Chapter 7
REMI
“So … you two are dating?” Elena says the second Paige disappears into her room. Remi’s known Elena for nearly half her life and, even though she’s pissed at her, Remi would never date someone without sharing the good news with her.
Not after everything they’ve been through.
“Not exactly,” Remi says, maybe intentionally dragging this out.
“What do you mean ‘not exactly’? You two looked two seconds away from dry humping before I walked in.”
Remi splutters out a startled laugh. “Seriously, El?”
She smiles crookedly and sets the pizza box down on the kitchen counter.
“She’s a friend from the climbing gym,” Remi explains. “We’re kind of fake dating because—don’t laugh.”
Elena clutches her stomach as she giggles far too hard. “Fake dating?” She gasps. “I know I’ve been busy recently, but did I really miss your life becoming the plot to one of your favorite books?”
“Ha, ha,” Remi says. “But, yes, actually. Also, what’s with the pizza? Is Carter busy tonight?”
Remi feels like she’s barely seen Elena the past couple of months. She’s been too busy spending the night at her boyfriend’s place so much it feels like she’s only using her room at their apartment for storage.
“I deserve that,” Elena admits, slowly sobering up and wiping an imaginary tear from her eye. “No, he’s not. I told him I wanted to hang out at home.”
“Getting sick of each other?”
“No, asshole, I wanted to be here because I miss you.”
Remi winces, three simple words working their magic over the resentment that’s been festering inside her at feeling abandoned by her best friend. Because, while Remi has been hiding behind her anger, it’s really to mask the fact she misses the hell out of Elena too.
Especially with the summer approaching.
“I miss you too,” she whispers.
“Yeah … so, what’re you and your girlfriend doing tonight?” Elena wiggles her eyebrows.
“We’re grabbing dinner, then Paige has something planned.”
Elena stares at Remi, the corners of her mouth twitching.
“What?”
“Nothing. That just sounds very date-like for two people who are definitely not dating.”
“We’re … going on a couple of practice dates.”
“Practice dates?”
“Oh, don’t make this a thing,” Remi groans.
“No. I’m not. But you have to tell me everything. What do these practice dates entail?” She smiles and leans forward to rest her face in her palms, giving Remi her rapt attention.
Remi glances back at her closed bedroom door, then lowers her voice. “There are no details. Paige is figuring things out with her sexuality and is nervous, so I offered to help her feel more comfortable. You know, with dating women.”
“Oh, my god.” Elena beams. “You’re so in love with this girl.”
Remi shushes her, checking again over her shoulder. “No, I’m not.”
“Okay, well, you have a massive crush at the very least. Remember the dry humping?”
Remi facepalms. “We weren’t dry humping.”
“Close enough.” She smirks. “And good for you, Rem! She’s cute.”
“Will you not?” Remi signals Elena to lower her voice. “It’s not like that. I’m just helping her, as a friend. Besides, she’s not interested in me like that.”
Even if a part of Remi has lain awake at night dissecting their interactions, looking for signs. Like how she could’ve sworn Paige wanted her to kiss her on their first practice date, but there’s no way.
It’s Remi’s lust talking.
She got caught up in the moment and almost stole Paige’s first kiss with a woman, even though she specifically said she didn’t want to kiss someone unless it was for her. Kissing Paige then would have been for Remi and her own feelings, not Paige’s. She couldn’t do that. It’d be so selfish.
“Who says?” Elena asks, pulling her from her thoughts.
“She did.”
Elena tilts her head to the side and narrows her gaze in a disbelieving expression. “She said those exact words?”
“Close enough,” Remi mumbles. “She talks about dating women. Why would she make a point of mentioning other women if she had feelings for me?”
“You know, for someone who reads a shit ton of romance novels, I would think you’d know the answer to that question.” Elena sighs and pops open the pizza box. “Well, I won’t keep you any longer. Go enjoy your not date.”
Remi shakes her head, but watches Elena as she tears a slice of pizza from the pie while an idea swirls in her mind.
Remi pushes open her bedroom door and slips on the blue and white striped Hawaiian shirt she had laid out.
Paige stumbles from the bathroom, her skin flushed with a splotchy blush coloring her cheeks.
“You okay?” Remi asks.
Paige yelps in surprise, jumping almost a foot in the air.
“Hi, y-yes, yeah,” she stumbles. “Everything okay with”—she drops her voice to a barely audible whisper—“your best friend?”
“Yeah, we’re good. Actually, um—and please feel free to say no—but could we maybe eat dinner with her before doing your surprise?”
“Yes. Yeah! Of course. We can reschedule the whole date to another day. I can leave if you want to spend time with her?”
