Dance for Me

Chapter Thirteen

"The man is in love with you."

Annie is the voice of reason. Always has been. But that doesn't mean I have to like what she says. I hate when she's right. "I know, but I can't be what he wants me to be."

"Why not? You've known each other for, like, ever. Longer than we've been friends. Isn't there some kind of unwritten rule about this sort of thing? If you're friends with someone of the opposite sex for more than five years, you have to get married?"

I wrinkle my nose as I chase a grape tomato around my plate. First thing I did after rolling out of bed this morning was call Annie and asked her to join me for lunch to catch up on last night's party. I intended to find out about the status between her and Jason, but the conversation ended up being focused on me and my love life instead.

I shake my head, unsure how I got myself into this.

"I don't think that exists," I tell her.

"Well, then, it should. You two would make a cute couple."

I don't bother to respond. Cute couple or not, I just don't look at Brody that way. Maybe if we hadn't been friends first, but we were and we are and I just can't see risking it all for a chance that it could turn into something more. I have few enough people in my life as it is.

"What about this other guy, the one you're seeing. Did you talk to him yet?"

"No," I admit, "but I think it's run its course."

The looks she gives me is full of apologies. "That sucks, hun. You mentioned that it was complicated between you two. Like a forbidden thing? Does that mean you still have to see him around?"

"Every day." And it doesn't suck as much as I thought it would. I may not get to be as close to Ransom as I want to, but he hasn't been completely cut from my life. I'm not sure if it would have been better to have a clean break, but this arrangement feels manageable. It's better than nothing, anyway.

"Gah, I can't even imagine. Isn't that hard? I mean, do you ever feel like you're going to lose your mind if you can't touch him?"

All the time. "Not really. We weren't in love or anything." I might have been in love.

I really wish she'd drop the subject, but I can tell by the flashes of excitement in her eyes that Annie is just getting started.

"Okay, you know I have to ask," she says, holding her hands up in front of her in a stop motion. "Do I know him?"

I pack what's left of my salad into my mouth to bide me some time to think. Revealing my relationship with Ransom could be a bad idea. But then again, our relationship is past tense. How dangerous could it be? Plus, this is Annie we're talking about here. Being my best friend, she's bound by the laws of friendship to take my secrets to the grave.

I hesitate. "Um... kind of, yeah."

Her eyes grow even wider and she leans over the table, her hands coming down to grip my wrists. "Oh...my...God. Tell me!" she whispers. "Is it the English professor? Professor Hale? He's so hot. I break into a sweat every time I go to his class."

TMI. I laugh uncomfortably because she's closer to the truth than she realizes. "No, although, he is pretty sexy." Professor Hale is only a couple years older than us and has dark brown hair, deep, soulful eyes, and a perpetual five o'clock shadow. Who wouldn't love that combination?

"Heck yeah, he is!" She grows quiet again, her gaze holding mine as if she's trying to pluck the information out of my head. Then she starts rattling off the names of every guy we've ever run into, from Billy, the bartender at DJ's, to some guy I went out on one date with two years ago. When she's exhausted all her options, her look turns pleading.