Yes, Sir

4.7

•- Laine Bennett -•

By lunch the next day my phone had been gone off at least ten times. Austin had called Mahalia once more to inform her that him and I were set to leave Maine and head straight to Hawaii by tomorrow.

It was terrible having to lie to my best friend, but if what had happened with Dane was any indication of what my friends would think, it was for the better.

I hadn't heard from Dane since yesterday and quite honestly, I didn't want to. Our relationship was rocky through high school, and maybe some of those issues were still present in our friendship now, but that never gave him the right to dictate what is and isn't my choice.

On the eleventh ring of my phone, I lift it to my ear and groan. I'd been waiting for Thea to come home. She'd dug througu every single article of clothing I owned with a look of disgust. Something about not having enough clothes and too many sweats. A shame to her, an achieved goal to me. But to each their own.

"Mahalia Palmer, you're officially on my hit list," I groan as I peel my body from it's comfortable position.

"And Lainey Bennett, I spoke with Dane."

I groan as I rip my comforter from my body and sit up right. "So, what's he have to say?" I ask as I run my hand over my face aggressively.

"That you're still in New York and leaving tomorrow. Now I'm not one to judge because hot damn, but I wish you would have told me you weren't in Maine."

I sigh as I stand from my bed, my feet immediately met with piles of clothes that I'd left therefor purpose. The purpose is yet unknown but I'll find out. Maybe.

"I know, and I'm sorry. All this stuff about my father is just overbearing. I needed a break, and Austin came over to give it to me. Then he introduced Hawaii and my grandmother pushed me to it. Not that I wouldn't say no, how the hell could I not. I mean, it's a good thing to go with him, right? We're friends, and friends spend time together. So naturally we're going to Hawaii and probably going to do some work maybe I don't know, sit under the sun probably not look like the filling of a pumpkin roll, we'll see."

"Jesus Laines," Mahalia laughs, "I'm happy that you're happy. I love you, Lainey. And I'm sorry I didn't call when everything went down. I wanted to give you your space and I'm also not really good with comforting and I miss you now."

I can't help but laugh as I change the phone to speaker as I shuffle through my clothes in search for something to wear.

"It's fine, Hails. The way I see it, I had no intention of telling anyone, no offense, so it's not damning to have it out. But being so close to Austin, a public figure, it's really what triggered it. I was never going to hide it, but I wasn't going to announce it."

"I know, and I appreciate your privacy and I'd never want to ruin that. Okay, I'm sitting at my desk and I don't want to cry so, what are you doing for lunch?"

I finally find a suitable outfit for my activities today, and as I set them along my dresser I remember I'd been asked a question.

"Thees and I are going shopping. Something about how terrible I am at maintaining appropriate summer wear or some shit, but you should come with us. She'll be home any second, we can pick you up at the office if you would like to join?"

"Are fucking kidding me? I have nothing better to do it's dead here. And it will be for however long you'll be gone. Do you think he'll notice if I skip work?"

I laugh as I change my phone to speaker so I could pull on my jeans. It was a struggling process that could take hours, days, week, maybe even months. I'm being dramatic. To an extent.