Gianni’s was already busy when I got there. Nearly every table was filled, and unlike the last time we were here, the restaurant was brightly lit. The shades over the front windows had been raised, and men in business suits, women in suits and dresses had taken over the space.
I gave the hostess my name and went to the booth reserved for us, not knowing what I’d say to Sia. I was kind of a mess. All the while I’d been showering, changing, and getting ready to meet her, my mind had still been back on the running track with Cole. I was pretty sure I’d washed my hair with my face cleanser. It didn’t have its regular volume after I dried it, but then it was too late. I’d wasted too much time in Cole La La Land, so I put it in a braid and clipped it up. It looked messily rumpled, just the way Sia loved it. She went nuts when my hair was like this, calling it “a sexy mess.”
I expected the same reaction this time, but instead, Sia rushed over, a scarf wrapped around her neck, and slid in across from me. Her sunglasses stayed on as she reached for her water.
“Oh my God.” She leaned back and let out a loud sigh. “You have no idea how thirsty I am today.”
“Hung over?”
She nodded, gulping half the water and scanning the table. “Why’s there no coffee yet?”
I raised an eyebrow. “That’s my job?”
She groaned. Her head fell to the table, cushioned by her arm. “I’m sorry. I’m the worst best friend. You’re right.” She sat up and took her sunglasses off, squinting from the brightness. “I’m hung over like no other.”
“You didn’t seem that bad when I left.”
“Oh no. Because I wasn’t.” She shook her head. “But we kept drinking. After the first really hot round in bed, we decided it was a great idea to have shots. So the shots started, and kept going. Then we broke the table. That meant more shots. We did it on his couch.”
My nose wrinkled. “I liked that couch.”
“On his kitchen island.”
“Too much information.”
“On his kitchen counter. Against the elevator doors. And then, with all the sex and all the booze, you’d think we’d be tired this morning. Nope. We did it in his shower, too.”
“Is that possible? I thought guys took forever to get it up again.”
“Not him. He’s got the penis of a racehorse. And I am so fucking exhausted.” Her eyes shifted over my shoulder, and she straightened up. A transformation came over her. It was like the bags under her eyes diminished. She pulled out a lip gloss and fluffed her hair back.
I narrowed my eyes. “Your scarf is sideways.”
With one quick tug, it jerked back in place, and Sia smiled as she watched someone coming to our table. I had a sinking feeling I knew who it was. This was confirmed when she gushed, “Jake! How are you feeling?”
He sat beside her and dipped his head rather than answering. They kissed. No, they weren’t kissing. They were devouring each other. They were trying to say hello with their tongues in the literal sense. Jake tried to pull away, but then their mouths opened wider over each other.
I averted my eyes. A moan started. I cringed. He groaned. I bit the inside of my lip. This was a tad bit awkward, just a bit. I shifted on my seat, feeling a tightness in my chest. It was growing. Nope. Don’t say anything. Let them be. It’ll be over real soon…maybe now…no, not yet. Okay, now. Nope.
“Okay.” I planted both my hands on the table, fingers spread out. I leaned forward with a forced smile on my face. “That’s lovely, you know.” They broke apart, shooting me guilty grins. I rested against the back of the booth and waved a finger at them. “The two of you. My neighbor.” My finger moved to Sia. “My best friend. All kissing and giving me way too many details about your sex-fest night.”
Jake frowned and glanced sideways to Sia.
She pressed her lips together, shooting me a look.
I ignored both reactions. “Enough with the kissing in front of my face.” I held up my hand. I’d put my wedding ring back on after I showered. It was a last-minute decision, and it felt right. I felt comforted. “Remember.” I wiggled my finger. “I lost the love of my life a year ago. I’m happy for you both, but please, stop. Just…stop.”
Time seemed to stand still for a moment as they stared at me, and I realized what I’d done: officially thrown a tantrum, right here in Gianni’s Restaurant.
My hand covered my face. Where had that come from? “I’m so sorry, Sia.” I shot Jake a pleading look. “I’m sorry, Jake. I’m not normally like this.”
He perked up. “You mean Sia makes out in front of you all the time?”
She whacked his arm. “I do not.” She gave me a meaningful look. “I do not. Tell him that.”
“No.” I shook my head. “She doesn’t, not normally, but I have no excuse for having a fit.”
