“Huh? Tonight?” I mutter, my mind going completely blank.
“Adele’s party.”
“Oh, um... yeah. Whatever you want. It’s nothing formal, and there are only a handful of people.”
“Are there any single men coming?”
I smile.
That’s Harper being Harper.
“Yes, of course, there are.”
Excited, she claps her hands. Another faint grin pushes to my lips.
Admittedly, she does her best to keep my mind distracted.
Glee flashes in her eyes.
“Maybe we’ll have some fun.”
“Yeah, and maybe you can find a man to put the rumors to rest.
“It’s not my fault,” she says softly.
“I didn’t say it was. It’s just that people have restless minds.”
“You can find a man as well.”
“Not gonna happen.”
It hasn’t happened in, um... What? A year?
As if he put a spell on me.
“No, baby. It’s up to you. The rumors got started because of you. You can change all that,” I say jokingly.
Seriously now, maybe she’ll hook up with someone and crush the swirl of rumors.
None of us have dated in months. Different reasons. I’ve never really tried. She has, but it has never worked out.
We got closer after Jaden left. Or I should say, she got worried sick because of me, and she did her best to mother me and bring me back to life.
She still doesn’t know much about my life, yet she is one of the closest people to me right now, if not the only one.
The rumors started because of something silly–– as they always do. We went clubbing one night, trying to have some fun.
After several men hit on us, we decided to leave.
Instead of using the main exit like the rest of the patrons, we ended up in the back alley, laughing our asses off, our arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders, making all kinds of dirty jokes.
Someone spotted us leaving together, snickering and barely keeping our bodies straight, and that’s what prompted a story about us being more than co-workers and friends.
The tale made the rounds, and people smiled every time they saw us going out together.
Frankly, it didn’t bother me as much as it bothered her.
That’s not to say we are not joined at the hip.