20. Shoua
CHAPTER 20
shoua
I could feel Anthony’s gaze on me, but before I could catch it, he had already turned the other way. He had been distant all night and kept his hands to himself. I expected his arm to be thrown around my shoulders or his hand to be on my hip, keeping us close. But there was none of that. Although he was only inches away from me, emitting his warmth, he had never felt so far away.
The girls and I were discussing the details of Jackie’s horrible first date last night. We tried our best to include Evelyn in any of the conversations we had, but she was mostly disinterested.
When I glanced over to Anthony, he and Evelyn were in a deep conversation about a bookshelf she thrifted for her studio apartment.
“I started watching a bunch of videos online about tips and tricks on how to fix up the old bookshelf,” Evelyn explained. “I’m such a newbie that I couldn’t do much.”
He nodded along, curious about her project. “I gotta say, Evelyn, I didn’t even know you liked furniture refurbishing.”
“You’re always talking so much about it whenever my mom and I visit, and I became fascinated with it. I think it’s amazing how most of the furniture in your home is refurbished,” she said. “It’s pretty great when there’s so much overconsumption in the world that you choose to do this. The work you do on all these pieces of old furnishings is gorgeous too. I was looking at your website for local buyers here and?—”
I forced myself to turn my attention back to Jackie and the conversation I was having with my girls. I was distracted for a moment when Evelyn walked up to Anthony with a smug smirk on her face, worried that she might be forward again with me right there.
“I swear to god, these men are even worse these days, Shoua! Maybe it’s the heat during the summer,” Jackie yelled over the music and crowd, grabbing my attention. She paused to sip the margarita in her hand. “Because all these assholes just want to fuck around and never want to commit. But come fall and winter, they’re at your doorstep with flowers and looking for something supposedly long-term . And then once summer is around the corner again, they’re ready to leave you in their dust.”
“Why do you think I stopped using those dating apps for this city years ago?” I laughed. “You should really consider deleting your account.”
“I would if I had a hot best friend who lives next door who I can fall in love with,” Jackie said with a big smile. She turned to Alicia. “I also wouldn’t mind deleting my entire experience on there if I had a high school sweetheart I’ve been in love with for over a decade like Alicia over here.”
Alicia shook her head, frustrated for Jackie. “In our defense, we just lucked out with Anthony and Arjun.” She glanced over at her boyfriend as she mentioned his name with this bright smile and then turned back to us. Evelyn was no longer talking to Anthony and Alicia took this opportunity to call out to her. “Evelyn, one tip: Don’t date men from Sunset Valley during the summer. Only date them in the fall or winter.”
The three of us laughed as she smiled with us.
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind if I got the chance regardless of the season. The men here seem to have the whole package,” she started as she glanced around the bar only to stop on Anthony. His loud laugh boomed, and her smile tipped into a smirk when she locked eyes with me. “They’re gorgeous, handsome, dependable, know what hard work is, and are great in bed.”
Was she implying she had been with Anthony intimately? She was bluffing, because he’d never.
I continued to keep my smile stretched across my face and let out an amused laugh. “True, my man certainly knows what to do since he hangs like a horse.”
I lifted my glass of Long Island iced tea up to the sky as if to cheer and downed the rest of the two thirds of it in a single gulp. It might’ve not been the best idea to drink it all at once since it’s so strong, but I was done with Evelyn.
With alcohol pumping through my body and my patience wearing thin, I wasn’t going to entertain Evelyn if this was how she wanted to play. I wasn’t even sure why she was still insistent on trying to nab Anthony anyways.
“He sure does, doesn’t he?” She laughed lightly. “I mean, for a temporary girlfriend he barely got with two days ago, I’m sure you know a little about the shape of his dick.”
Her words were loud enough over the crowd for my friends and me to hear, but low enough that the guys couldn’t hear over their loud banter. In the middle of a crowded, loud bar, this conversation was only between Evelyn and me with my friends as witnesses.
I slowly blinked in her direction with a smirk. “Is that what you think I am? Just his temporary girlfriend?”
“You two are just friends,” she replied with certainty. “Your friendship suddenly becoming a romantic one is too well- planned with our trip here. If you two thought that I wouldn’t catch on, then you’re wrong to underestimate me.”
I tilted my head curiously. “Why are you going after him when he’s made it clear he doesn’t even see you in the same way?”
Evelyn’s face immediately flushed crimson. She looked over to where Anthony stood behind me with the guys in their own little circle and us women in our own. He wasn’t close enough, but his elbow grazed against my arm from time to time.
When I glanced over my shoulder, I could see him leaving, taking his warmth with him. He walked behind me without a single glance in my direction as my body ached for him to look at me or even place his hand on the small of my back. With him gone, I turned back to Evelyn to see the way her red lips tugged into an unbothered grin.
“Because I can,” she finally said and slipped away into the crowd surrounding us.
Her departure hung thick in the air, ruining the great mood Alicia, Jackie, and I were in.
“I’m going to get some water,” I announced.
“Sure, let’s go up together,” Jackie said, smiling softly at me.
“It’s—” I started before I got interrupted.
“Let me get it for you,” Kelvin quickly interjected. He had been standing and idling on the side of both of our little group. He had been watching me the whole night, which didn’t go unnoticed by me.
I gave him a tight smile. “It’s all right. I’ll go by myself,” I said, turning toward the bar. I waved off my girls and Kelvin since I needed a moment to be alone. “Thanks for the offer, though.”
All the alcohol from my one and only drink was proving too much and I needed to clear my head with water. My brain was too hazy and slow now since I downed all my Long Island in one gulp, and I regretted it immensely. I meant to slowly sip it throughout the night, but Evelyn got the better of me.
The cocktail made it hard for me to prepare for whatever she or maybe even Kelvin had in store for Anthony and me tonight. This evening was meant to be about having fun with our friends, and I was supposed to take it mellow and easy. However, Evelyn showed me her cards and I got agitated. I let her get under my skin, which I should have never.
She still wanted Anthony and would stop at nothing for him, regardless of our relationship—fake or not. I knew I was right when I told Anthony we should be worried about Evelyn. Now I was going to have to tell him, I told you so .