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Extricating her wrist from my grip, Elise moves toward the door, looking like she’s both terrified and fascinated. “It’s nothing,” she tells me, not even looking me in the eye as she does so. “Have fun with Jessica.”
“Wait,” I say just as she shuts the door behind her, disappearing into the night, leaving me here desperate for her and alone.
Fuck, not alone. I left Jess on the damn patio!
Running, I push the glass doors open, but Jess is already pulling her clothes over her swimsuit. When she spots me, shewhips around, angrier than I’ve ever seen her. “No need to make up excuses, Dan. I heard and saw everything! I’m done. Done!” She starts shoving her shoes on her feet. “Look, do everyone a favor next time and just invite Elise in the first place. You both aren’t fooling anyone but yourselves here.”
“I swear I was sending her away,” I insist, moving toward her. “Jess, come on.”
“Sorry, Dan,” she says curtly, pushing past me.
Just like I did with Elise, I grab her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. She turns slowly, her shoulders slumped in sadness and defeat. “What excuse now?”
“What if next time I just book us a hotel room? A really nice one, just you and me?”
“Really?” she huffs, head shaking in disbelief. “Instead of setting some serious boundaries with Elise, you’re just going to avoid being home?”
“She’s unpredictable, but it’s just because she’s going through a rough time.”
“Oh, sure she is. I saw her TV interview too, and she seemed pretty happy to talk shit about her brother and friend there. If she’s having a rough time, it’s her own doing. You’re not her boyfriend, you know? Stop pandering to her.”
“I’m just trying to be a good friend,” I reply, thinking about Andries and correcting myself mentally.Trying and failing to be a good friend.
Jess tries to leave again, but I still hold her in place. “Look, next time we meet I’ll have a brilliant place set up for us. Problem solved.”
Having had enough, she jerks her hand away and starts walking toward the door again. “You’re a fucking moron, I swear.”
Watching the second woman of the night walk away from me, I yell, “See you soon, Jess!”
“Fuck you, Dan!” I hear her screaming back before she slams the door behind her.
Once she’s gone, I feel lonelier than ever. I go back to the patio, and lower myself into a lounge chair, knowing I only have a few minutes before the chill of being soaking wet drives me inside. I decide to call Andries, just to make sure I have all sides of the story before I do anything else.
“Hey, man. Your sister just came here all mad because you uninvited her from the engagement party. You aren’t really going to stick to that, are you?”
“Hello to you too, Dan,” he says, sounding like he’s walking at the same time. “Listen, don’t you dare give her an invite, you hear me? She betrayed me, and Rome doesn’t pay traitors.”
I roll my eyes. “Dramatic as always I see. Can’t you just admit that you and Elise are both victims here, and that maybe,just maybe, she didn’t want to do what she did?”
“Even if that was the case, it’s still nearly unforgivable.”
“It was Sebastian who forced Elise to talk, and Patricia who told all your secrets within minutes of Elise going to visit her. Two people have wronged you here, but neither of them is Elise.”
“Why are you defending her so much?” he asks suspiciously, but I already have the perfect, half-honest answer in mind.
“Andries, she showed up when I wasin the jacuzziwith Jessica. And guess what? Jessica left, all because your sister ruined my fucking date. Had you kept your cool, that never would have happened.” I pause, smiling at my next set of words. “Maybe I should just blame you for Jess leaving.”
Andries grumbles on the other line, but I hear Roxanne yelling his name in the background, and he sighs. “I’ll think about it, okay? I’ve got to go now. We’ll talk later.”
“Wait, what are you doing tonight? We could go get a drink.”
“I’m headed out to dinner with Roxie. Sorry.”
“Oh,” I say, disappointed. “Well, have a good time.”
As the wind starts to work its way into my bones, I think about how lonely I am now, and how my youngest friend is moving on with his life, getting married to the love of his life. I never would have thought Andries would settle down before me, but here we are.
Finally admitting defeat to the cold, I go back inside, flipping through my contacts until I find an old fencing friend that I’m positive is still single, sending him a text and hoping for at least some sort of company tonight.
