Eli’s raised eyebrow was pointed, but Sarah shook her head. “I told you not to assume.”
“There’s no assuming. I’m right.”
“Right about what?” Azalea gave each of them a curious look. They had obviously had some type of discussion without her, and she wanted in on the secret.
Eli huffed, but she flicked one of her long blonde braids over her shoulder as she leaned down and took another bite of her pizza. Sarah shook her head again, so minutely that had Azalea not been looking for it, she might have missed it.
“You and Jewel,” Eli finally answered.
“What about us?”
“Aren’t you a thing?”
“A thing?” Azalea raised an eyebrow in Eli’s direction and took a long pull from her beer. She had to mull over this one, that was for sure. She was going to need the time before she formulated an answer. Eli was stepping on the boundary line she never crossed with anyone, and she was going to have to decide whether she wanted to cross that line or not.
“Aren’t you two together now?”
Azalea glanced at Sarah, wondering where she fell in all this. They’d never met before, but seeing as she and Eli were dating, there was no doubt in her mind that Eli had filled Sarah in on the happenings the week prior at Indigo. Azalea drew a slow deep breath before she answered. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Not everyone who has sex dates.”
Azalea’s cheeks heated, and she couldn’t dare herself to look Eli. How did she even know that? She had no idea what to say or even how to continue the conversation if she wanted to. She just wanted it all to end.
“I know that,” Eli shot back. “But these two were making googly eyes all week. You didn’t see it. It drove me crazy.”
Sarah sighed. “Let them do whatever they want in their own time.”
Azalea sat still and listened, hoping the conversation wasn’t going to come back to her with the expectation that she participate. She didn’t even move, fearing any slight twitch of her hand or arm or head would give away the fact she was still in the room. Which was stupid, she knew, but she wanted crawl into her bed and hide away until she and Jewel could actually talk.
“So?” Eli asked pointedly knocking Azalea’s shin with her boot.
“So what?”
“Did you miss the question?”
Azalea shrugged. “I’m really tired.”
“Fine, then just answer me this.”
“What?” Azalea finished her beer, vowing she wasn’t going to have another one and would kick them out in the next twenty minutes.
“What’s going on with you two?”
Azalea pouted. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Eli gave her a pointed and surprised look.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk about anything.”
“Azalea.” Eli’s tone turned soft where before it had been teasing and excited. “You haven’t been avoiding, have you?”
“Only slightly. I’m mature enough to admit that. This isn’t exactly my strong suit.”
Eli winked. “Well, I’m pretty sure I know how this conversation will go.”
“I’m sure you do.” Azalea started to clean up from their dinner since they all seemed to be done eating. She wasn’t avoiding the conversation either. She bit the inside of her cheek at the thought. She was not used to friends prying like this into her life. For years she had managed to keep those walls up, but ever since Jewel—that had been the start of it, hadn’t it? When she’d met Jewel all those years ago. She’d slowly worked her way into Azalea’s heart, in every way.