Page 83 of Dating and Other Theories
By the time Esther got to the front of the line, they were out of macaroni and cheese.
She got her meatloaf to go and took it back to her desk to eat alone.
Esther’s headphones were on again when Yemi returned from lunch. She’d cleaned up the remnants of her lunch, carrying the trash into the ladies’ room. She told herself it was so she wouldn’t have to smell meatloaf for the rest of the day, but it was also so Yemi wouldn’t know she’d eaten at her desk. She wasn’t sure why she cared. But she did.
She purposely didn’t look up when he sat down. After a few minutes, she felt him kick her chair.
Spinning around, she lifted one headphone off her ear—just the one, to send the message she didn’t want to talk. Jesus, she was being petty. She couldn’t seem to help it though.
Yemi frowned at her. “You’re upset with me.”
Esther forced a smile that probably looked as fake as it felt. “No, I’m not. I’m just behind on these design notes.”
Yemi’s frown got deeper. “Are you mad that Jinny and I are dating?”
“No, of course not.” Esther smiled wider. It felt like her face was going to crack and fall away, revealing a hideous lizard monster underneath.
“What do you want me to do?” Yemi asked.
“I don’t want you to do anything. You’re not doing anything wrong.”
“I could talk to her for you,” he offered again.
“Please don’t.” The last thing Esther wanted was to be responsible for causing tension in their brand-new relationship. “It’s better if you leave it alone. I’m glad you’re together. I’m glad you’re happy.”
The words rang hollow in the air between them, but it was the best she could manage. She wanted to be happy for them. That should count for something, shouldn’t it?
Before Yemi could say anything else, she yanked her headphones on and turned her back on him.
That night, Penny called to check on Esther. “You’ve missed knitting two weeks in a row. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Esther said, brushing pizza crumbs off her pajama pants.
It was seven o’clock and she was already in her pajamas, eating pizza on her couch and watching mushy Hallmark movies. Because she was a loser with nowhere to be except at home with her cat. Not that she’d made a habit of going out much on weeknights before. But still. What a cliché she’d become. She didn’t even have the heart to watch any of her favorite horror movies, because they reminded her too much of Jonathan. Instead, she was watching some heartwarming atrocity starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. Which was a different sort of horror movie, but a horror movie nonetheless.
“Are you ever coming back?” Penny asked.
“Has Jinny been coming?”
Penny hesitated. “She came on Monday.”
“Did she tell you she’s not currently speaking to me?”
“She…might have mentioned something about that.”
Esther squeezed the phone. “Did she tell you why?”
“Yes, and I’m not taking sides, but you guys need to make up.”
“I’ve tried. She doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“It’s not the same without you there. Everyone misses you.”
“Jinny doesn’t.”
“She does. Even if she’s too proud to say it.”
“Well, the ball’s in her court. I’m trying to respect her boundaries and give her space. Which is why I’ve given her full custody of you guys.”
