I said nothing.
He replaced that cloche and moved to the other. “Grilled cheese and tomato soup,” he said with a resigned sigh. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you to get me whatever.”
“What’s wrong with grilled cheese and tomato soup?” I asked, hauling my butt off the sofa and over to the food. “It’s the ultimate comfort food. It’s hot, there are carbs, and there’s cheese. It’s the perfect trifecta of food groups.”
“Hot isn’t a food group. Neither is cheese, really.”
“And I’m not your girlfriend, but your grandpa thinks I am. I think you can suspend some belief about hot soup being a food group.” I took the tray that held mine and carried it over to the sofa. “Which it is,” I added pointedly.
He shot me a look, but he didn’t argue the point further. He picked up his own tray and joined me on the sofa, actually scooting my tray along the coffee table until there was more than enough room for his.
That wasn’t annoying at all.
I skirted along by a few inches until there was a good space between us and pulled the cloche off my food. It was almost too hot to handle, but I set it on the floor next to me so I could finally eat.
It’d been one long ass day, and I wasn’t sure it was going to stop anytime soon.***ME: We have a problem.I lay down on my stomach on the bed, careful not to yank the charge cable from my phone, and waited for someone to respond.KINSLEY: Whatever it is, we didn’t do it.ME: That makes a change.SAYLOR: I resent that.ME: Stop it. I have a real problem here.SAYLOR: Sorry. What did you do? You didn’t sleep with him, did you?ME: I knew texting you was a bad idea.KINSLEY: Yet we never learn. What’s wrong?ME: Sebastian’s grandfather thinks we’re dating.SAYLOR: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HOW DID THAT HAPPENShe was such a damn jerk.ME: Saylor.KINSLEY: Saylor.SAYLOR: I’m sorry. How did that happen?Again. Such a jerk.ME: My tire blew out on the way up here so he came to rescue me. We called a tow so it can be replaced, and he ran down to get my stuff before the truck showed up. His gpa was just arriving and his mom said we were dating.KINSLEY: How does that even happen?ME: I don’t know, but I hate my life. This was a terrible decision.SAYLOR: Can you at least get laid out of it?ME: SAYLORKINSLEY: SAYLORSAYLOR: STOP YELLING AT MEKINSLEY: Then stop being a dick. We need to be helpful.SAYLOR: Yeah, I’m not good at that.No shit.ME: What am I supposed to do? His gpa lives at the home, and if Grandma finds out, I’m never going to live it down.KINSLEY: Ouch. Yeah. Can’t you just tell the truth?ME: His mom is super stressed and I think she just wants to pretend for the weekend, but I don’t want toSAYLOR: So… don’tSAYLOR: Honestly you’re so smart but sometimes you’re really dumbI had to find a way to replace her as my friend.ME: Thanks.KINSLEY: Say, don’t make me yell at you again.SAYLOR: Why bother? It obviously doesn’t work. I’m still an asshole.ME: Never has a truer word ever been spoken.ME: But seriously, what do I do?KINSLEY: You might have to just pretend. His grandpa might not even know Rosie. You might get away with it.ME: What are the chances of that?SAYLOR: Absolutely zero.ME: Always the vote of confidence.SAYLOR: That’s Kinsley’s job. I’m the dose of reality. She’s the sunshine, I’m the big fucking storm.ME: I lied earlier. NOW there’s never been a truer word spoken.SAYLOR: And you’re very welcome.ME: Nobody thanked you.KINSLEY: Seriously. Nobody.KINSLEY: You might need to dig a little. Why did his mom say that? Could you ask her?ME: Ten years ago, sure. Now? I don’t know. I haven’t really spoken to his family in a long time.KINSLEY: You’re gonna have to suck it up. You could always just say there was a misunderstanding.SAYLOR: Nailed it. If anyone asks, say you weren’t aware of their belief that you were dating and you were only there as friends.Damn it, that was genius.
Why didn’t I think of that?
I was just about to respond when three knocks sounded at the door, making me look up.
“Holley?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I come in? I need a piss.”
“Charming,” I drawled. “Yes, you can come in.”
The door clicked as Sebastian pushed it open. “What am I supposed to say?” he asked, strolling in like he hadn’t just given me too much information. “You’re lucky a piss is all I need.”
“You could have just said you needed to use the bathroom,” I called after him as he shut the door. “That would have sufficed!”
“Fine. I need to use the bathroom!” he yelled back.
It’s a bit damn late now.
This was going to be a longer weekend than I thought.
The sound of a flush filled the air, followed by a running tap that was accompanied by a happy hum. I didn’t recognize the tune he was making, and I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to my phone.