Either Jonny can't help himself, or he actually enjoys being subjected to my fierce glare, because the triumphant grin stretched across his face right now kind of makes me want to smack him.
The redness in my cheeks also kind of makes me want to slap myself, too.
So, what if Josh is my boyfriend now? It's not something to be embarrassed about. In fact, I want to scream it from the rooftops and tell the whole world that we're together now.
It's just that Jonny looks so smug and self-righteous, as if he's about to tell me he knew all along, that he told me so.
"Stop looking at me like that," I warn my oldest friend, flames of irritation flickering in me.
He just continues to beam at me across the console, clearing not taking my threat seriously.
Not that I blame him, really. I'm five-foot-three, while he towers over me at six-foot-something. I may pack a punch but I highly doubt I've got anything on him.
It's later on that evening and I offered Jonny a lift to dinner at Dad's, because I feel like he's been with me through a lot of this. It only makes sense that I tell him first, before the others.
I'm not sure what my Dad will have to say about that, though.
Huffing, I put the car in drive and pull away from Jonny's place, hoping that it'll go smoothly.
Except, of course, it just doesn't work out that way.
Jonny takes one look at Andrei when we get there and blurts out, "Natty's got a boyfriend!"
Letting out a loud whine, I slap a hand to my face. "Jonny!"
Andrei's eyes are wide, Anita and Pat have matching dumb-struck expressions, but that's not what I'm focused on.
Dad stands in the doorway through to the kitchen, his eyebrows raised and his arms folded across his chest, eyes boring into me.
As the quiet settles, Jonny clearly realises his mistake and audibly gulps. "Uh, well, you know, Papa Choi, I was just..."
Andrei, thankfully, reaches out and pulls the blabbering man towards him, clamping a hand down over his mouth and putting him in a friendly but effective headlock.
I look back at my Dad, my stomach churning. "Well, you know, that wasn't really quite how I was planning on telling you, Dad."
The thing is, Dad's actually such a big softie, so he just breaks out into a big smile, crossing the room and pulling me into his arms. "It's who I think it is, isn't it?"
I huff out a breath against his shoulder. "Literally everyone saw it coming, huh?"
He chuckles, kissing my temple. "Yes, sweet pea, even your old man."
When the clamour eventually settles down, we're able to actually sit at the table and have the meal that we'd planned.
"So, are you going to bring this Josh boy around to one of these dinners?" Pat asks, pointing a fork in my direction. "So that we can all meet him."
I stick my tongue out at him, just because I feel like it. "I mean, do you bring your wife around, Pat?"
Dramatic as ever – clearly, he spends a little too much time with Jonny – he rolls his eyes to high heaven. "Erin and I have been married for fifteen years, Natalie. You already know her."
"Josh and I have been together for a day," I shoot back, my eye roll rivalling his. "So, you know, give us a second to figure it all out."
It still feels a little funny to say that Josh and I are together. The last few months have been full of Josh: when I've not seen him, I've been thinking about him, wondering where he is and how he's been coping. He's been a huge part of my life recently, but for some reason, it stills feels funny to say that we've finally taken the next step.
A good funny, though. I love it.
Anita shoots me a bright smile, unperturbed by my exchange with Pat. "Well, I'd really like to meet him, for one. I've heard lots about him, but I'm not even sure what he looks like."
I try to brush off the fact that she's heard lots about Josh, but I make sure to throw both Jonny and Andrei the stink-eye, because it makes me feel they've talked about it when I've not been around.
"Yeah, Natty," Jonny grins, looking as pleased with himself as ever. Honestly, I think he just gets a kick out of watching me squirm. "We'd all really like to meet him, I'm sure."
I narrow my eyes at him. "Ah, what makes you think I'd want to introduce him to you?"
He scoffs. "Oh, come on. You know I'm your best friend."
"Hey!" Andrei protests, reaching his leg out under the table and kicking the other man. "I'mher best friend, not you."
I laugh, grinning at Jonny. "See? I'll make sure to introduce him to Andrei, but not you. Might even go to Thirty Taps for it."
"You're the worst," Jonny glares at me.
Dad and Ruby just shake their heads, used to our bickering after all these years. It doesn't change, any time there's a new addition to our team. In fact, it seems that the more people that join, the more bickering occurs. More people to wind up, I suppose.
Anita has definitely added her own twist to the bickering. She and Andrei are on another level. Jonny still smirks like an idiot when they start up, making sure to whisper in my ear that he reckons they'll be together pretty soon.
I'm not so sure, but I don't bother knocking him down about it. He can dream of a garage romance if he wants, but after, he'll complain that he's being left out if it does happen.
The rest of the dinner continues in a similar fashion: Dad, Ruby and Pat trying to introduce civilised conversation and then the four of us just squabbling over everything and nothing.
When we're tidying up, Anita and Jonny start winding tea towels up and whipping each other's butts.
Dad catches my eye across the room and beckons me to him, so I dodge past the chaos and sink into my father's arms. "They're all crazy," I sigh, kissing his cheek.
He chuckles, retreating into the living room, with me right behind him. "Indeed, they are, so let's leave them to it. Anyway, I think you have some things to tell me, hmm?"
I laugh a little awkwardly as I take a seat next to him on the couch. Ruby and Pat are sharing the other sofa, looking at us. I'm not really sure where to start.
Luckily, Dad steers the conversation. "So, when can we meet Josh, sweet pea?"
I feel the familiar sensation of my face burning at the thought of it. "I don't know, Dad," I grumble quietly, looking down at my sock-clad feet. "Like I said, we've only literally just got together. It's maybe a little soon."
