Page 70 of Friendshipped
“The one with the tie that goes around the waist and you make a bow off to the side,” he says. “It shows off your legs and the coloring is great on you.”
I dig through my closet and find the dress. I hold it up to myself.
“This one?”
Trevor lolls his head to the side to glance at me. “Yep. That’s the one. No guy could resist you in that dress.”
He stands up abruptly and sets the hacky sack on the shelf where I keep it as he walks toward my doorway.
“I’ll see you later, Lex.”
“Where are you going?” I ask him.
“Gotta run and see my dad for a bit,” he says, leaving without another word as the echo of the one of the nicest compliments I’ve ever received reverberates through my head.
25
Lexi
Laura picks me up at six thirty for our double date. After I shared some of my dating horror stories, she agreed we could meet the guys at the restaurant. We’re going to U.S. Grant’s Grape and Steak. I know. It’s a sentence of a name. We Ohioans love to brag about the number of famous people from our state including presidents, astronauts, and Wilbur Wright among others. We don’t hesitate to borrow their names for everything from tractor supply stores to ice cream parlors.
Laura parks the car and we exit at the same time. She looks amazing in a form-fitted floral print skirt and a silky tank with a long necklace and bangle bracelets.
“You’re killing it in that dress,” she tells me. “Looking better than ever.”
“Thanks. I was about to say the same about you,” I tell her. “Trevor told me to pick this one.”
“Trevor?” she asks.
“Yeah. He popped by earlier while I was getting ready.”
“Trevor picked out the dress you’re wearing to date another man?” she asks, her mouth slightly agape, eyebrows halfway up her forehead.
“What?” I ask. “We’re friends. He came by. I was getting ready. He said this dress was best.”
Laura shakes her head. “I’ll never know what to make of the two of you. You’re like Siamese twins who got separated at birth, but not separated enough.”
“That’s just weird,” I tell her.
“Oh!” she says, smoothing a hand down her hair. “There they are.”
Two men walk toward us. One is blond and tall. He’s got his eyes on Laura, so I’m assuming he’s Joe. The other shorter man with dark hair must be Eddie.
On the way over, I asked Laura what Eddie does for a living. She says she thinks he’s a director. I wonder what a director does to make a living full time in Vandalia. I guess I can ask at some point.
“Laura,” Joe says as they come closer. “You look stunning.”
He leans in and lightly grasps her hand and places a chaste kiss on her cheek. It feels a little forward, but not the way he does it. He’s got finesse. I can see why Laura felt drawn to give him another chance.
All of a sudden, I realize Eddie might try to kiss my cheek. I stick my hand out like a figurine popping out of a cuckoo clock. He looks down at it with amusement.
“Eddie,” Laura says as if he’s an old friend. “This is my friend, Lexi. Lexi, this is Eddie.”
Eddie grabs my outstretched hand and I begin to nervously pump it up and down repeatedly. He watches our enjoined hands with a confused look on his face. Laura shoots me a look that sayswhat are you doing?How should I know what I’m doing? I’m coming unhinged, apparently.
“Sorry,” I say. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, Lexi,” Eddie says with a smile.
