Chapter 11 #2
I stared down at our entwined fingers, suddenly aware that we probably looked like a couple.
Which made me wonder exactly what we were to each other.
More than friends, obviously. There was no way I could deny the connection I felt with him.
But at the same time, we hadn’t known each other very long.
Then there was the matter of who he was, because even if this spark between us blossomed into something more, the longevity of a relationship didn’t seem likely.
Not with his career. And besides, I had college and my future to consider.
Was committing to a relationship even practical at this point in my life?
Am I being ridiculous thinking about all this?
I was lost inside my head, but the bell above the door at Starbucks brought me back to the present.
The place was relatively empty for a Saturday morning.
The only customers were a couple splitting a blueberry scone and an elderly man reading a newspaper.
A bored-looking employee barely looked up from his phone as we approached the counter.
“You know what you want?” Alec asked as he inspected the glass display case filled with pastries.
I glanced at the menu hanging overhead. “I’ll have an iced coffee and a fruit parfait,” I said, choosing the first items I saw.
“Anything for the traitors?” he joked.
My lips pursed. I was tempted to say no, but denying someone their morning coffee was a punishment no one deserved. “Get them each a dark roast.”
“Okay.” He studied the assortment of baked goods for a moment longer and then moved toward the cash register.
The guy behind the counter was still focused on his phone, so Alec cleared his throat.
“Um, hi. Can I please have a grande iced coffee, two grande dark roasts, an espresso, one of those parfait things, a chocolate-chip bagel, and a box of assorted muffins? Oh, and cream cheese.”
The boy raised an eyebrow as if surprised by the length of Alec’s order, but he got to work without a word. When he finished, we found a table on the sidewalk patio and ate our breakfast in the sun.
“So,” Alec said, cutting his bagel in half. “Is there something specific that bothers you about Asha and Boomer dating?”
I considered his question, and by the time I’d come up with an answer, I’d inhaled half of my parfait. “It’s not them being together that’s upsetting. It’s that they hid it from me. It feels like…I don’t know, betrayal?”
Alec nodded, but said, “They care about you, Felicity. A lot. I doubt they wanted to hurt you.”
“I know that.” It was the truth—Asha and Boomer would never purposely be mean to me. “I just don’t understand why they kept it a secret. It’s not like I wanted them to be unhappy. Did they think I’d get upset?”
“But you are upset.” He tore open his packet of cream cheese.
“Not because they’re together,” I said, scooping up a spoonful of blueberries, which I’d saved for last. “I’m upset because they didn’t trust me to be happy for them.”
“I don’t think it was about trust, Fel.”
More bitter words were poised on my tongue, but I stopped. Alec had called me by my nickname. Not Felicity, just Fel, and it thawed me.
Sighing, I let my bitterness go. “Then what, Alec?”
“They’re probably afraid. Both of hurting you and messing up your friendship.”
“So what do I do?”
“Talk to them.”
“Well, I knew that,” I said. “It’s not like I can avoid them forever. We’re going to be stuck in the car all day.”
“We can always leave them here in San Francisco,” he deadpanned. His face was so serious that, if I didn’t know better, I would have believed him. “Or tie them up in the trunk. Whichever you prefer.”
***
Our walk back to Kelsey’s was silent, and by the time we reached the red-and-pink house, I felt like a steel pinball had been launched inside my chest. The two lovebirds were sitting on the front steps. Asha had her chin propped up in her hands, and she looked absolutely miserable.
Fingers brushed softly against the back of my hand. “Don’t worry,” Alec whispered. “It will be fine.”
I sure hoped so. Otherwise, this was going to be a long trip. I nodded at him before making my way toward my friends.
Nobody said anything when I arrived at the base of the stairs.
Boomer somehow managed to look small as he sat behind Asha.
He leaned forward and took her hand in his, and she let out a raspy sigh as their fingers folded together.
Her eyes were glassy, and the sight of my best friend on the verge of tears made my throat ache.
What could I possibly say to relieve the tension? This was all so awkward, and I didn’t know how to begin the conversation.
Boomer cleared his throat. “We’re so sorry, Felicity.”
I let out a long sigh. “Yeah, me too.”
“Please don’t apologize,” Asha replied. “It will only make me feel more guilty.”
“But I am sorry,” I said. “I snapped at you guys without giving you a chance to—”
“No.” The word came out firm. “We’re the ones who should be apologizing. We shouldn’t have kept something this big from you.”
“We had every intention of telling you,” Boomer added.
“It’s just… We didn’t know…” His voice trailed off, and he pushed his hair back.
“There was no good way. We were going to say something yesterday when we got to your house, but then you showed us the letters, and it didn’t feel like the right time. ”
I stared up at the house’s decorative red trim as I processed his explanation. “I get it. I mean, I wish you hadn’t been so afraid to tell me, because I really am happy for you.”
“You weren’t this morning,” Boomer pointed out.
“Yeah, well—it was a shock.”
“For us too. Both our relationship and…um, you catching us.”
Our relationship. As in the two of them dating. This would take some getting used to. “So…” I said slowly. “How did it happen?”
Boomer shrugged lazily. “Dunno. It just did.”
Asha frowned at his response. “Felicity, don’t take this the wrong way, but between studying, working at the diner, and all the volunteer hours…you haven’t had much time to hang out. Do you remember the last time we did Monday movie night, all three of us?”
I flinched. “Earlier this month?”
“Not since May.”
God. Had it really been that long?
“I’m a shitty friend,” I said, hanging my head.
“No, no!” Asha exclaimed. “We understand, Fel. Really, we do. Getting into Stanford is your top priority right now, and while you being busy all the time majorly sucks, Boomer and I started hanging out solo, and…I don’t know, things just happened.”
“How long?” My voice was thin with apprehension. I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to hear the answer.
It was Asha’s turn to flinch. “Since June.”
I blinked at the two of them. “You guys have been dating for two months?”
“Technically, we didn’t start dating until a few weeks ago. Fourteen days to be exact,” she said in a rush. “Before that we were casually making out and stuff.”
I held up a hand. “Okay, stop.” I didn’t need to hear about the two of them making out and stuff. “Too much information.”
We all stared at one another until a sheepish grin tugged at Boomer’s lips. He laughed, and then, without any volition on my part, I was laughing too. Like a thawing lake, the tension separating us cracked and dissolved. Asha got up from her spot on the steps and pulled me into a hug.
“Are you sure we’re good?” she whispered. “I don’t want this to ruin anything between us.”
I gave her a tight squeeze before pulling back. “Of course, Asha. I could never stay mad at you dorks forever.” She grinned in response, and I quickly added, “But maybe keep the kissing on the DL until I’m used to everything.”
Normally Asha dished about whomever she was dating, but I wasn’t sure I could handle details about Boomer…
“But I’ve been dying to talk to you.” She lowered her voice so he couldn’t hear us. “He does this thing with his tongue that—”
“La-la-la-la-la!” I sang, plugging my ears to block out the rest of her sentence. “Scratch that. I don’t ever need to know about the kissing.”