A Love Triangle Most Unusual (Season 1)

The Number You've Been Dreading

I froze.

"Sorry, is now a bad time? I can call him back later."

My knees began to shake. I stepped away from the Sephora, running aimlessly into the middle of the mall, not sure where I was trying to go or why I was running. Inside, I could feel my stomach twisting and churning uncomfortably, and a vague sense of nausea that almost made me want to throw up, except for how numb my insides felt. My head felt woozy and anemic, and I tried to reorient myself.

If it had been Leo, or Valentina, or even Mom, maybe I could have just let it go to voicemail and explained myself later on while apologizing for ignoring them. With Mom, it would be nerve wracking, but since I had already been ghosting her for several days, it would not be any worse. I could also make some dumb excuse up to Leo and say that my girlfriend picked up my phone while I was out.

But no, it just had to be her. The one person of all people who I had been trying to leave alone, but whose call I just couldn't bring myself to ignore.

You need to change back to Dave. Now.

"Oh sure, he'll be right on," I said out loud before I could stop myself.

I began to look around frantically for a private spot to talk. In the midst of my panic-induced haze, I spotted a restroom out of the corner of my eye. I immediately ran towards it and opened the door, almost running into a woman on her way out.

"Watch yourself!" she yelled at me.

"Sorry, sorry!" I mumbled and shut myself into the first open stall I saw, quickly shutting the door behind me and taking off the jade bracelet. As I did, the sundress became too tight around my upper body and waistline. I hastily unzipped the top part and let it fall around my torso, trying to prevent myself from suffocating. I should have brought some guy clothes to change into, I realized. I won't be able to return home as Dave wearing this.

Behind me, I heard the door swing open and the click click of high heels. Oh, no.

"Hello?"

"Marie," I hissed, feeling my throat almost close up and my stomach squirming, my guts searching for somewhere to curl up and hide.

I heard a small giggle on the other end of the phone.

"Hey, Dave. I haven't heard from you in a while," Marie replied, her voice as soft and dulcet-toned as I remembered. "How are you doing?"

Next to me, I heard the stall door swing open and the sliding latch lock click shut. I winced, trying to keep my voice as low as possible. Next to me, the other woman sat down and began unrolling toilet paper. I tried my best to focus on the conversation at hand.

"Marie? Are you alright?" I asked, concerned.

"Yes, of course! I just miss talking to you. It's been so long, we should meet up. When are you returning to Tumwater?"

I felt a little pang in my heart.

"Um, I'll see about it," I replied. "How have you been doing? Are you okay?" I asked softly. Next to me, I heard the woman rolling more toilet paper, and then flushing. I covered my phone speaker with one hand, hoping Marie couldn't hear it and wouldn't think I was currently the one using the toilet.

"I'm doing okay," she replied, then sighed. "Just a little tired with work and everything, you know."   I nodded stupidly, not realizing she couldn't see me. "How are you?"

"I'm alright. Also busy with work." And shopping. Lots of shopping. Who would have known being a woman required so many extra add-ons.

"Oh! By the way, Dean said he ran into you last month." Fuck. "How was it? What did you guys do together?"

"Uhhh..."

I stared at the ceiling, uncomfortable. "It was interesting, I guess. We just...happened to be getting our vaccinations at the same place."

"Oh yes, I remember. By the way, did you what? Apparently, if you got Pfizer, you might have to go back in for a third shot. They say it might not be strong enough to prepare you."

"Ah. Well, I got Johnson and Johnson, so I think I should be fine," I replied. "Not sure about Dean, though."

"It's so stressful. I got Moderna for my first shot, but then I also got Pfizer for my second shot," Marie rambled. "So, what should I do? Do you think I should go in for a third one? Or do I need four of them?"

"Four sounds a bit excessive... I don't think they work like buffs," I said, before realizing she probably had no idea what I was even talking about.

"They're also saying, King County is going to start mandating masks for everyone again, including vaccinated people. Because of the Delta variant," she said, her voice growing low and hushed. "Mom's especially worried because we have relatives in Guangdong who might be affected."

"Oh?" I asked stupidly. "Why is that?"

Marie launched right into it without stopping to take a breath. "Didn't you hear? Some old lady in Guangzhou, she went to several dim sum restaurants and got the variant... now, everyone is worried that the virus is going to spread everywhere there. Oh, not to mention the fires in-"

I nodded, crossing my legs uncomfortably. I heard the stall doors swing open and the woman click-clicked her way out, then started washing her hands loudly.

"-Anyways, I spoke to both my grandparents, but I'm worried about them," Marie said. "We're trying to get them to leave, but they're very stubborn about staying, and plus they're so old-"

I paused. "I thought your grandmother was still living with you?" I asked, confused.

"No, she went back because her children insisted they could take better care of her. But Mom just thinks they wanted to be bumped up higher in the inheritance," she said, and I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was rolling her eyes. "Not that it'll make much of a difference, I'm sure all the money will go to my uncle because he's the oldest son in the family."

"I thought he wasn't even working," I mumbled. "Did he suddenly get a job?"

"No, but not like that matters anyway," Marie replied. "You know how Chinese families are."

"Uhh...I guess so."

"Anyways, we're hoping she'll be better in time for us to take her home. Sorry, I keep rambling about random stuff," Marie breathed.

"No, no it's fine."