Fuck. Shit.Say something. Anything.
“You can spend the night if you want?”
What?Not that, you fucking dingus. That’s going far beyond what you should have said. What is the matter with you?
“Spend the night?” she asks. “Like a sleepover?”
“Sleepover?” I stammer.
“Well, yeah. If you asked me out because we’re friends, then it would be a sleepover, right?”
Fuuuuck.
She keeps her eyes locked on me, searching my eyes, waiting for something. But now, she’s smiling. “I’m joking. No, it’s okay. I should get going. I’ll see you tomorrow or something,” she continues. She gets up from the couch, and I follow suit.
Well, I royally fucked this up. I rub at my face, cursing under my breath.
She turns and looks at me before she opens the door. “It was a great night, Rowan.”
“Wait, let me take you home. I’m not going to let you walk outside by yourself this late at night.”
“No, please. I could really use the walk. It’s fine.”
“Ellie, it’s five blocks away.”
“It’s okay. Really. Thank you for a great night.” She smiles up at me and stands on her toes.
I slightly bend down, letting her give me a kiss on the cheek.
“Have a good night, Rowan.”
And with that, she closes the door, and I’m standing there alone like the biggest moron.
Shit.
thirty-one
ELLIE
Riley: What are you doing today? Want to hang out?
Ellie: Mom asked if I wanted to go out to lunch. I haven’t really hung out with her since I’ve been home.
Riley: Aw! My mom never asks me to go to lunch. I wonder what that feels like.
Ellie: You can join us if you want? You know she loves you.
Riley: No, it’s fine. I’ll just sit in my apartment alone, dealing with my mommy issues. And daddy issues.
Ellie: Ry, stop. You cannot go back down this road again. We’ve talked about this.
Riley: You still need to tell me what happened between you and Rowan. The date was like five days ago, and every time I bring it up you totally sidetrack the conversation.
Riley: Are you ignoring me?
Riley: You can’t avoid this conversation forever, Ellie.
Riley: Fine! I’ll ask Hailey and Addie to annoy you until you talk to us about it.
