Chapter 5 "You look cute." Audrey leans up, pulling me into a quick hug. The scent of vanilla envelops me right along with her. "That shirt is great on you. Where did you get it?" I set my purse next to Gianna's on the empty chair to my right. "Gianna. I wouldn't have picked this out on my own, but I kind of like it. It's doing great things for my cleavage." The pale-yellow top is cut lower than I usually wear and is a bit tighter than I'd choose for myself. But I haven't worn it yet, and Gianna pays attention to this sort of thing. The last thing I'd ever want to do is to hurt her feelings. "I bought it for myself, but the fabric made me itchy," Gianna says. "It looks great on you, Astrid. Your cleavage is hot." "Thanks." I smile at my friends. "Did you guys get here early or what? I'm twelve minutes early myself, and you already have drinks." "Yeah. We carpooled, and traffic was light. We got you a glass of sangria," Gianna says, pointing at a drink in front of me. My friends know me so well. "Thank you." Stupey's is busy but not crowded, especially for a Saturday night. The cozy eatery transitions from a bougie sandwich shop during the day to sandwiches and a rotating menu of dinners at night. It's one of those places where you feel at home as soon as you walk in the door. I take a sip of my drink and watch my friends look at photos on Audrey's phone. Gianna's trademark navy blue nails shine under the light hanging above our table, while a delicate pink ribbon hangs down Audrey's long blond hair. You wouldn't necessarily think the two of them, opposites in so many ways, would be such good friends. Add me and my clipboard to the mix, and none of it should make sense. But it does. Gianna keeps things spicy. Audrey keeps us grounded. I balance them, encouraging Audrey to spread her wings, but keeping Gianna from overextending hers. I try, anyway. "What are you two looking at?" I ask, leaning over to get a peek. Audrey turns her phone to show me her screen. Her cheeks are as pink as the ribbon in her hair. "We're looking at this." "I know you're shocked," Gianna says, hiding a grin. Staring back at me is Audrey's kryptonite-a blond-haired, blue-eyed mixed martial arts expert. Her brother's best friend. It's a small inconvenience that he doesn't know she exists. This doesn't stop her from trying, and I respect her game. She attends as many of her brother's fights as she can, positioning herself in as many places as her crush will likely be. So far, no luck. "I actually ran into him a couple of nights ago," she says, pushing her hair off her shoulder. She threatens to cut it at least once a month, but chickens out at the last minute every time. "A bunch of the guys went to a dive bar after the fights, and Andrew was nice enough to let his little sister tag along." Gianna giggles. "I'm sorry. The thought of our sweet little Audrey at an MMA fight still cracks me up." Audrey fires her the meanest look she can manage, which isn't more than a wrinkle of her nose. "Did you actually talk to him?" I ask. She smiles from ear to ear. "I did. I mean, we just said hello. But it's a start, right?" "Absolutely," I say, smiling back at her. Kim, our favorite server, comes by and drops off this weekend's dinner menu. "Oh!" Audrey says, digging into her purse. "I brought you guys something from Boston." She retrieves two small squares and hands Gianna one and me the other. "I saw the star earrings at a little touristy shop by the beach and knew you had to have them, Astrid." "I love these," I say, touched by her thoughtfulness. "Thanks, Aud." I run my thumb over the small pink stars with a slight shimmer that will look great in my collection. My grandmother started it for me when I was a baby. Despite my name having no connection to stars, Grandma thought it did and said that stars reminded her of me. I wear a pair of star earrings almost every day. They make me feel closer to her. Often, I wonder what she would think about the life I'm creating for myself. Would she be proud of me? Disappointed? What were her hopes and dreams for her only grandchild? I'll never know, and that's precisely why not having those answers shouldn't bother me. Yet it does. "Yours aren't earrings, Gianna," Audrey says, "but I loved this little pin. The pencil reminds me of your journals and all the writing you do for the column." She grins. "I hope you love it and don't think it's silly." "Are you kidding me?" Gianna inspects her gift. "I love it. It's perfect." She looks up and winces. "But now I feel rude." "Why?" I ask. "Because Aud brought me a gift, and I have a shirt in my purse that I brought for her to hem." I laugh, taking another drink of my sangria while Audrey convinces Gianna she's not rude. Even if it were, Audrey would never tell Gianna that. She's too sweet. The faint music drifting through the dining area shifts from a piano interlude to a soft opera. I know absolutely nothing about operas or music, in general, for that matter. But every time I listen to this genre, I can't help but wonder what they're singing about. Are they falling in love? Heartbroken? Are they ready to commit murder? They could be singing about orgies and cocaine for all I know. It sounds lovely and romantic, regardless. "Are you ladies ready to order?" Kim asks, pausing at our table. "We can be," I say, handing my friends menus from the stack at the end of the table. "It's not like we haven't tried everything at one point or another." "There's no rush," Kim says. "I'm probably getting the salmon," Audrey says. She closes her menu seconds after opening it. "Yeah, I'm boring. I'll