Page 72 of Waiting For Fate

“You must stop calling them that.”

“And disrespect your mother’s wishes? Absolutely not.” I roll my eyes and slide onto the countertop, crossing my legs before reaching into the party size bag of chips.

“So, what happened last night?”

“Tell us everything!” Ruby and Lauren say one after the other.

“Well, when I first got there, he was talking to one of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever seen in my life.” I startle when Taylor let’s out the most dramatic gasp I’ve ever heard in my life.

“That bastard!” She slams her hand down on the countertop.

“What’s a bastard?” We all turn to face Hendrix walking to the fridge to retrieve a juice box, with Tank following closely behind.

“That’s what you were before I married your mom.” Ruby slaps Tank’s arm so hard my skin tingles.

“Tank Landry!” she scolds him. He sucks air through his teeth and rubs his arm.

“Jesus, Honey. It’s just the truth. You know I don’t lie to him.” Her argument is an eye roll because she knows he’s technically right—even though none of us would have said it out loud. Hendrix is the smartest kid I know and his relationship with Tank is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. The trust and honesty between those two has created a bond I don’t think we’ll ever see severed.

“We’re going to play LEGO’s!” Hendrix announces excitedly, completely forgetting the previous conversation being had.

“Build me something super cool.” Ruby leans down and gives him a kiss before he takes off down the hall.

“I will!” he shouts. Tank waves behind his head and follows Hendrix’s lead.

“I will kick him in the balls, I don’t even care if he’s my brother.” Taylor flawlessly resumes our conversation.

“It turns out she’s his old coach’s daughter, she’s married and has two kids, and they were just talking, but it still hurts—seeing him with someone else. I almost ran right back out the door.” A few of them nod in understanding, waiting for me to continue. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just my own paranoia but I just can’t shake the feeling that he’ll end up leaving again. Or that he just needs to get me out of his system before he moves on to something better.” I hang my head, a little embarrassed that I still feel this way. He’s done nothing but assure me that things will be different now that the air has been cleared between us, but it’s almost an involuntary emotion—associating Sawyer with possible heartache.

“First of all, there is no one better for him than you. That’s painfully obvious. Second of all, I don’t think he’s just getting you out of his system. You don’t hard-launch a relationship like this if you’re planning to bail,” Shane says, turning her phone towards me. I see the same photo of us from the article Taylor sent me this morning and pay it no mind.

“That’s not a hard-launch. It’s not even a launch. That whole party was literally just for the press. He didn’t have a say in that getting published.” I grab a chip and pop it into my mouth, watching as her brows draw together.

“Please take this phone and look again.” She shoves her hand out further and I take the phone from her, seeing that the picture is actually part of an Instagram post by Sawyer himself. I read the caption first, “This might just turn into the best year of my life.”

Hello, butterflies.

Then I swipe to the right and my heart stops. Ruby suddenly pops her head further over my shoulder and screams.

“BITCH WHAT!” Ruby yells.

“What?” - Taylor

“Did he post something else?” - Shane

“Someone show me the damn phone, now!” - Lauren

I swipe once more—seeing a photo that I was unaware he took of me looking at popcorn in the grocery store—before handing the phone back over to Shane. Taylor and Lauren are stuck like glue to either side of her trying to see the screen better. Mouths hang open, squeals erupt from all of them, and my cheeks are absolutely flaming, as my stomach twists uncontrollably.

“Talk faster, because if you don’t give context for that second photo right the fuck now, I’m gonna pass out,” Lauren demands. Referring to the photo Sawyer took of us in my bed this morning. It’s a little blurry, but you can still make everything out perfectly. My wild curls thrown into a bun, me trying to hide behind my sweatshirt sleeves as he has an arm around me kissing my temple.

“Was Fort Knox invaded?!” Lauren gasps.

“Umm… Am I needed for this conversation?” Tank must have some God given gift of showing up during the absolute worst moment of conversations.

“NO!” We all shout in unison. He rears back and frowns, wiping his hand down his chest as if he’s been physically hit by the impact of our answer.

“Y’all are mean when you’re together, you know that?” We all burst into laughter as he grabs a water bottle from the fridge and watches in fear and concern as he exits the kitchen again.

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