“I don’t know,” I said. A lie I could claim. Because I couldn’t remember. I don’t think we got a bad mark. I just needed an excuse to not admit Shaun’s weird proposal.
And how he looked at me with those damn eyes…
“Bullshit,” Audra said. “You’d beat someone with your heels if they left hair in the sink. Talk.”
“I have nothing to say.”
“Again. I call bullshit.”
“Look, I’m Netflixing. We’ll talk later.” Because I didn’t want to talk about this anymore.
The phone was quiet for a second.
I picked at my fingernails.
Audra didn’t make a sound.
I pulled the polish, and probably a good chunk of fingernail off my ring finger.
Silence.
I hated this kind of waiting silence. Especially when I knew—I knew—she was just waiting for me to elaborate.
But I wasn’t going to do it.
Nope, I was going to pick at my now damaged manicure.
And I wasn’t going to say anything.
Not a word about Shaun.
Not a single word.
Audra didn’t say a word either. Just breathing I assumed was her smoking on her porch.
And Audra was really good at just waiting until…
“The exterminator asked me out,” I caught myself saying as I dropped the nail polish remnants into the trash.
Damnit. She did it to me again…
I really needed to better appreciate silence.
“Really?” Audra asked, sounding way more excited about this than I was.
I was just pissed that I’d manage to ruin my manicure. I stared at my fingers as I spoke. “Yeah. And I think I need to get some of that nail stuff for strengthening—”
“Don’t change the subject. What happened? What did he say?”
“He said he wouldn’t bill me if I had dinner with him.”
“Well, that’s rather cheesy.”
I smirked.
“Pun sort of intended,” Audra said. “Are you going to go?”
“I’d rather get the bill.”
