Ellie doesn't seem to want to talk about it, so I stop.
"Cool. Well, I'll let you get back to work. I'll see you tonight." I ruffle her hair, and she swats my hand away.
FORTY
AUGUST
After the group and I decided to stop for a quick bite to eat, we continued the night and went to the club that our group has grown to love. Considering we are either pushing into our thirties or are already thirty, I wonder just how fast we will grow tired of this.
It's ten at night. I should be in bed.
The nightclub is packed on this busy Saturday night. I can tell Ellie is past buzzed, considering she had two of those colorful drinks at the restaurant. Ellie, Rowan, and I sit at a table. Ellie bounces her shoulders to the music and shimmies.
“Riley!” Ellie waves toward her direction, calling her over to sit with us. “Come here, I miss you.”
“I was just with you five minutes ago.”
I feel awkward. I shouldn’t feel awkward. Riley sits across from me, and our eyes meet before she gives her attention to Ellie.
“How many drinks have you had?”
Ellie waves her off and continues to dance. “Like, two?”
Rowan’s arm is wrapped around Ellie’s shoulders, andhe holds up five fingers behind her. Both Riley and I chuckle while Ellie is oblivious to her surroundings. The song fades into another remix, from pop to hip-hop.
“I love this song! Rowan, let’s go dance.” Ellie scoots her way out of the booth and pulls on his arm.
“You don’t wanna sit down and relax?” Rowan asks.
“Please,” she draws out the word and wins him over.
Ellie drags him to the dance floor, where she starts singing and throwing her arms around. It’s a sight to behold.
Tonight, I’m sticking with water, and I see Riley is too. The red lights glow down on her, casting a moody vibe. We nod at each other.
“Are you ready for the launch?” she asks.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I shout over the music. “I can’t believe it’s only three days away.”
“I’m so glad we got the opening over with. I feel like I can finally breathe again.”
“I’m happy to hear that. Has your mom checked out the place?” I wince, realizing that’s a dumb question to ask. Maybe things turned around for the two of them after it opened.
Riley chuckles. It’s the only answer I need.
“I’m not speaking with her.” She slowly spins her glass in her hands on the table, and stares at it, thinking. “I actually haven’t heard from her in a few days.”
I take a drink of my water and set the glass back down while I stay quiet. Of course, I’m curious to know what happened, but I need to let her decide if she wants to share.
“You’re not gonna ask me what happened?”
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to. But since you gave me the green light, what happened?”
“I told her that if she wants to continue to have me in her life, then she needs to go to therapy.”
My eyebrows almost touch my hairline. “You’re kidding.”
She shakes her head. “Nope.”
