“What’s going on?” he asked Will.
Will smiled pretty convincingly and lied, “Roommate problems. You know how it goes.”
Jack looked perplexed. “What kind of roommate problems?”
“The usual,” Will responded. “Jenna, weren’t you on your way out?”
I knew what he was thinking: I had screwed things up, and it was time for me to butt out. So I excused myself, saying I needed to get dressed. I rushed, skipping my makeup, but a quick glance in the mirror was enough to reassure me. I liked what I saw. I’d filled out in the past year, and I didn’t look like a little kid anymore. I was a woman now—someone people would notice.
I walked past the living room and into the kitchen, where I found Will looking at his phone. I asked if he was sure he didn’t need me to stay. He wasn’t angry anymore, he just looked tired as he shook his head. “Go have fun. We’ll figure things out tomorrow.”
Figure out what things? I wasn’t sure, but I could tell he didn’t want me to push him. I grabbed my coat and purse and said a vague goodbye to no one in particular. Jack tried to ignore me. Naya, Sue, and Mike didn’t even need to try.
I did as Will said and forgot everything and had fun. The beer Curtis got me at the bowling alley helped. I couldn’t keep my ball out of the alley no matter how much I concentrated, so it didn’t really matter to my team if I got drunk, and pretty soon I’d decided to just sit it out and let others take my turn.
Curtis drove us to some random greasy spoon. The burgers there turned out to be awful. I reminisced about how good the place Jack had taken me to a year before was. I had brought him up so many times that everyone was starting to make fun of me for it, but in a nice way, so I didn’t mind.
For some reason, I’d decided to wear platform boots, and by the time Curtis drove me home, I’d taken them off because my feet were killing me.When we got out of the car, I stuffed them under my arm. Curtis rode up with me in the elevator and asked me if I was drunk.
“If I was drunk, you’d be carrying me,” I told him. “I’m happy, that’s all.”
Curtis reached out an arm to keep me standing as I walked toward the apartment, but I shrugged him off once we reached the door. We both leaned against the wall, and he said, “I’m glad you forced me to take you for a burger. Even if it was disgusting.”
“I’ve eaten worse,” I replied, making him laugh loud enough to alert Jack, who threw open the door with a grimace.
Curtis, chipper as ever, said, “Hey, hello again. I’ve been seeing a lot of you lately.”
I chuckled nervously as Jack stared me down, focusing on my clothes, my shoes in my hand, my coat on the floor. “Are you drunk?” he asked.
“Are you really the person to be asking me that?” I replied.
Jack tensed up, and Curtis raised his hands in a sign of surrender, interjecting, “Listen, this looks like a couples’ argument, and I’m not going to get in the middle of it. You two lovebirds have a good night!”
I waved. “See you, Curtis! You’re senssssational!”
I wondered if that was overdoing it. Jack sighed, took my boots from my hands, and bent down to pick up my coat, which I’d dropped. He guided me in gently, set my things down, and looked me in the eyes with an expression so tense I asked, “What’s up, Ross? Did you have a bad night?”
“Not at all. What about you? Did you have fun with your friends?”
“I did,” I responded defiantly. “It’s been forever since I’ve laughed so much.”
He turned and walked off, muttering curses, and started struggling with the sandwich press. He had apparently been trying to make dinner before I arrived. It was weird that he was up and dressed that late, but I didn’t ask myself why. I was too entertained at the sight of him attemptingto cook something. It was clear that he hadn’t gotten any better in the kitchen in the year I’d been away.
He banged on the machine’s lid and murmured, “If you had so much fun, how come you came back so early?”
“Why wouldn’t I? I was just hanging out with a couple of friends.”
“Friends…” he repeated. “Old Curtis, he’s just the best, isn’t he…”
“He’s a good guy, Ross.”
“He certainly makes you laugh a lot.”
“Not like you,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
He looked up at me, and I blushed all over. Was it a mistake, being so sincere with him? I didn’t know, but I came around the counter, looked quizzically at the sandwich maker, and said, “Let me lend you a hand…”
“I’m fine.”
