Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood
Author:Nina Kenwood
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Text Publishing Company
Published: 2022-08-19T00:00:00+00:00
21
âBrooke!! Andâ¦Jesse!â Tristan is looking fake-surprised, as if he hasnât been spying on me for the last twenty minutes. He holds his arms wide for a hug. I vowed never to hug anyone again after the waiter-hug situation, but, okay, weâre doing this, weâre going to hug. Tristan is historically a good hugger. I stand up, manoeuvre around the table between us. He pulls me close, a full-body deep embrace, because itâs Tristan. Of course he does, of course he goes for a deep, meaningful hug. I bet his eyes are shut.
We pull apart.
âIâm here with Kendra,â Tristan says, pointing to her chatting to a small group of people. She looks over, and waves. Why is this the first thing he says? Heâs letting me know heâs not available. He thinks he needs to say this up front in case I get any ideas. A ripple of anger goes through me.
âIâm here with my housemate Harper, itâs her birthday, and this is Harperâs girlfriend, Penny, and Pennyâs cousin Henry⦠and you know Jesse, of course.â I falter. Am I really going to do this? Jesse stands up and walks over to us. He gives me a weâvegot-this smile.
âHey man,â Jesse says to Tristan.
âHey. How are you?â
âGood, good,â Jesse says. Heâs using a slightly weird voice. I donât know if heâs getting into character for our fake relationship, or if he is just slipping into a high-school version of himself around Tristan.
âWhat are you doing here?â Tristan asks him.
âIâm here with Brooke. Weâre housemates and, umââ Jesse says, pausing, glancing at me, a final check-in, an are-wereally-doing-this? Now weâre on the edge of it, it feels reckless, impulsive, unplanned. Not me.
But, screw it.
âAnd Jesse is also my boyfriend,â I say.
There. Iâve done it. Look at me go!
I regret it immediately, of course. How absurd. The word boyfriend spluttered out of my mouth like it was something I swallowed and then coughed up.
Tristan laughs, then stops.
âWait. Youâre serious?â he says.
âYes,â Jesse says, moving slightly closer to me.
âYou two? Together? Together, like a couple?â Tristan says. He looks completely shocked and not at all happy with this news. I toss my hair a little. Maybe I donât regret it. Maybe Penny is a genius.
âYes,â Jesse says again and, to his credit, his voice has not wavered. He is steady. He is committed to the lie. He is enjoying Tristanâs outrage as much as I am.
âOh my god,â Tristan says.
I can see Henry, Penny and Harper watching us in fascination. Now that heâs not involved, Henry looks like heâs happily settling in for the show. He gives me a little thumbs up. Harper stands up and joins us.
âHi Tristan, Iâm Harper,â she says. âHow do you know Brooke?â she adds, which I appreciate. Setting the groundwork of making sure he knows I have never spoken of him or thought of him again and certainly didnât discuss him tonight or any night previously.
âBrooke was my high-school girlfriend,â Tristan says, all nostalgic-sounding, as if we are at our schoolâs twenty-year reunion not barely six months into our post-school lives.
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