstick separating us, but technically it was the same thing, right? I could almost picture Tressa snorting at my reasoning.
“Is everything ready for tonight?” Justin asked, draping his arm along the back of our booth. I shifted in my seat, rubbing the goose bumps that had popped up along my arms. >“You think?” Melissa teased, wrapping an arm around Rob, who was still eyeing me.
“That’s fine with me,” I answered, throwing Rob a bone. I’m sure the hours he spent wondering what the inside of that elevator would look like when it opened was punishment enough.
“I was dying,” Rob said, holding his hand on his chest. “Let’s head out.
“You let him off easy,” Justin whispered out of the side of his mouth as he walked beside me.
“I distinctly remember hearing someone threaten to kick his ass as soon as we were free from our steel cage. I guess my eyes are playing tricks on me because he looks pretty unscathed at the moment.”
“I’m biding my time,” Justin replied, flashing me his trademark grin.
“I’m parked over here, guys,” Rob called, standing beside a silver SUV that screamed adult.
“I figured you’d want to sit up front,” he told Justin, slapping him on the back.
“Sure, that’s fine,” Justin said, shooting me a look before climbing into the front seat of the vehicle.
The ride to the restaurant was loud as Rob and Melissa peppered us with questions about our confined time together on the elevator. Strangely, Justin stayed as closemouthed about what had transpired as I did. After a few minutes of trying, they both graciously surrendered as Melissa launched into a detailed description of the engagement party the next night.
“We wanted to keep it fun, so we decided to do a themed karaoke party,” Melissa gushed, ignoring the look Justin and I exchanged as I tried not to snicker.
“Um, karaoke?” I asked, wondering if Melissa had missed the memo where karaoke was no longer cool.
“Yes, Ms. Doubting Thomas, karaoke. I know it’s not the fad anymore, which is why I want to do it. I’m going to help it make a comeback. The kicker is that everyone has to pick a song that best describes Rob and me. Right, babe?” she said, looking at Rob for approval.
“You got it,” he said, shooting her the same indulgent smile over his shoulder that I remembered from two years ago. I didn’t know whether to laugh or applaud the fact that Melissa still had him hooked so completely.
“Karaoke,” I repeated, trying to wrap my brain around the idea as Rob pulled into a crowded parking lot.
“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.