There's Something About Sweetie

by Sandhya Menon

  “What’s the big deal?” Elijah said, standing up suddenly. “You’re here at the same time I am. It’s the same thing as being in a freaking car for twenty freaking minutes, Oliver.”

  Oliver set his textbook down with a slam. Ashish tried not to wince; if the glass of that tabletop cracked, Ma would have his head. Not that that was important when his two best friends were having a lovers’ quarrel, obviously. It was just a random, errant thought that deserved no more airtime.

  He surreptitiously slid the textbook over with his pinkie to check. Yessss. Crack-free.

  “I didn’t know you were going to be here!” Oliver said, his cheeks aflame. He always got really red when he was mad. Uh-oh. Ashish met Samir’s eye across the balcony and tried to telepathically convey: Crap. What do we do now?

  Pinky smiled and held up her hands. “Hey, guys, chill. Let’s all just sit around—”

  “You told me it was just going to be the four of us,” Oliver said to her, his eyes going all dark and cloudy.

  “And you told me Oliver couldn’t make it,” Elijah said, glaring at her.

  She folded her hands and put them in her lap. “Oops,” she said, forcing the fakest-sounding chuckle of all time. “I guess I got mixed up.”

  Elijah shook his head. “How do you get freaking ‘mixed up’ with somethi—”

  “Oh my God!” Samir said suddenly, throwing himself off the chair and onto the floor.

  Everyone stopped and stared at him.

  “What the heck are you doing?” Oliver asked finally.

  Samir looked around at all of them. “It felt like … like a charley horse or something on my leg. …” He massaged his thigh unconvincingly. “Er … it seems to have gone away now.”

  “Good. I’d hate it if you died from a charley horse,” Ashish said loudly, glaring at Samir. Did he really think that was going to distract Elijah and Oliver from their fight? The dude was deluded. If his big plan to get them back together was of the same caliber as this move … RIP, Elijah and Oliver’s relationship.

  Oliver sighed and picked up his textbook. “I’m out. See you guys.”

  “Oliver, wait,” Ashish said. Seeing his friends like this made him feel like he’d eaten some of Gita Kaki’s (in)famous aloo palak. “You don’t have to go.”

  Oliver tossed a glance at Elijah. “No, I really do,” he said. “I’ll text you later.”

  Elijah exhaled when the French doors had closed behind Oliver. He sat back down on the settee, his head in his hands. “He can’t even stand to be in the same space as me. If you’d have told me that even a month ago, I would’ve called you an idiot.”

  Pinky put her hand on his shoulder as Samir dusted his pants off and took his seat again, looking completely upset for Elijah. Ashish knew how he felt.

  “I still love him, you know,” Elijah said, putting his elbows on his thighs and looking down at the floor. “These past couple of weeks have been hell. I can’t sleep. I can’t concentrate.” He glanced at Ashish. “You saw how I was at last practice.”

  It was true. Elijah’s head hadn’t been in the game at all, and everyone could tell. If Oliver saw, though, he just ignored it. “If you feel so awful,” Ashish asked softly, dragging a chair over, “why don’t you just tell him? Just lay it all out?” Ashish scratched the back of his neck as his words filtered down to Elijah. Being up front wasn’t always the best option. If anyone knew that, he did. Feeling like a hypocrite, he added, “Um, you know, if you want to.”

  Elijah laughed a little. “Man, I am really happy for you that you’ve found love or whatever. But being honest isn’t always the way to go with the object of your affections.”

  “No, I actually totally get that,” Ashish mumbled. Man, the day he could put this whole Celia thing behind him couldn’t come fast enough.

  Elijah continued as if Ashish hadn’t spoken. “Especially when he seems to hate your guts.”

  “What if it’s just a front, though?” Samir asked. “Sometimes people put up these fake walls because they’re afraid. Maybe Oliver just wants you to make the first move.”

  Pinky looked at Samir and smiled a little. She was probably remembering the same conversation Ashish was—the one they’d had with Samir in his room. “Have you tried calling him?” she asked Elijah.

  “No. Picked up the phone a million times, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I just keep going back to the day when he accused me—me—of cheating on him. How he just wouldn’t believe me.” Elijah shook his head and scratched his chest. “I’ve never given him a reason to not trust me. And for him to just dismiss the past two years like that …”

  “Do you still feel like you’re too young to be in the relationship with him?” Ashish asked gently. “Like what you said the day you guys broke up?”

