“Well at least I know I’m white,” Alex said, cracking up.
“I know I’m white, honey,” Justin shot back.
“Yeah, he’s a white country boy who happens to be covering up his hick tendencies.”
“Hey, Chris, watch it,” Lance said from across the table.
“Don’t overcompensate, J-dawg,” Alex smiled.
“I’m not.”
“How do you explain that bling-blinging necklace of yours?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at my best friend and Justin. Since we sat down the only thing the two of them did was take turns putting each other down. It all started when Justin said something about her red hair and short height, proceeding to make a Leprechaun comment. Not to be out done, she shot back, calling him a thug. They’ve been going at it ever since.
“I bought it after I found your pot of gold.”
“Speaking of necklaces,” Lance said, interrupting their bickering, “I really like yours, Elizabeth.”
I felt my hand begin to shake as it rose feel the smooth star hanging around my neck.
“Did you buy it here in New York? They have some really nice shops.”
“No, it, uh... my... uh.” I began to feel light headed as the group awaited my answer. “It was a gift,” I finished, rising from my chair. I had to get out of the room before I broke down in front of everyone. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”
“Oh shit,” Alex mumbled as I quickly walked away from everyone’s gaze and to the safety of the bathroom.
I watched the blue stone on my neck as I leaned against the sink. “How could you have worn that?” I scolded myself. “I’m such a moron.” I took it off hastily and threw it against the wall.
Guilt surged through out me. I walked over and picked up the jewelry from the floor. A small tear slid down my cheek as I sat down on a cream colored couch and stared at the gift in my hand.
How had things gone so wrong? How could the dream relationship I had for over a year suddenly be over? Why couldn’t Scott see how much I loved him still?
“Sweetie?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh honey, are you okay?” Alex asked, kneeling in front of me.
“Yeah,” I smiled weakly. “I don’t know what came over me. I just felt a little sick suddenly. I think I just need to eat something.”
“Lizzy, you are on a date with ‘NSYNC, okay? Lance is sitting out there wondering what he did wrong while you’re in here thinking about Scott.”
“No I’m not,” I lied.
“Forget him. He didn’t deserve you. There are bigger and better oceans to explore. There are a bagillion fish out there, especially ones with amazing green eyes...”
“Alex...”
“I think he likes you.”
“Alex, get real. You know that’s not true.”
“I’m serious. Have you seen the way he’s been looking at you. I would die to have a guy look at me like that. And he was so worried when you left the room.”
“He’s just trying to be nice. Besides, I’ve know him for, like, forty-five minutes.”
“Love at first sight. I felt the vibes.”
“You’re such a loser.”
“I know, I know.”
“I feel bad,” I sighed. “I never met to upset her, just give her a compliment.”
“Lance has a crush on Elizabeth,” Joey teased, temporarily turning away from the game of paper football he was playing with JC.
“I’m twenty years old. I do not get crushes on girls any more.”
“Don’t even try to deny the fact that you were diggin’ the girl, especially after the way you’ve been acting all night.”
“I have not been...” I trailed off as four pairs of eyes turned to stare at me. “So what if I think she’s gorgeous and funny and...”
“Currently available?”
“I...”
“You heard Alex, Lance. She broke up with her boyfriend.”
“Really recently.”
“That doesn't mean you can’t go after her.”
“Did Alex say anything about seeing somebody?” Justin asked innocently.
“Chill out, you two,” JC warned. “We are only here for a short period of time, and you are not...”
“Loosen up. We are on a date, and they’re just trying to have a little fun.”
“Joey, you’ll flirt with anything that has two legs and is female.”
“Not true.”
“Yeah,” Chris said, adding another butter packet to the tower he was building. “She doesn’t even have to have two legs.”
“Hey!”
“I hope everything’s okay in there. They’ve been gone awhile.”
“Probably just girl talk.”
My curiosity was killing me. I couldn’t help but feel responsible for making Elizabeth cry, or at least she looked like she was about to cry when she left the room. Knowing that I had caused that made me feel terrible.
“I’m going to see if she’s okay.”
“You’re going to the ladies’ room?” Chris burst out laughing, slamming his head down to the table. His tower tumbled down.
“Grow up,” I mumbled as I left my friends and went in search of the women’s bathroom. When I found it, I knocked on the door quietly. “Uh guys, it’s Lance. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, come on in. It’s just Liz and me.”
I stepped into a very elegantly decorated room. It was nothing like a guys’ bathroom, even the ones at some of the more prestigious places we’ve been to. “You guys get a couch in here!”
“It’s extremely comfortable too,” Elizabeth said from one side of it.
“Really?”
“Go on, Lance,” Alex laughed. “You know you wanna sit down. Try the couch.”
“I think I will.” I cautiously sat down next to Elizabeth. “Very nice.”
Alex looked at the two of us and smiled. “Now that you’re both good, I’m going back to the table. I wasn’t done making fun of J-dawg yet.” She flashed Elizabeth a not-so-subtle smile and slid out the door, leaving us alone.
