or sparkling, take your pick.”
“Glasses are next to the sink,” Leah says as I walk past her. “Pour me an orange juice, would you?”
“Sure, no problem.” I’m glad they’re not waiting on me. It already feels weird enough that I’m here after inviting myself. I should probably say something about not staying long so James doesn’t think I’m one of those people who come without a return ticket.
I raise my voice to be heard in the other room. “So, I was thinking I’d stay for maybe three or four days with you guys, if that’s okay?” Taking out two glasses, I wait for the reply. It comes as I’m waiting for ice to drop from the automatic dispenser in the fridge door.
Leah shows up in the entrance to the kitchen. “Just a few days? I thought you were going to stay longer.” She sounds genuinely bummed.
“I don’t want to impose.”
“You won’t impose.” She turns her head to the living room. “Right, James? She’s not imposing?”
“Not at all,” he says loudly so I’ll hear.
I sigh and then immediately wish I hadn’t.
“What’s wrong?” Leah asks, coming into the kitchen.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me. You know I can smell a lie from a mile away.”
I finish filling my glass with water and turn around, glancing out to where I know James is waiting and probably listening. “It’s no big deal, really.”
Leah lowers her voice to a whisper. “Tell me.” She reaches into the fridge and takes out the juice, pouring herself a big glass of it. “I’m all ears.”
“It’s nothing, really, I promise.” I desperately want to play my situation off as no big deal, but I keep trying to picture where I’ll go from here and I can’t. There’s just this big, black void in front of me and it practically sends me into a panic attack thinking about what that means.
Leah lifts her glass. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.” I touch my glass to hers, wishing I’d gone with the whiskey.
“Now, either you spill your guts or I’m going to cry real tears right here in the kitchen.”
I smile. She’s so crazy. I’d forgotten how much I loved that about her. “Cry real tears? Why would you do that?”
“Because! We used to be close friends. You told me everything, and I told you everything. You’re not allowed to keep secrets from me, remember?”
My head drops to my chest as guilt assails me. “I’ve been a terrible friend. We haven’t talked in ages.”
“Friendship is a two-way street, Sarah. Did you get calls from me? No. Mostly because my phone was dead, but still. I could have called, but I didn’t. And you want to know why?”
I lift my head, now more concerned about her than myself. “Yes, I do.”
“It was because my life was complete crap and I didn’t want you to know that. I was ashamed and stressed. The more I thought about it, the worse it made me feel, so I just stopped dealing with it altogether. I got evicted, did I tell you that?”
I nod, reaching out to squeeze her upper arm. “Yes, you did. And I get it. I really do. And now I feel twice as bad that I never called.” Tears well up in my eyes. I’m a completely selfish asshole. My friend needed me and I wasn’t there, and now here she is giving me a place to stay.
She points a finger in my face. “No! No crying, you hear me?”
My smile trembles a little. “No crying? Why?”
“Two reasons.” She holds up a finger. “One, because you’ll make me cry, and I’m not wearing waterproof mascara, and I’ll get ugly in front of my boyfriend, and I try to avoid that at all costs since I’m going to be really fat soon…” She holds up a second finger. “And two, because you have no reason to cry. Whatever your issues are, we’ll talk them out and resolve them, and then they won’t be issues anymore.” She grins.
“It’s not that easy.”
“Sure it is. Try me.” She folds one arm under the other and takes a sip of her drink, waiting expectantly.
“But James is out