“No,” Remi rushes to say. “I don’t want you to leave.”
Paige’s eyes widen, lips parting slightly, in surprise for only a second before she smiles. It’s small and a little nervous, as she says, “Okay.”
Her reaction sends butterflies fluttering through Remi’s belly. She guides them into the living room and announces, “Change of plans. We’re going to take you up on your pizza offer.”
“Really?” Elena brightens. “Well, good thing I brought way too much food.” She grabs paper plates and stemless wine glasses from their respective cabinets with a new pep in her step. “Paige, I hope you like pepperoni and bacon.”
“I’ll honestly eat any pizza topping,” Paige says. “Well, except for pineapple.”
“Yes! Thank you. Finally, someone with some sense.” Elena throws a pointed look in Remi’s direction.
“You?” Paige asks, aghast, like they’re talking about cyanide instead of the delicious and juicy fruit that provides the perfect balance between sweet and salty.
“Yes, me.”
Elena snorts as she pours a glass of white wine. Remi gives her a pointed look that says she better be on her best behavior. Elena pretends not to see it and pours a second glass.
“I can’t have any, I’m driving,” Remi says.
“Okay? This wasn’t for you.” Elena sets the glass in front of Paige and gives her a Can you believe this girl? look.
Paige giggles, and, god, does Remi love that sound. When Elena is distracted, Paige turns to her. She can tell Paige is checking in with her, so she gives her a reassuring smile and makes an annoyed face at her best friend’s back that has her grinning.
“So”—Paige twists in her barstool to face Elena—“how long have you two been friends?”
“Too long,” Remi teases.
“Since freshman year of high school,” Elena answers while holding up her middle finger to Remi.
“Oh, wow,” Paige says.
“We both made the varsity soccer team our freshman year,” Elena adds.
“Plenty of time to bond as the seniors hazed us,” Remi says before having to look away.
The hazing wasn’t anything like the horror stories you see in college frat houses, but they were the team’s pack mules. Every practice they had to carry out the ball bags, cones, corner flags—and can’t forget, all the seniors’ belongings—from the storage room to the practice field half a mile away.
“We stuck together after that.” Elena catches Remi’s eye, and they share a soft look. What neither of them is mentioning is the third freshman that was by their side the whole time.
Anna Jordan.
“I didn’t know you played soccer,” Paige says, and the glee in her voice pulls Remi back from the dark places her mind wants to wander.
“I did.” Remi tries her best to give Paige a real smile.
“Do you still play? Like in adult leagues or anything?”
Remi shakes her head. She hasn’t been able to touch a soccer ball since the summer after high school. “No, but I found rock climbing in college and … well, the rest is history.”
“So, Paige, would you like another slice?” Elena asks. Paige nods and lets Elena take her plate. “Also you two will never guess the weird shit that happened to me at work today.”
Elena dives into a story that may or may not be embellished, but it has Paige’s full attention. Remi appreciates her best friend so much for allowing her the reprieve to get her thoughts together.
Losing Anna was traumatic for them both. The trio was close all throughout high school, on and off the soccer field. But Anna wasn’t just Remi’s best friend. She was her first girlfriend and the person Remi wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
But that’s no longer an option.
And Remi misses her every damn day.
“Anyway, that’s enough about that,” Elena says. “I took up enough of your evening. You two should head out of here.”
Paige turns to Remi, a question written across her face.
Remi cleans her hands with a napkin, mentally shaking off her thoughts. “Ready to go?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’ll take that.” Elena grabs their trash.
“Thank you for dinner,” Paige says, as she pushes in her barstool. “The pizza was delicious.”
“Anytime. It was a pleasure meeting you.” Elena holds open her arms. “Are you okay with hugs? I’m a big hugger.”
“I am.” Paige laughs. “It was so nice to meet you too.”
Elena pulls Remi into a hug next. She drops her voice so Paige won’t overhear and whispers, “I like her.”
Me too, El, me too.
* * *
“Elena’s great,” Paige says as Remi buckles her seatbelt.
Remi chuckles. “She’s a pain in my ass half the time, but, yeah, she’s also pretty amazing.”
“So, can I ask about the weird tension between you two at first?”
Remi winces. “You picked up on that?”
“I’m not sure I could’ve missed it.”
Remi sighs as she pulls out of her apartment complex.
“She’s been dating this guy, Carter, for a while, but they got pretty serious over the last couple of months.
Which is great for her, but also … I don’t know.
They’re always going out or staying over at his place.
I’ve barely seen her. It feels like she moved out and didn’t tell me. ”
Paige frowns. “They never stay over at your place?”