“Do we still get to binge eat?” she teases, reaching for her purse and letting me pull her along.
“Uh, duh. That’s the main reason I came over tonight.” I grin.
For one night, I set my thoughts aside. I focus on Courtney and cracking jokes to keep her spirits up. We end up rentingHow to Be Singleon iTunes and surrounding ourselves with candy and popcorn. I know I’ll wake up with gut rot in the morning, but tonight, I don’t care.
Before I fall asleep, I check my phone and send Travis a good night text.
Viola: I hope you’re feeling better. I ate enough junk to feed a small village and will probably be puking my guts out by morning. I don’t think I’ll be able to look at ice cream ever again.
After waiting twenty minutes and not hearing back from him, I decide to turn my phone on silent. Hopefully, he’s sleeping off his crappy mood and will want to talk about it tomorrow. Courtney is passed out next to me on the floor, but I can’t turn my brain off long enough to fall asleep.
Sometime between remembering meeting Travis for the first time and reminiscing about the last time we were together, I finally managed to fall asleep. When I wake up, there’s a smile on my face, and I can’t wait to see Travis after he’s done with work tonight. The fact that we can’t act any different around Drew is kind of thrilling in its own way.
Then when I grab my phone and see I have no new messages, disappointment fills my heart, and I hate that I even feel that way.
“Are you hungry?” I hear Courtney ask from the kitchen. “I can make pancakes. Or eggs. I might have some bacon around here somewhere…” I can hear her digging around the fridge.
I groan. “I can’t even think about eating right now.”
“Really?” she asks, stuffing something in her mouth. She sounds peppy, so that’s something I suppose, although I’m almost certain it’s all an act.
“Maybe after I shower. I can feel the sugar leaking out of my pores.” I stretch and stand from the floor.
“Go ahead. I don’t plan to shower all weekend.” The sadness in her voice doesn’t go unnoticed.
I walk to where she is, her hair piled on top of her head, a piece of toast in one hand, and her mouth full of jelly. Looks like I may need to stay longer than I anticipated.
“Don’t give me that look.” She sighs. “I just need a couple of days to cry it out, and then I promise, no more wallowing.”
I can’t really argue with that. Everyone needs a few days to get it out of their system.
“Okay, but by Monday, I expect normal, crazy Courtney back.”
“Promise.”
I smile. “Okay, I’m jumping in the shower.”
“Okay, no problem,” she says around another mouthful.
Ever since the day Travis took my clothes and made me walk down the hallway naked, taking a shower brings on a whole new meaning. The memories of our past and the memories of the present make me conflicted on everything, but I can’t stop thinking about them.
I close my eyes and allow the hot water to beat down my muscles. The last week has been a bit more active than I’m used to, and sleeping on Courtney’s hard floor did nothing to help that. I take a little longer than necessary. Her body wash smells amazing, and I take advantage of her expensive shampoo.
Once the water starts turning cold, I rinse and shut it off. I feel better than I expected to, but I know I’d feel even better after Travis and I talk about last night.
As I’m toweling off, I hear Courtney knocking on the door. “Lola, you decent?” Her tone sounds rushed.
“Yeah, come in.” I tighten the towel around me and shake my hair out. I start digging around her drawers for a hairbrush. When I find one, I set it on the counter and notice Courtney’s reflection in the mirror behind me.
Her eyes are wide, and her face has gone pale. Something’s wrong.
I turn around and see my phone in her hand. “What’s wrong?”
“I-I…” she stutters.
“What is it?”
“Your phone kept vibrating on the table, so I checked to see who was calling.” She swallows, finally taking a breath. “It was Drew.”
