Chapter 27
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Casey said the following Friday as June took a seat on the bar stool at their regular table.
“We haven’t heard from you in forever,” Karla whined.
“It’s barely been a week,” June defended, though it was true she had been avoiding her friends because she’d been licking her wounds. “It’s been insane at work. I get off work, and I practically pass out while eating dinner.”
“I thought it might be something else keeping you exhausted,” Casey suggested while wagging her eyebrows.
Normally, June would blush at discussing her sex life—now that she had one. Did one time count as having a sex life?
“Honey, are you okay?” Sue asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder while looking at her with concern.
“I’m fine. Just tired,” she responded, trying to sound more chipper than she felt. It was hard keeping up the facade though when inside it felt like her heart was breaking. She had run out of excuses for him being too busy to call her.
First, it was work, then maybe a family emergency, but as the hours turned to days and then a week, she couldn’t lie to herself anymore. Rob was avoiding her.
“It’s more than that,” Sue remarked softly.
“June, we’ve all been friends for how long? We know something is wrong. What’s going on?” All three women leaned in closer, waiting for her to confess.
“I haven’t talked to Rob in a week,” she blurted out, needing to get it off her chest. She had been keeping her emotions buried deep inside. She’d thrown herself into work to try and shut her brain off, not wanting to think of the reason he’d stopped talking to her.
Sue reared back as if slapped. “A week?”
June shook her head. “Not since we—” Now she did blush. “Made love.”
All the women looked equally shocked and happy.
Casey was the first to break the silence. “Wait, you had sex with him, and he stopped talking to you?”
“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” Sue was quick to defend. “It could be like that dating rule. Don’t call after the first date for a few days.”
“This isn’t their first date, and it’s been more than a few days,” Casey snapped. “When a guy gets lucky and stops talking to you, it’s for a reason.”
“Maybe he’s in the hospital.”
“If I ever meet him, he will be,” Casey threatened.
“Guys,” June spoke up, interrupting their private argument that wasn’t so private but becoming public by all the glances in the bar.
“Stop arguing, please. Sue, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but let’s face it; Casey’s right.
A guy stops talking to you for that long can only mean one thing. ” He’d ghosted her.
“No,” Sue shook her head vehemently and placed a hand over hers on the table, “I don’t believe Rob would be like that. Not after everything you’ve told us about him.”
June hadn’t thought him capable either, but the evidence was staring her in the face.
She couldn’t make excuses for it anymore.
“Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that I haven’t heard from him since then.
” She didn’t want to talk about their lovemaking.
She couldn’t even call it that anymore. A memory she used to think of as perfect was now ugly and terrible. It felt cheap and meaningless.
“Men suck,” Casey said before taking a drink of her beer.
June wholeheartedly agreed. “I’ll drink to that.”