Page 81 of Love on the Waiver Wire

“Oh my god you’re killing us with these secrets, Isla! What do you mean he doesn’t exist?”

“You guys done now?”

“I just can’t believe it. Owen Crosby. Who woulda thunk it?”

I hate them.

“Okay I’m sorry for not opening up about him before.”

“Why didn’t you?” Heidi asks.

I shrug, trying to find the words. “I’m not sure. I just wanted something to be mine.”

“And he was? Yours, I mean?” Mila asks, her stormy eyes narrowed.

I contemplate the question. “I think so.”

“Did you guys hang out? Or was it just a flirtation?”

“We hung out,” I say simply as I reach for a chip.

“Her neck is turning red,” Amara whispers.

“Yeah you dirty dirty bird. What happened between you guys? Is hanging out some sort of code for something else now? I can never keep up with the lingo today.”

“Heidi you’re twenty-four.”

“Okay?”

“Okay,” I interrupt them. “We haven’t done much at all. We’ve kissed.”

All three of the women in front of me gasp.

“Oh you whore!”

I smile at that, weighing whether I should continue. “We haven’t gone any further at all.”

“And when was that?” Mila quizzes.

I pause. “Umm, you remember that night a bit ago when I said I couldn’t hang out and you guys thought it was because I was spiraling again, and then you guys tried to break into my apartment and I wasn’t answering my phone? And I called you guys at like one in the morning letting you know I was just out?”

Mila’s eyes fill with irritation from the memory as she nods.

“Well,” I shrug one shoulder. “We were on a date.”

“Tell us every detail and maybe we’ll forgive you.” Amara says.

“You already have.”

“I’m getting angry about it all over again. Now spill.”

I tell them about how he rented out the entire aquarium for us, and how beautiful the place is.

I felt so happy there that I just couldn’t continue to be angry at him anymore.

“See that’s your problem though,” Heidi says, placing another olive on my plate. “We’re never too happy to be mad at men. Stay mad. Stay livid.”

We giggle, and when I tell them about Shark Alley, their jaws drop.

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