Jake frowned before a slight smile showed. “Pretty sure we were making the scene, not you, Addison. You have no reason to apologize.”
“Maybe not, but I’m still embarrassed.”
“No, really. I’m sorry.” Sia laid a hand on my arm. “And I know we were going to have our own lunch. I meant to explain earlier that Jake was coming too, but I was beyond busy this morning, and well, you know how rude I was when I first got here.”
Jake gave her a look.
She waved him off with her free hand. “I was annoyed we didn’t have coffee, like it was Addison’s job to read my mind and have it ready. I was a bitch. I’m apologizing right now.” She squeezed my arm once before pulling away, and tucked her hand in her lap. “Being beyond exhausted, hung over, and sore in places I never knew I even had isn’t putting me at my most gracious.”
I snorted.
Her eyes went to mine. “Having said that, I want to apologize again and also say you have no need to apologize. I should’ve been more sensitive. Way, way, way more sensitive. I’m a huge asshole. The hugest! And selfish. I am beyond selfish right now.”
Okay. She was going to start flogging herself. She apologized. Jake apologized. I apologized. I considered the whole sorry-fest over. Picking up my water, I brandished a smile. “Can we toast to that?”
Sia reached for her water, but Jake beat her there. They gave each other another adoring smiles and raised the glass together. It was almost sickening; that was how cute it was.
I was having a hard time not smiling. I liked this stage in Sia’s relationships. Despite the initial irritation today, she was kinder and softer. I already knew what I’d be hearing once Jake left: she was in love. She had the best night, ever. He was The One.
She’d downplayed him the night before, calling him her perfect booty-call soulmate, but things were clearly already past that, and as I watched them gaze into each other’s eyes, I had to admit that this seemed like more. When Sia proclaimed her love, I might believe it this time. And good for her. I meant that. Truly.
Sia and Jake laughed and talked with each other, and I had a feeling there would be no space for me to interject about meeting Cole. And that felt fine. I wasn’t ready to say anything about it, not yet.
A waiter brought water for Jake and refills for the rest of us. Sia got her coffee, hallelujah! The food came soon after we ordered. It was a light lunch, but the salad filled me up. Sia and Jake ordered sandwiches and devoured them, probably starving from their cardiovascular activities the previous night. Not long after we finished, Jake slid out of the booth to head back to work. Sia went with him to say goodbye. They walked out holding hands.
Young love. I remembered those days… Then Cole flashed in my head—the image of him standing there, watching me, waiting as I walked toward him. My mouth watered, and my stomach flipped over on itself.
Cole, whatever his last name was, affected me and in a big and intense way. And thinking of his invitation, I knew I couldn’t do that. My body was tired after just one brief meeting with him. If I ran with him, next to him the entire time—my hand pressed into my stomach, trying to forcibly calm the nerves.
A server distracted me, reaching for my glass to refill it.
“Could I get the bill?”
“It’s on the house.” He set my water back down.
“What?”
But he turned and moved on to the next table.
Sia slid back into her seat at that moment. Folding her hands over each other, she leaned in close. “I’m so sorry, again. I know I apologized before, but this really was supposed to be our lunch, and you had no idea he was coming. And then you had to sit and endure our whole gushy-gushy stuff just now.” Her hands pressed against her chest. “I’m not that selfish friend. I don’t want to be. I owe you HUGE. What can I do to make it up to you?” She sat up suddenly. “Friday night! I have Friday night off for once. No event. No fundraiser. No showcase. Nothing. We should do a slumber party. You. Me. Lots of wine.” She winced, then waved that away. “I’ll be back on the wine bandwagon by then. Ooh. Can we do that? Are you up for it?”
“No Jake showing up in the middle of our slumber party?”
“Only if we start drinking tequila. You know how I get frisky when I drink that stuff.”
“No tequila.”
“Just wine.” Sia beamed at me.
I nodded. “Just wine.”
“And pajamas. Nice, big, comfortable pajamas. Nothing tight or constricting.”
I shook my head. “Definitely not.”
“Then it’s a best friend, Friday night, slumber party date.” She reached for her purse and raised her hand in the air. “And lunch is on me.”
“I tried.”
“What?”
I motioned. “Lower your hand. It won’t matter.”
