Isla:*eye roll emoji
Isla:How long have you been wanting to tell me that?
I laughed out loud.
“What’s so funny?” Wilder asked, sitting across from me.
“Isla.”
“A girl has you smiling like that?” Olivia said. She sat next to Wilder, his arm around her.
“Calm down, Olivia,” I said. “I’ve already told you we’re just friends, so get that excited look off your face.”
“Fine,” she grumbled.
Wilder pulled her closer to him and kissed the top of her head.
“I know you told us she just moved here and needs some friends,” Scarlet said, next to me. “But she’s cool, right? Like, not one of your groupies?”
I sighed. “Why are you guys struggling to understand what I’ve already told you?”
“Because you don’t have friends who are girls except Olivia and Scarlet,” Rush chimed in.
He had a point, but still. I wanted them to meet Isla, not give me the third degree.
“We. Are. Just. Friends,” I reiterated. “She even had a boyfriend up until a couple of hours ago. She doesn’t know anybody here, and I thought it would be nice to help her meet a few more people. That’s it. There is nothing sexual going on between us.”
Scarlet placed a hand on my shoulder. “You can’t blame us for being confused. This is out of the ordinary for you.”
Out of the ordinary? More like the complete opposite.
Me:My friends can’t believe you’re not one of my groupies.
Isla:They’ll believe it once they see me. I won’t be whispering things in your ear, and my boobs won’t be hanging out.
Me:That’s too bad. You look like you have nice boobs.
Isla:I do. They’re amazing.
I had to hold in my laugh, otherwise my friends would never believe what I’d just told them. One of the things I liked about Isla was how I could joke around with her and be myself. She didn’t seem to overanalyze what I said and just rolled with it, accepting that it was me.
Me:Are you on your way so I can see you and your amazing boobs?
Isla:Patience, Iago. Almost there.
Me:Did you just quoteAladdin?
Isla:Yep. It’s a classic line.
Scarlet didn’t have anything to worry about. Isla was cool, and I had no doubt that she was going to fit in well with our group.
Isla:You know, I’d probably get there faster if I wasn’t texting a certain someone and trying not to trip and fall on my way there.
Me:Fine. I’ll stop. We’re sitting at a table in the back corner.
Isla:Nobody puts baby in a corner.
Me:You’re a movie quoter.
