I unlocked the door and walked tiredly into my apartment. I heard Amanda and Shane bickering in the kitchen, so I started in that direction. I had been surprised when Amanda had told me she’d be there tonight when we spoke earlier since they spent most of their time at Shane’s. I leaned against the doorjamb, listening to their latest squabble without them realizing I was there. Seriously? Who fights about popcorn? After making my presence known, I headed off to my room to get ready.
I walked out of my room twenty five minutes later wearing a pair of dark-rinse skinny jeans and a black boatneck sweater that hugged my thin frame. It was the fourth outfit I had tried on in my quest to capture the right look. I wanted to be casual, but appealing. I tried to convince myself that I wanted to look appealing just because that’s what all women want. It had nothing to do with the man I was on my way to see. A man who would definitely appreciate the way this tight sweater cupped my ample breasts. Nope, not thinking about that at all.
I entered the living room to find Amanda and Shane on the couch. They were still arguing about the fucking popcorn. These two are certifiable.
But the mood in the air quickly changed as Amanda's hand hit something at the bottom of Shane's popcorn bowl. Next thing I knew, Shane was down on one knee and Amanda was yelling, "Yes, I'll marry you," as she hugged him tightly.
Shane stood with Amanda still in his arms. They deepened the embrace as Shane lifted her off the ground and hugged her fiercely. It was in this moment that I realized I was crying. And that I shouldn’t be there. No wonder Shane had seemed unhappy to see me. I was crashing his proposal. So, as much as I desperately wanted to congratulate them and get a good look at the rock he’d bought her, I didn’t. I almost made it to the door when Amanda spotted me.
“Oh, my God, Lily, I totally forgot you were here.”
I smiled. “I really shouldn’t be. Congratulations you guys. I’m just . . . I’m so happy for you both. I’ll let you guys have your privacy.”
Amanda pulled slightly away from Shane as she asked, “Are you coming home tonight?”
Even during one of the most important events of her life, Amanda couldn’t help but let her suspicion get the better of her. She knew I wasn’t going out with Adam tonight, since I had told her as much when we’d talked earlier, and this was her way of asking who I was seeing tonight. She’d been subtly probing me for information about Max ever since the hockey game. I felt bad that I still hadn’t come clean to her, but I just couldn’t. I wasn’t ready to make her understand why I was seeing him again. I didn’t even know why I was seeing him again. Our meeting at the game had been a chance encounter, but I couldn’t say the same for tonight. And a part of me felt guilty for not only seeing him, but for knowing that I had no plans to tell Adam about it.
And though I knew he’d have an issue with this kind of dishonesty, I was confident that my decision to see Max was the right one. I couldn’t put my relationship with Max behind me until I got the answers I needed. But dragging Adam into this served no purpose. In this instance, what he didn’t know really wouldn’t hurt him.
“Of course,” I said, finally answering Amanda’s question. “Why wouldn’t I come home? I’m just going to meet up with some friends,” I replied innocently, hoping to dissuade her curiosity. It didn’t work.
“I just wasn’t sure what kind of friends these were.”
“Since you pluralized ‘friends,’ and asked me if I was spending the night elsewhere, are you insinuating that I’m engaging in recreational sex with multiple partners?” I pretended to be affronted as I put my hand on my chest for effect, hoping humor would stop her from grilling me so I could get the hell out of there.
“Well, ya never know with you,” Amanda replied with a smirk.
Damn. I walked right into that one. “Well, it’s been lovely chatting with you crazy kids, but I’ve taken up enough of your night. Besides, I have places to be and evidently tons of people to bang.” I pulled the front door open and looked down at them, “You guys are really great together.” I started to close the door behind me, but popped my head back in quickly. “Oh, and don’t fuck on my couch.” And with that, I slammed the door and made my way downstairs, smiling broadly.
***