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“Hey, look what I made you? Well, Harper made it. No alcohol.”
“Thanks for looking out for me, Bug.”
Aware that the guys have smirks on their faces and Reed’s eyebrows are raised, I ask, “What? Have you been talking about me?”
Dane pulls me into his side. “Just talking about Coach Cappitano.”
My eyes narrow. Liar. After peering into each of their eyes, I determine it’s better to go inside and spend time with the girls. I need to tell someone about what happened. “Well, I don’t want to interrupt such an interesting conversation.” I spin to walk off. A frozen daiquiri waits for me on the coffee table and I do not want it to melt.
The girls talk about Hagan and Adalee's upcoming wedding, who have been engaged for a lengthy eighteen months, and the girls can't stop discussing every detail from cocktail hour to vows to the reception playlist.
I grab my drink and sit on the couch next to Brooke, tucking my feet comfortably underneath me. I eagerly join in on their conversation, ready to escape my thoughts of Dane.
“Make sure to play some country music for Dane. God blessed him with lots of things. He can sing and play sports, but he needs music that he can sway too.”
“Oh, is he blessed down there?” Brooke chides as her eyes fall to my crotch. “I didn’t know you had….”
I slap her arm. “I’m sure he’s blessed; he’s six-foot-six. But I personally have never seen it.” We giggle like teenagers. Sometimes you just need to be with your girlfriends. I’ve wormed my way into this group through Brooke. Reed was roommates with Harper, Logan, and Hagan. It’s a good thing because my other friends Tessa and Jules graduated in the spring and moved back to their hometowns.
Adalee asks, "Will you be back in time from competing to be Dane’s date to our wedding?"
“Yeah, I’ll be back in a month, but Dane may want to take someone else on a real date.”
They snicker.
“What? Maybe he’s getting tired of his faithful sidekick. I know I’m getting frustrated.”
Brooke says, “That Dane hasn’t made a move?”
Just like outside, the room goes from loud to silent. “No, of course not. Besties for the restie.” I take a long sip of liquid courage.
“You and Dane are more stubborn than Adalee. And that’s saying something.” Harper shakes her head.
“Hey! I came around. I just didn’t feel like I deserved a man like Hagan. All that cockiness and swagger.”
Harper chirps, "Yeah, it definitely sucked being Hagan’s sister. I think his overflowing confidence is a result of taking all my nutrients in the womb."
The group erupts in laughter, and I can't help but join in, feeling grateful for the lightheartedness in the room, but we all understand Harper and Hagan’s deep twin sibling connection, regardless of her remark. We continue chatting and joking, but my worries about Dane aren’t forgotten.
“Spill it, I just got a text from Reed. He wants to know if you’ve told us anything.” Brooke positions herself so she’s face to face with me.
I take a deep breath, trying to dispel the tension in the room. "Honestly, I don't know how Dane will ever find a girl who can measure up to me," I add with a hint of exaggeration, a playful twinkle in my eye.
Brooke, Adalee, and Harper laugh, relieved that I'm back to my usual sarcastic self, due to my daiquiri cup being empty. “I need a refill.”
“Me too.” Brooke hands me her cup. “But you’re coming clean when we get back.”
When I come back in, Adalee says, “I’m sorry. Hagan and I just assumed you and Dane would attend the wedding together, but there’s plenty of room if you each want to bring plus ones. I’m not doing the final seating charts for a few weeks.”
“It’s fine. He doesn’t want a girlfriend. He even turned sweet Hannah down, and that girl is perfect.”
“What about you?”
Trying to play it cool, I say, “I don’t know. I think I’m ready for a boyfriend. I haven’t hooked up in months. I kissed Nick, but that’s as far as it went, and I didn’t like how handsy he was in front of people, so I broke it off.”
“Does Dane know?” Brooke asks.
“We actually got into a mini argument about Nick the night before we went to the amusement park. I’ve never seen him so upset. We never talk about each other’s extracurriculars. We never have. But that night he… he brought up me sleeping around with Devon, James, and in his words, ‘all of the other fucks.’”
