“Why do we get like this?” I asked.
“Get like what?” Victoria questioned with a raised brow.
“When a guy doesn’t call, we start getting all these scenarios in our mind as to why they aren’t responding.”
“Did you get that way about Tim?” Victoria asked, going for the jugular. Ouch.
I thought about that for a minute and realized I didn’t. I never worried. Maybe that was the problem.
“You like this guy, Em, so of course you’re going to be down about not hearing from him. Did you not see him in school?”
I hadn’t told either of them that he had been out since Monday.
I shook my head. “He hasn’t been in school this week. I’ve tried to call and text him, but he’s not responding.
“Maybe he’s sick or something,” Becky added.
“That’s what I was thinking.” I took a healthy sip of wine and stared into it. “I really like him. Like, really like him, and it’s messing with my head. Ever since the first day of class, he’s always on my mind.”
“It’s good to be consumed, Em, but remember that you have a future you’re going to school for. Don’t let yourself lose sight of that. You’ll hate yourself in the end if you let that happen.”
I loved that she was so protective and nurturing, but she wasn’t telling me anything I hadn’t already chastised myself about.
“I know. That’s why I’m trying not to let it get to me.”
“Just go see him,” Becky blurted after taking a sip from her wine. “You know where he lives.” She shrugged as Victoria and I looked at her like she was crazy. “You could make him a ‘get well’ basket and bring it to him. I mean, at least then if something was fishy, you’d find out right away and you’d just look like you were being a concerned and loving girlfriend.”
I wouldn’t deny that the idea of going to his house hadn’t crossed my mind. It would be a sweet gesture, especially since he could really be sick and not well enough to use his phone.
Just the thought had me furrowing my brow in sympathy. Nothing was worse than being sick with no one there to take care of you.
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” I confessed.
“You can’t be serious,” Victoria chimed in.
“What? You think it’s a bad idea?” Becky asked. “I think it’s the best idea I’ve come up with lately,” she stated with a laugh.
“No, I’m just surprised she thinks it’s a good idea,” she said, looking toward me.
I shrugged with a small smile as I thought about knocking on his door. It made me nervous. It would be a bold move since I wasn’t the type of person to show up to a guy’s house uninvited.
“You don’t think I’m just losing my mind with lust for the man and I’m overanalyzing it all?” I asked, scrunching up my nose.
Victoria shrugged. “So what if you are? If you think he’s as in to you as you are with him, then don’t worry about it. Guy’s love to be babied.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “I’m going to do it. I mean, it’s a nice gesture, right? He said he wanted to try things out. This is me trying and being sweet.”
“Exactly.” Becky smiled.
“Okay, so, since that’s been hashed out, what are we doing this weekend? All this guy drama has really gotten me in the mood for some man love. It’s been way too long,” Becky stated, and we all laughed.
“I can’t do this weekend. I’m working at the club.”
“And I have a date,” blurted Victoria.
“What?” Becky yelled in surprise. “When did that happen?”
“I set her up,” I told Becky with a smile.
Brian and I never finished the conversation we’d had on Monday, so Wednesday I’d suggested Victoria as a possible date for him since I wouldn’t be available. I showed him a picture of her I had on my phone and I could tell he was holding back a smile of approval. Then I took a picture of him and sent it to Victoria, telling her what was going on and to see if she’d be interested. She agreed in a matter of minutes, and that was that.
“She set me up with her study partner, Brian. It’s been a while since I’ve been out on a date, and he’s actually really hot. So, I’m excited,” Victoria stated with a giggle.
I smiled at them as they started talking about what Victoria was going to wear on her date. I wanted to join in, but the only thing that kept running through my mind was seeing Mason. I’d made up my mind to go, but the whole idea made me nervous. It was just a friendly gesture. I just needed to figure out when I was going to do it.
The sooner, the better.
Twenty-six
Mason