  Elijah smirked. “That’s the funny thing. I did feel like that, but then what you said kept replaying in my head, Ash. Most people spend their lifetimes looking for something like this, you know? If it felt wrong, it’d be another thing, but Oliver and I belong together, like …” He trailed off, his eyes on the horizon, preoccupied with memories. “Anyway,” he said, seeming to come to. “What does it matter if he won’t even be in the same room as me, right?”

  “But—” Pinky began.

  Elijah held up a hand. “I want to forget about what just happened, please.”

  “Okay,” Pinky said softly, putting her skinny arm around his broad shoulders. “Okay, Elijah.”

  They were subdued after that. Ashish caught Samir looking thoughtfully at Elijah a couple of times. He’d have to ask him what that was about. He’d been pretty secretive about it, but Ashish wondered if the look had anything to do with Samir’s plan to reconcile them.

  Ashish had been surprised how much Samir had changed since their talk in his room. He’d stopped being such a jerk and was actually pretty cool now. And he and Pinky had even hung out together a couple of times without killing each other, which should probably go in Guinness World Records or something.

  His phone buzzed. Fishing it out, Ashish saw a text message from Oliver. This sucks

  He typed quickly, Yeah sorry man

  Is E upset? Or glad that I left?

  He doesn’t want to talk about it so I’d say upset

  Good

  You don’t mean that

  The response came back after a long pause. No I don’t

  Still coming to Band Night?

  Yeah I’ll be there.

  Okay. I’ll give you a ride. The others can ride with E

  Thanks man. See you tomorrow

  It was like watching Romeo and Juliet—er, Julius—fight. They were meant to be together; why the heck couldn’t they see what the rest of the world saw?

  Shaking his head, Ashish pulled up the Flowers2U app and placed an order. He was just slipping his phone back into his pocket when it buzzed again.

  Celia: Tomorrow at 9:30?

  Ashish took a deep breath. This is it, Ash. This is your chance for closure. Yep

  Can’t wait. I miss you

  We need to talk

  Yes we do, gotta go but I’ll see you then

  Ashish set the phone on the table and looked off into the distance. Tomorrow. There’d be a lot to say tomorrow.

  “Who was that?” Pinky asked, coming to grab another glass of lemonade.

  “The Ghost of Christmas Past,” Ashish said, turning back to his books.

  Demonic possession. That was the only explanation. That was the only reason she, Sweetie Nair, would conceivably have signed on for this.

  She stood off to the side with Kayla, Suki, and Izzy. The other bands were already there, and Roast Me was buzzing with an excited, suppressed energy. Every chair in the place was full (the owner, Andre, had put in at least three dozen chairs, and people were even standing at the back, coffee cups in their hands, grinning like nothing was wrong—like Sweetie wasn’t just realizing she’d made the worst mistake of her life). She turned to Izzy, her eyes wide, and gras
ped her friend’s arm.

  “I can’t do it,” she said, her heart thumping. Sweat was breaking out on her upper lip. Ew. “I’m sorry, Izzy.” Kayla and Suki, hearing her tone, turned, frowning. “And I’m sorry to all of you. You’re like sisters to me, but even that has a limit. Even blood has a limit. And someone’s going to be bleeding if I have to go up there, okay?” She laughed hysterically and jabbed a thumb at the stage.

  Kayla pushed past Izzy and put her strong hands on Sweetie’s shoulders. “Breathe,” she commanded, looking Sweetie straight in the eye. Kayla was wearing black sparkly eyeliner and bright-fuchsia lipstick, with studded leather pants and a glittery top. She looked amazing and totally at home here. Unlike Sweetie. “You’re going to be fine. I promise. You’ve been singing since you were a snotty five-year-old who could barely hold her scissors straight, and you’ve been blowing people away with your voice since just about then.”

  Sweetie smoothed her red-and-white polka-dotted dress down. On Kayla’s insistence, she’d worn a black lace tutu underskirt with it, which peeked out the bottom. Now she was afraid it looked like she was trying too hard. “But those people—”

  “You look amazing,” Suki said from beside Kayla, reading her thoughts. “I mean, like, totally retro glam chic.” Suki had dyed her hair a pale lavender and wore a long-sleeved sheer black lace top with deep-purple sparkly jeans. She looked like a runway model and didn’t give fashion compliments easily, which instantly made Sweetie feel better.

