As A Friend

13: Horses Are Creepy

"This might be a stupid question," Kat begins awkwardly as we exit Math club. "But is Dominic dating at the moment?" The question catches me off guard and I suddenly feel a ping of hurt. She knows I like him. What is she talking about? I blink a few times and she looks at me and immediately starts backtracking. "No, no, no, not like that! I was just thinking that maybe we can hang out and I can maybe get a feel of whether or not he likes you. I'm pretty good at sensing those things and maybe you can play it off that I'm interested in him."

"Oh..." my mouth open and closes as if absorbing relief. I really thought she was going to turn out to be fake. "No he's not actively dating but I can figure something out."

"Okay." There's a brief silence and she feels the need to continue, "no offense to him...or you, but he's definitely not my type."

"I get it. Are you free tonight? He and I are supposed to be grabbing dinner together but I don't think he'll mind if I invite you." He only thinks of you as his replacement.

"Sure, totally. What time?" she follows up and I squint as I try to remember.

"7." That gives her two hours. That's enough time to get ready, right? Is she going to bother getting ready? She already looks like a model. I want to yank at my hair. What if Dominic thinks she's cute and shows interest?

Of course Dominic is going to think she's cute! She is cute! She's tall and lean with long legs and wavy blonde hair. Her eyes are big and are a shade of brown that reminds me of coffee. Her smile is charming and she's such a positive person that you can't help but be happy around her. They'll bond over their shared love of sports and animals and they'll eventually fall in love. Or worse, they'll become friends and then best friends who eventually fall in love and I'll be displaced completely. Oh no, this is a bad idea.

"Where? Is it at one of the dining halls or-?" I cut her off.

"It's a restaurant not too far from here. I can send you the address," I reply in an attempt to be casual. Don't let her know you're threatened by her. "Do you want to ride with us or are you cool with driving there?

"I'll drive," she smiles before pointing outside. "I've got to take a shower. See you later."

When she disappears, I find myself rubbing at my eyes with my palms anxiously. On an undramatic note, she's so pretty; what if he flirts with her? My heart will shatter right at that dinner table. I should've told her that this is a bad idea. I stare at her small retreating figure contemplating whether or not I should cancel when I decide against it. At least after tonight I'll have a better idea of my standing with Dominic.

I decide to let him in on the plans for the night, seeing as he is the one that set things up. I fish my phone out of my pocket and press his contact. He doesn't answer the first time so I call once more. He answers, sounding breathless. I close my eyes to purify my thoughts as he exhales a greeting. "Um...am I interrupting something?" I feel the familiar fire-pit start up in my stomach.

"No, no, I was just finishing a workout." Nice.

"With a girl?" I joke and he laughs.

"No, at the gym. While you're out and about on your dates, I decided to get back to the gym," he says matter-of-factly. "So I was just finishing a workout with weights and treadmills and whatnot." I smirk to myself as I imagine him sweaty and breathing heavily; this causes the fire in my gut to burn harder, which isn't helping me to focus on the conversation. "Nova?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry." My cheeks burn a little. "I just wanted to let you know that I invited someone to our dinner."

"I swear, if you invited Elias-," he attempts to complain but I cut him off quickly.