Page 20 of Hazel and Elijah Find Out: First They F*cked Around

It was all the explanation she needed, and she sat back in her metal chair. “Oh,that.”

Brooks paused with his beer halfway to his lips, considering the rest of us before taking a drink.

“I told you,” she said.

I shook my head. She and Brooks were tight friends, so I wasn’t surprised.

She lifted one shoulder. “I can’t complain to you about you.”

He set his drink on the tabletop. “I don’t even know what we’re talking about.”

Gesturing toward him, she argued, “See, he’s a steel trap.”

I trusted her. If it was something I’d shared in confidence, she wouldn’t tell anyone—not even Brooks. But shedidneed to complain to someone about the man I was being stupid about—I was making a mess of this.

“It’s fine.” I rolled my eyes. Then to Remi, I said, “Elijah and I had a thing last year.”

After Remi’s divorce a few years ago, he’d had a lot ofthings, and it didn’t surprise me when he nodded. “Okay.”

“Then he left, and we didn’t talk—”

“Even though you had his number,” Nora interrupted.

I glared at her. “Yes, I had his number, and I didn’t use it.”

“Okay,” Remi said, again.

“But now that he’s back, I was really happy to see him. And the other night, he showed up at the clinic late and took me to get dinner. And he thought I was seeing Dennis—which, apparently, everyone thought.”

Brooks shrugged. “I did.”

“No, it was casual, and I’m okay that we’re not hanging out anymore.”

“Thank god.” Nora groaned. “If I had to hear about the introduction of nonnative salmon into the Great Lakes one more time…”

“So, what’s the problem with Elijah?” Remi asked, ignoring her complaints.

“Nothing,I’mthe problem.” I pointed at my chest.

“Truth.” Nora nodded.

I sighed. “I was really tired the other night, and he noticed and made sure I got home safely. Also, he kept on trying to see me for lunch the next day, and I kept pointing out, like, all of the dumbest reasons he couldn’t.”

“Mm-hmm,” she hummed, lifting her drink to her mouth.

“You’re really not helping,” I pointed out.

Remi disregarded the side conversation between me and Nora, and asked, “What is it you want help with?”

“I don’t know,” I whined, melting into my chair—an arm draped dramatically over the armrest. “He’s my first crush. I have vivid memories of going to baseball games—that I did not care about—just to see him in his varsity uniform. He’s so hot, and I like him… Ilikehim. But I don’t know how to talk to him because he’ssohot, and I’m sobadat this.”

“It sounds like helikesyou, too.”

Nora raised her hands, palms up, somehow conveyingI told you soin the gesture.

She was really getting on my nerves.

Brooks shot her aCool itlook, but I didn’t have much faith in it helping.

---