Nothing Less

Posey turns to me, gives me a knowing look, and walks to the back room. I don’t know if I should thank her or call for her to come back.

“How are you?” Dakota asks.

I glance up and dump some of the ice back in. I wasn’t actually paying attention, and I need to dump out half of the ice I scooped into the blender jug.

How am I? What a loaded question.

Tessa is freaking miserable. I’m nearly failing my Educational Psych class. I miss Nora, and sort of miss Dakota, too. Just because we no longer have a future together doesn’t cancel out my feelings for her. Part of me will always care for her. In a few years when she’s posting engagement photos, then gets married, then has a family, I’ll smile and feel relieved that she has a good life, even without me.

I opt for the short version. “Good. You?”

I pump in two squirts of caramel syrup and switch on the blender. It’s loud, and neither of us talks until I hand her her drink.

She takes a long sip. “Same. I just got a callback for a commercial.”

I can see the excitement rumbling inside her and smile. “Congrats!” I say, truly meaning it.

Dakota turns her cheek, and I take her in. Her dark hair is straight. It’s pinned back behind her ears in a tight little bun. She’s not wearing any makeup, and she looks gorgeous.

I ask her what type of commercial she’s starring in. She tells me with a shy smile that it’s for a gym and that she’s meeting with the owner of the chain to possibly host a workout video for them, too.

Diverting the conversation away from herself, she sips her drink and asks, “Can you sit with me for a minute?”

After making sure the lobby is empty enough and double-checking with Posey that she’s got everything under control, I go to a back table with Dakota. I can’t stop staring at her hair; it looks so different, so good. I glance at the kitten on her sweatshirt. It’s a little white furball of a cat wearing a pair of hipster glasses. It’s a good distraction.

“Nora came to get the last of her stuff from our place this morning,” she says.

Please tell me that she didn’t come here today to fight about Nora again.

I stare at the door and she speaks up before I do.

“I thought for sure you two would be together by now. It surprised me that she had that driver with her. I don’t know why she’s living so far from the city.”

I haven’t really been able to stop thinking about what Nora’s been up to in the last month. I feel like I knew she was going to start spending more time in her Scarsdale mansion.

I’ve found that the more I think about her, the longer the days get.

“Yeah, where else would she go?”

I wonder if Nora has come to a resolution with her husband and his family? Has Stausey had her baby? Is Nora sitting in a big, empty house with him? I’m not jealous; I feel awful for everyone involved. It’s such a tricky situation, and I honestly commend her for her strength. I’ve always thought of myself as strong, but I’m merely aluminum compared to Nora’s titanium.

“Good point.” Dakota pulls one of her legs up onto the chair. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”

Here we go . . .

I smile noncommittally. “Is that so?”

Dakota shakes her head, and I’m so used to her bouncy curls floating around her head that it’s sort of weird looking at her with her hair straightened. “Not like that.” Then she nudges me.

When I look up, Posey is staring at me from behind the counter. Our eyes meet, and she quickly