I Have Friends
Dahlia
“Dahlia, why aren’t you out with friends tonight?”
I lean back in the chair and wrap my fingers around the cup of tea in my hands, letting the warmth sink in. The heat in this house works well, but it feels wasteful to keep it super warm in here just for me. “Because I’m meeting them online in a few minutes.”
“Those aren’t real friends. You never see them.”
For once, they actually do count according to my mother. “I’m meeting them in two weeks.”
“For your little nerd convention.”
I laugh. My mom was the one who suggested I go to this convention in the first place.
“Are you even going to speak to a single man all weekend?”
Possibly. Probably. Maybe. “Definitely.”
“A man that’s single and not trying to sell you something? ”
Less likely. “Out of professional courtesy, most of them won’t.”
“Dahlia Prudence Fleur, you need to get out of your house. I bet you’ve already got your pajamas on and a book sitting on the table next to you.”
It’s a good book. “Guilty as charged.”
“You drive me out of my mind. Why did you even move to Urbium if you aren’t even going to try to meet new people?”
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve met more new people than I need to for a good long while. Not that I want to tell Mom about any of them. But I have to give her something or I’ll never hear the end of it. The question is who do I tell her about? Someone who can handle a full-on overprotective mother attack without blinking…MAX. “I’ve made friends.”
“Oh really. What is her name?”
And into the dark… “He’s a neighbor.”
“You have a boyfriend.”
“If by that you mean a friend who is a man, yes.” I roll my eyes. Though I might have a boyfriend soon. Boy isn’t really an accurate description of Vex.
“Is he single?”
“Very.” Not for long if Hope has anything to say about it.
There’s a lengthy pause on the other end of the phone. Is Mom taking a sip of her tea or hyperventilating? Probably a little of both. “Mom, he’s just a friend.”
“You’re talking to a single man.”
“He’s my neighbor, Mom.” She’s already taken this way overboard, just like I knew she would.
“You’re talking to a single man.”
And I need to defuse this. “A single father, with an almost adult child.”
“Becoming a grandmother instantly would be wonderful. When are you seeing him next?”
“Mom, I’m not marrying him.”
“You know how hard it is to get a reservation at the country club. I’ll see what’s available and put a deposit down this week.”
“Mom! We’re just friends.” What did I get myself into? This isn’t helping .
“When are you seeing him next?”
Um… I need to lie. Except I can’t lie to my mother. Not only am I terrible at it, but she always knows.
“When are you seeing him?”
“Probably tonight,” I mutter into my tea.
“TONIGHT!” Her screech is loud enough to be heard down the street. “You’re sitting there in your pajamas talking to me when you’re going to see a man. Have I taught you nothing? A man appreciates when a woman takes care of her appearance. You don’t let a man see you in your pajamas—and even then it’s only the sexy ones, not the fuzzy things you wear now—until you’re married. Don’t let him see you at your weakest until he’s thoroughly hooked.
Vex hasn’t ever seen me at anything but my worst. “Mom, Max is my friend. He doesn’t care what I look like.”
“Every man cares. Dahlia Prudence Fleur, you hang up this phone right now and go get presentable… Wear the green silk dress I got you with the black peep-toe heels… You know, the ones I’m talking about.”
Sadly, I do. They have four-inch heels and are torture to wear. “Max doesn’t care.”
“Trust me, he does. Max sounds like a very nice name.”
She wouldn’t think that if she knew his full name was Massimo Rage Vincenti. Who names their son Rage? Especially such a nice man. “He is.”
“Exactly. Now go get dressed.” Mom hangs up the phone.
This isn’t the end of it. Mom is going to call again just to ‘check’ to make sure I meet her standards. I guess I’m getting dressed and putting makeup on.
***
“Look at Prue.” Dylan whistles.
“Prue has a boyfriend. Prue has a boyfriend,” Junie sings .
“Why do you hide all that va-va-voom behind grandma cardigans?” Savie sets a skein of yarn on her lap.
“Because she doesn’t want the boys fighting over her.” Garnet lifts up her wine glass.
These video chats get wild sometimes, and Garnet usually instigates the mayhem.
“Hey everyone.” Fiona walks behind where Daria is sitting. Daria has been part of our group since day one, but none of us has heard her say a single word.
“Hey, Fea!” we all chorus.
“Are you all excited about the convention in two weeks? Daria finished packing two days ago.” Fea places a hand on the chair behind Daria.
“Do you want to pack for me, Daria? I haven’t even started digging clothes out of my closet.” Sheridan leans back on her couch that is piled high with half a dozen outfits of various colors.
“That’s because you’re a procrastinator.” Dylan grins. “If we all waited for you, we’d be late for everything.”
“Not everyone alphabetizes their lives like Prue.” Sheridan reaches for a mug in front of her. Who knows if it’s a two-day-old coffee or a fresh cup of tea?
“Hey now. Don’t bring me into your little squabble. My closets are pretty.” I sip my now cold tea in my living room. It hardly seemed right to sit in my comfy library chair while I’m wearing a dress like this. “And to answer your question, Fea, I can’t wait.” This convention is my favorite time of the year. It lets me pretend to be normal, even if it only lasts a week.
“Have we decided to go ride the roller coaster or not?” Garnet takes a sip of wine.
“Who cares about roller coasters? I want to know about Prue’s man.” Savie clicks her knitting needles together fast enough to make you dizzy.
“You’re seeing someone, Prue? That’s wonderful. Tell us all about him.” Fea perches on the edge of Daria’s chair. She usually doesn’t hang around much for our group meetings .
