Shoving my work clothes into the shoulder bag that held my party gear, I slip on a pair of black heels and head out the back behind the others. I have keys to lock up now. As I am about to turn the key in the door I hear someone shouting from inside.
“Wait, I’m in here!”
It’s a man’s voice. I look behind me and see both Romi and Alistair are outside getting ready to leave, so who the fuck is inside? I’m sure all the customers are gone.
Pushing the door back open I peer inside to see who I am about to trap for the weekend, when one of the construction guys comes barreling towards me. He’s smiling when he slips out the door and stops, toe to toe with me.
“Thanks, I was just using the bathroom.”
With that he jogs down the alley to the front of the building. He has a smile that makes me smile. I haven’t smiled in a few days, so I notice it.
I lock the door and walk carefully across the uneven parking lot to my car, put my bag in the trunk and drive out a few minutes behind everyone else. My stomach growls at me and I am glad we are going to grab dinner first. I missed lunch because I had a walk-in gents cut – we have had a few of them since the barber closed down.
The restaurant is loud and filled with regulars. We have a huge table put together so we can all sit. I look over at Ailee with Rain, who pulls out her chair like a gentleman. It’s odd seeing him and not Trent. He’s this impostor in our lives, this giant lie she told.
Anger niggles in me. Her secret really hurt me. To me, we were best friends who told each other everything, well, I had told her everything.
She sits opposite me, when we used to sit next to each other so we could whisper and gossip. Now he sits beside her. The thief, he stole her from us, made her better than us, changed things. I’m bitter.
I shouldn’t be bitter, but my whole fucking life is falling apart, and hers has just turned out perfectly. We exchange a strained smile. I want to be friends, I want it to be okay, but it just isn’t.
Everyone is sitting down, engrossed in chatter and comparing weekly duster stories. Romi is next to me on one side and Alistair on the other, who is just nosy about Rain and wants to be close to the action. Alistair is a bit of a mother hen to all of us, and I think he sees the man as a threat to Ailee.
The poor waiter, who drew the short straw and gets to serve us, comes around to take the drink order of the usual mix of cocktails and wine. When he gets to me I ask for water as quietly as I can, in the hope it goes unnoticed. Fortunately the renovations have everyone chattering about what Ailee is going to put upstairs.
“So how long are they going to be making noise above us?” Alistair asks her.
“I hope not too long, but they have a lot of work to do.” Ailee smiles at Rain, then keeps on talking. “I have big plans for upstairs, and downstairs. So be prepared for them to be making noise much closer to you soon enough.” She lets out a small giggle, knowing that will drive Alistair nuts.
“What are we going to be doing upstairs? Is it a brothel? Please tell me it is.” He jokes with her and I watch Rain frown and give him a suspicious look.
“No, it’s not going to be a brothel, but we are going to be expanding our services.” Ailee doesn’t commit to anything specific.
Our drinks are served and the guy moves around the table with his carefully balanced tray of glasses and bottles. I want to punch him when he makes a show of giving me my water last, after all the alcoholic beverages have been dropped off at their rightful places. Suddenly my choice is conspicuous, and I know with one look that Ailee knows more than I have even told myself.
“I need to go to the ladies,” she says, pushing her chair back. “Chels, come with me.”
The glare I get from her makes my hands shake. I don’t want to do this, not yet. Sliding my chair across the floor and slipping out from between the two guys, I follow her to the ladies, which thank fuck is far away from where we are seated.
The stall door bangs shut as Ailee puts her back against it, squashing us into the cramped space meant for one.
“Are you fucking knocked up?”
Her whisper is definitely meant to be a yell. I can see the angry tears welling in her eyes and I know mine look the same.
“I think so.” Finally, it comes out, the words sounding too real. I wish I could take them back immediately and just pretend that I felt like having water with dinner, not wine.
“You think so! Chelsey, are you late? Are your boobs tender? I know you have been throwing up your breakfast, so you think so – or you are?”
I swallow the lump that is now the size of a small rock in my throat. “I’m late. I’m sick as all hell and …” I touch my breasts to see if they feel different, “… yes, my boobs are sore. But, I’ve been too afraid to take a test. I just wanted to pretend it wasn’t happening.”
“That’s what I do, you are the responsible one. What the hell, why didn’t you tell me?”
“You have all this husband stuff going on, and I don’t know what I’m doing. Sal, is …” He’s going to flip his shit and kill me. “He’s old and married, and definitely going to leave me if he finds out.”
“You don’t know that,” she says.
Oh, I do.
“I’m sure he cares about you, Chelsey. You’ve been together for awhile now. Even if, good God, he is married. He can’t just abandon his kid.”
He can and I’m certain he will.
“I do know that, Ailee. I am his plaything and the minute I can’t play, I’m done for. I just need to hang on until Shaine finishes school, I can’t let him find out yet.”
“Chelsey, are you sleeping with him for money?” She says it shocked, like I’m doing something wrong.
“Not like that, no. He gives me gifts, and money, it helps. Fuck, Ailee, I don’t have a rich husband and a house hidden away to fall back on. This is my shitty life. I have a minimum wage hairdressing job and a family who rely on me to support them. So you know what, fuck off with an accusation like that, because even if I was a damn prostitute it’s none of your business. You lied … about everything!” I’m crying now and know that my cheeks will have black lines running from my eyes to my chin. “I don’t need you to judge me. I just need you to pretend you don’t know, so I can go back to pretending this isn’t happening.”
“Chelsey, I’m not judging you. I’m shocked, and more than that I am really worried about you. Have you considered an …”
I stop her right there. “No, I’m not doing that. So don’t even say it.” She nods her head. “Please, LeeLee, just let me figure this out.”
“Okay, but I am just as pissed at you right now as you are at me. This is not something you just ignore forever. When you are ready to talk about it, I’m here for you.”
She sounds like another person, someone I don’t know, an impostor in my friend’s body.
“Don’t tell anyone, LeeLee, please.” I know she won’t, but I feel like I have to say it anyway.
“Chels, I don’t know what you have going on in your head right now, but I’m still your friend. My whole life changed in one weekend, but I didn’t change with it!” She’s crying now. “I need you too, I need my friend,” she says. “So knocked up or not, we have to get our shit together. We can’t both fucking fall apart, we take turns, remember.”