“Not me,” I said, feeling myself getting a little flushed.
“Lyra,” Maren said, taking her phone back and narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“Nothing, oh my God, seriously, nothing,” I said, waving her way. “No, no, no, no, no.”
“Right,” Maren said, raising her eyebrows high. “Well, I was asked to keep this to myself, but of course I’m going to tell you.”
I rolled my eyes, waving away any discretion that she may have been tempted to keep. That wasn’t our style. We told each other everything but kept all revealed secrets between us.
“We have no boundaries.”
“Exactly.”
“So, what is it?”
“Dev broke up with Trupti,” she said with optimistic doe eyes.
“What? When?” I asked, my heart pounding hard as adrenaline shot through my belly.
“Right after the ski trip. I guess he drove straight to her apartment and ended it.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah, I know. Timing is…interesting, to say the least.”
“Not necessarily,” I said, trying to wrap my mind around all of that information. “I mean, if it had anything to do with me, don’t you think I would have heard from him? I was the one who had to reach out and that was weeks after they broke up. Maybe they were having all kinds of problems.”
“They were,” Maren said with a nod. “But still, I think it’s telling. And you said yourself he was pissed at you for what you said in the elevator. Maybe he was just cooling off and wasn’t ready to talk to you yet. He accepted your apology, right?”
“Yeah,” I said, still feeling a little overwhelmed. “He did.”
“Well, anyway, I just thought you should know. Take that information for whatever it’s worth. You know where I stand.”
I laughed. “I think we all do.”
“Maybe not Dev. I never wanted to get his hopes up.”
“But with Peter and me for sure. You’ve made yourself very clear.”
“Indeed,” she said with a laugh. “C’mon, class is starting.”
“Coffee after? We can stop and get some bridal magazines. It’s time to plan.”
“I would love that.” Maren smiled so wide. She was glowing, and it made me so happy. “That could take a while. Got any lunch plans?”
“I do now.”
Later that day, after we’d spent hours paging through the magazines as we devoured Cobb salads at our favorite cafe near Maren’s shop, I made my way back to my apartment. Just as I was putting my key in the lock, my phone pinged with a text. I glanced down and saw Dev’s name, disturbed by how excited it made me to see his name on my phone.
Get a grip, Lyra. You couldn’t stand the man just a month ago.
After putting all of my things down on my kitchen counter, I allowed myself to read the full message.
-Yo. Party time! Let’s get to it.
I waited fifteen minutes before responding. Yes, I was that girl.
-Well, you don’t waste any time. They just got engaged last night.
-I’m aware. Meet me tomorrow at the bar?
-Are you sure you want to have it there? I mean…I hear the public works building might be available.
I couldn’t resist. First, he sent the staring emoji with huge eyes and I laughed to myself, knowing I was already driving him crazy.
-You’re hilarious. Seriously, though. 8:00?
-Sure, I’ll be there. Do they know we’re planning this for them?
-Not yet.
-Don’t you think we should probably talk to them first? Make sure we’re all on the same page.
-Lyra. Stop it. The location isn’t going to change and I know they’re going to love it. Don’t make me take you off the project.
-Well, we can’t have that.
-So are you going to play nice?
I took a deep breath before replying. I was tired of being polite, I wanted to push things forward, even if just a tiny bit.
-If you’re lucky.
Dev didn’t respond right away. The three little dots bounced, then stopped, then bounced again.
-Okay, Khaleesi…
A wide smile stretched across my face as I read that word aloud softly to myself. I had no real idea what a Khaleesi was, but when Dev called me that name, I became putty in his hands.
-I really need to Google that word.
-Or just watch the BEST SHOW EVER ON TELEVISION.
-Ugh. Too many hours to invest.
-Or you’re just a wimp and can’t handle the occasional decapitation or…ahem, castration.
-Um, no, I have a stomach of steel. Almost nothing grosses me out. But I can never follow those fantasy shows. And I’ve heard this one has an enormous cast. I’d need to take notes just to keep up.
-Or just watch it with me…
-But you’ve already watched it!
-Twice. What’s your point?
-Wouldn’t you feel like you were wasting your time?
-Bite your tongue, woman. Look, just saying—if you decide to give it a try, I’ll be your GoT translator. I did it for my sister, I can do it for you.
-I met her, by the way.
-Savita?!? For real? What are the chances?
-Yep! Why didn’t you tell me she goes to my school?
-I thought you were done with school.
-I’m a librarian.
-No shit! I always assumed you were working with little kids, you know? Like kindergarteners.
-What about me screams kindergarten to you?
-I mean, you were good with that little Olympian on the bunny hill.
A laugh escaped my lips, remembering that I had very little interaction with that little boy. Dev talked to him more than I did.
-Nope, little ones aren’t my thing.
-Well, that’s a funny coincidence. She looks just like me, doesn’t she?
-Carbon copy.
-I know, it drives her nuts!
-Why?
-The age difference, makes her feel old I guess. Whatever, I look gooooooood. And I don’t look a day over 22.
-And so humble, too.
-LOL You know it, girl.
I paused for a moment, not sure how I wanted to respond. Before I had a chance to decide, Dev wrote again, taking the pressure off.
-Okay, gotta bounce. Dinner with family and if I keep my mom waiting, she’ll have my ass on a platter. 8:00 tomorrow. Be there.
-You got it.
I plugged my phone in and secretly wondered what it would be like to eat dinner with Dev and his family on a Sunday night. I bet it would be nice. Really nice.
The following night, I walked into Dev and Peter’s favorite sports bar—Bennet’s. It was downtown, just a couple of blocks from Maren’s shop and it was…fine. It smelled like stale beer; there were peanuts thrown on the floor and blaring TV screens all around the place. And it was loud. Really loud. Not exactly the place I would have chosen, but if Dev was bound and determined to pay for everything, I knew I needed to keep my mouth shut about the location.
Dev was sitting at the bar talking to a ridiculously attractive bartender when I arrived. He caught sight of me in his peripheral vision and turned, his eyes growing wide as he hopped off the barstool.
“There she is!” he said, and suddenly the bartender no longer concerned me at all.
“Morgan, this is Lyra—best friend of the bride.”