Do I tell them? Why not? It’s not like they’ll ever meet anyone I know. No one but Daria and Fea live in Urbium, and it’s not like they’ll ever meet Vex or Max. “My mother has been getting on my case to make friends again.”
“We’re your friends.” Concern has Junie’s brow wrinkling.
“I thought you moved to Urbium so your mother would get off your case about being a hermit. Which, if you ask me, is a perfectly valid hobby.” Dylan picks a sparkly pen up and jots something down in her notebook.
She never seems to be more than two feet away from one, but then I only see her when we meet like this or when we’re at a convention. “I’m actually trying to make friends.”
“Making friends takes time.” Junie is the kind one of the bunch.
“Who cares about friends? Tell me about the man. Is he sexy? Does he have tattoos and a beard? Or is he slightly nerdy? Nerdy men are hot. Not only can they talk to you outside of—"
“Savie!” Harper chimes in for the first time from the swing on her porch.
“What? It’s true.”
“You’ll embarrass Prue.” Harper takes a sip of her sweet tea.
“It’s her man we’re talking about. Prue, are you embarrassed by your man?”
Silence rings out. That almost never happens.
“The man I told my mother about isn’t mine. He’s just a kind neighbor.” A blush runs up my face.
“Do you want him to be?” Fea asks softly.
Garnet sets down her wine and leans forward. “Context clues people. You aren’t listening to the clues.”
“What clues?” Keeley blinks onto the screen. “What did I miss?”
“Prue is about to tell us about her men. She’s dressed for a date,” Savie gleefully shares.
“Prue is dating!! I thought she took a vow of chastity or something.” Keeley almost jumps out of her chair.
“Well now, she’s juggling two men.”
It would be wrong to mute Savie. “I’m not juggling two men. They’re— ”
“See, I told you there were two.” Savie points a needle at the screen.
“Let her speak.” Dylan sets her pen down.
“Fine, I’ll be quiet.”
A silence looms over the group as they all wait for me to explain my crazy life. “I told my mother about my neighbor. He’s a nice man.”
“A nice man that you want to—”
“Savie!” Dylan bites out.
“Fine.” Savie mimes zipping her lips.
“He isn’t interested in me at all.” Well, not seriously at least. “He stops by to check on me once in a while.”
“He likes you,” Junie adds that irritating bit of false wisdom.
“No, he doesn’t. But even if he does, I don’t feel anything for him.”
“Nothing at all? Not even a little flutter?” Savie stabs her needle into the ball of yarn.
She’s a little scary. “Not even a hint of a flutter.”
“Then it must be the other guy that makes her heart flutter.”
Savie isn’t wrong.
“Why would your mother have you dress up like that for a guy that doesn’t make your heart flutter?” Garnet stares into her glass.
“Because she has me married off to any man I ever speak to. I’m pretty sure she’s booked the country club for the wedding already.” How am I going to talk her into canceling that?
“And does the other guy make your heart flutter?” Fea asks.
“Yes,” I whisper.
The group sighs.
“Prue is in love.”
“I’m not in love.”
“Yet. You aren’t in love yet. But you will be.” Sheridan sets down the mug again without finding out what it was.
Will I? How do you fall in love with a criminal?
** *
This is the stupidest thing I’ve done… well not ever, but in… not even the last few hours.
Why couldn’t I just lie to my mother? This is going to kill me.
People die from embarrassment every single day. And today is my day. Or should I say tonight?
Instead of being curled up in that warm fluffy blanket, I’m standing in a green silk dress waiting for Max to show up. All because I can’t lie to my mother.
If I don’t do this, she’s liable to come here and find Max herself.
I wouldn’t put it past her to go door to door until she found him and apologized for how badly I’ve been dressing.
Max steps into the backyard and freezes. “Is there a party I forgot about?”
“None that I know of.” Not that I’d wear this dress out in public.
“Then why are you dressed like that?”
Now it’s time to pay the piper. “If my mother ever shows up at your door, I’m sorry.”
He chuckles. “She can’t be any worse than my family.”
“Fair enough. But still, I’m sorry I threw you under the bus.”
Max sits down on the lounger across from where I normally sit and folds his hand. “What did you do?”
This is freakishly embarrassing. I don’t know what is worse; admitting that my mother is a nut or having him see me like this. On my way to sit down, I slip off my shoes and grab the blanket to cover as much of my body as possible. Then I curl up across from him. “I told my mother that you’re my friend.”
Max’s eyebrows pinch in just a hair. “So? We are friends.”
“Um… So, there’s this thing. My mother doesn’t believe men and women can be friends. She’s decided I’m in love with you.”
“And are you?” His voice is way too soft and way too serious .
“No.” I try to add a firmness to my voice so that he knows I’m serious. “I don’t love you. I respect you. I think you’re a great dad and a wonderful person. There aren’t many people in this world that would sit with a neighbor until they pass out from sheer exhaustion, and then carry them up to bed, making sure that their doors are locked and their security system is engaged.” Wait. “Should I be afraid that you could do that without asking for my password?”
“Never. It just seemed more efficient to look it up rather than wake you up.”
“You own the company, don’t you?”
He nods.
My life has gotten so weird. But then it’s always been. “My mother might randomly show up at your house one day.”
“Eh. I’ll introduce her to my mother, and they can talk about us and try to plan our lives together.”
We both laugh at the insanity of our overprotective families.
“Why are you still doing this?” I nod to his bag and my computer.
“Because you can’t sleep, and it’s the right thing to do.” He looks so genuine… just good in the way few people are today.
“Do you always do the right thing?”
“Most of the time.” Max’s lips tip up into a naughty smirk.