Nia’s beam brightened, and I almost had to turn away from the blinding intensity of their bliss.
“Hey, baby,” Nia said, bending down to give Shae a peck on the lips. I rolled my eyes and looked away as Shae grasped her by the collar and pulled her into a deeper kiss. Over Shae’s shoulder, I could see Ricky doing the same, though he was also smiling from ear to ear.
“So,” I said when the lovebirds finally came up for air. “You’re Shae.”
“Yup! And you’re Angie. It’s nice to finally meet you. Though,” Shae added with a wicked grin, “with how much I’ve heard about you, I kind of feel like I already know you.” I kept my eyes determinedly off Ricky at that, focusing instead on the hand Shae extended for me to shake.
“You’re necking my best friend, we’re on hugging terms,” I said, bypassing it for a hug instead. “Oh, and, I know this goes without saying, but if you hurt Nia, I will come for you.”
“Well, duh. That’s how it should be. Ricky, why aren’t you threatening Nia? Don’t you love me?”
Ricky balked, not expecting to be the subject of our collective focus.
“Because I don’t believe in fighting losing battles!” he sputtered. “Nia would destroy me!”
Nia gave me a gleeful smirk before letting her face go unreadably blank. I schooled my expression, knowing what was coming next.
“You think I can beat you up because I’m fat?” she asked.
Ricky’s bronze skin took on a greenish undertone.
“No, that’s not what I—” he started, but it was too late; both Nia and I were buckled over in laughter.
“I’m just playing you,” Nia said. “I would indeed beat that ass.”
“Okay, okay, knock it off,” Shae said, patting Nia’s back as she wiped away tears. “You’re going to give him a heart attack.”
“I’ll be okay,” Ricky said humorlessly. “You’re an excellent actress. You’ll crush it up there.”
“And I’m funny too!” Nia said, beaming. She held her hand out for Shae, who took it. “Speaking of which. We’ve got to go. Get the show on the road.” She turned to me. “If I bomb, boo me. I learn best from negative reinforcement.”
“I’m not booing you—” I started, but Nia and Shae were already skipping away toward the stage, kicking up their knees and giggling like children.
Ricky and I watched them go in silence that was oddly comfortable, like anxious parents sending our kids off to school. As the moment stretched thin, I remembered that we were now alone. So much for my grand escape. This is okay, I told myself. Time to put your big-girl pants on.
“They’re going to be okay, I think,” I said, breaking our silence.
Ricky turned to look at me, and I pretended not to feel the weight of his gaze. Instead, I focused on Nia’s and Shae’s figures as they clambered onto the stage. When I turned back to him, he looked up to the ceiling.
“Y-yeah,” he said lamely. “I guess we should find seats.”
Even as he spoke the words, I could see that he regretted them. Clearly, he had also come to this show with a getaway plan that had been thwarted by the timing of our arrival. I took a deep breath, then shrugged and turned toward the seats. Ricky trailed after me, hands in his pockets, his discomfort evident. The auditorium was thankfully sparse, and so I took my time selecting a spot, pausing at every other row before finally settling on a seat four rows from the front. I stepped in and sat down, saving Ricky the end seat.
“Planning an easy escape?” Ricky asked as he folded into his spot. My face must have fallen, because he added, panicked, “From bad improv, I mean.”
Might as well address the elephant in the room. I closed my eyes and steeled myself.
“Listen, Ricky . . .”
Next to me, I felt Ricky stiffen.
“No, wait, Angie, you don’t have to—”
I held up a finger. I’d been rehearsing what I would say to Ricky since the second Nia and Shae had locked eyes, and I was not going to let him let me chicken out.
“No, I do. Because if I don’t, I’m going to be awkward around you forever. Which I would be okay with if I wasn’t secretly wishing for this thing between our friends to work. You and Shae seem close, so I’m guessing we’ll be seeing each other around after this. I just want to clear the air.” I took a deep breath, then met his eyes in a determined gaze. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you that day in the hospital. I was in my feelings, and that wasn’t the appropriate way to deal with them. I’m sorry.”