Page 37 of Unfriend Me
“Wow, Oak, that even rhymed,” I said dryly, smirking at the irritation plain as day on her face.
“You. Titus. Details.” She sat back and crossed her arms, an imposing position even without her usual law enforcement uniform and sidearm.
“I had to hear from freaking Poppy that you two were even dating.” Vee looked seriously put out. “Lame, Amelia. Super lame.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, we decided to give dating a try. How dare we try to keep our private life private.”
Esme stood up on my bed and whooped, doing some sort of hip gyration I never wanted to see a sister of mine do.
“Keep it down, dummy. It’s a hotel!”
That shut her up, but didn’t shut down the huge shit-eating grin on her face. She plopped down on the mattress as if it were an outdoor trampoline, nearly sending Izzy flying off the bed.
“I knew it!” Esme shouted in a whisper.
“When did it all change?” Izzy asked in a calm voice I appreciated.
A weird sensation took up in my stomach, making me take a deep breath. I didn’t like sharing this kind of emotional stuff, but I could admit it felt good to have some information that my sisters didn’t.
“Well…if you must know,” I drew out dramatically. They all leaned in. “He kissed me one night in his truck and it was damn good. Then he asked me out on a date two weeks ago when we came over to Mom and Dad’s for dinner. I said yes in a weak moment.”
I quit talking, taking in the wide eyes and riveted expressions all around me. I quite liked them hanging on my every word. Wasn’t often you got the attention of all of them at onceandthey were quiet.
“And?” Vee screeched when I didn’t continue.
I spread my hands out. “And…it’s been good. Really good.” I looked out the window, seeing the tree outside with its leaves changing color and starting to fall. I thought back to the nights Titus and I had been able to steal away. Honestly, I hadn’t been able to see him as much as I wanted, but when we did get together, it was perfect. Easy. Like we should always have been together like that. And my vibrator was getting a nice break.
“Really good?” Esme screwed up her face and used those annoying air quote fingers. “That’s all we get?”
“Hold up, Esme.” Oakley leaned forward again, peering at my face in a way that made me highly uncomfortable. “Forget the words she’s saying. Look at her eyes.” Oakley clapped her hands and grinned. “Little Amelia is in love!”
Everyone gasped.
“What?” I gaped. “No, I’m not!”
Izzy tittered. “Your face says differently.”
I crossed my arms and schooled my face into the meanest expression I could conjure up. I thought about cheaters who ruin all the good stuff for everybody else. And cheap lip glosses that turned into glue five seconds after swiping them on your lips. And yoga pants that looked so cute on your ass but gave you camel toe in the front. My good mood started sliding away with each passing second.
“Amelia,” Esme said gently. “You don’t have to put up a façade for us. We’re your best friends. We’re all just so happy to seeyouhappy, we can’t help but tease you. We were so worried about you when you were with Daire.”
“You two were so not right for each other,” Izzy said with wide, frightened eyes.
“He was hot, though, in that bad-boy kind of way, you have to admit.” Vee waggled her eyebrows. Oakley threw a pillow at her, which set her off giggling.
“It’s so different with Titus,” I said, looking back out the window, thinking about how I felt around him. “I can trust him one hundred percent. He cares about me, even stupid little things like reminding me to eat when I get busy here at work. Texting me funny memes he knows will make me laugh. So far dating hasn’t ruined our friendship at all. If anything, it’s enhanced it.”
Oakley popped out of the recliner and had a seat next to me on the floor, putting her arm around my shoulders like she used to when we were kids and I had a bad dream in the bedroom we shared.
“Love should feel good, honey. What you had with Daire was probably exciting, but it was exhausting and demoralizing, am I right?” At my nod she continued. “No man who says he loves you should ever make you feel less than.”
My eyes burned and I had to swallow hard before I could speak. “He never said he loved me.”
“And there you have it.” Vee looked at me with sympathy in her eyes.
Izzy spoke up, surprising us all with the fervor behind her smooth words. “You are nothing short of amazing, Amelia Waldo. I have looked up to you my whole life. You deserve a man who will give you everything and love you for every little quirk you have.”
The stinging kicked up a notch and I merely nodded at her, not trusting my voice.
