Carter is with them. The seat beside him is empty, and I realize I’ve been set up.
I’m going to murder my best friend in her sleep. She’ll never know what hit her.
But then I think of the consequences, and prison time doesn’t sound fun, so I silently vow I won’t do bodily harm to her.
Putting on a pained smile when Caroline spots me and waves me over, I tell the hostess I’ve got it, and make my way to their table, stopping so I’m standing right in front of it. “Hey guys.”
“Hey,” Caroline says as her fiancé stands and presses the quickest kiss on my cheek. Alex has become rather affectionate with everyone lately, and I think it’s because he’s so over-the-top in love with Caroline.
“You look nice,” he tells me as he settles into his chair once more and I sit across from him. “New dress?”
I glance down at the dress I’m wearing. It’s simple and black, and yes, it’s new. “It is. Thank you.” I keep my gaze straight ahead, though I angle my body slightly toward Carter. “I didn’t realize you’d be joining us.”
“I didn’t know you’d be with us either,” Carter says, and I can hear the surprise in his voice, so I know he’s just as clueless as me. I turn to look at him and I swear he’s staring at my boobs. The pervert. He lifts his gaze so it meets mine, and I drown in his pretty blue eyes for a second or five. “I’m glad you could join us.”
He practically chokes those words out, so I’m sure it took everything out of him to say it. “Same.” I wonder if he read my little message I wrote on cup. It was juvenile and silly, but I couldn’t help myself. And truthfully, I didn’t want him to poop himself. If he really is lactose intolerant, that’s a terrible thing to deal with.
Alex and Caroline keep the conversation flowing while we all look over the menus. I’ve only been here once before so I’m not sure what to order, and I hide behind the giant menu so I don’t have to look at Carter. And then he can’t look at me.
The server eventually appears, taking our drinks and appetizers order first, and we all order wine. Caroline orders hummus and Alex orders grilled calamari and all I can think is my appetite has totally disappeared thanks to Carter’s presence. All I want to do is drink.
But wine probably won’t be my friend tonight if I drink too much of it, so I remind myself to keep it balanced. Wine, water, wine, water, water, water and that’s it. I might end up peeing all evening, but it’s better than getting drunk.
Last time I got drunk at a restaurant with Carter, bad things happened. Well, bad things that felt good, I should add. Bad things that probably shouldn’t have happened.
Yeah, I can’t explain it well, so let’s just forget all about it.
The problem is I can’t forget. As the evening progresses, all I can focus on is Carter. Every time I see him reach out and dip a wedge of pita bread in the hummus, I think of those long fingers touching me. Clearly he’s not watching his wine intake tonight, because his cheeks are ruddy and his eyes are flashing and I can tell he already has a good buzz on. By the time our entrees are on the table and we’re moaning and groaning about eating too much, I would say he’s consumed too much wine and is well on the way to being full-blown drunk.
“Did your sister drive you here?” I ask him, my voice low so only he can hear me. Not like Alex and Caroline are paying us any attention. They’re too busy making lovey, kissy faces at each other.
“Are you concerned about my wellbeing, Stella?” He lifts his brows, those gorgeous blue eyes locked on mine, and all I can do is stare at him in return.
“You’re drunk,” I tell him bluntly. “You probably shouldn’t be on the road. Driving.”
“I took an Uber,” he says breezily, with an undercurrent of duh, Stella, of course I wouldn’t drive drunk. How dare you accuse me of being so irresponsible?
He’s so irritating.
“Thank God,” I mutter. “I’m sure you’d be a terror on the road. Risking people’s lives and all.”
“I’ve never driven drunk in my entire life,” he says, now sounding indignant. “I’m actually insulted you’d think I’d do something so awful.”
“So you’re a responsible drinker,” I say.
He nods. “Of course.”
“You don’t do anything risky when you’re drunk.”
His repeated nods start to slow. “Not…usually.”
We both grow silent, and the silence isn’t comfortable. Because we’re both thinking about that night, and how we both drank and did something risky. Like have sex with each other.
Yeah.
“You two are awfully quiet,” Caroline teases, knocking us both out of our memory-induced trance. We both swivel our heads to face her, completely in sync, and I want to curse and stomp my foot over how freaking compatible we seem.
But all that compatibility has to be a lie, or else we’d actually be together, right? Blissfully in love like the two people sitting across from us.
What I’m feeling for Carter isn’t anything close to love. No, more like I want to test my theory and make him a latte with whole milk to see how long he lasts until he has to scurry off to the bathroom.
I’m evil. God, I really am.
The server reappears, asking us if we want more wine, and the entire table practically shouts a resounding no. Caroline asks for a to-go box, and once the server is gone, we go silent again.
“You know, there’s something I was hoping we could discuss tonight,” Caroline starts, and the nervous tone of her voice immediately leaves me on edge. If it was about the wedding, she’d be giddy and bouncing in her seat. This sounds like bad news, and I’m not in the mood for bad news.
“What is it?” I ask when no one else has said anything.
“Well, you know Alex and I have been talking about moving in together for quite a while now, especially since we’re getting married so soon. We’ve discussed when I’m going to move into his house, but I wanted to talk to you about it first. Make sure you were okay.” Caroline hesitates for only a moment. “I’ve kept putting Alex off because I didn’t want to leave you alone,” she further explains.
I’m momentarily shocked. She didn’t want to leave me alone? I’m a grown-ass woman—I can take care of myself. Yes, I love having Caroline living with me. We binge watch Netflix, and then there’s Sunday face mask night, and we bought all the stuff so we can give each other gel manicures and don’t have to go to a salon. In the summer there’s Margarita Mondays and she’s my jogging partner on the beach, though she’s not much of a runner, so we’ve taken to walking and gossiping instead of running. It was like having a built-in favorite sister, and since we both don’t have sisters, it’s worked out really great.
“I’ve always told you that I understand why you want to live with Alex,” I say slowly, hoping she doesn’t think I’ve held her back.
“I know, and you’ve been so supportive.” There are actual tears forming in Caroline’s eyes as she reaches out and settles her hand over mine. “It’s so much fun being your roommate. Part of me not leaving any sooner are my own issues. I knew I’d miss you so much.”