Page 72 of Without a Doubt

“I don't care. You need a hug. Hug me back,” I demand, making her laugh again. She wraps her arms around me tightly. “You're my best friend forever, Catherine. Even after college, no matter wh

ere we end up, we're going to have weekly phone calls at the very least. We'll be at each other weddings, be the godmothers to our kids, and take yearly girls' trips. I promise.”

“Thanks, Eva. Now can you please get up? You have a bony butt and it hurts.”

“I do not have a bony butt!”

“It's either that or you weigh too much. Pick your poison.”

I narrow my eyes at her before returning to my seat. “I can't believe you said that to me.”

She grins. “Truth hurts, Eva. You look fabulous either way, so it doesn't matter.”

I jump when someone's hands land on my shoulders and said person kisses my cheek. “You do look pretty great,” he whispers in my ear. The moment I hear his voice, I relax.

I look over my shoulder to see Emerson grinning at me. “Hey, what are you doing here?” Then I notice Glen standing next to him.

“We were hungry,” he says simply. “I saw you and wanted to say hey before we leave.” He pauses and then adds with a grin, “Hey.”

I was seriously worried about there being permanent damage to our relationship because of my past with Luke, especially after the jackass decided to come over. But there isn't any, thankfully. Emerson is the same as always and he's happy. I'm happy.

“Hey. Did you two enjoy your date?”

Catherine laughs as the boys both give me a matching stern look, making us laugh a little harder.

“That's our cue to go, Emerson,” Glen says.

This time, Emerson kisses me on the lips before they say goodbye and head out. Catherine brings my attention back to her when she tells me, “You two are disgustingly cute together.”

I grin. “Thanks.” She rolls her eyes and I add, “You're disgustingly cute with Parker, too.”

Now, her smile is shy. “Thanks,” she says softly. “I'm trying and he's doing a good job of convincing me,” she tells me. Just like that, we pick up our conversation where we left off before the guys interrupted us.

“You know what you told me when I was wondering if I should go on another date with Emerson?” I don't give her a chance to reply. “You told me to see what happens. That's what you need to remind yourself to do with Parker. Maybe that'll help.”

“Maybe,” she agrees.

It feels so good to hang out with her. We live together, but when we're both in our own world, studying or dealing with boyfriend stuff, it's not the same as us hanging out and spending time together. After we eat, Catherine decides we need to have more than just that. She drags me to a bar. We drive back to campus and call a cab, so we both don't have to worry about driving home.

“This is a bad idea,” I try as we take our seats on a high-rise table. “You know how I am drunk.”

“Then don't get drunk.”

I give her a pointed look. “I'm a lightweight. One drink and I'm practically there.”

She rolls her eyes and then frowns. “When did you stop being fun?”

“When I realized the last time I was drunk, I slept with my boyfriend's brother!” I reply a little too loudly.

“Then call Emerson. I'll call Parker.”

“I thought this was a girls' night?” I ask, but she only shrugs, already texting Parker. I hesitate over texting Emerson. He was with Glen, so he could still be out, and he might not want me to intrude. Plus, I don't want him to think about how I was when I slept with Luke. Catherine must be reading my mind or something because she plucks my phone from her hand and begins texting Emerson, I assume.

After a moment, she says, “There. He's coming, so is Glen and a few of their friends apparently.”

Catherine may like to stay in and read books most of the time, but she likes to drink every now and then as well. Fortunately for her, she can hold her liquor. Whenever we go out, she's always in charge of ordering the drinks, both a good and a bad thing. She starts us off with two shots of Patrón and two shots of lemon drops each. Because you can't have just one.

By the time Emerson arrives with his friends, I'm most definitely tipsy at the very least. Glen groans as I throw my arms around Emerson's neck and smack a loud kiss on his cheek.

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