The Movies Make It Look Easy

Chapter 80

For perhaps the millionth time, I thought about how much easier it was when I didn’t have to split my time between separate groups of friends. I never knew what to tell different people, certain I would hurt somebody’s feelings by saying the wrong thing or by not being able to meet up because I had other plans. But then I remembered that that was horribly selfish of me and two people who weren’t happy shouldn’t stay together just to make me, or anyone else happy.

I scrunched up my suddenly itchy nose. Sometimes, life sucked. I sighed, wandering back out of the kitchen before I decided to host a pity-party of one.

“Mark and Jay will be here in approximately one minute and thirty seconds, apparently” Nick announced as I took a seat on the edge of the couch by his feet.

I raised an eyebrow. “Specific.”

No doubt it was Mark’s estimation. Disturbingly enough, the approximation wasn’t far off in the end. Mark sauntered in with a smug smile on his face, and just for that the rest of us steadfastly ignored him. He didn’t need our help to increase his ego that was for sure.

Jay flopped into his usual seat on the armchair and I fended Mark off when he attempted to sit beside me. His eyes had already started to wander and I wasn’t in the mood for constantly having to make sure that his hands didn’t try to follow the same path. I swear he had no sense of boundaries whatsoever.

“Adrian gone?” Jay asked, his eyes thankfully meeting mine.

I nodded, but didn’t elaborate. Mark rolled his eyes, and waved his hands about as if we had just had a lengthy conversation. Drama queen.

“Yes, yes, we all know how sad Shannon probably is that Adrian and his regrettably-taken fiancée are gone, but let’s move on to the important stuff; what are we doing today?”

Nick sent a glare in the direction of his best friend and Jay channelled all of our mutual irritation when he punched Mark in the ribs.

“Love you, too” I muttered.

Once again, he waved away my comment like one would an annoying fly, rubbing at his no-doubt tender ribs. “I think we should go somewhere very public and hope the female population of London have followed Shannon’s example and stripped down to the bare minimum.”

Nick and I had barely sent glares his way before Jay was punching him soundly once more.

Mark winced but carried on nevertheless. “Come on, don’t pretend none of you want to take in the sights, so to speak…Shannon excluded, of course.”

I just raised my eyebrow.

Mark glanced at Nick and had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. “I suppose Nick’s out of the running, too.”

Nick reached out to run fingers through the ends of my hair. “Don’t worry about me. I have plenty to keep me occupied.”

I just rolled my eyes again.

Jay narrowed his eyes when the attention turned to him. “Don’t look at me. I won’t be your wingman, Mark.”

That earned him a disappointed pout.

“I blame you!”

I sent a disapproving look towards Nick when he idly started poking his foot into my ribs in an effort to annoy me, before turning my attention to Mark. I stared at the imperious finger pointed in my direction. “What am I being blamed for, and why?”

“Before you came along” he huffed, “the three of us enjoyed being single. We were like the Three Musketeers, only better.”

I hid a smile as best I could, feeling strangely proud of myself.