Four Girls & An Ex

"Is that a new dress?" I asked Ashley on Saturday night as she sauntered out into our living room wearing a very small, very backless gray dress.

"It's actually from college, and since I no longer live with Steve who fed me a four course meal every night, I finally fit into it again!" she said, tossing her arms in the air and popping her hip for dramatic effect. 

"Most people would complain about the lack of home cooked meals every night, but you manage to find the silver lining," I replied sarcastically. 

Her mention of Steve made my mind wander to my conversation with him the day before. I was curious what he wanted to say to me, but I had a strong feeling it was going to be that he wanted Ash back. I had no idea what I would tell him. She really seemed to be doing okay on her own. There were limited mentions of his name, and I had only ever caught her crying once (over a sock she found of his.. yes, a sock).  

The buzzer sounded announcing the arrival of either Elena or Haley. I skipped over to the ancient intercom to let them in. "Hello?" 

"Hey lady!" I heard Haley's unmistakable voice on the other end. I held down the button for a few seconds before walking over to unlock the apartment door. 

"Wine?" Ash asked, studying the Ikea rack that had been freshly stocked thanks to a trip to Trader Joes. 

"Yes please," I answered, reaching in the cabinet to extract three wine glasses. I heard heels on hardwood and peered over the cabinet door to see Haley.

"Your place is amazing!" Haley squealed, immediately giving herself a tour of the space. 

"Thanks!" Ash and I said in unison. 

"It's still not done, and excuse the rove boxes everywhere," I said, accepting a full glass of red wine from Ashley. 

"It's a great space though," Haley grinned, finally walking over to properly greet Ashley and me. 

"Yeah it was a steal for the location, which is my favorite thing about it. Minus having to take the subway to work now," I said, scrunching up my nose. No matter how long I lived in New York, I would never get used to the hot, dirty subways. 

Before Haley could respond, the buzzer sounded again. 

"Must be Elena," I said, leaning over to press down the button for the second time that night.

"So where are we going tonight?" Haley asked, taking a sip of the glass Ashley offered to her. 

"There's a place up in Chelsea I've been wanting to check out, The Park?" I asked, referring to a bar I had been told about from some coworkers. I still wasn't totally familiar with this part of the city but a simple google search told me it was only a few blocks away.

"Oh I've been there! Really cool vibe," Haley said. "Great choice."

Elena walked in then, looking effortless in a tight sleeveless crop top and maxi skirt. 

"Hi girls!" she said, taking turns giving each of us a hug. "I brought wine."

I lifted my glass to her, "Already one step ahead of ya." 


An hour later, the four of us were settled into a table at The Park. The space was huge but two rooms were blocked off for events. So we settled in the garden area, which had a very greenhouse-y feel. 

"Shots?" Haley asked, as a waitress came over to take our drink order.

"Oh god, it's going to be one of those nights isn't it?" Ashley asked.

"You dressed to get laid, you're getting laid," Haley said pointedly at Ashley, causing the four of us to break out in fits of giggles. I was definitely already feeling the wine, and the wine was itching to text Dylan. I pictured him down in Dallas, probably drunk at a hotel bar with his coworkers. Then, my mind wandered to faceless girls who were also probably drunk at the hotel bar, and that was when I decided to let the wine text Dylan.

Hey babe, just wanted to say I miss you. Feels like a shame that I'm wasting such a revealing dress on a night when you're not around to appreciate it ;) 

I tucked my phone back into my bag and returned my attention to the table, where four tequila shots had materialized. Downing them, Haley quickly ordered another and I had passed the point of stopping myself, nodding enthusiastically when she asked if I'd like one.

"So how's Joshua?" I asked her, while simultaneously checking my phone for any signs of life from Dylan. Nada. 

"He's great," she practically swooned. "We're so in love." 

I smiled, "That's great Hal."

"Well you know the feeling, you and Dylan are completely obsessed with each other according to this one," Haley replied, pointing at Ashley.

"Hey! What are you saying about me?" I asked Ash, playfully hitting her shoulder. 

"Nothing, just that you and Dylan are nauseatingly obsessed with each other," Ash said, rolling her eyes. 

"It's hard not to be nauseatingly obsessed with him," I grinned back. 

"Spare me," Ashley replied sarcastically. 

"Well tonight, we're on a mission for you two," I said, looking at Elena and Ashley. 

"Hear hear!" Elena said, holding up the second round of shots. 

----

My. Head. Was the first thing I thought when I peeled open one eye on Sunday morning, the pounding behind my eyes demanding my attention. I sat up in bed to take inventory, blissfully spying my purse at the foot of the bed. Reaching for it, I realized I hadn't even bothered to change out of my dress from the night before. Classy.

Grabbing my phone I immediately opened my messages. The last thing I clearly remembered was dancing with the girls about an hour after we had done another round of shots. Then, darkness. I really was getting too old to be drinking this way.

My heart sank when I realized that my last text to Dylan was the one I remembered sending at the beginning of the night. He had really never texted me back? Clicking on my outgoing phone log, I saw I had drunk dialed him around 1 a.m. The record indicated that the call had barely lasted 30 seconds, so hopefully it had just gone to voicemail and I hadn't left him any horribly embarrassing messages. 

Crawling out of bed, I found a tshirt and slipped it on in favor of my dress. I padded out into the living room to find Ashley and try to get more answers on the evening. I vaguely recalled her dancing with a gorgeous Spanish guy and I prayed she had returned to her promiscuous ways and taken him home. 

As I walked into the living room, dreaming of the massive glass of water I was going to fetch before checking Ashley's room, I stopped in my tracks at the sight of a shirtless guy on the couch. 

But it was not the guy from the bar. I recognized the arm that was lazily slung over his head, the tell tale blonde hair flopping in the way it only did in the mornings. It was Nick. 



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