Though Cole had worked really hard at changing my mind during the course of the last couple of hours. I still wasn’t sure if staying was a good idea. I never liked to push things with Cole. Being together in small doses seemed the best idea if we wanted to maintain our sanity and Cole wanted to keep his appendages.
And I wasn’t sure I could handle more of Maysie’s increasingly verbal displeasure. I loved my best friend. Really, I did. I understood she was looking out for me. That she was worried I’d get hurt.
How could I possibly explain the warped, convoluted insanity of my questionable relationship so I wouldn’t look like a total moron?
I didn’t think it was possible. So it was best to keep my mouth shut.
The light glinted off Maysie’s diamond ring. She rubbed it mindlessly, not realizing she was drawing attention to the gleaming rock on her left hand. That obvious piece of jewelry is why she would never understand what I had with Cole.
She and Jordan were the perfect, enviable couple, even though they began under less than ideal circumstances. Maysie had spent a period of time as the other woman. She had been vilified and ridiculed for breaking Jordan and his ex, Olivia up. I would have thought out of anyone, Maysie would understand twisted and complicated relationships.
But despite their less than savory start, Jordan’s love for Maysie was epic. He would never even think of looking at another girl. She was his entire world. His reason for getting up in the morning. And when Jordan proposed at Christmas, no one was in the least bit shocked. It had been inevitable.
I knew she wanted all of her friends to have what she had. Riley had found it with Garrett. That just left Gracie and me. And I wasn’t going to get anything resembling a fairytale ending as long as I was spreading my legs for Cole; I sleep with tons of women-Brandt.
Riley, however, didn’t seem as concerned as Maysie. She swallowed her mouthful of bread and shook her head.
“Cole’s always kissing another girl and Vivian is always screaming at him about it. If she is okay with the situation, no matter how messed up you and I think it is, it’s really none of our business. But that doesn’t mean we can’t dish out a gigantic helping of I told you so, when she wakes up and realizes she’s so much better off without him,” Riley reasoned in her perfectly succinct, no-nonsense way.
“Can we talk about something else, please?” I pleaded, not wanting to lose my cool with my friends, particularly when they were only looking out for me. But I was already edgy today. Cole and his honey sweet words and pleas for me to stay had really done a number on my head.
A peculiar warmth had started in my chest and it worried me. A lot.
“How’s school, Ri?” I asked, looking at the dark haired girl who stared back levelly.
“Just peachy, Viv. Thanks for asking,” she replied sardonically. Having effectively shut down my efforts to change the subject, Riley turned back to her food.
I smiled at Gracie who smiled back. She wasn’t eating much, which wasn’t unusual for her. She barely ate enough to keep a bird alive. She had lost a considerable amount of weight she couldn’t afford to lose since being released from rehab last year. No one realized she had a drinking problem until she collapsed and her heart stopped beating. After being released from hospitalization she had started regular addictions and mental health treatment.