drugs work. I’d like to make sure everyone, doctors, patients, scientists, and academics know the broad range of options out there.”
My phone began vibrating in my purse, and I leaned over to check it. I felt a rush of happiness at the sight of Lisa’s name scrolling across the screen. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment.” I smiled and rose from the table. “I just have to take this call. So sorry.”
I retreated to the front lobby of the restaurant and answered Lisa’s call.
“Girl, you have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice. I’m so happy you’re calling.” I sighed.
“I saw your texts, Sug.” She snorted. “What the hell’s going on? What do you mean a Pomeranian burned down your apartment?”
“It’s a long story, and that part was an accident.” I smirked, glancing through the open wood columns to see Oliver chatting up Adriana at the table. “But don’t worry about me. How’s Aruba?”
“Divine, of course,” she answered through a contented sigh. “But Chad’s getting on my last nerve. I can’t wait to come home and have a girls’ night with you. I need it.”
“You have no idea how bad I could use one of those.”
“I don’t have much time. We’re scheduled for a scuba diving class in twenty minutes, and apparently Chad thinks I take too much time getting ready.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of her boyfriend waiting impatiently while she perfected her eyeliner in the bathroom mirror of their luxurious hotel room. Lisa always looked good. And she wasn’t one to concede her daily rituals of getting ready for anybody—no matter how rich and handsome he was, or how many five-star resorts he whisked her away to.
“But tell me—what the hell’s going on? Are you staying at your dad’s?”
“No, actually”—I moved further into a quiet corner and glanced around to make sure nobody was within earshot—“I’m staying with Oliver.”
I had to move my phone away from my ear to avoid the sting of her reactive shrieks and cries. When she seemed to quiet down, I slowly brought it back to the side of my face. “Are you done, sweetheart?”
“I’m sorry, but you can’t just drop a bomb like that and expect me not to freak out!” she gasped. “You’re staying with your lifelong crush, who just so happens to be one of your best friends and is probably secretly in love with you, too. It’s like a rom-com movie just waiting to happen! Tell me everything.”
“I appreciate your confidence in me, but Oliver is not in love with me. And there’s nothing to tell. Aside from how incredibly awkward and uncomfortable it is for me. He sucks at wearing clothes at the appropriate times, and he has girls rotating through his apartment like a revolving door.”
“Triple T’s?”
“Yep.”
“Mmm…sounds promising. The no clothes part, anyway. So what about those emaciated hos? They’ve got nothing on you. You’re brains and beauty.”
“You don’t understand.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “I can’t compete with them. This whole thing is like daily torture of having the fruit I can’t ever taste dangled right in front of my face. Even worse, I have to watch other women chomping away at said fruit while knowing I can’t have any!”
“Elaine.” Lisa’s voice grew stern. “There’s not a damn thing those chicks have that you don’t. In fact, you’ve got quite a bit that they don’t have.”
“My boobs?”
“No. Well, yes, but that’s not what I had in mind. Like the fact that you’re Oliver’s best friend. They’re the ones who can’t compete with you.”
I felt the comfort of her words wash over me, settling my nerves with ease. “Thank you. I miss you.”
“I’ll be home soon. Hey, before I go… Have you heard from NYU yet?”
“Not yet. Hopefully soon. Maybe without that hanging over my head, I wouldn’t feel so uptight about everything with Oliver.”
“I’ve got my fingers crossed for you, but they’d be crazy to turn you down. Now go tell your new roommate you love him, and then climb him like a tree. Show him what a freak you are!”
“Uh, I think you’ve confused me with yourself,” I teased. “There will be no tree climbing with Oliver Humphries.”
“Suit yourself. Well, at least go rub it in those snotty girls’ faces that you’ve got your rightful place as his best girlfriend, and they ain’t got nothin’ on that.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
“Remember, you only live once. Relax, spend time with him. Enjoy yourself, and I mean it. Hey, and don’t be