Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin [94]
She twirls one last time and then joins me in the elevator.
On the ride up, she waves and blows kisses into the security camera, just in case Jose is watching.
When we get into my apartment, I immediately turn down the volume on my answering machine and switch off my cell phone in case Dex calls. Then I change into shorts and a T-shirt and give Darcy clothes to wear.
"Can I have your Naperville High shirt instead? So it will feel like old times."
I tell her that it is in the wash, and she will have to make do with my "1989 Indy 500" T-shirt. She says it is good enough, as it reminds her of home too.
I brush my teeth, floss, and wash my face as she sits on the edge of my tub and talks to me about the party, how much fun it was. We trade places. Darcy washes her face and then asks if she can use my toothbrush. I say yes even though I think it's disgusting to share with anyone. Even Dex. Okay, maybe not Dex, but anyone else. Through a mouthful of toothpaste, she remarks that she is not drunk, or even very buzzed, which is surprising considering the amount of alcohol we consumed. I tell her it must be all the meat we ate.
She spits into the sink. "Ugh. Don't remind me. I probably gained five pounds tonight."
"No way. Think of how much you burned off dancing and sweating."
"Good point!" She rinses her mouth, splashing water everywhere, before she leaves the bathroom.
"Are you all ready for bed?" I ask, wiping up her mess with a towel.
She turns and watches me, unapologetic. "No. I want to stay up and talk."
"Can we at least get in bed and talk?"
"If we keep the light on. Otherwise you'll fall asleep."
"All right," I say.
We get in bed. Darcy is closer to the window, on Dexter's side of the bed. Thank goodness I changed my sheets this morning.
We are facing each other, our bent knees touching.
"What should we discuss first?" she asks.
"You choose."
I brace myself for wedding talk, but instead she starts a long gossip session about the girls at the parry, what everyone wore, Tracy's new short haircut, Jocelyn's struggle with bulimia, Claire's incessant name-dropping.
We talk about Hillary not showing up for her party. Of course, Darcy is red-hot mad about that. "Even if she is in love, she should have blown off Julian for one night."
Of course, I can't tell her that the real reason for Hillary's boycott has nothing to do with a new boyfriend.
Then we are on to Ethan. She wants to know if he's gay. She is always speculating about this, proffering flimsy bits of evidence: he played four square with the girls in grade school, he took home ec in high school instead of industrial arts, he has a lot of women friends, he dresses well, and he hasn't dated anyone since Brandi. I tell her no, that I am almost completely certain that he's not gay.
"How do you know?"
"I just don't think he is."
"There's nothing wrong with it if he is," Darcy says.
"I know that, Darce. I just don't think he is gay."
"Bisexual?"
"No."
"So you really don't think he's ever made out with another guy?"
"No!" I say.
"I have trouble picturing Ethan touching some guy's penis too."
"Enough," I say.
"Okay. Fine. What is your latest analysis on Marcus?"
"He's growing on me," I say, for added insurance—just in case she has the slightest intuition about my feelings for Dex.
"He is? Since when?"
"I kissed him on Saturday night," I say, and instantly regret it. She will tell Dex.
"You did? I thought you went out with Hillary and Julian on Saturday night."
"I did. But I met up with Marcus afterward… for a few drinks. It was no big deal, really."
"Did you go back to his place?"
"No. Nothing like that."
"So where did you kiss him?"
"At Aubette."
"And that was it? You only kissed?"
"Yeah. What do you think, we had sex at Aubette? Jeez."
"Well, this is noteworthy… I thought things had sort of tapered off with you two. So can you see yourself marrying him?"
I laugh. This is classic Darcy—taking a little bit of information and running like crazy with it.
"Why are you laughing? Is he not marriage material?"
"I don't know. Maybe… Now