Confused, I pressed on. “Then talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
She blinked a few times before meeting my gaze. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I just need… Can we go back to before?”
I knew what she was asking for but couldn’t believe she really wanted it. We’d shared more than sex. There’d been a connection, an intimacy I’d never felt before. How could she just forget that? How could I?
“You’re asking me to pretend it didn’t happen.” Disappointed didn’t even begin to describe how I felt.
“Please? I… I’m sorry. Don’t make things awkward between us.”
Me?
She was the one who’d been ghosting me. She was the one acting disingenuous and weird, like I was some stranger who barely knew her. Desperate for some sort of explanation, I studied her face, but her emotions were still on lockdown, and she was careful not to reveal anything. Whatever progress I thought I’d made with her had been shot to shit.
She looked pointedly at the glass door I was still holding closed. A few people had gathered on the other side, looking like they were about to charge me.
I gave in and opened the door.
People exited, grumbling. Mila waited until they were through before breezing past me to enter. I got a whiff of her soft, floral scent, and it made my chest ache. I wanted to reach out to her and find that intimacy we’d shared once again, but I held back. A bright smile stretched across her face. Following her gaze, I saw Toby sitting in a corner booth.
It was irrational and immature, but I felt replaced, like she could only have one friend at a time, and she’d chosen him. He got the smile and the hug I should have been greeted with, while I got the cold shoulder. They slid into opposite benches and stared at each other across the table like the rest of the restaurant didn’t exist.
Like I was fucking invisible.
Toby’s gaze cut to me, and he opened his mouth.
“It’s so great to see you again,” Mila gushed, drawing his attention back to her. Days ago, she seemed certain he was a murderer. Today, her smile threatened to blind the entire establishment.
“I’m glad you called,” Toby replied. “To be honest, I was beginning to worry that you wouldn’t.”
“Sorry about that. I’ve been busy helping Levi with a project.”
He waved her off with a hand. “Don’t even worry about it. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters. I was sorry to hear that Levi won’t be joining us. He’s okay, right?”
Since I clearly wasn’t going to get an invitation to join them, I claimed a nearby table, keeping an eye on the duo.
“Levi’s fine, just working.”
“But it’s the sabbath,” Toby replied, sounding somewhere between confused and outraged.
“I know! It’s awful. He rarely takes a day off. I worry about him all the time.”
Toby grabbed her hand and squeezed it encouragingly. “We’ll pray for him.”
She beamed Toby a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
I almost threw up in my mouth. Mila and I had spoken about religion a few times, and, according to her, she had no idea what she believed anymore. So, who the hell would she be praying to?
“Prayer works, Amelia. I’ve been praying to find you for years, and look. Here you are.”
I had to hand it to him, it was a good line. She blushed and looked away, flirting. The sight made my stomach churn. Who the fuck was this woman? Did I even know her at all? I thought I had, but now, I wasn’t so sure.
Turning her attention to her menu, Mila asked for Toby’s recommendation. As the two of them worked out their order, I flagged down a waitress and requested a soda so I wouldn’t get evicted for loitering. While waiting for their food, Mila and Toby joked and reminisced about people they used to know and the compound they’d grown up in. To me, Mila had made the compound sound like a cross between a prison and a concentration camp, but now she and Toby made the place out to be some sort of happy land.
Around him, Mila didn’t swear. She lost the sarcastic sense of humor I loved so much, and her comments were over-the-top optimistic and encouraging, making her come off like a positivity coach jacked up on caffeine and Jesus. Every word that came out of her mouth made her seem like more of a stranger to me.
“I’m so glad you called,” Toby reiterated. “For two reasons. One, it was really nice to see you again and I’m hoping we can do this more often. Two, I have a huge favor to ask.”
“Name it,” Mila replied without hesitation, pushing her plate away.
