Chapter Twenty-four
Morgan
It’s Sunday morning, and Dex said he’d be here around 10:00 a.m. I’m getting pretty antsy, as I’ve been up since seven and ready since eight, and it’s only nine-thirty. Gia emerges out of her bedroom looking like crap.
“Bad date last night?” I ask. She wasn’t particularly excited about last night’s date, but she has been in some sort of dating funk for the last few weeks, so she agreed to go out anyway. She normally has a date two times a week. I think she’s only gone on maybe three in the last month.
“Argh,” she grumbles.
“Here.” I hand her a bowl of cereal, her favorite, Fruity Pebbles. “Let me get the milk.”
“Thanks.”
“I take it, Zach, that was his name, correct? He kept you out late last night? I didn’t hear you come home until like two a.m.”
“Zach…was fine. Nothing to write home about, but we went out to that new club I was telling you about, and I drank too much. I have a killer hangover.” She lifts her head from the table to dip her spoon into her bowl.
“So, I should get you some Advil?” I ask, quieting my voice as to not make things harder on her head.
“That would be amazing.”
I busy myself getting her something for the headache and fill a glass with orange juice. Sitting it on the table next to her, I say, “Dex will be here anytime. You might want to get dressed if you don’t want him to see you in your Mickey Mouse shorts.”
She was also wearing a comfy looking tank, but I wouldn’t have wanted to see anyone else looking like I had just spent the night drinking way too much. I wanted to give her a chance to either hide in her room or change before he got here.
“Blah. I don’t care if your man sees me at my worst. I honestly don’t want to move. I can’t move. It hurts to move. My head, my legs, too. It feels like I spent the night doing leg lunges,” she says with a groan.
“You must have been busting moves all night,” I say with a chuckle.
"Must have. Hey, good luck today. You will rock,” she smiles briefly.
Just then, a knock comes at the door. With Gia’s blessing, I gave Dex the code to get in the building a couple weeks ago. I give Gia one more sidelong glance before heading to the door. I open it up and standing there are Dex and Link.
“Hi, guys! Come on in,” I say, moving to the side as they come in.
Dex stops on the way in and gives me a kiss. Link brushes past him, and then I see Simon step in behind him. Ekk. I didn’t know Simon was coming. Not that I care, I really like Simon. It's just that things are still a little awkward between Gia and Simon. We all hang out a lot, and while they do talk, it’s really painful to watch.
By the time I close the door, I hear Dex say, “Morning Gia. How was your date last night?” Dex was here last night before she left on her date, but he headed home before she returned. Link walks over to the table and sits down next to her. She lifts her head and tries a smile, but it’s as if she is unable.
She doesn’t fully turn around to face him when she says, “Too much to drink.”
“Looks like it,” replies Link.
From across the room comes a snort. I turn my head and see Simon trying to hide a smile. I shoot a look at Gia, and her body is ramrod straight. Uh oh.
Quickly, I grab my purse and head to the door. “Alright,” I say, “let’s get this show on the road, boys.”
The guys file out of the apartment, both Dex and Link offer goodbyes to Gia. I look back one last time before shutting the door to see that she is no longer at the table.
~~~
“Ok Morgan, I have a very serious question for you,” says Link from the back seat. We’ve been in the car for forty-five minutes or so, and we are nearly at the Roberts’ house.
“Shoot,” I say, slightly turning in my seat, settling my chin on my shoulder to look at him. “This better be a good one.” Both Simon, also in the back, and Dex laugh. Apparently in their spare time, the guys come up with the most ridiculous “would you rather” questions ever. They will talk forever about one single question and argue each point. It’s mind-boggling, but I admit, it’s pretty entertaining.
They always include me in the discussions, but Link has taken it upon himself to ask me the strangest, most squeamish questions he can think of. Like the last one, would you rather lay in a box of snakes or have a cockroach down your shirt for the rest of your life? Yuck.
“Would you rather Justin Timberlake die, or the Pope?” he asks with the biggest grin on his face.
My jaw drops. “Are you serious? That is the worst question ever,” I say in shock.
Simon turns to him laughing, “Dude, that wasn’t fair.”
“You know the rules, Morgan. Answer it.” Link looks back at me.
“I can’t. I can’t possibly answer that! You know I love JT, but the Pope? I…I can't…I can’t answer this.” I turn back to face the front. I know this is just a silly game, but JT is…JT, and while I’m not Catholic, it would be like asking me if I would prefer if it were the president who’d die.
Dex grabs my hand with laughter in his eyes, but says with sympathy, “You don’t have to answer it, babe.” The way he says “babe” instantly zaps the distress from my body.
Then Link says, “Yes, she does,” in a sing-song voice.
I whisper to no one in particular, “Don’t make me say it.”
They all laugh, Dex squeezes my hand. I quickly turn around in my seat again and look Link straight in the eyes.
“You are evil, Lincoln Witt. You know how I feel about JT. If I say the Pope, I will forever be a horrible person and will for sure go to Hell. But if I say JT, then I will for sure have a panic attack at the thought of my dream husband, number one celebrity crush, and the most amazing entertainer there is and ever will be, taken from this world,” I blurt and then take in a deep, replenishing breath. I know I’m being dramatic, but it is what he is looking for, right?
“Geez, woman,” Dex chuckles next to me.
I keep the look of horror and distress on my face as Link huffs out, “God. You’re worse than Ruby. Please, don’t answer it. I wouldn’t want to get you all worked up.”
Simon fights back laughter. I let my face relax and then smile sweetly. Then I turn back to face the front of the car.
Dex murmurs, “Nicely played Lawson. Nicely played.”