“You asked for the bill?” She scanned the table. “Where is it? You didn’t pay it already, did you?”
“I asked for it, but the server said it’s on the house.”
“Are you serious?” She sat back, hitting the back of her seat with a soft bounce. “This place isn’t cheap, and I’ve never had my bill…” A light bulb went on. Her eyes lit up, and she sat upright. “That hostess from the other night! She must’ve recognized our reservation and said something ahead of time. I bet it was her. Man, if it was, I really need to pay her back. I’ll reach out to a designer who’s looking for models, give her name. That was really nice of her.” She was in awe. “I’ve never had a hostess be that nice before. Usually they try to network by offering to work for free at an event or something. Yeah, I’ll make sure to get her a job because of this.”
I reached for my own purse. “Mystery solved.”
Once we stepped out onto the street, Sia linked her elbow with mine and pulled me close to her side. We walked that way, like we had the other night, back to my building. She only had another block to go for her job, and we paused outside the front entrance. “Next lunch is just the two of us. I promise. Wait. Was there something you wanted to talk about today?”
An image of Cole appeared in my mind—my seared memory of him in the elevator, watching me as the doors closed. The blood on the floor from his comrade. Him running. Him waiting for me as I finished my last lap. “I’m Cole.”
My fingers closed over her hand, and I cleared my throat. “Nope. Nothing.”
“You sure?”
“I wanted to hear about you and Jake, but I got one better. I saw it first hand, like a private Broadway show.”
She groaned. “Again. I am so sorry.”
“I know. I’m just torturing you now.”
“Okay.” She twisted around, peering up at my floor. “So, if I don’t talk to you all week, plan for Friday. It’s a definite for me.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Today’s Friday.”
“Wha—” Her mouth opened and stayed there. The wheels were turning in her head. Then she smacked herself in the forehead. “I meant next Friday, and holy shit! I’m insinuating I won’t be around all weekend too. I am so—”
Our arms were still linked. I unlinked them, but pressed both my hands over her arms. “Stop. I know how you are with your guys.”
Her eyes closed tight, but she opened one. “Really?”
I nodded. “I’m an adult. I’m thirty years old. I can manage just fine. Heck—” I tried for a joke. “Maybe Dawn and I will meet up for drinks tonight.”
Sia laughed, relaxing. “You can take up knitting.”
“I’ll be her real knitting soulmate, not a pretend one like you.”
“Don’t tell her my lie,” Sia whispered.
“I won’t.” I shoved her forward, gently. “Now go. Have fun. Have lots of sex, and if we don’t talk before next Friday, I’ll meet you at my door. I’ll be the one wearing pajamas already.”
“Okay.” She moved forward, reluctantly, then turned around. She pointed at me. “Slumber party.”
I yelled as she was swallowed up by the crowd, “Friday night!”
Her eyes widened—
“Next Friday night,” I clarified.
She was still pointing at me, but switched to give me a thumbs-up instead.
My weekend came and went. It was fine. I found a bookstore and spent Sunday there, curled up with a book in one of the chairs. The next week passed just as uneventfully. Every morning, I looked at the clock. Cole was on my mind. I could’ve gone to run with him, but I never went. I was a chicken shit, but then one day I wasn’t. I actually stood. My mind was made up. My chest tightened, and butterflies whipped around in me as I grabbed my sneakers and dressed. I had my headphones in hand and got to the elevator, only to not push the button.
I couldn’t do it.
I was too nervous.
I hadn’t heard from Sia since yesterday, and today was slumber party day, but I hadn’t expected to. She had an event at the Gala last night. I loaded up on wine, and got tequila for her. Promising a slumber party was one thing, but actually following through was another. If the situation were reversed, I’d have a hard time staying four floors under the new man in my life. I figured she’d spend the evening with me, maybe even stay late, but once the tequila was in full effect, she’d sneak up to his floor. I planned to let her know she didn’t need to sneak.
Seven o’clock rolled around, and she sent no word. I texted, asking if she was running late.
Eight o’clock.
Nine o’clock.
She should’ve called me by now.
I waited till nine thirty, then checked my phone. No text. No call. No email. I got on Instagram and went to her page. There it was: a selfie of her and Jake wearing Hawks jerseys. They were at the hockey game.
I’d been stood up.