“How are you and Ash doing? I hate that you’re stranded without a vehicle.”
“It’s not a big deal. We ordered takeout last night, and if we really wanted to go anywhere, we could call for a ride.”
“I guess it’s a good thing the two of you hooked up,” she says with a laugh, and I’m momentarily offended.
“Um…why, exactly?”
“Just think, if you didn’t like each other or you were just…you know…still strangers, how awkward would that have been?”
Okay, I see her point.
“It’s been nice to have the time alone to get to know each other better with no distractions. Of course, it would be nice if yesterday didn’t happen and we were all here having fun too.”
“That’s true, but hopefully tomorrow we’ll be back on track.”
“My fingers are crossed!”
“Do you think I should call Loren and feel things out, or should I just let the chips fall where they may?”
“That’s totally up to you. You know her better than I do anymore.”
“Liv, come on. That’s not true. We’ve all been friends for so long!”
“And I get that, but…she’s changed. Yesterday was very eye-opening and even though I completely predicted how it was all going to go afterwards, I just don’t get why she behaved that way. It was a little like dealing with a stranger. Or, at the very least, a casual acquaintance.”
“And that makes me sad too. I had so many hopes for this trip. Maybe I need to just call time of death and let it go.”
“No, no, no…we just need to revive it a bit. I say let Loren be and maybe Mike will convince her to come back to the house today. I’m not willing to poke the bear, though.”
“I guess that’s smart.” She sighs dramatically. “Okay, I won’t either, but I’ll text you tomorrow when we get on the road.”
“Thanks, and give Roxie a hug for me and tell her we can’t wait to see her.”
“Will do. Tell Ash I said hello.”
“I will.” We hang up and I glance over and see Ash pacing as he talks. He looks very somber, and I wonder what he and Zayne are talking about.
Unless it’s not Zayne. Although, how bizarre would that be if we got calls at the same exact time and they weren’t connected?
To give him privacy, I grab my towel and head into the house. There’s a ton of food for us to choose from for lunch, so I sort through it all and see what I’m in the mood for. No one says he has to eat the same thing, but if I take an inventory, I can help him decide when he’s off the phone.
After a few minutes, I glance outside and he’s still talking.
“O-kay…”
Instead of just standing around, I go upstairs and change into dry clothes and freshen up a bit. When I come out of my room, I’m hit by how bright it is in the house at this time of day and slip my sunglasses on. At the bottom of the stairs, I turn and find Ash finally coming inside.
“Sunglasses in the house?” he says with amusement. “Makes sense.”
“I didn’t realize just how bright it got in here at this time of day.” I breeze into the kitchen, and he follows, but I can already sense that something’s wrong.
“I spoke to Vanessa,” I say as I busy myself with pulling cold cuts and cheeses out of the fridge. “She said Roxie’s agreed to come back, but not until tomorrow. Was Zayne telling you the same thing?”
He takes a seat at the island, but he’s not looking at me. He’s studying his hands that are clasped and resting on the countertop.
“Ash?”
The disappointment is palpable.
