“Tell me where to meet you and what time,” I say. “And I’ll be there.”
Chapter Four
I send an urgent text to my best friend, Phoebe, as I get ready to meet Aiden for coffee:
I’m about to do something incredibly dangerous and you need to virtually bitch-slap me and tell me not to do it.
I set my phone on the marble countertop of my bathroom. I left Casino Night early, an hour ahead of Aiden, so nobody would see us leaving at the same time, and dashed home to my apartment on Biscayne Boulevard, changing out of my evening gown and into a much more casual outfit.
I pause and stare at my reflection. I love fashion, and I love dressing up, so maybe this isn’t “casual.” But it’s definitely not an evening gown withBlack Swanfeathers, so there’s that.
I’ve changed into a mocha-colored sleeveless sequined top that shimmers beautifully in the light. It’s slightly cropped, so it reveals a hint of my stomach, and paired with a cognac-brown leather miniskirt and tall brown boots. I pulled my hair back into a tight knot at the nape of my neck, and redid my makeup, too. Simple diamond stud earrings are my only accessory.
Oh, who am I kidding. It’sdefinitelya date outfit.
For my “it’s nothing but coffee” date with Aiden.
I bite my lip, glancing at my phone. Phoebe would tell me this is wrong.
If she answers.
Since I graduated from college this past spring, I can feel my friends drifting away from me. We all went in different directions—some are still back in Connecticut at college, finishing up their degrees. Others moved to different cities, like I did, to start their professional lives. Or in Phoebe’s case, she’s in her first year of graduate school in Vermont.
At first, we were all active in our group chats. Then they started to trail off, and now it’s been simple likes or quick comments on each other’s Connectivity posts.
I miss my friends.
Especially Phoebe. We were so close in school, doing everything together. We shared laughs. Tears. Celebrated the wins and consoled each other on the losses. We were a daily part of each other’s lives.
Until we weren’t.
A wave of sadness surges through me. At first, we were both busy with new lives. Phoebe moving to Vermont, and me to Miami. Our messages weren’t multiple times a day; they became once a day.
Then once a day became a message sent on occasion.
Or rarely at all.
I miss Phoebe. I swallow at the knowledge that we really aren’t best friends anymore. Which makes me sad, but I have to accept that we haven’t been close for a long time.
But it’s not just Pheobe I miss.
I miss having friends nearby. People who can grab a coffee or go shopping with me. Someone who can come over for dinner and talk over a glass of wine or hang out on a lazy Saturday and watch movies.
But it’s been so much harder to make friends in the real world than I ever dreamed it would be. It’s not optimal to be friends with coworkers. Friendly? Sure. But I make it a practiceto keep it at that. I’ve gone to some activities for meeting people—like I took a sip-and-paint class once—but a lot of the people there already knew each other, and I felt like I was intruding on their friendship time. Then there was the disaster when I volunteered at a food bank, where I was scheduled to work a shift with a large group of girls from a scouting organization.
I mean, they were incredible girls, and we did a lot of great work, but when I hoped to meet new people, I was optimistic they would be over the age of ten.
UGH.
Maybe that’s why I’m risking so much to meet Aiden for coffee,I muse.I want that friend connection, and Aiden is offering that to me.
Suddenly there’s a loud squeak coming from Mochi in my bedroom. “Even you know that’s a lie, don’t you, Mochi?” I call out to him.
Now Matcha squeaks, and I shake my head. Even my chinchillas know I’m full of crap. I’m attracted to Aiden, and that’sexactlywhy I’m going to have coffee with him.
He’s gorgeous. Intriguing. Sweet. Even though nothing more can ever come of it, I want this moment in time all the same.
I pick up my phone, knowing Phoebe isn’t going to answer right away, and walk back out to my bedroom, ready to go to meet Aiden at the Hotel Fredrico bar for a cup of coffee. I pause by the chinchilla cage and smile at my boys, who are busy playing with each other. “All right, boys, be good. Mommy is going to do something incredibly dangerous, and hopefully I won’t get burned by it.”
