He finally tears his eyes away from me and looks at his sister. “Yeah, I left when I realized I couldn’t find my card. My boss is probably going to be pissed.”
His lie sounds so believable, I wonder if it’s a lie at all. Maybe he did leave his credit card here, and all of this is just a silly coincidence.
“I’ll grab another plate,” Teeny offers.
Teeny stands up from her chair and walks off to the kitchen leaving me and Andrew alone. He stalks toward me and sits in the seat next to mine, his glower making me squirm.
“Why are you mad at me?”
“I’m not mad at you,” I say meekly. I sound frightened, but everything inside me is growing hot and heady. I swipe my finger at a spot of soy sauce I missed, trying to avoid his gaze but it’s pointless. His eyes feel like laser beams and the heat from it is almost unbearable.
“Really? Is that why you’re telling me to leave you be?”
“Andrew,” I plead, feeling too flustered. “I don’t want to talk about it here. Teeny might hear us.”
“Fine. Let’s go to your place so we can talk.”
“I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Too. Fucking. Bad,” he argues. He waits a beat for me to respond, but I try my best to ignore him, failing when I catch his eyes boring daggers into me. “Grace, did I do something wrong? Was it something I did at lunch?”
“I don’t know,” I say, trying to sound as flippant as possible. I return my attention back to my dinner. “Maybe you should ask yourfriendif you did something at lunch that might have upset me.” I say friend with a little more disdain than I intendedto, but I don’t care anymore. There’s no point in hiding things anymore.
“So, you’re mad about Olive.”
I stay quiet. It’s hard to fight back and deny it when the air around us is growing thick and taut. I feel like my breaths are going in and out of me in short gasps rather than at a steady pace. I feel like he’s hovering over me, piercing me with his sharp eyes to force the truth out of me.
Teeny returns with the extra plate and a bright smile, completely oblivious to the tension coiling around us.
“Here,” she announces, placing a ceramic plate in front of Andrew. “We have a few rolls left, and an extra cup of miso soup. You want a beer?”
“Sure.” He looks uncomfortable as he takes the plate from Teeny. I can see his arm flex when his hand fists on the table. His jaw tics as he takes one last glance at me. A warning, it seems. Or a promise that we’re going to have this conversation whether I like it or not.
I need to leave. This is getting too weird and uncomfortable. I can’t sit through the rest of our dinner like this. With Andrew’s harsh demeanor and the heat between us I can barely ignore.
“Hey, I’m going to head out,” I abruptly announce.
“Already?” Teeny asks with a pout.
“Yeah. I have to feed Buster.” I collect some of my trash, piling it in the plastic bag in haste.
“Just leave it,” she assures. “I’ll clean it up when I’m done.”
My lips pull tight into an uncomfortable smile, and I catch Andrew watching me as I continue to tidy up despite Teeny’s instruction to leave it be. I hook my purse over my shoulder and manage to avoid looking at Andrew before walking out of the dining room. I beeline for the exit with Teeny at my tail, leaving dust in my wake as I leave the room where I felt like I’d been holding my breath.
“Get home safe,” she instructs. “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.”
A rush of fresh air fills my lungs, replacing the burn from when I felt like the presence of Andrew was going to suffocate me. I shake off the feeling that what happened inside was more than my words coming to bite me in the ass.
Whatever it was, it’s over. Andrew and I aren’t friends. And he needs to know that sooner rather than later.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Grace
I makeit to my condo with a slight sag in my step. My feet drag like they’re being pulled through cement, making the walk from my car to my doorstep sluggish and dejected. I have a weighty moment of regret and guilt. It hits me in the gut like a sucker punch, and I try my best to ignore it. It’s my weak heart in play, wanting to make sure I didn’t hurt Andrew’s feelings or anything just as damaging to our friendship. If there even is one left to damage.