“I must say this is a new experience for me,” I laughed.
“Oh, you don’t chill in girl’s bathrooms often?”
“No, I don’t.” I paused. “Are you okay, Elizabeth?”
She took a deep breath as she stared at her hands. “Yeah, I’m okay now. I just got a little bit woozy back there.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s not your fault. I have a lot on my mind right now.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked. “I’m willing to listen.”
She slowly rose her gaze to meet mine and smiled. -
“Joey, get a life,” I heard JC say as Elizabeth and I came back into the room. A paper football flew past his head and fell to my feet. I picked it up and tossed it to the table.
“Why does Joey need to get a life?”
“Oh, hey you two. How nice to finally be graced with your presence,” Justin laughed.
“No problem,” Elizabeth smiled as I pulled her chair out for her.
“What’s everyone talking about?” I asked, sitting down in my own chair.
“You.”
“What?”
“Just kidding,” Chris said with a look across his face that told me he wasn’t.
“Right.”
“So what did you guys talk about?”
“Nothing really,” Elizabeth said, sipping her water.
“Yeah, we just talked,” I added, hoping the guys wouldn’t pry. In all actuality we talked a lot. We discussed her whole break up with Scott, and I now understood why she left the table when I mentioned her necklace. The most amazing part was how comfortable we felt with each other even though we had just met.
“That sounds like loads of fun,” Joey said sarcastically.
“It was really nice.” She smiled as her gaze caught mine.
“I’m right. I told you so,” Justin said as he nudged Alex.
“Shut up!” she whispered back. -
After dinner had ended, Joey, JC, and Chris opted to take a cab back to our hotel. Justin and I were going to take the girls to theirs.
“Shot gun!” Alex called as we walked out of the restaurant and into the chilly night.
“I’ll race you to the car,” Justin said, knowing she wouldn’t back down from the challenge.
“You’re on, Ghetto boy.”
“Alright, Red. Ready, set, go!”
I laughed as the two of them took off running in the direction of Justin’s benz. Alex’s dress blew wildly around her, making it difficult to run quickly. I could tell that Justin had noticed and was running much slower than he could have. “Those two crack me up.”
“That’s chemistry if I ever did see it,” Elizabeth smiled as we walked slowly toward our friends, taking our time.
A gust of wind blew past us, and I looked over at Elizabeth to see goose bumps begin to appear on her bare arms. “Do you want my jacket?” I slid my suit coat off and draped it over her shoulders.
“Thank you. I never imagined it would get this cold in July,” she sighed.
“No problem. We don’t want you to freeze to death, do we?” I said, cautiously taking her cold hand in mine.
“No, that wouldn’t be good.” She stopped and looked up at me. “Lance?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for being there for me tonight. I really appreciate it.”
“I wanted to help.”
“It’s kind of funny if you think about it. They all think that we did something other than talk while we were gone.”
“I know. They let their imaginations get the best of them...” An incredible urge to kiss her washed over me as we stood there. It could have been the way her hair was blowing, the way she was looking at me, or how the moon was shining down on her, all of here features illuminated. What I think it was, all things considered, was the way I felt incredibly close and connected to her at that moment.
I brushed her cheek softly with my hand and searched her eyes for some kind of permission to act on my craving. They shone brightly, her gaze never leaving me. I leaned over confidently and pulled her closer to me as my mouth was about to brush against hers, only an inch apart.
Suddenly I heard the bass of DMX pounding in the background as Justin stopped the car next to us.
“Oh damn, sorry. Hope we didn’t interrupt anything, but, uh, we have to get going.”
“Y-you didn’t interrupt anything,” I said, my eyes still locked on her.
“Nothing,” she said quietly.
“Come on. Hurry up. JC called me on the cell, and they’re already back at the hotel. They wanted to know what was taking so long.”
“We’re coming.” Elizabeth and I climbed into the backseat of the Mercedes before Justin sped off. She leaned over to rest her head on my shoulder as I slid my arm around her, happy to feel her close to me. That was how we spent the entire drive back to the hotel.
Justin and Alex, on the other hand, continued on with their bickering with an argument on which sport was better: basketball or hockey.
“You just wish you were a baller.”
“You don’t like playing basketball cause you’re so short. Is that it?”
“No, I like playing basketball, but hockey is overall a better sport. You know, skating down the ice, making a blizzard of snow when you stop, the sense of triumph when you score against the goalie. It’s almost poetic. Basketball, however, is simply putting a round orange ball into a hoop.”
“Wait a second. Hockey’s poetic?”
“Absolutely.”
“Uh huh,” he said sarcastically.
“I’m right, and you know it.”
“You know what, in my mind basketball is the more poetic sport. There’s a beat to it.”
“You have brain damage from all those screaming girls. I mean, come on, you already think you’re a thug.”
“I’m gonna prove to you that it’s a better sport. Tomorrow we play ball.”
“I wish I was a baller. I wish I was a little bit taller. I wish I had a girl that looked good I would call her...” Alex began to sing, and Justin was soon to join her.