The doors opened and we stepped out together. He stuck a finger out at me. “Wait a second, so Jonah told you that I told him about the crush?”
“He didn’t mention you by name, but I put two and two together. I’m a smart woman, remember?”
“Still,” he said. “How didthattopic of conversation come up?”
I felt my cheeks go flush. “That’s none of your business. Just like who I had a crush on in high school is none of your business! So please, can you just stop going around and talking behind my back. You can keep on ignoring me and otherwise hating me, but I just can’t take the gossip and the mean girl stuff, okay?”
He nodded, looking down at his feet. “Yeah. Okay. That’s fair. I’m—I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
I started to walk away, but as I got to the doors, he called my name and I stopped. “Yeah?” I said.
“So, you really liked my set the other night?” he asked. He looked so humbled and shy, just like he used to look when he was a kid, and I felt like walking over there and tussling his hair, but thankfully I resisted that urge. “Like, you weren’t just saying that to get in my good graces or whatever?”
“I wouldn’t say I liked it if I didn’t,” I said. “So, yeah, your set was amazing. I think you’re crazy talented and I hope you keep up with it.”
He smiled. “Thanks… maybe you and I can get coffee sometime soon and I can tell you about the new stuff I’m writing?”
I beamed. “I would really like that, little bro.”
* * *
Back at the apartment, I was greeted not by Becca but by her fiancé Paul. He was standing in the kitchen when I walked in, opening up a bottle of champagne and listening to soft jazz. He turned and smiled big at me as I walked through the door, but then upon realizing I was not his betrothed, the smile faltered ever so slightly.
“Oh hi!” he said. “Katherine, I thought you were Becca. Sorry.”
“No apology necessary,” I said. “Being mistaken for her is a compliment.”
“I’m surprising her with dinner,” he said with a grin. “We’ve both been so busy with work lately, we keep missing each other, so I decided to take the afternoon off and just make a date happen you know? You can’t wait until the moment is right, otherwise, you’ll be waiting forever.”
I nodded. “Sure. Makes sense. The food smells great, by the way.”
“Thanks,” he said. “It’s a new recipe I’m trying out. I’m not much of a chef, but I’ll never become much of a chef either if I continue to be too scared to try and make new things. I just hope Becca will like it. Have you spoken to her recently? I really thought she’d be home by now.”
“I haven’t talked to her since earlier this afternoon,” I said. “But I can text her if you want. I’ll try to be subtle, so she doesn't know that something is going on.”
“Would you? That would be great.” The microwave dinged and he hurried over to the stove and started stirring whatever was in the saucepan. “I just don’t want the food to get cold, you know?”
“Of course,” I said. “Let me just put my things in my room and I’ll try to get ahold of her.”
“You’re a dream.” He began to hum along with the jazz music while I made my way down the hall to my bedroom. After discarding my coat and shoes, I pulled my hair back into a lazy bun and tried dialing Becca. She didn’t answer so I sent her a text.
“Hey, where are you?” I wrote.
She didn’t answer at first, so I went into the bathroom to wash the make-up off my face, and by the time I returned to my room, I had five texts from her.
“I’ll be home late, sorry,” said one.
“I’m out getting drinks with people from work,” said the next one.
“Oh, you should come! Let me ask the name of the bar again, I always forget.”
“It’s Sammy’s bar, not too far from my salon.”
“Please come! It’ll be so fun!”
I read over all of these, hearing Becca’s voice in my head, and then texted her back telling her she needed to call me right then. Thankfully, she did, at which point I informed her that Paul was there, making her a romantic dinner and that she needed to get her ass home before he found out where she was.