Page 8 of Ms. Lead

“So, why did you really call me? Something’s up.”

She’s quiet for a long moment, and the silence bothers me more the longer it goes. This is so unlike her. Darcie is never at a loss for words.

“I think I might come out to Las Vegas.” She speaks so softly that I almost don’t hear what she says.

When it does finally register, I’m confused.

“Come to Vegas? Why would you do that?”

She hesitates again briefly. “This is your first trip since your….” Her voice trails off momentarily. “Well, I think it would be good for me to be nearby in case.”

“In case of what?” I do not like where this is going.

“In case you needed anything.”

Stopping mid-stretch, I drag my hands down my face in frustration. We’ve gone from her overt concern a few weeks ago when she picked me up from hospital to now wanting to stick to me like glue. I thought Darcie knew me better than this.

Our friendship has lasted this long because we stay out of each other’s personal business. Sure, we talk about and listen to everything going on in our lives, but we never interfere. At least we hadn’t until now.

“Not the entire month. Just until you’re settled.”

As if that makes it better.

“No.”

“Oli. Be reasonable. It couldn’t hurt to have me there for support.”

“Couldn’t it?”

It already does. That she even suggested it hurts more profoundly than she’ll ever know.

“You wouldn’t even have to see me. I’ll stay completely out of your way. I could just be around if something happened.”

My body starts to vibrate with anger, and I have to step away from the desk where my phone lies before I grab it and hurl it across the room. I’m not even mad at Darcie, necessarily. I’m angry that this situation even exists that puts us in these positions.

Gritting my teeth, I walk back toward the phone. “Darcie. I’m going to hang up now. I’d suggest you rethink your travel plans. Regardless of your intentions, if you step one foot in this city, I will no longer call you my agent or my friend.”

“Oli—”

I disconnect the call.

* * *

After showering, I order room service for dinner since I’m not up to eating alone in public this evening. I usually don’t mind, but tonight the thought puts me off. I don’t think too hard about it, and actually, since my call with Darcie, I purposely try to avoid deep thoughts altogether.

I even turn on reality television to scrub my brain of anything worthwhile. But it doesn’t work. My mind keeps replaying the entire day.

I’m confident Darcie and I will be fine. Eventually. Our friendship has withstood a lot over the years. It will survive this. She needs to know my boundaries, though. More importantly, she needs to understand that even if she is my friend, it doesn’t give her permission to cross those lines for any reason. No matter how altruistic her intentions may be, she needs to leave it alone. Maybe this time away will give us some clarity on issues like that.

And I’m thinking deep thoughts. Damn it. I need to shift gears.

My mind instantly goes to Bianca. Fuck. I was hoping our initial interaction at the airport was just a product of my jet lag and not real, but she’s been on my mind since I woke up. Not always the forefront, but constantly lurking in the shadows in the corners of my mind.

I’ve been trying to put a name to what happened between us, and somehow me, a wordsmith, can’t think of one. Not a single adjective comes close to describing it. It’s entirely cliché and like something out of a bad romance novel. ‘Two lovers’ eyes meet across a crowded room, and they knew instantly they were destined to be together.’ I’d also scoff at it if I didn’t experience it.

Destined. Destiny. Is that even a thing I believe in? Love at first sight? Soulmates?

I can’t think of anything to logically explain why I was so impacted by just seeing Bianca. I’m not religious and don’t buy into the whole ‘everything happens for a reason.’ Theoretically, there’s always a cause and effect to everything anyway, so the phrase, while accurate, is just science.

---