She shook her head, letting out a shaky laugh that was completely fake. “Oh, nothing. Just work stuff. How’s your date going? How’s the food? Is the music too low? I didn’t want it to be too loud so people could talk over it, but I didn’t want it to be too quiet in case they worried people would be able to hear their conversation at the next table.”
I studied my friend as she babbled. It wasn’t like Aria to question her instincts when it came to creating the perfect ambiance for an event, and besides that, she was way too competent to let “work stuff” bring her to tears. Not only did I not buy her story, but I also wasn’t going to let her distract me from whatever was upsetting her with questions about my date.
Pulling her by the hand into the bathroom, I turned and grabbed some tissues from the counter and handed them over. “Spill.”
Aria took the tissues and faced the mirror, sighing when she saw her expression. “Okay, yeah, I’m a wreck.”
“But why? What happened?”
She attempted to dab at her makeup with the tissue, but she was only making it worse by rubbing off what little foundation remained to reveal her red nose and cheeks. I pulled my powder out of my clutch and handed it to her with a small smile. She took it and used the included brush in an attempt to camouflage the redness a bit.
When she finished, she handed it back to me with a sigh. “Oh, you know. Boy drama on Valentine’s Day. Total cliché.”
“Boy drama? Who are you even seeing?”
She pushed an exasperated burst of air through her pursed lips. “No one. But suffice it to say there’s this guy I wish I could date, but we just… can’t. It’s complicated. It’s not going to happen.”
“Okay,” I said, drawing out the word. “And did something happen between you right now?”
“No. Ugh. It’s going to sound so dumb when I say it out loud.”
I reached out and took her hand, giving it a tight squeeze. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not dumb if it’s how you feel. Tell me.”
“Fine. Well, I sat down to take a quick break because I’ve been running around like a chicken without a head tonight, and I pulled out my phone to do a little social media scrolling. And then I saw a picture of him with some dumb girl with all these cheesy Valentine’s Day hashtags and emojis, and I lost it.”
I pouted, hating this for her. “I’m sorry, friend. Is that why you can’t be together then? Because he’s got a girlfriend?”
“No, she’s not his girlfriend. She’s just some girl. That’s what’s so annoying. I—” She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes growing wide as she looked at me. “Shel, are you okay?”
I blinked, realizing my head had gotten a little foggy now that she mentioned it. “I…”
“You look really pale. Here, come sit.”
I meant to let her lead me to one of the red velvet benches along the wall, but instead, the whole world spun in a blur of white and gold, then it all went black.