As much as I wanted to, I didn't run to Elle immediately. I knew she would have been furious with me for bailing on Dustin, and I had no idea what I was going to do to fix this, so I would have probably done something stupid.
"Maybe you could do, like, a huge bouquet of flowers," Dustin suggested. I shrugged and took a puff of the joint before offering it to him. He smirked, smug that I now considered him old enough to smoke with me. He took it from me as I leaned back into my couch.
"She doesn't really fall for those big gestures," I explained. Dustin tried not to cough as he took a drag and I grinned. It was great being friends again. He had come over to hang out today and brainstorm how to make things right with Elle and had coached me through a voicemail I left for Elle.
"You sure make things hard on yourself," he commented. I grinned wider and punched his shoulder playfully.
"Whatever you do, don't take love advice from Munson," Jeff said as he plopped down in the recliner. I rolled my eyes as he grinned at me. "He's hopeless."
"Got more hope than you," I shot back. He shrugged and took the joint from Dustin. He opened his mouth, but before he could reply, Dustin cut him off.
"Yeah, Jeff – when was the last time you asked for dating advice? When you graduated?" Dustin sniped. Gareth's jaw dropped and I howled with laughter. Jeff glared at the two of us.
"It was a fucking mistake getting you two back together," he hissed. I wrapped an arm around my pseudo-little brother's shoulders and grinned at Jeff.
"All is right with the universe, again," I quipped. I looked down at Dustin and he flashed me a smile. I would forever be grateful to Elle for helping me with Dustin.
"What about her bartender friend?" Gareth asked. I cocked my head to the side.
"Nick?"
"Yeah – wasn't he the one who helped you last time?" he asked. I sat back and thought. He was the one who helped me after I realized Elle and I knew each other.
"Sometimes, you're a genius, Gareth," I replied, knowing who I needed to go to.
---
"You're being pissy – was Eddie bad in bed or something last night?" Nick teased, poking my side. I felt my face bloom with color and punched his shoulder.
"You're an asshole," I snapped.
"Oh, extra feisty – you're only like this when Eddie was absent from bed," he continued, grinning wickedly.
"I will never understand why I like being your friend," I hissed, going back to drying the glasses we had washed together behind the bar.
"Neither do I, because you're so busy with your boyfriend that you never have time for me," he quipped. I rolled my eyes and groaned.
"Eddie is not my—"
"Oh, my god – you're still on this? Eddie isn't your boyfriend, but you spend every night together?" he questioned. I pursed my lips.
"I don't spend every night with him," I insisted. I threw my towel down. "Because, I apparently have different moods when I don't."
Nick cackled, and I stormed off to my office. I threw myself down into my chair and started working on the schedule for the next month.
I had been a strange storm of emotions over the last few days. Since I had left Eddie at the mall, I had gone between anger at him and anger at myself. He had called me, wanting to see me and talk, but I had evaded him. I was incapable of being vulnerable with him, while simultaneously being terrified of doing so. I wanted him to leave me alone, but I also wanted him to chase after me.
I groaned and buried my face in my hands. I can't believe I had let it get this far. I knew better – I had built these walls for a reason. But Eddie had chipped away at them and had been successful in doing so. I went back to working, trying to calm down.
"I'm sorry for teasing you."
I jumped and looked up, setting a hand on my chest to calm down. Nick grinned at me from the door.
"I'm sorry for being a dick," I replied. He grinned and came into my office.
"I just didn't know how to cheer you up. Despite what you might say, you've been in better spirits since starting whatever you started with Eddie," he explained. I looked down at my notes. He wasn't wrong.
"I just have no idea what I'm doing, Nick," I admitted. I looked up at him, and he smiled sadly.
"Oh, Ellie-girl. You've got to give yourself a break," he said. I sighed.
"I don't know how to do that," I confessed. Nick's smile grew.
"You'll figure it out. You always do," he assured me. I smiled. He set his hands on his hips. "So – I think you need to have a little fun."
"Do you?" I replied, finally smiling. He nodded.
"Alan is hosting a party tonight, and he wants to celebrate," Nick continued. I grinned – Alan was Nick's boyfriend, and I adored him.
"What does he want to celebrate?" I asked.
"Oh, the fact that his amazing boyfriend agree to move in with him," Nick gushed, smug. My jaw dropped and I squealed with joy.
"You did?" I gasped, jumping up and hugging my friend. He laughed and nodded.
"Moved in this weekend – you were too busy sneaking off with that mop-headed cutie to hear about it," he teased. I smiled.
"Sorry."
"Don't be – just promise you will come tonight," he insisted. I nodded.
"I promise. Just let me know where and what to bring, and I will be there."
---
I stood next to the office door, tapping my foot anxiously. Nick and Elle were joking around and laughing with each other. Nick swung the door and stepped out, still giggling.
