45. June
Ihonestly didn’t think I’d hear much from Lachy and Jake while they were away, but the influx of messages in the group chat kicks up a notch when I’m already at work. Class starts in fifteen minutes, so I have time to check them.
LACHY: Good morning, lass. Did you sleep well?
I slept like a baby.
RYAN: I can vouch for that ??
Oh my God. He’s so bad. But I can’t help smiling. He’s bad in the best possible way.
JAKE: Taking advantage of our absence, I see.
RYAN: No, keeping our girl satisfied.
I can’t believe he said that. I’m blushing furiously, and some of my students are starting to arrive. Let’s see if I can rescue this conversation from the gutter.
I’m sure I’ll gain a few pounds if you keep it up.
JAKE: You’d still be gorgeous.
RYAN: Does that mean no more tres leches cake? ??
I rest my forehead in my hand. I should have known better. Of course food will always bring sex to the forefront of our minds after the tres leches fiesta.
I’ll never say no to that.
JAKE: Now I want cake.
LACHY: Me too.
I’m distracted, reliving that hot evening, when Louis approaches my desk. “Are you okay, Ms. Summers?”
I lift my face quickly, turning my phone so the screen isn’t visible. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“Oh, okay. I thought you had a headache or something. My mom always has those, especially after she fights with my dad.”
I frown, forgetting my embarrassment. “Does that still happen a lot?”
He nods. “Yeah. He comes by the house often, even though he’s not supposed to. I think he wants to move back. I’m not sure why she won’t let him. I want to be a family again.”
“Oh sweety, I’m sure you do. But sometimes things aren’t as simple as we want them to be.”
He looks down. “I know. That’s what my grandpa says.”
The first bell rings, ending the conversation. Louis slumps his shoulders and returns to his seat. It breaks my heart to see him like that.
My phone vibrates with another incoming message. Oops. I forgot about the boys.
RYAN: Are you still with us, Peaches?
Sorry. A student needed me. Class is about to start. Talk later.
I want to include a heart emoji, but in my hurry to type, I end up sending a cute sticker of a pussy cat saying I love you.
Shit. I spend precious seconds freaking out instead of trying to unsend the message, and then it’s too late. They all read it.
Kill me now.
“Why didn’t you unsend the text?” Katrina asks me after I tell her about the I-love-you sticker fiasco.
“What would be the point? They’d already seen it.” I take a bite of my sandwich even though I’m not hungry.
We’re having lunch in my classroom so we can talk freely about my love life.
“And they haven’t texted you back?”
I grimace. “I was too afraid to check.”
She narrows her eyes, then stretches out her hand. “Hand over the phone. Right now.”
“Ugh. Fine. I’ll check.” A bubble of laughter goes up my throat when I see the messages from them. “They texted me back.”
“See? You were worrying about nothing. What did they say?”
I turn my phone so she can see for herself all the emojis and cute stickers they used. Katrina laughs. “Boys.”
“This probably means they didn’t take my oops text seriously, right?”
She switches her attention to her plate and creates a perfect bite of salad with her fork. “Obviously. It was clearly a case of fat thumb.”
“Yeah. I should reply.” I stare at my phone, biting my lower lip. When nothing witty comes to mind, I glance at Katrina. “What should I say?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. You seem to have a thing for food. Talk about that.”
I frown. “It always ends up becoming dirty.”
She smirks. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
I shake my head. “You’re such a bad influence.”
She presses her hand against her chest. “I’m a bad influence? Says the girl getting railed by three hunky hockey players.”
Ignoring her theatrics, I type a reply.
I want to bake you my favorite dessert when you come back.
LACHY: Oh, what is it?
It’ll be a surprise.
JAKE: I love surprises, and from you, even better.
I smile, forgetting that Katrina is sitting across from me and watching me like a hawk.
“Aww, look at that face. You’re so far gone for those boys, June.”
I look up. “I know. And it terrifies me.”
Jake and Lachy stopped messaging me after lunch. They were probably getting ready for their game tonight. But Ryan texted me a few times, first to give me an update on the pets—he volunteered to check on them, since he was bored. And then to invite me to watch the Titans game with him.
The game is early, so I don’t have much time to get ready. I jump into the shower, make sure all the pets are good, and as I’m about to walk out of the apartment, I text him.
I’m coming over now. I’m bringing snacks.
Hey, something came up. Rain check?
I stop in my tracks and stare at my phone, waiting for him to say he’s joking. But when no follow up text follows, my stomach dips. I’m disappointed, but I’m a bit worried too.
Is everything okay?
Yep. Talk tomorrow.
Wow, that was cold. A lump forms in my throat, and my eyes prickle. I’m so confused. Did I freak him out with that accidental I-love-you sticker? No, that doesn’t make any sense. All his messages afterward were normal. I have no idea what to think, but I can’t remain rooted to the floor.
I turn around and put the bags with the snacks back on the counter. My first instinct is to call Katrina, but I know how busy it is at her house at this hour with four kids. I open the fridge and take out the bottle of white wine I bought the other day. As much as I want to watch the game, I need a moment to deal with the sadness swirling in my chest. It’s crazy that a cold text from Ryan affects me this much. Maybe it’s my hormones. I always get mopey during my period.
I fill the wine glass to the brim, grab the bag of potato chips, and head to the balcony. The weather is still nice. Mrs. Carpenter’s balcony isn’t as large as the one the boys have, but it’s big enough to fit Humberto’s little haven. Tortoises fare better outdoors.
The tension leaves me as the wine spreads through my body, but the sadness doesn’t go away. I go back inside only when it starts to get chilly. I left my phone on the kitchen counter and, unable to control myself, I check to see if Ryan messaged me again.
He didn’t.
I refill my glass and drink it in one gulp before I refill it again. I never drink this much during the week, but I’m making an exception tonight.