Just a Girl - Becky Monson Page 0,82
Still rankles. When I let my brain run off like it does and don’t try to rein it in. Especially when he turns down things like me offering to meet him at the movies, each of us sneaking in. Who would catch us doing that? But Henry is against it completely and can’t be talked into it. And then he grabs me, with that half grin on his face, and snogs me so madly that I just let it go. It’s a very useful tactic of his. Works every time.
“They’re together,” Holly says, “but only in secret.”
All eyes turn to me, and Thomas is sporting a crap-eating grin.
“Oh really?” he says, drawing out the words. “So, we’ve traded settling for Brady for settling for Henry, have we?”
“It’s just a short-term thing,” I say, waving Holly’s words away with my hand and giving Thomas a scowl. “I’m not settling on anything.”
Thomas expertly lifts one eyebrow. “Sure, sure. What woman wants to be the main dish when they can be the coveted sidepiece?”
I throw him a scathing look.
“Is it because of the whole bad work relationship?” Bree pipes in.
“Yeah,” I say. “It was bad. He told me the whole thing. I can understand his worries.”
Excuses. I’m making excuses right now. Trying to convince my friends when I’m not even fully convinced. Yes, what happened with Claire was truly awful. Nasty, even. But I’m not Claire. I’d never do what she did. I hope Henry knows that much about me at least.
“So then how long until we get to meet this Henry?” Thomas asks.
I shrug. “Hopefully soon.”
I so badly want my friends to meet him and see for themselves how happy I am around him, how happy he makes me. Maybe I could have them all over to my place to meet him; maybe he’d be comfortable with that. The truth is, I don’t even know if he would be. I don’t even know if he’s okay with me talking about it here. What if someone I work with is sitting near us and hearing this whole conversation?
Now I’m feeling slightly paranoid. I peek behind me and to the sides of our table but don’t see anyone I know within listening distance.
“I’m starting to wonder if this Henry is even a real person,” Thomas says, his voice extra loud.
“Shut up, Thomas,” both Bree and I say at the same time.
“Do we even have a picture?” Thomas asks.
I pull out my phone and pull up a selfie we took together this weekend. I have quite a few of them on my phone, actually. I’d like a full body one, us with our arms wrapped around each other. But since we’re never around anyone to take a picture of us, selfies are all we have. I guess we could set up a timer, but what’s the point? It’s not like we’re at some place where we need to make a memory, since we’ve only really been on each other’s couches.
Gah. He should be here with me. Sitting next to me. Meeting my friends in person. Not just a picture on a camera.
“Well, he’s hot,” Bree says, grabbing the phone from Alex as my selfie with Henry makes it around the table. Even Logan has a look.
“I’ve been watching him on the feature,” Holly says. “I can attest that he’s real, and he’s quite nice to look at. Hey!” she says, twisting away from Logan, who’s clearly just pinched her on her side. “I didn’t say I was going to run away with him.” Logan smiles and leans in and places a kiss on her lips. It’s quick, but there’s so much unspoken meaning in that kiss.
“Why don’t you two just run off to Vegas and get married, already?” Thomas says, and Holly’s eyes go wide, as if she’s been caught red handed.
“Well, actually . . .” Logan says, trailing off.
“Logan!” Holly says, her voice chastising.
Silence lands on the table, and we each take turns looking at Holly and Logan and then at each other.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my eyes squarely on my best friend.
She looks down, twisting her lips side to side. She reaches up and tugs on a piece of her red hair.
“Are you two thinking of eloping?” Bree asks.
“I’d say by the pinking of Holly’s cheeks and the tips of Logan’s ears, that it’s a yes,” Thomas says, pointing at each in turn.
“Wait . . . Hols,” Alex says. “For real?”
Holly covers her face with her hands. “We didn’t want to tell