She handed me a glass of ruby-red wine as we plopped on my couch.
“I’m sorry, you’re not even undressed from work yet. I’ve been waiting for you to get home and came over as soon as I heard you. Wanna get into something comfortable?”
Evie and I have been commiserating about the men in our lives on and off for the past few months. She was fully aware of the issues I’d been having with Chase. And I was more than aware of what an ass Gregory was. The sheer fact no one could call him Greg spoke volumes. But he was a client from the gallery, so…
“Well, that depends. Do you want to stay in or go out?”
The slow swivel of her head towards me was almost comical.
“You, Maryellen McEntyre, are offering to go out on a weeknight? You berated me for bringing this bottle.”
She knew me well. That was why her tone changed immediately.
“Wait, what did he do?” she asked.
“It was nothing, really.” As I said it, I got up to look for jeans and a sweater. I knew we’d be going out for a drink. As I pulled them from my closet, I turned to Evie. “Actually, what he did was act nice. And that’s worse.”
Her eyes warmed at my words.
“Yeah, hon, it sucks when they’re nice and you’re trying to get over them.” She curled her legs under her and leaned into the corner of the couch while taking a sip of her wine. “Why are you trying to get over him again?”
I could hear the sarcasm in her voice, and she kept going.
“Anyway, I thought he moved on, and he’s been dating. Or hooking up, whatever it is he does. Why would you want to be bothered with him if he’s moved on?”
I knew he was hooking up, but I hated thinking about it. Hated putting words to it because then it made it a reality.
I moved to my mirror and pulled my hair from the bun I wore and ran my fingers through it. She joined me and saw the look in my eyes.
“Hey, did that upset you?” She put her head on my shoulder as we looked at each other in the mirror. She could read my mind sometimes. “I didn’t mean to upset you, but if he isn’t dating, then that changes things. I also know whatever you dealt with when you first got to New York is one of the biggest reasons keeping you from being with him. But I’m not sure you give him enough credit.” She poked me in the side. “I mean, I’ve never seen the side of Chase you insist exists, but if it does, I know he would understand.”
The only acknowledgment I could give her was a nod. If I did anything more, I feared I’d start crying. Evie knew my early days here were challenging, but she didn’t know the whole story. I planned on telling her one day. That day hadn’t arrived yet.
She pulled on a strand of my hair, snapping me out of my trance.
“You’re the only girl I know who can wear their hair up all day and make it look good when you take it down. How the hell do you do that?” Evie ran her fingers through her own hair but gave up with a roll of her eyes. “I’m going to head to my place and change real quick. Knock when you’re ready.” As she turned to go, she stopped. “Do you want to call Harper? We haven’t seen her in a while.”
I’d love to see her, but calling her last minute like this on a weeknight wasn’t something that worked for her.
“Just us tonight.”
As we walked along the streets of our neighborhood, we had no real plan in place. We could easily go to the local bar. But it was exactly that, local. We usually knew everyone there, and I got the feeling Evie wanted something more tonight.
“Where to?” Evie asked while stopping at the corner. Puffs of breath escaped her mouth with her words. It was freezing out. Winters in NYC could be harsh, and this January was proving to be no different. “We could jump on the subway right now if you want.”
We were standing right by the station for the 6 line. An easy ride to East Harlem in Manhattan. But it would make for a late night.
“Fuck it,” I said as I dragged her by the hand down the stairs. The stench of urine was strong as we made our way into the depths of the subway; it was always worse in the winter. It was commonplace, so it didn’t bother us.
“Oh my God!” Evie screeched. “This is so exciting. We’re actually going to the city on a Tuesday night?” She hooked her arm in mine and started skipping toward the oncoming train. “I’m going to write this in my diary.”
One of the main benefits of where I chose my apartment was its close proximity to mass transit to get me into the city. Living outside Manhattan saved me money, so it was a win-win. It also gave us options in going out. Getting on the subway wasn’t a big deal, but not our norm for a Tuesday.
“Shut up,” I told her. “This is for you just as much as it is me.”
But I needed it. Chase had thrown me for a loop today. I was used to the charming, womanizing version of him. Not the vulnerable side of him. That side nearly broke me. It nearly caused me to rescind the promise I made myself, and him, months ago.
The train pulled up as soon as we arrived at the track, which rarely happened. It was as if fate were trying to reinforce we should be doing this. We jumped into the car and were pleasantly surprised to find it comfortably heated. You never knew what you were going to get. Yet the ride wasn’t longenough to peel off my layers, so I only removed my hat as the car jostled me around on departure.
