“What are you going to do? TP my car? Oh, I’m so scared.”
This is not an example I pulled out of thin air. Suzie likes to TP the houses and cars of her enemies. I don’t want to think about how much toilet paper was wasted after I told her that her fiancé was cheating on her. Good thing she has a Costco membership.
“Stop stalling. You’re going to tell me eventually anyway.”
Ugh! I hate when she’s right. I sink back in the chair. “I ran into Aiden.”
“Aiden the asshole?”
Suzie and I are friends from way back. She knows all about Heartsick Hailey. In fact, she’s a front-row witness to the whole Heartsick Hailey embarrassing episode in my life.
“Did he say anything?”
I snort. “Um, no. He still doesn’t remember who I am.”
“How is the guy a detective? Blind people are more observant than him. Actually, that’s a slur on blind people. Strike my words from the record. Anyway, what did you do?”
“I tried to take the high road.”
Suzie guffaws and slaps her hand on her desk. “You? Take the high road?”
“I did. I tried to walk away.”
“But you didn’t.”
Ugh. She knows me too well. Although I did try to walk away, I didn’t manage to get further than the top of the stairs. I should have hightailed my ass out of there without letting him know I know who he is. Instead, I couldn’t help myself from opening my big fat mouth.
“He knows who I am now.”
“I bet he does. Did you give him a verbal tongue lashing?”
This is why working with friends doesn’t work. They know you too well. I may have prepared a speech should I ever run into Mr. I-Don’t-Remember-I-Tortured-You-In-High-School again. A speech I completely and totally forgot about the minute I laid my eyes upon Aiden Barnes. The man is entirely too good-looking. It’s not fair.
When I keep my mouth zipped shut, Suzie tuts and reaches into her drawer to pull out a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup. I’m addicted to them, as is she. Normally, she has to keep her stash under lock and key. She throws the treat at me. I catch it and practically shove it in my mouth before I can get the wrapping off.
“The speech will be even better now he knows who you are.”
Yeah, right.
“Men are assholes. I don’t know why you let him get to you. Let it go already. I’ve gotten over my hang-ups about Toby.”
What a liar. She rants and raves about her cheater, cheater pumpkin eater ex whenever she’s had more than one mug of beer. She’s also been known to drunk dial him. I may have six inches on her but wrestling her phone from her clutches once she’s made up her mind is impossible. It doesn’t help she tends to stick her phone down the front of her pants whenever we start to wrestle. We may be best friends and have seen each other through thick and thin, but down her pants is the one place I am not willing to go. Nope.
Fortunately, when she’s sober, she acts somewhat normal about the situation. I managed to convince her to delete Toby’s contact information from her phone. I even got her to block him on social media. She can still unblock him, but I’m pretty sure her drunk ass would get distracted before she can manage the task.
I stand. “It’s fine. I’m fine. No biggie.”
I walk off before she can call me on my shit. How pathetic am I? Still fixated on some guy I crushed on in high school? Oh sure, I’ve had plenty of boyfriends since then. Well, not plenty, I’m not a slut. But, I’ve dated. I’ve even had long-term relationships. Not with any man my pops would approve of, but the man is one hard nut to crack.
And yet, every single man I’ve ever been with is compared to Aiden Fucking Barnes. Yep, pathetic.