Page 110 of The Friend Zone

“Aren’t you going to drink it?” he asks, when I set the glass down on the white tablecloth.

“I will. I’m just trying to pace myself. I have a speech to deliver.”

God, how could I date this guy for almost three years? Is he always been so controlling? I guess he might have been. But I was so into him, or at least into the idea of the two of us as a power couple, that I didn’t notice.

One thing I notice now is how his mom’s eyes are trained on us. There’s palpable disapproval on her face.

Heat rises to my face. All of a sudden, the same feeling of inadequacy I had at Christmas courses through me. From the moment we met, Christine Mumford has been looking at me that way. Like I’m not worthy of them. Like I’m a social climber, a gold digger who was after their money and the prestige that comes with their name.

At first that hurt, but now it doesn’t. I’m just angry, but oddly grateful to her for her rejection. Until she made it clear that I was unsuitable for her son, I didn’t see the real Topher. Once that veil was lifted, I saw what Lakyn had been telling me all along.

In retrospect, I should probably thank Christine and Rupert for not welcoming me into their family with open arms. I should probably even thank Bianca for showing me who Topher really is, without a shadow of doubt.

“Bay,” Topher’s hand lands on my shoulder. “Come on, let’s have a drink for old times’ sake.”

I flinch, moving away with a shudder. “I said I’m trying to pace myself. Thank you.”

I don’t even know why I’m thanking him.

“Nova, you ok?” Jagger asks from across the table.

I nod, looking at my boyfriend to reassure him. In reality, I’m far from ok. But I don’t want to cause a scene in front of the Dean, Jagger’s parents and all the alumni.

Topher might be a narcissistic asshole, but he’s very perceptive. “Are you nervous because of the speech? Or is it because you came here with Jagger, after I clearly told him he was breaking the Gamma bro-code? Are you worried about me releasing that video?”

The main course arrives at that moment, offering me a second of respite while plates are being placed in front of us.

I look at my filet mignon as if it could tell me what to say to my ex. As I grab the steak knife, my imagination runs wild. What would happen if I jabbed the knife into Topher’s palm? I don’t want to kill him, I just want him to leave me alone.

I snort, imagining the stir that would cause in the room.

Thankfully, the image of blood spurting out of Topher’s hand has a calming effect. I’ve never been a violent person, but I realize that I have a lot of unresolved feelings toward my ex. It isn’t because we didn’t talk about our breakup. It’s because every time we did, he never listened to my reasons.

This is why he’s been so persistent in trying to get close to me again. If he had listened to one word I said to him, he wouldn’t even try to talk to me outside of Greek business.

“Bay?” he insists. “Did you hear what I just said?”

“Do you really think that if you released that video, that would help you get a second chance with me?” I ask him. “If that’s the case, you know me even less than I thought.”

He closes his eyes, exhaling as if he were trying to stay calm. “No, I don’t. Listen,” he says, his voice cracking. “I know I fucked up. I’ve been trying to apologize, but you won’t even hear me out.”

I cut into my steak, but my appetite is gone. “Topher, I?—”

“I know,” he cuts me off. “I know that I blew my chance with you. Look, I’d rather have you in my life as a friend than not at all.”

I shake my head. “My friends, don’t try to blackmail all the important people in my life.”

To my surprise, Topher agrees with me. “I know. I’m sorry. Look, give me just ten minutes after the speeches are over. One drink together and the chance to apologize properly. We can have that drink here, in public. No funny business, no trying to convince you to get back together. Just hear me out for ten minutes, and I promise I’ll give you the only copy of Jagger’s initiation video. It’s up to you if you want to watch it destroy it, or whatever.”

Refusal words were on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow them down.

He thinks he’s smarter than anyone else, including me. But I know Topher well enough to know that he always has an angle.

In this instance, it isn’t even that hard to understand what it is. He must think that I don’t know what’s in that video. That if I see Jagger fucking that doll, I’ll break up with him.

“Ok,” I agree. “But one drink, Toph. For ten minutes. And we aren’t getting back together. Deal?”

“Deal,” he smiles, taking a sip from his glass of whiskey.

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