AMBY AWARDS TOP PICK 2023 ❤️
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"You think I can't act like I'm into you?" He asks in a whisper. He reaches out, and strokes a finger down my cheek, and I feel myself shiver at the touch.
"You think I can't convince everyone that I have f...
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I hate to be in the middle of drama.
Watching it unfold as an observer? That's fine. Pop me down in front of it with a camping chair and a Pick 'N' Mix, and I'll eat it all up. The theatrics and the sweeties.
As a participant, though? I'm not a fan. I feel like I've been transported to an improv session in high school. "In this scene," my drama teacher is telling me."You are seated between two men at a wedding. One of them is your ex, who you have no desire to even speak to. The other is the man you are starting to think could be The One. And . . . Action!"
Much like Ric, I've never been great at acting. And, the scenario of two men potentially fighting over me would have made me laugh back in my high school days. In fact, the very idea would have seemed ludicrous to me just last week.
As Declan slides into the seat to my right, I feel all my muscles stiffen. Ric lightly squeezes my arm. I think it's meant to be reassuring, but it just shows me how tense he is, too.
"What a coincidence that we're seated next to each other," Declan tells me now. My skin itches at his proximity. Ric huffs out an audible sigh of disgust.
Declan hasn't covered his tracks well. When he was swapping the place cards around, he neglected to move his date's setting. Carrie seems confused, lost, and more than a little suspicious, as she apparently has been seated on the other side of Katie and her husband. Declan is making no move to acknowledge this. In fact, he's completely ignoring her. And staring at me.
"Yeah," I say dryly. "Coincidence." I look over at Katie and Michael. "Looks like someone's messed up the seating plan," I add directly to them. "Maybe if you guys move up a place, Carrie can sit next to her date?"
"Good idea," Michael agrees, and they shuffle up to allow Carrie to sit on the other side of Declan. Carrie actually shoots me a grateful smile before she settles herself into her seat.
Declan continues to appear unaware that anyone is in the room apart from me and him. "How have you been, Abby?" He asks softly, forcing me to meet his eyes. "You've not been replying to any of my texts."
"What part of the concept of blocking do you not get?" I ask wearily.
"You blocked me?" He seems genuinely wounded. "I thought we'd agreed to still be friends."
"I'm pretty sure I didn't actually agree to that." Snarky Abby is back, and this time it's personal.
He opens his mouth to say something else, but Carrie - thankfully - gets in there first. "How about you listen to what she's telling you and leave her the fuck alone?" She hisses viciously at Declan, which allows me to turn back to Ric.
His jaw is clenched as he pours us both a glass of wine. "Are you okay?" I ask him nervously. Everything was going so well between us, and I'm so worried that Declan's antics are going to destroy it all. Remind Ric of the reasons why he didn't think getting involved with me was a good idea.