The man who's known me forever chuckles softly. "Really? It sounds to me like you've actually been together for months, but you just haven't really talked about it."
If possible, I'm even more red than I was before. Is he right?
I suppose there is some merit in his words: I've not been seeing anyone else this whole time and I know Josh is in the same boat.
Still, I think we've been friends. We've just had the occasional sleepover and fairly intimate hug.
"Dad, you're embarrassing me," I mumble. "I'll let you meet him at some stage, okay?"
He laughs again. "What kind of father would I be if I wasn't embarrassing you?"
I just elbow him in the gut.
Ruby changes tack, but only slightly. "Well, if we're not meeting him yet, at least tell us about him, hmm?"
I blow out a breath, running my hands through my long dark hair that I let hang loose down my back tonight. "Um, well, his name's Josh and he's a junior like me, majoring in history. We're both on the soccer team at college and have lots of mutual friends that way. He's good friends with Chase," I rattle off the information, directing the last part at Dad, who's met Chase a few times over the years.
"History?" Pat asks, leaning forward. "What's his plan?"
I hate the interrogation and it's not even about me. "Um, he wants to be a teacher."
"Where's he from?" It's Ruby with the question this time. "Vancouver, too?"
I shake my head, my fingers picking at the sleeves of my sweater. "No, he's from Edmonton. His parents are originally from Egypt, but he was born here."
"Oh, yes, I remember. He cooked Egyptian food for you one time, didn't he?" Dad smiles.
The conversation continues like this: them asking trivial questions about Josh and putting up with my awkward replies.
Eventually, Andrei, Jonny and Anita finish clearing up from dinner and bound back into the room like three dogs desperate for a game. Their reappearance shifts the conversation, thankfully, and I'm glad to be out of the hot seat for a moment.
That relief only lasts for as long as it takes for the four of us to leave the house, though. Andrei leans against his car, eyeing me as we say goodbye. "I know you declined to bring him to one of these dinners, but I think it's only fair that we get to meet him soon, Nat."
Petulantly, I roll my eyes. "Maybe. You'll probably embarrass me, though."
Anita snorts, her grin wicked. "These two, embarrass you? Never," she retorts sarcastically.
Jonny scowls, reaching for the younger girl and messing up her hair. "Shut it, Anita. I think we'd embarrass her a lot less than you would, you crazy girl."
The bickering continues and I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Guys, I'm getting kind of cold. I want to go home."
Andrei beams at me. "Great, so it's settled, then? We'll meet him this week? Or, actually, my uncle is in town next week, so I can actually come out."
I wish he hadn't said that last line and as he grins at me, I realise that he did it on purpose. He knows I'll feel bad for not seeing him for one of the few times that his uncle comes around and he gets to take a breath, so I'm sure I'll cave.
"You're relentless," I sigh, reaching out to push him lightly.
He doesn't budge an inch, of course.
"I'll think about it," I relent, predictably. "And I'll have to ask him, too. I've told him stories about you guys, so there's no saying he'll actually want to meet you, you know?"
Jonny scoffs. "Well, we're permanent fixtures in your life, so he better get used to it or get gone."
I raise my eyebrows. "I wouldn't sound so confident, if I were you."
He tosses me the stink-eye, but he knows that I'm joking. We're friends for life.
Eventually, we stop talking and get into our separate cars. Andrei gives Anita a lift home, as usual, and I take Jonny back to his.
In the car, on the drive home, Jonny turns to me, smiling softly. "You know we only want to meet him because you've chosen him as part of your life and we're excited to get to know him, right? It's not this, like, weird thing where we're all going to act like cavemen and tell you if we approve of him or not. There's no pressure like that, Natty, we just want to get to know the guy who's caught your interest. If you say he's for you, we trust that."
Jonny, of course, always knows what to say to me. I think that comes with the territory of having known me for so many years. "I know," I murmur, my eyes flickering from the road for a second to meet his, so he can see that I mean it. "You will meet him, I swear. It's just that this is new and we've both had so much going on lately. I'll have to see if he's up for it."
My best friend's face visibly softens. "Of course, Nat. We don't want to push it, either. How, um, how are things with that? I mean, if you guys are together, I guess that means that he's maybe recovering a little? Not that you necessarily recover from something like that, but you know what I mean."
I do know what he means. "Yeah, we're making progress," I reply honestly. "It's taking time and will continue to take time, but we'll get there. I just want to be there for him through it all."
"So long as you're looking after yourself as you do it," he warns me, but it's gentle.
I chuckle, turning right at an intersection. "Yeah, I know. I've got all of you, plus Anandi and MJ, as well as Josh himself reminding me every five minutes that I need to take care of myself, too. Don't worry."
Looking appeased, Jonny leans forward and turns the radio up, bellowing out the lyrics to whatever song it is.
I just laugh, shaking my head as he gives me a concert the whole way back to his place.
When I pull up outside, I cut the engine and turn to look at him. "I don't know if I've ever said this to you, Jonny, but I'm really grateful for everything you've done for me recently. I mean, I'm also really grateful for the way you've been there for me all these years, but these last few months in particular have been rough. So, thank you."
Impulsively, he reaches across the console and brings me into a hug. "Ah, Natty, I'm grateful for you, too. You've been there for me in other parts of my life, so it's all fair. You're my best friend, you know that?"
I kiss his cheek before pulling away. "And you're mine."
He winks, reaching out to tweak my nose. "Good. Andrei can kiss my ass."
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I love so many characters in this book but Jonny is one of my faves. Let me know what you thought of the chapter!