take the salmon for the fourth time in a row." Kim laughs. "You're lucky that's a menu staple." I scan the offerings, ruling out everything with peanuts. "I love the pad Thai, just not a possible trip to the emergency room after." The only item this week that looks totally safe is the lemon chicken with rice. And while my reactions are thankfully mild to most triggers, I don't feel like living on the wild side tonight. I'd like to start the new week without hives or swollen lips. Especially considering what the upcoming week will bring. My stomach twists into a tight knot at the thought of Gray Adler. He's taken up more of my mental real estate than I care to admit since he walked out of Renn's office yesterday. Thinking of him immediately puts me in a bad mood, and I promised myself I wouldn't think about him tonight. So I push the bastard out of my head and focus on ordering. "Lemon chicken with rice, please," I say. "Ooh, I'll have that, too. I loved that the last time you ordered it." Gianna takes our menus and hands them to Kim. "Thank you." "Thank you. I'll put this order in. Let me know if you need anything else," Kim says before walking away. "How's the urinal?" I ask Gianna as soon as Kim is out of earshot. "Urinal?" Audrey asks. "Do I even want to know?" Gianna rolls her eyes. "I bought a⁠-" "Used," I interject. "Urinal-" "From a guy on Social," I add. Gianna gives me a look. "For an art project. And it's great, thanks for asking." Audrey and I exchange a grin. While this might be the grossest thing our friend has purchased, it's not the weirdest. Gianna once bought a box of old, used lottery tickets to use as wallpaper for bird houses. She keeps things interesting. "You guys are never going to guess the question we had come in for my segment Just Between Friends," Gianna says, steepling her fingers in front of her like a villain. "The stuff we get in every week for this column is batshit crazy, you guys. I don't know why it draws in the kind of questions it does, but it never fails to entertain. Sometimes, though, we get one that's just ..." Her eyes go wide, and she flinches. "It's wild out there, folks." "What was the question?" I ask. She leans forward. "This guy wrote in and said that he wants to slather his cock in avocado and bang his girlfriend. But he's worried she'll think he's weird and that she might get an infection." "Oh my God," I say, covering my mouth with my hand. "That's so gross." Audrey looks slightly horrified. "Food play is a total thing." Gianna giggles at Audrey's reaction. "You have so much to learn, Auddie." Audrey reaches for her drink, an Arnold Palmer, and takes a long sip. These discussions always freak her out a little. Audrey has only ever had two boyfriends and no hookups in her twenty-seven years. She's a good girl, a rule follower-a PhD in philosophy. I'm not sure if she's ever uttered a curse word in her life. She's had sex, but I'm sure she's never had good sex. From what I can tell, missionary is the limit of her experience. And while there's nothing to be embarrassed about when it comes to sexual experience, she's self-conscious about it. "Are you going to respond to Mr. Avocado?" I ask. "Hell, no." Gianna laughs. "I feel like I'd have to have a therapist and gynecologist weigh in, and I don't want to have those discussions." "I get that, but I'm kind of curious," I say, grinning. "I think avocados have both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. While I'm not saying I'd be inclined to let a guy make guacamole in bed⁠-" "Stop it," Audrey says. "-I do wonder if it could theoretically be a holistic treatment," I say. Gianna's laughter turns into a mischievous chuckle. "I have to admit that now I'm kind of curious, too. Hey, maybe you should write this column, Astrid. Give us a peek into your dark, demented mind." "Um, no. Thanks, though. My mind would bore the crap out of you." "I have a feeling that's not true," Gianna says, biting her lip to keep from smiling too wide. Ignoring her, I reach for my sangria. "Sometimes I worry about the two of you." Audrey sighs. "Information is good to have," I tell her instead. "And when you've been in a dry spell as long as I have been, you have a heightened sense of curiosity." Audrey groans. "You wanna talk about dry spells? Let's talk about dry spells." "I keep telling you two that I can lead you to the oasis." Gianna winks, far too entertained for anyone's good. "There's a party on a houseboat next weekend. You'll receive a colored wristband upon boarding, representing your interests." She looks at Audrey. "Fetishes, kinks-that kind of thing. Not sewing or making cupcakes. Although making guac might count ..." I snort. Audrey rolls her eyes. "I gathered. I'm inexperienced, not incapable of understanding context clues." "Just making sure," Gianna says, bumping her shoulder playfully. "Are you going?" Audrey asks her. Gianna shrugs. "We'll see. If you guys want to go, I'll happily be your tour guide." "I don't think I'll be buying a ticket to that tour, but thank you for the invitation," I say. "I think you'd love it, Astrid," Gianna says. Audrey makes a face at me, expressing her disagreement. "Don't get me wrong," I say. "I'm all for meeting a man and hooking up. But I need there to be more than a colored bracelet involved." "Yeah, we know," Gianna groans. "You'd have so much fun if you could just relax and trust me." "Trusting you isn't the problem." You two women are really the only people I trust at all. "I'll live vicariously through your wild tales. That's enough for me." I hope. Audrey shifts in her seat. "How