Her friends gave her shocked looks. They all took a sip of their wine and stared down at their plates. A few tense minutes passed before Indira broke the silence.
“I’m sorry,” Indira said, giving Harper an even look. “We’re just excited because … well, he’s really hot.”
“So hot,” Lizzie agreed. “Like, no-hole-is-sacred level of hot.” All three of them gave Lizzie a double take. “Tell me I’m wrong,” she said.
Laughter dissolved the tension.
“Are we still going out after this?” Thu asked, taking a bite of food.
Lizzie squealed. “Let’s go to that new club on Chestnut and Nineteenth. I feel like dancing,” she said, shimmying her chest.
“Harper doesn’t do clubs,” Thu said, pretending to honk Lizzie’s tits.
“Harper doesn’t have to go,” Harper chimed in. She would so much rather go home and study than try to navigate a club, especially one that she hadn’t confirmed met her Going-Out Rules.
Rules were her life preserver in the choppy storm of anxiety and she clung to them with white knuckles.
Bars and restaurants needed tall ceilings and lots of windows.
Going out meant going early to avoid late-night crowds.
Claim a table on the outskirts, and always bring a friend willing to push through crowds to get to the bar.
Never leave home without the rules lest you wind up in a bathroom stall, panic pulsing at your temples and tears streaming down your face as you try to remember how to breathe, simultaneously praying someone finds you and saves you from the impending feeling of death, and praying no one ever witnesses your shameful and mortifying lack of control over your own emotions.
“Harper promised us one night out a week for senior year since she’ll be abandoning us for some out-of-town residency,” Indira said, pinching Harper’s cheek.
“Let’s go to Fat Louie’s Brewery,” Thu said, finishing off her wine.
Harper eyed her friend. “You hate the beer there. We could do Sunny Point Pub.”
“Nah, Fat Louie’s is great,” Thu responded, avoiding everyone’s eyes as she gathered her things. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 12
DAN
“I’m sure they’ll show soon,” Alex said, checking his phone again.
Dan nodded and took a swig of his beer, eyes fixed on the door. When Alex first mentioned Thu’s invite to “bump into them” at the bar, Dan had jumped at the idea. But as each second ticked by, Dan’s choice to surprise Harper felt a little less sweet, and a lot more stalkery.
Dan stood, deciding to sneak out while he could still save face, and turned to tell Alex he’d see him at home. Thu’s voice cut him off.
“Well, isn’t this a small world,” she said, leading her group of friends, all but one dressed in scrubs, toward the table.
Dan’s eyes flew to Harper to gauge her reaction.
She stopped in her tracks, eyes going wide, and gripped Thu’s shoulder. Dan watched her lips twitch as she hissed something into her friend’s ear. Thu turned to look at her and offered an innocent shrug. Harper’s cheeks reddened.
“What are the chances?” Thu said loudly. Harper shot her an angry glare before closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths. When she opened them, she looked a bit more composed and gave Dan a soft smile.
“Mind if we join you?” Thu said to Dan and Alex as the women hopped up on the bar stools around the long table. Dan felt an over-the-top rush of excitement when Harper took the seat next to him.
“I guess you weren’t wrong when you called us meddling,” one of the friends whispered to Harper before reaching out a hand to Dan. “Hi, I’m Indira. I’ve Facebook stalked you thoroughly.”
Dan’s eyes widened, and he glanced at Harper, who buried her head in her hands. He busted out laughing.
“Dan. Nice to meet you.”
“And I’m Lizzie. I focused more on your Instagram,” the red-headed friend not wearing scrubs said, giving him a wave.
Dan felt his face heat, and he gave them both a smile. “That was probably extremely boring research.”
“I think we were disappointed with how little there was to see,” Lizzie said.
“Yeah, I don’t post that often.”
“Well, yeah, but more so, we were hoping you were really into something like swimming or underwear modeling. Just something that showed a bit … more,” Lizzie said, her eyes flicking over him.
Dan’s mouth hung open before he burst out laughing again. He looked over at Harper, who stared up at the ceiling with a pleading look in her eyes. Lizzie and Indira turned their attention to Alex, who only had eyes for Thu.