When Perfect Meets Crazy

43 - Mission accomplished

It had been less than twenty four hours since my epically embarrassing moment and thankfully, Ian and I were pretending it hadn’t happened. It wasn’t much in the way of comfort but I was desperate enough to take anything I could get. It was that mortifying.

I was also being extra snarky to cover it up. I couldn’t help it. Knowing what I had done, how cringe worthy my reaction was, I couldn’t not do everything to erase the mental image. He had only himself to blame anyways.

“So...,” he drawled, eyeing me cautiously as we re-shelved the books.

“What?”

My tone was less than friendly.

“My sister’s tea party is tomorrow.”

I bristled, thanking God for my black melanin endowed blush resistant skin. Did my outburst last night make him feel like he now had to report his every move to me? It certainly couldn’t get any more embarrassing than this.

“Okay,” I drawled as casually as I could manage, then arched a brow.

The ‘why are you telling me this’ was loudly implied.

“I was supposed to take Tammy and... well, obviously that’s not happening anymore. Apparently, I can’t not show up without a date. It’s ‘just not done.’ It’ll supposedly ruin everything.” He rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

I

t was craftily done but I could tell. He was avoiding my gaze.

“Okay?” I frowned, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

“Would you...” He swallowed, nervous interlinking and unlinking his fingers. “A lot of people don’t know I’m home. I can’t tell anyone else without them asking questions about why I took time off.”

I nodded slowly. I understood that, what I didn’t understand was his sheepish attitude.

“I uhh... What I’m asking is...” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down conspicuously.

“What? Spit it out.”

“Would you... go with me? Not like a date. I know you have Trevor. Just uhm..., to not ruin the party.”

I frowned.

It was a relatively harmless request. At least it seemed so from where I was standing. I wasn’t seeing the need for his shy act.

“Is that all?” I asked, suspicion coloring my tone.

“Yeah.” He nodded a little too eagerly.

“Fine.” I was still very much suspicious. “I’ll do it.”

“Thank you.” He sighed in relief.

My frown deepened. Was I really so scary that he had to go through a whole anxiety cycle just to ask me for a favour? I knew I wasn’t the approachable type but I figured our friendship –if I could really call it that- was past that stage. That he had me figured out already.

It was both relieving and aggrieving to find out that he hadn’t.

“So how’s the mission going?” I asked, to distract myself from wayward thoughts.

“Not good.” He sighed. His shoulders drooped with disappointment. “I have to go back to school soon and we still haven’t figured anything out. I’m just... tired. I’m tired of fighting. Of pretending. And Townsend. It’s getting to him even more. He has lot riding on this. It’s just so frustrating that we have absolutely nothing.”