“Wow,” Nick said, not looking at Rebecca.
“What? What does that mean?” She squinted at him.
Nick casually took a swig of his beer and dug into the massiveplate of nachos he’d ordered to share with them (though both Rebecca and Dwayneknew he’d eat most of them). “Nothing. Just wow.”
“Wow, this game sucks? Wow, these nachos are awesome?”
“Wow, you really like her, and she likes you.” Nick crunched achip, his eyes on the TV.
“I told you. We’re friends. We talked about it.”
“Friends who’ve fucked.”
“God, you’re so eloquent.” Rebecca reached for a chip, took onewith a jalapeño on it.
“I’m just stating the facts.”
Rebecca slumped a bit on her stool, not happy with what Nick wassaying but knowing it had a bit of truth to it. Shedidlike Spencer. She was growing to likeher more and more with each chance they spent time together. For the firsttime, part of her began to second-guess the “friends” part of their equation.“Doesn’t matter. She’s engaged. She’s taken.”
“Yeah? Where was her fiancée?”
“I have no idea.”
“Nope. And you didn’t ask.”
“No.”
Should she feel bad about that? Rebecca knew that Nick was makinga point, but she didn’t think it was her responsibility to inquire afterSpencer’s significant other. If Spencer wanted to talk about her, Spencer couldbring her up. That made sense, right?
She reached for another chip, crunched it, and was content to letthe conversation be over.
Nick had other plans.
“So,” he said, actually turning to her as there was a commercialon. “How do you think this friendship is going to work?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, have you ever seen me stay friends with a girl I banged?”
“Again with the eloquence. And I’ve told you a million times,Nicky, it’s—”
“Different for lesbians than for straight couples. I know you saythat, but I don’t buy it.”
Dwayne apparently decided to join in, but surprisingly, tookRebecca’s side. “I don’t know, dude. It makes sense. Girls do friendshipdifferently than guys.”
“Thank you, Dwayne.”
Nick simply shook his head and continued to eat. “I just want youto pay attention, Becks. You’re walking through a minefield, my friend.”
Accepting that there wasn’t going to be a resolution to thisdiscussion, Rebecca shrugged and said, “I will. I promise.”
“That’s all I ask.”
The game was back on and the trio focused their attention on it,but Nick’s words stuck with Rebecca for the rest of their time together andwell into the evening. Home alone, folding laundry, his minefield commentreverberated through her brain.
Was that what she was doing by trying to be friends with Spencer?Walking through a minefield, the possibility of getting blown to bits rightthere all the time?
Rebecca wasn’t sure she agreed with that.
