The Queen's Dilemma

Ch. 9: Uncertainty

Rani was about to take a huge bite out of the double stuffed crust pizza.

"Friends. You could've asked him out and gotten back at Holly, but no," Lily groaned, dragging out the 'no'. "You just had to become friends."

Rani put the pizza slice down. It'd take some time for her to be able to enjoy the fat slice of pizza, with banana peppers and jalapenos dotting it. Mozzarella oozed from the crust.

"It's definitely a step up from her avoiding him," Lou Ann interjected. "I think it's great hon. At least you're trying to get out of your shell and get to know him."

It was the second Wine night with the ladies, and they were at Nandini's place. Charlie was glued to the TV again, watching a Judd Apatow comedy and giggling.

Dede shook her head. "You should've just jumped his bones Rani when you could've. Now you're in the friend zone."

"Excuse me?" she asked them. "I can't date him. He looks exactly like my ex! I'd feel bad, like I was using him or something. Besides, I don't think anyone 'jumps a guy's bone' these days."

Charlie piped in. "Yeah Dede. That's disgusting."

The other ladies cracked up, and Dede pouted and stuck her tongue out at the teenager.

Nandu smiled and cleared her throat. "I don't see a problem with you dating him. I mean, you're both obviously interested in each other. I think it'd be great for the two of you, but it's your choice at the end of the day. We'll only be here to tease you."

"Well, I don't think it'd be good," Rani said firmly. "Holly scares me. Well, more like intimidates me, but yeah."

An awkward silence filled the room, like thick fog, broken only by the musings of Seth Rogen on the TV.

Dede muttered, "Can't blame you there. She made my life a hellhole back in high school. She put the 'B' in Queen B and bully."

Lily nodded too, but unlike Dede, who had an angry expression, her's look more worried.

"Why're all of you so sure about making me get together with him?" Rani asked. "Have you talked to him about it?"

Only Nandini spoke. "We have...he thinks you're afraid of him."

Rani's blood sucked away from her face, and she grit her teeth. "Yeah, my fault again."

The night Matt and she had talked had changed things, but she still found it difficult to not let fear consume her whenever she did run into him.

Lou Ann spoke up again, hiccupping as she did so. She'd eaten too many jalapeno poppers too fast. "Well—hic—you're friends. That's the first—hic—step. It's not that hard to—hic—move out of the friendzone you know."

"Yes, it is. Especially with the way I treated him." Especially with how insecure she was.

Lily spoke up, though more softly than usual. "Well, the main reason why we're wanting you two to get together is because of Holly. I have no idea why she's back. And I haven't seen her in town as of lately since that time at the store. I just don't want her meeting Matt again. They were together for so long; those kinds of relationships, when you end them, a piece of it doesn't leave you."

Lily's voice trailed off like she'd remembered something ugly, and her face contorted as if she were trying to hide her emotions. She scrunched up her nose like someone had let out a fart.

"Well, let's just take our time and see what happens," Rani said.

The meeting was adjourned, and the ladies turned their attention to the TV and the stuffed crust pizza Nandini had bought.