Page 114 of Fun Together
Faye
Eli must not seehim yet, because he doesn’t seem to notice that I’ve stopped and that I’m not taking the hand he’s reached out for me to grab. He looks down at me, confused.
“You said he wasn’t going to be here,” I say.
Is this what Eli was trying to tell me when we pulled up? The thing that he thought wouldn’t have any effect on us having fun at this party?
“Who?”
Andrew starts to make his way over to us and I watch the shock register on Eli’s face when he finally sees who I’m talking about.
“Oh, fuck.” He turns, grabbing my shoulders. “Faye, I swear I didn’t know.”
I shrug him off, not wanting Andrew to see any more of our blatant display of affection.
I breathe deeply, preparing myself for whatever awkwardness is about to come. Maybe Andrew didn’t see Eli playing with the back of my dress. Maybe all he saw was us coming through the gate, laughing, because friends laugh together, right?
Maybe I should leave.
Eli smiles at Andrew’s approach, but I see the tightness in it. “Who invited this guy?” he jokes, pulling him into a hug. “Are these for me?” he asks, gesturing to the bouquet of flowers in Andrew’s hand.
“Tried to call you yesterday to tell you I was coming.” He holds the flowers up. “These are a gift for your mom.”
There are a few seconds of awkward silence that feel like six years, before Andrew turns with a simple but surprised nod in my direction. “Faye, it’s good to see you.”
Was Eli ignoring Andrew’s phone calls? I need to talk to him privately so we can discuss how to play this, but there’s no time. Since we’re about to start eating, it would be too obvious for Eli and I to suddenly disappear. That would make Andrew even more suspicious.
“Hi,” I say, forcing a smile. “Good to see you, too.”
“Surprisedto see you here.”
“Faye came with me for moral support,” Eli explains in a rush. “She’s been helping with my speech.”
Andrew nods, but I know as clear as the sky is blue, that his brain is working out why the fuck I’m here right now and that it probably isn’t for moral support. Also, Eli is completely lying to him. I have no idea what he’s going to say in his speech.
“You two match,” he says, and it might as well be an accusation.
Eli and I both look down at our outfits. I didn’t even realize it until now, but the blue stripes in his shirt are almost the exact shade of my dress. Eli and I glance at each other quickly, both awkwardly smiling. Every cell in my body riots against what’s happening right now.
“Andrew!” Patti rushes over to greet him with a hug and I’ve never been so happy to see a person. I expect to see his usual tense reaction to being hugged by someone, but he seems to welcome the embrace. “These are for you, Mrs. Miller.” He hands her the flowers.
“Oh, they are gorgeous. Thank you, sweetie. Everyone come sit down, we’ve got place cards for everybody.”
Red-and-white gingham tablecloths cover a line of tables set up in the backyard. There’s heaping piles of food on the tables, and it smells amazing. Each seat has its own place setting, complete with name cards. Seeing my name next to Eli’s makes me want to smile, but I feel like I’m not allowed to.
We take our seats, and Eli leans over and says, “Looks like I’ve got the best seat in the house.”
I know he’s trying to put me at ease, but I don’t want him to flirt with me right now. But I also want him to never stop flirting with me, ever.
I point to the melted butter sitting right in front him. “Because you’re next to the butter?”
His face gets serious. “Can we talk?”
I shake my head and can’t help but feel a bit exasperated. This should not be happening. I should not be here. “We can’t talk now, and you know it.”
I gesture to where Andrew has made a stop to see Eli’s dad. “I didn’t forget you, Mr. Miller,” he says, placing a small box down on the table.
“Puro Vintage cigars? Where the hell did you get these?”
