Page 23 of Thanks for the Friendship
“Everything is going smoothly,” I reassure her.
She lets out a puff of air. “I know. I’m so relieved.”
I chew on my lip. I wonder if she has any idea what could go down tonight. I’m dying to say something, but I know I can’t.
“You’ve made this a special night, so just enjoy it.”
She wanders off to mingle while I contemplate the possibilities of the night ahead. Would Theo use his own party as a place to propose? It’s not the most romantic of places, but maybe he’d want to do it in front of their friends.
“Lila?”
I turn to see Cal standing next to me. He’s wearing a light blue button-down shirt and black pants. His blue eyes are sparking behind a pair of glasses.
“Oh, hey.”
“You ok? You were staring off into space.”
Hmm … how long has he been standing here?
“Great. Having a blast.”
“That’s good.” He pauses and looks around the kitchen. “Wow, how long has it been since the last time I was here?”
I press my lips together. It was only a matter of time before we talked about this.
“Years. You never came back after Theo told you about Brent.”
I’m not sure why I brought that up, but it’s the truth.
He gives a disapproving scowl. “Oh, yeah. Whatever happened to that guy?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure. I never saw him again after that day.”
For some reason I feel the need to make this point. I never cheated on Cal, and I stand by that. I know it’s in the past, but sometimes those unresolved things can sit and fester.
“Lila, I’m sorry about how things ended between us. I was immature and stupid.”
“You were mean,” I say, folding my arms against my chest.
He looks down at the floor.
“But it was a long time ago, and I appreciate your apology,” I add.
There’s loud cheering coming from the backyard, but I couldn’t care less. This conversation is years overdue.
“Sometimes I wish I could go back in time,” Cal mumbles.
I throw my head back and sigh. “You have no idea.”
We both grow quiet again.
“Does Sara know that we dated?” I ask a few seconds later.
He nods his head. “I told her, but she knows it was in high school. I didn’t want it to impact you two becoming friends.”
“No. Of course not.”
Our eyes lock, and I quickly look away.
