Page 30 of Keep Me
Dear Minktoast
Times are tough, why not spice things up by showing your boyfriend a different side of you. Maybe even buy some—
Sienna gasped, interrupting my flow. “Oh my gosh. I completely forgot to ask you how that NFL wedding went? Get any good stories?”
Her eyes glinted with mischief, and she bit down on her bottom lip.
I cringed. The only story that came out of that night besides Devin and Reign getting married was my demise. My breathing became heavy as embarrassment flared through every fiber of my being. I’d done a great job ignoring Matty since then, and thankfully, everyone who was at the wedding was too busy over the summer to ask questions. But we were back in college now, and I was certain everything would come out soon.
“The wedding was great. My friend was a beautiful bride, and the ceremony was fantastic. They had roses and daisies everywhere. It was amazing.”
“Then why do you look like you want to gouge my eyes out for asking the question?”
My smile dropped. I really thought I’d managed to disguise my annoyance. “Nothing much. Just some other bullshit went on around it that I’d like to forget.”
“Seriously?” Sienna dipped her head so she could look at me more directly. I answered with a look, and she knew instantly.
“Whoa. What the hell happened? It must have been major for you to act like this. You’re never dramatic.”
I gulped, knowing I’d given too many hints and wasn’t going to get Sienna off this topic. She was like a dog with a bone when she thought she’d sniffed out a story, and I’d accidentally given her one.
“Is it because you went alone and all the single cousins hit on you? Did you take a ride on a dud?”
“I didn’t ride a lonely cousin.”
Sienna looked almost disappointed at the admittance. “Oh, I get it. That’s the problem. Youdidn’ttake a ride, so you were lonely as fuck?”
“No. You know what? Can we just drop this? I shouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place.”
“Honestly, I still don’t get why you and your floppy-haired ‘bestie’ didn’t go together. What’s his name again? Mickey McMichaelson?”
“Matty Mathieson.”
She rolled her eyes, groaning. “I knew it was a stupid name. But honestly, you’ve been vibing with that guy since I met you freshman year, and here we are, seniors, and you’re still pining over him like he invented milk.”
I rolled my office chair back to face my computer and sighed. “Yeah, well, that pining is well and truly over with.” I glared down at my hand as though it would erase the memory of Matty, but it did nothing except solidify what a stupid mistake I’d made.
“What happened?” Sienna whispered, resting her hand on my back. A tear rolled down my cheek, so I wiped my eyes clean. Great. I was making it obvious that something big happened.
“I can’t talk about it.” My voice was meek and broken, which was exactly how I felt after having to admit to myself that I nearly ruined my best friend’s engagement.
I didn’t do that kind of thing. I was the girl who loved fairytales and romance. I only ever dreamed about having a relationshiplike my parents, and doing anything remotely sordid didn’t feel right.
I was still looking for my one true love, and stupidly, my heart wanted to believe I’d already found him in Matty.
“No problem. You don’t have to,” she said, slapping my back so painfully it knocked the sadness right out of my chest. “I think I know what would make you feel better.” I glanced up at her, thankful she hadn’t mentioned how glassy my eyes were. “A change.”
“Of what? My clothes?”
“No. You need to get yourself out there. Meet new guys. Hang out with some people you haven’t known your entire college career. This is your senior year, after all. You’re going to have to face the big bad world of broadcasting soon. You need to have some fun while you can.”
Sienna looked at me earnestly, and I wanted to smile. She had good intentions, but sometimes I wondered if she operated on a different level than everyone else. She never let emotions get the better of her, and often times, I questioned if she felt anything at all, but it wasn’t like I’d given her context over why I was so upset. That was probably why she was so adamant that jumping into another guy’s bed would make this better.
“You know,” she drawled out, and I inwardly groaned, refusing to take my eyes off the computer screen.
I loved Sienna with all my heart, but the thing I’d learned the most about her was if you gave her an inch, she’d take a mile.
“There’s this guy …”
