“You told Ray,” Seb said.
“Oh, right,” Emily said. She wasn’t surprised that they kept in touch because Ray wasn't quiet about how much she hated them not being friends anymore.
“Yes, but I was so angry that you were talking to Ray again and not me, I just stopped trying,” he admitted. Not sounding particularly apologetic, probably a little angry.
“Still, you have no reason to be sorry,” Emily said, and she felt good about being the bigger person.
“I know. I just wanted to make you feel worse about not keeping such an adorable and thoughtful friend in your life,” Seb said, smugly.
“And humble too,” Emily said.
“Yeah,” Seb said, and he looked at Emily, giving her the full effect of his beaming face.
Emily's heart skipped a beat. She had missed that smile so much. So, she hugged him, and Seb must have felt it too because he hugged her back just as tightly.
“So we're back to normal, right?” he asked once they resumed walking.
“Sure, but I can't help but notice you know where I live. I mean, you could have dropped by once in the past two years to talk to me,” Emily said, feigning hurt.
“You mean one year and nine months?” Seb winked and wrapped his arm around Emily’s shoulders.
***
After that day, it was like nothing had changed. Jason had decided to take his drunken ramblings seriously and was really into football for a season. He dragged Emily to many of Seb's games, but he got over that phase quicker than the woo-woo one. Emily was thankful for that because she was done with him fanboying over Seb whenever he was around. Seb didn't need any more inflation to his ego.
Two months into their friendship renaissance, Seb got a girlfriend.
“This is different, Em,” he insisted.
“Isn't that what you said about Nancy?” Emily commented and continued typing her report.
Seb closed her laptop shut. “No, listen to me. I said Nancy was cool, like Emma was cool, and the girl from the Sigma Party was cool. Pia… Pia is everything.” He sighed.
Emily laughed. “Okay, this is new,” she agreed. She'd never seen Seb that dramatic. He was mildly dramatic about everything, but he made sure he never gave anyone the wrong idea when it came to hookups anymore. Emily had berated him about that after witnessing the Shelly-debacle.
“That's what I'm saying! We’re going on a date tomorrow,” Seb said, looking giddy.
Seb must have been serious because for the next few months, Pia was a part of all their hangout plans. Emily rarely got to see Seb alone. Either Jason or Pia or both of them were always tagging along.
Emily liked Pia. She really did. She had beautiful long hair, and she was an amazing baker who was always experimenting with new recipes. She always came bearing baked goods whenever they met.
“Seb told me you love strawberries, so I tried strawberry pie,” Pia said as soon as she got inside Emily’s apartment, Seb intow. She placed the pie on the kitchen counter. “This is my first time. Please don't be too harsh,” Pia said, her nose crinkling like she was bracing for criticism.
Emily tried it, with Seb and Jason ready with their plates and spoons. Of course, it was perfect, just like everything else she did.
“It's so amazing, babe,” Seb said, kissing Pia on the cheek.
“Yes! You need to give me the recipe. The lemon tart turned out so good,” Jason said, taking another piece to his plate.
Oh yeah, Jason was all about baking now.
“It’s great, Pia,” Emily said. She declined the offer of another one, saying she needed to go for a run in an hour. And she really did, she wasn’t intentionally being a bitchy, a feeling she got looking at Pia’s disappointed face.
But then Seb took two more pieces, so she was happy again, as if he wouldn't spend an extra hour in the gym paying for it. Okay, that had a smidgen of bitchiness. Maybe it was Jason's newfound interest in feeding Emily baked goods 24/7. Yeah, that was it. She was annoyed with confectionery.
Because she was really glad Seb was happy. He wouldn’t stop talking about Pia, even on the rare occasions she wasn't with them. So, Emily was caught by surprise when Seb informed her they had broken up.
“What?” was her reaction, her eyes almost bulging out of her head, and her mouth hanging open.
