Chapter Twenty-Three:
“Brooke, stop. Let me explain,” Anna called after her.“Please, B. I’m in heels for God’s sake.”
“I’m such a fool,” Brooke spat out, her eyes watering immediately. How could she have let herself think for even a second that any of this had been real? Of course there was a guy in the picture. She knew she should have asked the question: are you single? She could have at any point over the past two weeks. She should have asked it the second Anna had agreed, but she hadn’t and now she was feeling an ache spreading through her chest that she had worked so hard to avoid for the past few years.
Anna shook her head.“No, wait. Brooke, you’re not.” Anna stepped closer, completely ignoring Brooke’s recoil.“B, look at me.” Anna reached out and gently cupped Brooke's face, staring up into Brooke's golden brown eyes.“Those messages are not what they look like.”
Brooke let out an emphatic‘what the fuck’styled scoff and stepped out of Anna’s grasp.“‘I miss you, baby girl.’ ‘Can’t wait until you get home.’You live with him?” She flung her hands out in exasperation.“Anna, I apologize for reading it, but how can you even begin to say that text is not what it looks like?” Brooke didn’t give Anna a chance to answer.“And for fuck’s sake, his name in your phone is Nick with a blue heart emoji.”
“I know. I know it looks really bad, but listen, I swear. Can I just show you something?” Anna offered a small smile, stepping back into Brooke’s bubble.
Brooke forcefully wiped her tears away with the back of her hands.“What could you possibly have to show me right now?”
Anna held her phone up for Brooke to watch her path. She first showed the last message Nick had sent her.“Nothing has changed, right?”
Brooke shrugged.
“Okay, watch.” Anna clicked on the contact and hit the call button. Brooke thought she might puke, she did not need to hear whatever this was.“Just wait.”
“Anna-baby! How are you? I’m so glad you called. Are you still mad at me?” He had a pleasant voice, surprisingly a bit of an accent, which honestly just kind of poured salt in the wound.
“No, Nick, I’m not still mad. It’s a ruined jacket, not a ruined friendship.” Anna very pointedly stared at Brooke for this next bit.“I only have a minute so I wanted to tell you about B.”
“Oh thank fuck. This is what I have been waiting for. Tell me everything? How fucking sexy was she in her tux? Please tell me you’ve made sweet, sweet beautiful love to her by now and do not spare any graphic detail—“
Brooke froze. What was going on?
“She looks insanely good in her tux,” Anna said, blushing but clearly forcing herself to continue.“Not yet. But tell me about you. How did your date with Adrian go?”
Nick scoffed.“Total daddy, but honestly a complete ass. And not like the sexy, cocky, I’m better than you ass, but like actual ass.”
“So youdidn’tfuck your cycling instructor?” Anna asked, smiling as Brooke slowly started to realize what was going on.
“Oh, I mean. We fucked, but it probably won’t happen again.”
Anna coughed out a laugh at that.“Thanks for that, Nick. But, I’m going to have to call you later. Sorry to keep it so brief! I miss you and I love you.”
“I miss you and I love you! I can’t wait for you to get home and tell me everything. Please do us both a favor and get yourself laid. Don’t make me start teasing you for how long you’ve been thirsting after her again.”
“Yep. Hanging up on you now,” Anna said, quickly hitting end before Nick could say anything else embarrassing.
Brooke swallowed, trying to sort out all the information she had just overheard.“So, he’s not your boyfriend?”
“No, Nicholas is my roommate. And a self-admitted chaotic flaming homosexual. I promise there’s never been anything romantic between us. He’s like my brother. And he is also very much rooting for us to fall madly in love.” Anna let out a nervous laugh as a blush spread across her cheeks.
There was still so much she didn’t know about Anna.“I’m sorry for—there’s so much I don’t even know and so much I should say”…Brooke sighed. She forced a small, sad smile.“I didn’t even know you had a roommate. I’ve been a terrible partner in this.”
“I’ve been to your place, and now I’ve met your whole family.” Anna shook her head.“I didn’t want you to think I was… I don’t know… immature for having a roommate. Nick and I honestly could probably do just fine without each other, but I grew up with him. He’s a Solomon. Yes, like, the Dr. Rachel Soloman. Nick is her son. And yeah, he’s loaded, and sure my restaurant is thankfully doing really well, but we’ve lived together for almost nine years now. We could go solo, but it’s been safe and we have a rhythm. And sure, we drive each other crazy, and he loses my favorite jean jacket sometimes, but it’s been the most stable home I’ve had since the wreck. You know?”
Brooke softened.“Anna, I would never judge you for having a roommate.”
Anna looked away, completely embarrassed.“I know. I know that you wouldn’t. I just panicked. You’re literally the whole package. You’ve got an amazing job, you’re stunning, you’re so, so kind, and just ridiculously charming. Seriously, who can waltz? And you like my puns—“
“—Your puns are awesome,” Brooke muttered, too embarrassed to acknowledge the rest.
Anna smiled fully now.“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him. I could have saved us a very awkward phone call.”
Brooke cleared her throat, very much avoiding the part where Anna’s roommate had asked if they’d fornicated by now. He had also known about her tux.
