Page 99 of The Ring
I don’t trust her on this one bit, nor do I think it’ll be fun. Any second now, Benedict’s going to come back, and I’ll have to use every ounce of self-control to keep myself from punching him like I always do when I see him. Still, I keep following Weberly, because I’m a sucker for breathing the same air as Cornelia.
“Cornelia,” Weberly calls out as we arrive at the bar counter.
Cornelia glances at her, barely acknowledging the greeting. I hand back, unsure of what Weberly is planning.
Weberly says, “I was thinkin?—”
“That’s a novelty,” Cornelia mutters under her breath.
I suppress a laugh. I love that Cornelia can be the nicest, sweetest, most considerate person when she wants to—but when she doesn’t, she can be downright ruthless. Weberly should count herself lucky; I’ve seen Cornelia cut far deeper. But she tends to save that for when someone messes with the people she loves.
Weberly ignores the comment, but I know she heard it. I did. She continues, “Since TJ and I, and you and Benedict, are the only couples in the group?—”
Cornelia scoffs and places her martini with no olives downon the bar counter. She clearly doesn’t consider Weberly part of the group.
Whatever Weberly’s endgame is, she clearly thinks it’s worth it, because she’s brushing off all of Cornelia’s jabs like they’re nothing.
“We should go on a double date,” Weberly finishes.
What the actual fuck? Is Weberly’s idea of fun putting me through hell? One thing is spending a few hours in a big place like Red Lips, with the rest of our mates as buffers—which I can barely stomach as it is—but another entirely is sitting through a dinner with just the four of us. That could last hours, and there’s no way in hell that dinner wouldn’t end in an utter disaster.
Cornelia looks at Weberly like she’s just asked her if she’d be fine with ten people lying on her bed with their outside clothes on, which I think she might prefer over all of us going on a double date.
“You can’t be serious.” She crosses her arms.
“But I am,” Weberly replies, unfazed. “I don’t see why you’d think otherwise. If you’re as happy with Benedict as you claim, you wouldn’t mind… unless you’re not over TJ.”
I can think of a hundred reasons she wouldn’t want to go on a double date, starting with the fact that most of us don’t even like each other.
“What are you talking about?” Benedict suddenly appears, placing a hand on Cornelia’s waist, a calculated move I’ve noticed he makes whenever I’m near them. He touches her more, like he’s marking his territory.
My face darkens at the sight. I want to tear his hand off Cornelia’s waist.
Cornelia drops her arms, startled by Benedict’s sudden appearance, but she quickly composes herself and turns hergaze on him. “Weberly…” she swallows, reluctant to explain, “was suggesting we all go on a double date.”
“So, what’s the answer?” Weberly presses.
“It’s fine by me if it’s fine by you,” Benedict responds, looking at Cornelia.
She takes a few seconds to answer. “I’m fine with it,” she says, though I can tell she wanted to say no. She turns to look at Weberly. “I’ll message you so we can figure out the where and when.”
Weberly nods, a triumphant look flashing across her face. Cornelia leans in to whisper something to Benedict, and he nods before they walk off. Once they’re out of earshot, I turn to Weberly.
“Is your idea of fun torturing me?” I snap at her. “I never deluded myself into thinking we were a real couple, but I also never thought youhatedme. You do realise I’m not a masochist, right?”
“Are you done?” She looks at me like I’m a child throwing a tantrum, and she’s the mother who knows best. “You may think you’ll hate the dinner, but trust me, it’ll be fun, and afterwards, you’ll thank me for it.”
Chapter 59
Cornelia
The dinner from hell. I thought telling Weberly that I’d send her a message to coordinate would kick the can down the road into a very distant, probably never-happening future, because I never planned on sending such a message. But somehow, she got my number and took matters into her own hands.
She bombarded me with so many messages I had no choice but to agree on a place and a time—mostly out of fear that if I didn’t, she’d turn to Benedict next.
We settled on dining today at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and opted for the tasting menu, where Benedict and I are headed at this moment. I thought the tasting menu would be a good idea. It will give us something neutral to talk about. I pray I’m right.
All week, I’ve been doing a lot of mental and physical preparation for this day. Still, I feel woefully unprepared—except, of course, for my outfit.
