Page 119 of Friends Like This

He rolls his eyes, but then his gaze moves over my shoulder and his eyes light up.Yep, called it.

“Hey, baby. Everything okay?” Leigh asks, strolling over and wrapping her arms around him. She puts a little extra show in the kiss, clearly marking her territory. I’d be annoyed, but that’s just Leigh.

“He’s fine. He hates parties like I do now,” I quip. Seeing Davey headed for the cafeteria, I sigh, knowing I should head back too. “I’ll catch you guys later.”

Leigh glances at me and smiles warmly. “Thanks, Rae.”

I walk back toward the cafeteria, leaving Leigh to cheer Nick up with her tongue.

Ugh. I want a love like that. Real love. The kind where just that person’s touch makes you feel better.

That thought stops me in my tracks.

Aaron.

Nope. No. Not right now, brain.

Or maybe ever.Seriously.

I get back to the table, surprised to see Davey is there, much to the annoyance of… everyone else sitting there. He stands when he sees me, greeting me with a kiss.

“Hey, baby,” he says.

“Hey,” I say sweetly. Probably too sweetly, because it sounds fake. Maybe itisfake.

He grabs my hand and whispers in my ear, “Come with me.” Then he leads me out the back of the cafeteria to the stairwell, where he immediately locks his lips with mine and shoves his tongue in my mouth.

I’m surprised, but catch up quickly.

When I pull away, I breathlessly ask him, “What was that for?”

He smirks and shrugs. “I wanted to kiss you away from prying eyes.”

So, not in front of my friends. Got it.

“You going to Greg’s tonight?”

“I don’t know,” I say with a shrug. “Jesse’s in town. We were gonna hang at Joel’s, but if everybody wants to go, I probably will.”

“And if I want you to go?” he asks, pulling at my waist.

Ugh. This is another new feature in our relationship, him trying to get me to choose between him and my friends.

I take his hands in mine and move them from my waist.

“I already told you. I’m hanging with my friends tonight, so wherever they are, that’s where I’ll be.”

He sighs and rolls his eyes. “You always choose them over me.”

“No, I don’t,” I say clearly. “If we had plans, and they asked me to do something and I changed my plans with you,thatwould be choosing them. What you’re asking is for me to ditch them. Which I’m not gonna do. Especially to go to a party. You know I’m not a party girl.”

“Oh, I know,” he says with disdain. “Unless it’s a party at Joel’s house. Whatever. Have fun with your friends tonight. I’ll see you later.” Then he walks away without another word.

Great.

He apologized four hours ago for being like this and now he’s being like this again.Awesome.

And now I get to go back to the lunch table and explain why we aren’t sitting together.

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