Page 41 of April

“Probably,” Jill said. “But she’s gay, Ash. She’s not your straight best friend that you can’t have. She’s gay. She’s out. She clearly loves you already.”

“As a friend.”

“Because she thoughtyouwere her straight best friend,” Sophie reasoned. “When you’re gay, and you like someone who isn’t an option, you have to push feelings down. It’s the only way to get through it. Maybe she likes you as more than a friend, or she did, but she knew it couldn’t happen, so she did just that.”

“She’s dancing with someone else and trying to set me up on dates,” Asher replied.

“Because you didn’t tell her,” Jill pointed out. “And because youaskedher to do that. She told me at lunch. You asked your gay best friend to help set you up. She’s doing that.”

“I’m just confused,” Asher surmised. “I don’t want to risk hurting either one of us because of that. I want to date a woman, but maybe because I know thatshe’s gay, I’m putting her face on that woman.”

“We’re all gay. Did you put our faces there?” Jill asked. “You have a gaggle of lesbians.”

“Don’t say gaggle,” Sophie said, making a face at her.

Jill laughed and added, “You have agroupof lesbians around you pretty much all the time now. Are you picturing any of us?”

“Besides you, you’re all in relationships, so no.”

“I’ll choose not to take offense to that.”

“You’re too young for me.”

“But not for Linden, apparently. She had her tongue in my–”

“Hey!” Asher glared.

Jill smiled warmly and said, “See? It’s not justawoman, Ash. You wantLinden.”

“Want Linden to what?”

Asher’s eyes widened when she heard her best friend’s voice coming from behind her.

“She wants you to take her home,” Jill said.

“Already?” Linden said, moving around to Asher’s side. “Tired?”

Asher swallowed, hoping the dim bar lighting blocked her flushing neck and cheeks, and replied, “Yeah, I’m pretty tired.”

“Okay. I’ll walk you home, if you want. Or do you want a car instead?”

“I think I’d rather take a car,” she replied. “What about the woman you were dancing with, though?”

“Oh. We were just dancing. She’s here with a group of friends. They’re barhopping.”

Asher pulled out her phone to order them a car, which she knew would take her home first and then would drop off Linden at her apartment. What she saw on the screen, though, had her smiling.

“Um… Check your phones,” she said to her friends.

“Huh? Why?” Jill asked before she pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen. “No way…”

“Finally,” Sophie said when she did the same.

“Shit. They’re engaged, too?” Linden added.

“I guess so,” Asher said.

Kyle Schafer: I asked. She said yes.

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