Chapter 67: Sixty Seven

When Jacob called, I didn’t answer right away. I stared at the phone as it buzzed against my palm, name flashing on the screen for a whole minute before I answered.

After everything, I assumed we were in some sort of quiet, unspoken truce; that we’d nod politely across classrooms and keep our distance until graduation.

A part of me wanted to ignore it. But another part - the part that still remembered our late night conversations and the way he used to look out for me, was curious. Or maybe it was guilt. Or maybe some strange mix of both.

Plus, I missed him. Missed his friendship, his humor. I had already lost Mara’s friendship. Now the only friend I had in the city was Cassie. I didn’t like that.

I swiped to answer.

“Willow,” he said, with an awkward breathy laugh, like he hadn’t expected me to pick up. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I said, sounding equally awkward, settling into the edge of my bed. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah. I, uh, you got the RAship.” He said it like he was just informing me. But I understood the awkwardness.

I smiled a little. “I did.”

“Congrats. Seriously. I mean, you worked your ass off for that. You deserve it.”

“Thanks,” I said softly. “That means a lot.”

There was a pause. I didn’t know what to say to him. He seemed like he didn’t either.

“How are you?” I asked quietly.

“Good, yeah. Got an internship for the summer. Really good work. And its back home, so I’ll be able to stay with my folks.”

“That’s really so nice,” I said, “I hope you have a great time.”

“Yeah,” he sounded distracted, “Thanks, Wills.”

There was silence again. This time, I waited for him to say something.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said after a while. “About the way I acted. I wasn’t fair to you, Willow. I let my feelings get the better of me, and I made it messy when I had no right to.”

“You had every right to be mad at me.”

“I miss being your friend,” he said finally. “And I know we can’t go back, not really, but maybe we can try something new? Start fresh.”

I closed my eyes for a second.

I missed him, too.

“I’d like that,” I said quietly.

He let out a relieved breath. “Awesome. I mean, thank you.”

I laughed under my breath. “No, thank you.”

“There’s this bar I just discovered. Great music, overpriced drinks, terrible lighting. You know, the works,” he joked. “Come have a drink with me. Celebrate?”

“Just one,” I warned with a grin. “I’ve got a paper to polish.”

“One it is.”

—

The place was louder than I had imagined it would be; dimly lit, walls covered in old rock band posters and neon signs that buzzed faintly. I walked in, scanning the room for Jacob. He waved from the back, already seated in a booth.

But he wasn’t alone.

Mara sat beside him, her long legs crossed elegantly, glass already in hand. She was wearing a sleeveless maroon top, dark lipstick, and her hair was styled to perfection.

My heart sank.

“Willow!” she called, smiling too brightly. “Oh my god, look at you!”

I hesitated for a beat before walking over, carefully masking my confusion.

“Hey,” I said slowly, sliding into the booth across from them.

“She ran into me on the way in,” Jacob said quickly. “Said she was heading this way anyway.”

“Small world,” Mara chimed in, tilting her head. “Hope you don’t mind.”

I didn’t respond immediately. Instead, I picked up the menu, even though I wasn’t reading it.

“No, of course not,” I said, finally meeting her eyes.

“Great,” she beamed. “Because tonight is about you..”

I smiled. “And Jacob! He got a great internship.”

Mara looked at him. “Oh, did you? That’s wonderful.”

“Do you have plans for the summer?” He asked her politely. She smiled surrepticiously. “A few.”

Jacob flagged down a server and ordered a round of cocktails, one for each of us and a second for himself.

“To Willow,” he said when they arrived, raising his glass. “For kicking ass and being unstoppable.”

I blushed, clinking glasses with them. “To small wins.”

Mara added her own toast. “To timing,” she said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “And knowing when to ask the right questions.”

I didn’t know what she meant by that. I ignored it. I was happy and had a yummy drink in my hand.

We drank. We talked about music and dumb undergrad parties and the worst campus food they’d eaten. I laughed at Jacob’s impression of his old math professor, and even Mara loosened up enough to snort into her drink.

For a fleeting moment, it felt normal. Light. Almost easy.

Halfway through a round of martinis, Mara leaned over and touched my arm lightly.

“Come dance with me,” she said. “I want to talk.”

I froze for a heartbeat.

There it was.

Of course she wanted to talk.

I glanced at Jacob, who was now chatting up someone near the bar, oblivious.

“Sure,” I said, voice steady.

She smiled sweetly.

Too sweet.

She took my hand, her fingers intertwining with mine, and led me toward the dance floor, and then past it; toward the side exit where the night waited, and with it, something I wasn’t sure I was ready for.