That was because she never let me get a word in edgewise. “Good. Let me remind you what a great friend I am. I have a surprise planned.” I shoved her into the bathroom, turning the shower on hot. “Get in,” I commanded.
While I waited for the diva, I went to her dresser and thumbed through clutter. Bottles upon colored bottles lined the top. Curiously, I sniffed a few of the pretty shaped glass containers and sneezed. I busied myself for the next forty-five minutes twiddling my thumbs.
When she reappeared in a towel she looked semi-Lexi. I went to her closet and got lost. “Holy smokes,” I muttered. I didn’t even know where to start, so in true Angel fashion, I just pulled out a pair of jeans and randomly picked an outfit.
Lexi hissed in disgrace. “You cannot pair Channel with Jacobs.” And off she went, storming to her enormous closet like a woman on a mission.
Watch out. I was almost afraid the fashion po-po were going to kick down her door and slap me in handcuffs. Boosting myself on her bed, I bit my tongue when I would usually grumble about having to wait so long. I wasn’t known from my patience.
But this time it was different. Smiling, it felt amazing to see her back in her element. “I missed you,” I said, meeting her gaze in the floor-length mirror.
She stuck out her bottom lip in a cute pout. “Something’s missing.”
What could possibly be out of place? I looked her over from head to toe. She looked pretty fantastic to me and definitely outshone the worn cardigan and jeans I’d thrown on.
Lifting a sparkly necklace from one of the spindles on the side of her mirror, she said, “Got it. My lucky amulet.”
“You have a lucky amulet?” This shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but I was under the impression that it was more of a witchy thing, not that I believed in witches. However, I probably shouldn’t have been so quick to dismiss the idea. I was dating a half-demon for goodness sake.
“Who doesn’t?”
I failed to mention that I didn’t. It would lead to a discussion on my lack of sense that I didn’t want to have. “Right, who doesn’t?” I mumbled to myself, a total crock of shit.
Her eyes met mine in the reflection. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. Now what’s my surprise?”
A ghost of a smile touched the corner of my peach flavored glossy lips. “I scored Luke Bryan tickets,” I said and quickly plugged my ears.
“Eeeee!” Which was followed by another round of, “Eeeee!” And then she gave me a rib-crushing hug. “Angel, I didn’t know you were such a rebel.”
I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t compel anyone into giving them to me. I bought them.”
She started playing with her hair. “Oh. I guess that works, too.”
Geez, sometimes I swore she was as bad as her cousin. I wiggled onto the end of her lacy bed. “Some of us still have consciences.”
Her pristine aqua eyes flinched. “For now. Hang around us a little more and it all will go to shit.”
“Lex, that’s not true.”
She spun the stool around, facing me, and raised her thin whiskey brows. “I think you are the only person who thinks so.”
I stared at my friend and knew she felt utterly alone. My heart cracked. “Then the rest of the world doesn’t know what they are missing. You are amazing, the best friend I’ve ever had.”
She glanced down at her chipped nails. “You’re my only friend now.”
My throat constricted. This was getting heavier than I intended. The point of this night had been to lighten the mood. “Okay, let’s not get overly sappy before the night even begins. The last thing I want to do is reapply this makeup. I’ve already stabbed myself with the eyeliner once tonight. I don’t think my eye could handle a second time.”
A small laugh escaped her shell-pink lips. She smeared away a few lonely tears and sniffled. At least I got the beginnings of a smile.
I folded my legs Indian style on her bed. “So I’ve been meaning to ask you. What’s up with you and Hayden?” I decided we needed a change of topic before things got any more awkward. What better way than with boys?
She shrugged her dainty shoulders. “Nothing. Absolutely, positively nothing.”
“And I am assuming that is a problem.”
“Bingo.”
This was sort of news to me. I was under the impression that there wasn’t much of a spark between her and Hayden. “Are you saying that you want something to happen?”