but maybe I was wrong.
“You know enough time has passed.” Sue’s comment from across the table gets my attention. I look up to find her dark eyes twinkling with mischievousness.
“Enough time for what?” Maddie questions Sue. Maddie’s the quintessential younger sister of our group and I swear most of Sue’s comments go right over her head.
Sue motions toward me and it’s only then that I take in her words. I clear my throat and look away, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks. “When I said someone else …” I say playfully and pick up the glass, lifting it high in the air and tilting my head back to get the last few drops.
The girls laugh it off, but there’s a certain gravitas in Sue’s eyes.
She lowers her voice and looks me in the eye as she says, “We just want you to be happy.”
“It’s ‘we’ now?” I ask her, suddenly feeling defensive. They’ve been talking about me behind my back?
Sue shrugs and Kat’s quick to put a hand on top of mine. She twists in her spot and the white leather squeaks under her skinny ass. “We were just making conversation earlier.” My brow rises as she takes in a breath and tries to find the right words.
“We want you happy again,” Maddie says from her seat next to Kat. Her hands make two sharp motions emphasizing happy again as she leans back and looks straight ahead, avoiding my eyes on her.
Oh my God … is this some kind of intervention? I imagine my face reflects exactly what I’m thinking. Judging by the guilty expressions Kat and Maddie are wearing on their faces, I’m sure it does. Sue is shameless though, back to nursing her drink.
Of course they’d talk about me. I can’t explain why it feels like a betrayal, though. Why my throat seems to go dry and itch as if I’m going to cry. Why wouldn’t they? Everyone else is.
“Hey, Jules.” Kat’s voice is soft, placating even.
I pull my hand away from her and suck in a breath. “It’s fine,” I whisper, grabbing my clutch.
Sue’s quick to sit forward and say, “Don’t go. It wasn’t—”
“Just headed to the powder room,” I blurt out. “I just need to freshen up,” I tell them with a tight smile, standing up and tugging down my dress.
“Do you want company?” Kat asks, already sliding out behind me.
“I just need a minute,” I say and shake my head, giving her pleading eyes. I love them. They only want what’s best for me. But don’t they know how hard this is? How much it took just to come out here.
I can handle this. I just need something although I’m not sure what that something is. A breath of fresh air, maybe. Or a drink of water or something stronger. I don’t know what, but I know I need at least a minute to myself to figure it out.
Mason
The anxious feeling deep in my gut won’t quit. It only gets more intense as Julia walks behind me, politely maneuvering her small frame amid the crowd of people. Watching her from my periphery, I listen to the rhythmic sound of her heels and watch how her hips sway gently.
She doesn’t notice me, which is by design, but still it aggravates me. She passes so close behind me on her way to the restrooms that I catch a hint of her sweet scent. No doubt it’s perfume, a gentle floral mixed with citrus of some sort but as it fills my lungs, I can’t help but grip the bar top tighter to keep myself from following her.
Ever since I caught a glimpse of her, I haven’t been able to move or get her out of my head. For months, I haven’t thought twice about her. Each time her picture swept into my head, I pushed it away.
But she’s here now, so close that I could touch her.
I can’t approach her, though. How fucked up would that be?
I can’t cross that line. She doesn’t know a damn bit of the truth.
I down the remainder of my whiskey and slide the empty glass forward, pissed off and frustrated.
As I stand abruptly, the stool slides backward and bumps into someone. I turn to look over my shoulder while reaching into my back pocket for my wallet. “Sorry,” I say without thinking only to find myself staring directly at Julia.
Her eyes still aren’t on me as she waves off my apology, looking at the bottles lining the back of the