“Ha. That’s really funny,” I snapped sarcastically.
“C’mon, it’s not the end of the world. It might even be a beginning and—oh, my God! Amanda is gonna go bonkers,” she snickered, adjusting the brim of her hat.
“Geez. Don’t say a word. This doesn’t go beyond this table, Chels,” I said in a serious tone.
She made a “zipped” motion across her lips, then smiled. “You can trust me.”
“I know. Thank you.”
“Are you going to say anything to Evan?”
“No way.”
Chelsea shot a puzzled look at me. “Why not? He’s totally chill and he’s your best friend. You can trust him. And I’m always here if you need me. In the meantime, talk to Gabe. You’ll figure out the rest from there.”
“You’re right,” I agreed before taking a healthy swig of coffee.
“Of course I am.” She pursed her lips in a mischievous lopsided grin. “By the way, you guys would make a really hot couple. I’d love to be a fly on that wall.”
I snorted in amusement and leaned over to pull her Fedora over eyes. Chelsea batted me away, then yanked my cap off my head as payback. I shoved my hat back on and was about to switch topics when a sudden sense of urgency came over me.
“I probably shouldn’t wait.” I furrowed my brow and pulled out my phone. “You know everyone, Chels. Do you have his number?”
“As a matter of fact, I scored his digits when I invited him. Lucky you.” She typed a message into her cell and then winked. “Go on, Der. You got this.”
The sun finally broke through the clouds as I made my way home along the boardwalk. I stepped aside to avoid a gaggle of bike riders and glanced at my cell again. Nothing. I’d texted Gabe at the coffee shop and foolishly expected him to be on my wavelength and agree we should get any awkwardness out of the way before tomorrow. I’d labored over the simple message as though it was the opening line in an important Comp Lit essay.
Hi Gabe. This is Derek. Call me.
I reread the message five times, then pressed Send and pushed my cell into my pocket so I wouldn’t stare at the screen. An hour later, nothing. So I sent another one.
We have to talk. It’s important.
Still nothing.
Okay, so he probably wasn’t waiting for a message from me. First of all, he didn’t know I had his number and secondly, he might actually have a fucking life. He could be in the pool or out with friends. He might even be asleep. I leaned on the railing separating the boardwalk from the sand and the Pacific Ocean and stared at his contact info, willing myself not to do anything stupid. And then of course, I did it anyway.
I pushed Call and lifted my cell to my ear. I fixated on the horizon as though I was seasick as well as hungover. Too much caffeine and too little sleep were a bad combo for my delicate stomach. The added drama didn’t help.
“Hello?”
My heart slammed against my rib cage. Oh boy. Now what? I licked my lips and gulped.
“Oh hey. Um, it’s me…Derek. I…can you talk?”
Silence.
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“Uh, well…I’ve been thinking about last night. I didn’t want to wait to—”
“What about last night?”
That stopped me.
“About what happened.” I paused for a moment, then added in a deliberate tone, “In my bathroom.”
“Nothing happened.”
“But—”
“We’re cool, Derek. There’s nothing to talk about. See you at practice. Later.”
Click.
He hung up on me.
Okay. Well, maybe that was a good thing. Right? He didn’t want to discuss it. Move on. Let it go. Not a big deal…so don’t turn it into one.
I slipped my cell back into my pocket and stared out to sea. I did my best to calm my erratic heartbeat and relax and be grateful Gabe was willing to erase my faux pas and start over with a clean slate in the morning. This was what I wanted too. It was a good thing.
So why did I feel like he’d just kicked me in the nuts?
My acting skills sucked, and Evan knew me far too well. I figured it wouldn’t take long before he noticed I was out of sorts. Thankfully, he was preoccupied with the drama I’d missed after I’d left Chelsea’s last night. Particularly the part involving my ex. I laughed it off, but he was disturbed by Amanda’s sudden interest in him.
“I didn’t touch her, but I couldn’t escape her easily either. She was glued to me, and the weird thing was that it was for your benefit, Der. She wanted everyone there to report back to you. Watch out for that one. She’s got revenge on her mind. Or reconciliation,” he’d added with a shrug.
“Somehow I doubt it. I don’t know what her deal was, but she was all over Gabe Chadwick earlier too.”