  “Thanks,” she said, smiling. “You guys look gorgeous, too. All of you.” Sweetie gave Izzy a quick squeeze around the waist.

  Izzy was dressed in a light-pink floral dress, which she’d paired with combat boots. Her curly blond hair was in two thick braids. “I don’t think I know anyone else who could pull off what you’re wearing,” Sweetie told her friend, and was rewarded by that warm, braces-accented smile she knew almost as well as her own.

  Izzy laughed. “I got the idea from Pinterest.”

  “Well, it’s freaking fabulous. We’re freaking fabulous.” Sweetie was relaxed now, she realized. She gathered her friends in a group hug. “I love you guys. This is going to be all right, right?”

  “Better than—oh,” Suki said, raising an eyebrow. “Incoming hottie, on your six.”

  Her friends melted away just as Sweetie turned to see Ashish striding toward her dressed in a button-down green shirt and dark jeans, that cocky smile on his face, his eyes lit up like neon signs. She grinned, feeling her heart leap in her chest. God, he was handsome. The way the shirt strained against his shoulders, the way those jeans hung from slender hips … Okay, eyes up, Sweetie.

  He took her hands and kissed them gently, one at a time. Sweetie concentrated on not swooning. “You … look … incredible,” he said, letting go of one of her hands to stroke her cheek. “Wow. That eyeliner … that lipstick … that dress …” He shook his head. “Wow,” he said again.

  Sweetie trilled a laugh. “I’m gonna have to start wearing this outfit more often. But seriously, you don’t look so bad yourself.” She gestured at his body and then leaned in close, putting her nose right up against his neck, thrilling in the way his breath caught in his throat at the contact. “And you smell really good too,” she said in a voice that was just slightly husky.

  “You saying I usually stink?” Ashish asked, and then laughed. “I wore some cologne tonight. You know, this being a special event and everything.”

  “I’m honored,” Sweetie said, putting one hand to her chest. Ashish’s eyes lingered at the cleavage highlighted by the sweetheart neckline of the dress, but he made a valiant effort to bring them back to her eyes. She knew the feeling.

  “So, you nervous?” he asked. “Because you don’t need to be, you know. Your voice is … gilded.”

  “Gilded? Have you been reading the thesaurus again?” Sweetie asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Enthralling,” Ashish said, stepping in closer. She could feel his body heat swirling around her like a luxurious blanket. Her head almost swam with desire. “Just like you.” He touched his lips to her throat, lightly. “I really like you,” he whispered against her skin.

  She couldn’t speak for a full three seconds. “Obviously.” She’d tried for a debonair, nonchalant voice, but it came out as a squeak.

  Ashish pulled back and grinned at her. “Obviously.” Kissing her knuckles again, he asked, “So what time’s your set?”

  She blinked at the change in topic and then laughed. “Why, you got someplace important to be?”

  He didn’t laugh. Sweetie’s smile faded. “Um, at nine.”

  He nodded, drumming his hands on his thigh. “Okay. I, uh, have somewhere to be at nine thirty, so you might not see me right after. I’m sorry.” He seemed nervous suddenly, on edge.

  Sweetie frowned, a little disappointed. “Oh, well, that’s okay. At least you get to see me sing, right?”

  His face relaxed into a small smile and his eyes warmed up, like he was really seeing her again. “Right. Hey, let’s take a selfie together.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and Sweetie scooted in close to him.

  They both smiled huge, goofy smiles. Sweetie smothered a laugh; she hadn’t realized she was smiling that big, and she didn’t think Ashish had either. They were both just really, really, almost drug-induced-level happy. The last time she’d felt this floaty was when she had a root canal and the dentist gave her some laughing gas.

  I’m so incredibly lucky, she thought as the phone made its clicking shutter sound. We’re so lucky.

  “Yo, Ash!” Pinky’s voice cut through the crowd. Standing on tiptoes, Sweetie saw her at the counter at the far end of the room. “It’s buy-one-get-one with Frequently Caffed cards tonight! I need yours!”

  Ashish rolled his eyes. “What happened to yours?” he shouted back.