was your week, Astrid? Anything exciting happen to you while I was gone?" I grab my glass and take a long slug of my sangria. The alcohol heats my cheeks, sending a welcome warmth through my veins. I wait for it to hit the bundles of stress in my body before I even consider discussing yesterday. I'll have to handle it carefully, or things will fly off the rails before I know what's happening. Audrey will take this situation with Gray and turn it into an impending love story fit for the big screen. Gianna will concoct all the ways Gray and I could dispel our growing hatred for one another, and she'll remind me that, in her opinion, hate sex is the best sex. This thing with Gray is the farthest thing from either of those things as it can get. "My week was fine until yesterday," I say, feeling the tension in my jaw again. "What happened yesterday?" Audrey asks. "Renn called me into his office and asked me to take on another project." Gianna's dark brows pull together. "He did? You didn't mention that to me." "It happened after I talked to you." I heave a breath, pushing the air past the tightness in my lungs. "I'm not happy, to put it mildly." "What's going on?" Gianna asks. "It's rare that you're annoyed by Renn. Or did he finally assign you to Tate?" I snort. "I begged to work with Tate. Let that sink in." Audrey's eyes widen, and Gianna makes a face in surprise. Yeah. It's that bad. They know how opposed I've been in the past to working with Renn's baby brother. My admission isn't lost on them. I shrug, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. "I've just been assigned a giant man-child with a horrible personality to 'assist'," I say, using my fingers for air quotes, "for the rest of the rugby season." Gianna fights a grin. "You're assisting a rugby player?" I fire her a look, knowing damn good and well where she's going with this-right to the gutter. "What's his name?" she asks coyly. "Gray Adler." I sigh dramatically, crossing my arms over my chest as Gianna leans over Audrey's shoulder to see her phone again. "You're going to see all kinds of headlines that say he's an asshole and⁠-" "Oh my God." Gianna's jaw hangs to the table as she faces me. "He's hot as fuck, Astrid." I groan, glancing around to ensure no one can hear her. "Lower your voice. This is a public place." "We were just talking about avocado dicks," Gianna deadpans. "I'm pretty sure the line was crossed back there, not here." "Even his name is hot." Audrey continues to swipe across her screen. "Have you seen him with his shirt off?" Gianna moans. "I can think of many, many ways I could assist that man. Holy shit." Despite knowing this would happen, it still irritates me. I don't want them focusing on his looks. I'm sure women do that every day and give him a pass because he has a sexy smirk and a body chiseled from marble. I want my friends to be on my side-to hate him because I do. "He's a top-tier jerk," I say. "Of course, he's an asshole," Gianna says, waving a hand through the air. "He's a professional athlete. They're supposed to be all testosterone-fueled, sweaty, alpha males." She peers at Audrey's phone again and gasps. "Look at his legs. And he has a thigh tattoo." She pauses to whimper. "I never want to hear you complain about work again. Ever." "But you⁠-" "Ever," Gianna says, holding up a finger. "I don't know why God loves you more than me, but put in a good word for me, will you?" "We want weekly recaps of everything that happens while you work with him." Audrey glances up for the first time. When her eyes meet mine, she turns off her phone, and her gaze softens. "Because I want to know every mean thing he does to you so I can be mad, too." Thanks, Audrey. I smile at her as Kim sets our plates in front of us. She checks our drinks, we thank her, and then she disappears again. "For the record," Gianna says, picking up her fork. "If he hit on me, I'd turn him down and hurt his feelings with dramatic flair just for you." She looks up at me and winks. "But he is hot. If you get a Bring Your Friend to Work day, I call dibs." "Can we talk about something else?" I groan, rolling my eyes. "Please?" "Let me use this to segue from rugby booty to pirates' booty." Gianna giggles. "I saw this thing online about this island where men dress up as pirates and ... Hold on. Let me pull up the article. You have to see this for yourselves." I lean back, my shoulders relaxing, and breathe a sigh of relief. Audrey catches my eye and offers me a sweet smile. Although I didn't want to talk about him at all, I knew that I'd have to, and I'm glad it's over without me having to get too in the weeds about it. I'm tired of replaying my interactions with Gray and dissecting every word, gesture, and look we exchanged. And God knows I'm tired of worrying about what the next couple of months will entail. This is a new predicament for me because I generally avoid men like him. Moody, spiteful, arrogant men. That's why being forced to work with him is very discombobulating. I don't understand how I got here or why this is happening to me. Who did I piss off in my last life? I can only do my job to the best of my ability, enjoy that raise in salary, and let the chips fall where they may. I only hope that isn't at my feet in a million little pieces. "So they were pretending to be pirates?" Audrey asks. "Role-playing pirates." Gianna shrugs, looking at me for help. "You want to take this one, or should I?" I laugh, grateful for Audrey's naivete. "I'll take this one." It's the perfect silly thing to take my mind off the real-life pirate trying to plunder my happiness.