All The Pretty Girls
Rating: G to PG-13-ish.
Some language.
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PART 15
"What time is it?" I ask in a period of brief silence. We're still
sitting in the local cafe, just talking, like we seem to do. There
are endless things I want to know about her, and I don't want to
have to leave, but I have this feeling like I'm forgetting something.
"Quarter to five," Jessie answers after examining her watch, "Why?"
"I just have a feeling I'm supposed to be doing something," I reply,
furrowing my brow as I scour my memory.
"Your homework?" she asks jokingly with a smile.
"No," I laugh, "It's never that."
"You're just lucky that you don't have to study."
"Like you can talk, child-wonder! Everyone knows you're a genius!"
I tease, "Besides," I add, after some consideration, "It's nothing
to do with luck, it's more about self-assured apathy."
"Which you have in abundance," she smiles teasingly.
"Are you saying I'm conceited?" I ask in mock-horror.
"Yes," she states seriously, but doesn't manage to keep a straight
face, breaking into a wide grin.
"You're so mean to me," I pout, "But you're cute," I grin, "So I'll
let you get away with it...this time."
"Thankyou," she says quietly, as she leans across the table to steal
a quick kiss.
"Shit," I curse quietly, pulling away.
"What?" Jessie looks confused.
"I just remembered," I explain, "I promised to meet Tad for a drink
tonight."
"Oh," Jessie looks disappointed, "Do you /really/ have to go?" she
pleads jokingly.
"Well, I promised," I reply.
"What time are you meeting him?"
"Six thirty," I answer.
"You'd better get home and get ready then."
"Do you want to come?" I ask hopefully.
"It might be a bit awkward, don't you think?"
"Please!" I plead, "I love Tad, but he's definitely better in small
doses," I reason.
"But Katie," Jessie interjects, "He doesn't even know we're
together. You're his friend and I'm his ex-girlfriend. It doesn't
sound like a good idea."
"It's not like we need to hide," I counter, "Besides, maybe
we /should/ tell him...sooner rather than later."
She sighs, "Yeah, maybe you're right."
**********
Was this really such a good idea? I mean, sure, if I went alone,
Tad's first question to me would be about my love life. And sure,
he'd definitely want to know about Jessie's love life...and it's not
like he's ever subtle so he'd come right out and ask me. And he was
giving us a funny look when we saw him at lunch the other day, and
he's not that stupid he won't have put two and two together. And
he's my friend. My good friend. So I couldn't lie to him. So
either way he's going to know.
But maybe this way's rubbing it in his face a little too much.
Maybe we should let him get used to the idea before he actually sees
us together. But it's too late now. I've convinced Jessie to come,
by convincing her it'll be fine. And it probably will be fine. I
can act like an adult...kind of. And Jessie can definitely act like
a adult. And Tad can...okay, Tad I'm not so sure about, but two out
of three isn't bad.
I arrive back on Jessie's doorstep an hour after dropping her off to
get changed. She opens the door, and smiles at me. I peck her
lightly on the cheek, she looks amazing, so I tell her so.
"Thanks," she replies, "But you know, it's essential to you look
amazing when you see old exes...I couldn't break the rules."
"Ah, so this isn't for me?" I ask indicating her outfit.
She thinks for a moment, "Some of it's for you," she pauses and
reflects, "Nah," she changes her mind jokingly, "It's all for Tad."
"Should I be worried?"
"About me and Tad? Well he may try to stab me to death with a
cocktail umbrella, but otherwise we should be fine," she laughs.
I try to laugh too, but my expression betrays my thoughts.
She grimaces, "This is a bad idea. Isn't it?"
"No, no. Well... No," I reassure her...not very effectively. I
shrug, "I mean, it won't be that bad."
She laughs, "Well I'm convinced!" He good natured sarcasm makes me
smile.
"Seriously. How bad can it be?" I ask. She just looks at me
smugly, knowing I'll formulate my own response to my question, "Well
if it gets awkward we can just leave," I tell her, though I'm really
trying to convince myself.
She smiles reassuringly, and pats me on the arm, "It'll be fine."
"Yeah, I hope so."