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I held up a hand to cut her off. “Don’t say it.”
“I’m just asking—”
“Don’t, Lee. I’m serious.”
“How’s Eva?” she blurted.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Lena!”
“You can’t avoid your ex-wife constantly, can you?”
“We’re divorced. We have no kids and no shared property left. There’s no reason I ever need to talk to her again.”
“What happened, anyway?”
It was my turn to flip her off. “I told you, I’m not talking about it.” I’d told her plenty of times, too. Lena was relentless when she wanted something, which included information about why Eva and I had divorced.
“Okay. Well, have you at least gone on any dates since the split?”
I sighed again, but I conceded to this line of questioning. “I’ve been on the apps. Nothing yet though.”
“Ellis, listen to me. You’re hot, you’re young, you’re talented. What’s stopping you?”
“Everyone’s just looking for hookups these days. I’m not into it. I want… I don’t know. Not that.”
“You looking to jump into a relationship again?”
I shook my head, my dark hair falling in my face. “Not at all. I just don’t want to, like, fuck someone and then leave before the wet spot is dry or whatever.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Gross image, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I just don’t understand. You have all the options.”
“Just because I’m bi doesn’t mean I’m indiscriminately sleeping with everyone I meet.”
“That’s not what I mean. I just mean, your dating pool is so much wider than mine, and I get plenty of dates.”
“Not the same.”
She shrugged and popped a leftover strawberry in her mouth. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
We both fell quiet for a few moments, and I stole a strawberry from her remaining stash. Before I could figure out anything else to say, her phone buzzed from where it sat on the countertop.
“Sorry,” she said, glancing at the caller ID. “Let me grab this. It’s Kieran.”
I nodded in understanding. Kieran was her college best friend and someone she was still very close to, but I’d never met him. Unfortunately though, between Lena and my ex-wife, I knew who he was a little too well. I stole one last strawberry and ducked out of the kitchen in an attempt to give her privacy. I could still hear her talking as I made my way down the hall to my bedroom to change into sweats and a T-shirt.
“Kier!” she practically shouted as she answered the call. “I miss you.”
My chest ached as I made my way into my room, wishing I had friends like that. I was friendly with the people at the shop, but I didn’t have anyone—besides Lena—who I considered a real friend. And Lena didn’t count. She was related to me. I’d lost my friends in the divorce, which still pissed me off. Eva had clearly spun her own story because they’d all dropped me like I was some kind of rotten fruit.
When I was changed, I made my way back into the living room. Lena was still on the call but seemed to be finishing up.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you too!” When she ended the call, she looked at me, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Don’t be mad.”
“Oh, God.”
