“Really good. I think you’re going to love the turnout for the flash mob.” It’s hard not to talk about how excited I am about how the marching band is going to play into this. I take a bite of naan.
“I’m so excited,” she squeals. “I got his ring. Look.” She holds a box open for me to see. It’s a white gold band with small diamonds embedded all the way around.
“He’s going to love it,” I tell her. “I was thinking though…” I pause to finish chewing. Tina frowns and taps her hands on the table, urging me to continue. “Do you think we’re doing enough?”
She tilts her head. “We have a flash mob, fireworks, a carriage ride with white horses. Is that not big enough?”
“I was just thinking that maybe you need an airplane.”
“An airplane?” she scoffs. “You know I’m afraid of skydiving.”
“Not skydiving,” I say with a roll of my eyes. “The plane could be carrying a banner that asks Ryan to marry you.”
She purses her lips, thinking it over. The truth is that I don’t want Tina’s proposal to be overshadowed by the airplane Ryan is planning on having write his proposal in the sky. If both of them have messages written in the sky, then it will be clear that both of them are proposing, not just Ryan. But I can’t tell Tina that.
“I love it,” she says. “Book it.” She claps her hands like an excited child. “On another note, you never answered my question the other day,” she says.
“What question?”
“Camping at the cabin,” she reminds me. “You, me, Ryan, and Oliver.”
“Oh. Right. I don’t?—”
“Oliver told Ryan that you both are in,” she says. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me yourself.” She kicks me under the table.
I’m surprised that Oliver answered for both of us—especially to say that we would go, when we never finished discussing it the other day. Spending a whole weekend putting on a show is too much pressure. I can’t say that now, though. Oliver already agreed. She’ll think it’s weird if I back out now. “Sorry. Guess I was a little busy and forgot.”
“Busy doing what?” she asks with a suggestive wink. “Having sex with Oliver?”
She says this right as our waiter appears at our table to refill our water. I snort out a laugh. I apologize to our waiter, who doesn’t acknowledge what was said. When he’s gone, I turn back to Tina. I shrug. “Maybe.”
She leans across the table, lowering her voice to a stage whisper. “Has he gone down on you yet?”
I blush. “That is none of your business.”
“Come on,” she complains. “He was standing right there when you said that no one had ever gone down on you before. Please tell me he took it upon himself to be the one to change that for you.”
I can’t believe we’re talking about this again. At least we’re not having this conversation in front of the guys, but it’s still not a conversation I want to have. The fact that Oliver might know is mortifying enough. The thought of lying and saying that his face has been between my legs makes my body feel hot. I start to imagine things that I shouldn’t be thinking about. On the other hand, if I simply say that he hasn’t, Tina will want to know why, and I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of it. I might not hear the end of it anyway.
“Fine. Don’t tell me,” she says. Something tells me she’s going to bring this up again. “I’m just so happy that you two are finally together. This trip is going to be so much fun.”
I think about what this means for me and Oliver. Faking a relationship for a couple of hours is hard enough. Now we’re going to have to spend an entire weekend pretending, with Tina being nosy about what we’re doing behind closed doors. I’m surprised that he agreed to this.
“There are so many beautiful places to hike out there,” she continues. “Ryan and I had sex on the very top of the trail before.”
I almost choke on my food. “Seriously, Tina? I don’t need to know that.”
“I’m just saying,” she says with a shrug. “Whether you go for a hike or stay back at the cabin while Ryan and I do some exploring, there will be plenty of time for you and Oliver to be alone together.”
“Now I’m not going to be able to go out on the trail without wondering if I’m standing somewhere you and Ryan had sex.”
“Don’t be such a drama queen,” she says. “There aren’t many places left in this city that haven’t been christened by us. You should be wondering that everywhere you go.”
“Oh God. Why’d you have to tell me that?” I look around, then lower my voice to a whisper. “This restaurant?”
She smiles and points a thumb over her shoulder. “Bathroom.”
I snort and cover my mouth. “Ryan’s mom’s house?”
