Page 35 of The Switch: A Friends To Lovers Romance

Ashanti turned away and snuck her beer back while Luke was distracted. As she sipped, she mentally berated herself for being moved by Michelle’s plea this afternoon.

If only she’d said, ‘No, Michelle’ or ‘deal with your own love life, Michelle’ or ‘What do I look like? Cupid?’ she wouldn’t be in this predicament.

“It’s really not like that,” Michelle said in a cooing tone that no one was buying.

Ashanti shot to her feet. Her chair scraped against the floor, drawing the eye of everyone around the table as well as a few patrons sitting nearby. She swayed on her feet and stared straight ahead. “I need to use the bathroom.”

Luke stood too and leaned nearer to her. “Do you need my help?”

“No thanks.” She shoved him in the chest. “I was potty trained back when I was two.”

Luke frowned. “Not with that. With getting there. You look gone, Ash.”

“I’m okay,” she mumbled.

“I’ll go with her,” Michelle said.

Ashanti shook her head. “No!”

Everyone stopped and stared at her again.

“I’ll go alone.”

She walked slowly to the bathroom, doing her best to march a straight line. She could feel Luke’s eye on her and if she made one mistake, she had no doubts he’d come barreling over.

But she didn’t want him to do that. Not when he was with his precious date.

Ashanti crashed into the bathroom and gripped the sink tightly. She stared hard at herself in the mirror. Studied the features she’d known for the past twenty-five years—her brown skin, curly hair, and thick lips.

“Snap out of it,” she scolded her reflection. “You don’t do one-sided loves. You don’t pine. And you definitely don’t fall for your friends.”

The pep talk did little to help. She washed her hands in the sink, allowing the cool water to flow over her palms until they became prunes.

When she was done, she flicked her hands to get the excess water off and stumbled through the door. Someone was waiting outside for her, but it wasn’t Luke.

Weng stepped out of the shadows, a half smile on his face. “I thought you said you could keep up.”

“I’m having a hard day, alright. Don’t make fun of me.”

Weng lifted his hands in a clear sign of surrender, but his smile grew. “I’m not here to fight. You took ten minutes and forty-two seconds in there. We got worried.”

“Did you really time me?”

“Not me. Luke. He was getting ready to barge into the lady’s room before we all convinced him to chill. He didn’t stop until I told him I’d check on you.”

“But you didn’t. I didn’t even know you were out there.”

“I just came so he didn’t ruin things with Michelle. He’s making it obvious that you two are good friends. Which is not a good look on a date.”

“You’re right.” She patted his shoulder. “Good thinking, Weng.”

He dipped his head. “Shall we?”

Ashanti took his arm and leaned on him as she returned to the restaurant. She tried to walk straight and tall, but when she neared their table and spotted Luke laughing at something Michelle whispered in his ear, her confidence took a nose-dive.

For the hundredth time, she wished she hadn’t brought Michelle tonight.

Chapter Eleven

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