After ✔

24

"You've grown quite fond of him." I notice.

"Yeah, I've always wanted a little brother. Mason's as close as it gets."

"And..." I pause, not sure of how to ask this question. "What do you think of Nate?"

His shoulders rise, then drop again. He seems to be thinking. "I don't know the guy like you do, obviously, so I can't say anything." He replies. Damn, was he actually actually trying to say he didn't hate Nate?

I wouldn't blame him though. Mr. and Mrs. Philips have a pretty tainted image of him.

"My parents over-exaggerate everything." He rolled his eyes. "And honestly, I don't like Nate very much, but also, I don't care."

"But he's trying very hard." My voice drops to a whisper.

He purses his lips. "I can see that, as his girlfriend and their son have left his house."

"Temporarily." I squeak.

"Love is pointless." He says. "Give me booze and one-night-stands any day."

"What? Why?"

"They don't hurt as much."

I tilt my head. I'm about to say something then shut my mouth.

Look where love had got me in life.

"Anyways, I better get going." He gets up and ruffles my hair. I swat his hand away.

When he's gone, and I've just about finished my small plate of dinner, my phone rings a familiar tune and I know exactly who it is.

Claire thought it would be pretty funny if she switched my ringtone to the tune of The Little Mermaid months ago, and I still haven't got around to changing it.

"Hey, Claire." I say, shaking away the hair that had fallen onto my face and angling the phone so I could see Claire.

Her face pops up on video chat, all bright smiles. "Hey, Val!" She squeaks.

Her blonde hair is perfectly curled and her lips are painted scarlet.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"No, just came back." She grabs a pillow. Now that I notice, she's wearing an over-sized shirt and sweatpants.

"Plan on sleeping with makeup on?" I chuckle. "Is that a new thing, or..."

"Liam's just taking too long in the bathroom." She says, rolling her eyes. "That guy, I swear..."

"You guys are back together?"

Last I heard, they had a nasty breakup.

"Yup." Her shoulders rise. Well there's no surprise, really. Liam and Claire fight like two cats over a ball of yarn.

But they have their own thing, and it levels above their incompatible personalities which score less than a zero.

They actually got together right after Dani and I did, and Claire moved into an apartment with Liam two months after I left for Spain.

"Where are you?"

"You remember Gabriella?" I ask. She nods.

"Dani's brother's fiancé?"

"Girlfriend." I correct. "Her house."

Her smile softens and she leans against the headboard of her bed. The curtains behind her sway a little.

"When are you coming back?" She whines. "We miss you so much."

There's the sound of a door opening and closing in the background, and then I hear a familiar voice. "Is that Valencia?"