"Don't bail, Ellie-girl," he insisted, pointing back in the room.
"As if – I always follow through!" she called back. He closed the door behind him and turned to me, immediately stone faced.
"You owe me, sour puss," he said sternly. I grinned and followed him back to the bar.
"You're the best, do you know that?" I said, setting my hands on his shoulders and squeezing them.
"Trust me, I do!" he replied. He turned to me and smiled coyly. "You really need to make this right with her, Sour Puss."
"I know," I replied. He shook his head.
"I have never met two people who like each other as much as you two do who insist on making it as hard as possible for yourselves," he muttered. I shrugged.
"She's worth it – you told me that."
He grinned and nodded.
"That is true," he conceded. "So – what is the plan tonight?"
"I'm not sure – we just need to be somewhere different that we have been," I admitted.
Dustin had come up with the idea of a party where we could be on common ground. He told me I needed to make her feel valuable and act like a gentleman – he reminded me often that I needed to be one of those. Other than that, he had no other suggestions besides getting Nick to help. Nick immediately had the idea of throwing a party and making her come.
"She's fun when she's drunk," Nick said, winking at me. I raised an eyebrow.
"I know that."
"No – you know her when she's drinking and trying to be all tough and put together around you. Elle at a party is a blast," he continued. I felt an irrational wave of jealousy that Nick knew a side of Elle that I didn't.
"Okay – I'm going to talk to her," I said, my voice shuddering. Nick cheered and clapped me on the back, sending me off.
I started the long walk back to the supply closet she insisted was an office. I poked my head around, smiling as I watched her take her notes, bobbing her head to music she was singing in her head. I leaned against the door frame.
"What are you singing in your head?" I asked. She gasped and looked up, flashing a quick smile.
"You and Nick love scaring me," she said nervously. She cleared her throat and looked back down. "And how do you know I'm singing something in my head?"
"Because I know you, Belle," I teased, stepping in. I sat on the ledge of her desk. "INXS?"
She smiled sheepishly and shrugged.
"I love their new album," she admitted.
I grinned at her. She played that damn album on repeat when I came over. We sat quietly, just watching each other. She crossed her arms, uncomfortable with the silence.
"I haven't heard from you in a bit," I said, trying not to sound as pathetic as I felt. I wanted to tell her that I knew – I knew why she hated me, and that I knew I deserved to be hated, but I wanted to do anything to make it right.
But I knew better now – I had to work for Elle. She would think it was just words if I didn't.
"Sorry," she said quietly, looking down at her hands.
"Don't be sorry," I replied. I took a risk. "Just missed my friend."
I saw her mouth twitch into a small smile. I would take a win where I could.
"Um, how...how did it go with Dustin?" she asked nervously.
"Well," I started, standing and taking a deep breath. She looked up, panicked. I could tell she was worried it hadn't gone well. I shrugged and sucked air between my friend. "Thanks to you, I've got my annoying little brother back."
"Oh, my god, you asshole!" she exclaimed, jumping up and throwing her arms around my neck. "I was so worried you were going to tell me it went bad!"
I laughed and pulled her tighter to me, burying my face in her neck and taking her scent in. She looked up at me, beaming.
"What did you say to him?" she asked. I twirled her hair around my fingers and brushed it softly.
"What you told me to say," I replied quietly. A goofy smile grew on her face, and she poked my chest.
"I'm so proud of you," she gushed, poking my chest with each word. I grinned and kissed her forehead. She tensed in my arms but didn't shove me off.
Another win.
"All thanks to you," I said, winking. She smiled and moved out of my arms to go back to her desk. I cleared myself and steeled myself for my next question. "Did you want to hang out tonight?"
She tensed her shoulders and looked down at her notes.
"Oh, um, well," she started.
It was weird when she was squirrelly and nervous, but it made me feel good that I could put her on edge. She shook her head, and I could tell she was lecturing herself in her head. I grinned, wondering what it was like up there. She looked up at me and I raised my eyebrows, waiting for her to say something.
"Well, Nick is actually having a party tonight," she explained awkwardly. I grinned.
"I heard you're fun at parties," I quipped. She smiled nervously.
"I don't know about that," she replied. Her being self-effacing was strange.
"So, you can't hang out tonight?" I pushed, testing her. Her eyes got wide.
"Oh, well, no, but maybe," she stuttered. She groaned and shook her head. "Maybe you could come to the party."
I felt a surge of joy. Eddie Munson was a winner today.
"With you?" I asked. She shrugged.
"Sure," she answered, going back to her notes. "As friends."
I sighed. I was coming home with silver, not gold, today. But a medal is a medal.
"Okay," I conceded. I smiled at her. "As friends."