  “Left it at home! Pleeeease?”

  “Seriously?” he muttered, setting his phone down on the table to get out his wallet. “Pinky’s got a caffeine problem.” He turned to Sweetie and smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

  She grinned. “Okay.”

  It was only when his phone beeped that she realized he’d left it behind. Her eyes automatically went to the screen.

  Sweetie froze, the floaty feeling gone; her heart dropped like a hunk of cold lead. It was a text from Celia.

  Can’t wait to see you at Bedwell. 3 more hours. <3

  I’m wearing my red halter … same as that one time ;)

  It beeped again, but Sweetie forced herself to look away. She didn’t want to see any more. She didn’t need to see any more.

  CHAPTER 27

  Sweetie was turning away, numb, when she felt a big hand on top of her head. Her heart racing, she turned, expecting to find Ashish, but saw Oliver smiling at her instead. “Heyyy, girl. Ready for your big night?”

  “Yeah—but wait.” She frowned. “Did you just palm my head?”

  Oliver’s grin turned sheepish. “Sorry about that. Hazards of being a ballplayer, you know. Any circular object, you just wanna …” He made a palming motion with his hand and then waved it off. “Anyway. You look amazing, by the way.”

  Sweetie managed a watery smile. “Thanks.”

  Oliver frowned. “You okay?”

  “Oh, yeah, totally.” She picked up Ashish’s phone with as straight a face as she could manage. “Could you give this to Ashish? He left it on the table. And, um, just tell him you found it. Okay?”

  Oliver paused and then nodded. “Yeah, all right. Hey, if there’s anything you want to ta—”

  “No, I’m good.” She took a deep breath and put a hand on his arm. “So, how are you doing? With the whole breakup thing?”

  Oliver shrugged, looking over her head at something for a moment. “Ah. You know. It sucks. It hurts. I keep expecting it to go away, to get better with time, but it’s just gotten worse. I miss him like a … like a freaking limb or something.” He cleared his throat and smiled at her, a broken thing. “Do I sound p
athetic or what?”

  Sweetie squeezed his arm. “Not pathetic. Just like someone in love.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, what’s the difference?”

  She raised her eyebrows and nodded. He had a point.

  Kayla, Suki, and Izzy came up then. “Hey, we’ve got to go over to the band area,” Suki said. “The first band’s about to start their set.”

  “That’s my cue,” Oliver said. “Break a leg, girls!” He turned and melted away into the crowd.

  “Where’s Ashish?” Izzy said.

  Sweetie’s smile faded as her heart thumped brokenly in her chest. “Oh, getting Pinky two-for-one coffees with his Frequently Caffed card. Don’t ask,” she forced herself to say in a normal voice, seeing Izzy’s eyebrows knit together. “Apparently, Pinky’s got a caffeine addiction.”

  “Well, do you want to wait for him for a couple of minutes?” Kayla asked.

  “No,” Sweetie said. “I’d rather not, actually.”

  She began to walk toward the band area on the right side of the coffee house.

  “Wait, wait, what happened?” Kayla asked behind her.

  Sweetie kept walking. “Don’t want to talk about it.”

  She could practically feel the looks the three of them were exchanging behind her back.

  “Did he hurt you?” Suki asked when they’d all come to a stop in the band area, her eyes sparking. “Because I will kick his—”

  “No, he didn’t hurt me. I just … I just want to forget about it for tonight, though, okay?”

  The three of them nodded reluctantly.

  A guy grabbed Kayla around her waist and she spun around, smiling. “Antwan! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be over there, with the plebes.”

  The tall black boy in hipster glasses laughed. “Plebe? Ouch. Don’t forget who you’re taking to prom.”

  Prom. The word settled in Sweetie’s heart like a splinter in soft flesh. Why had Ashish bothered to do all of that, to ask her to prom, if he was still messing around with Celia? Why bother to go on these four dates at all if he was still seeing her? He’d put so much effort into telling her how he really felt, that his heart still belonged to Celia. And then, more recently, that he really liked her, Sweetie. Had she misread all his signals? Had she been completely foolish and starry eyed, like the dating amateur she was? Or … was it all a ploy? She remembered those dirtbags talking about how fat girls were easy. Was that all this was? Had Ashish been playing her the entire time?