Better Off Friends

He shrugged. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t want to play.”

“I know, but look around. You’re at a party and Keith invited you.”

“He invited everybody.”

“But at least you’re here. And he’s ribbing you. Isn’t that the bro way of being friendly?”

“The bro way.” He laughed.

“You know, how guys show affection. Or mark their turf. Kind of like how dogs pee on something to let you know it’s theirs.”

“Do you have any idea of what you’re talking about?”

“Of course not,” I admitted. “But does it at least make you feel a little better?”

“Yeah, just a little.”

I elbowed him playfully. “Well, that will not do. Clearly my job here is not done. Let me count the ways that you’re a stud.”

“Wait, wait.” Levi pulled out his phone. “I need to record this. I may even make it my ringtone.”

I grabbed his phone and spoke directly into the mic. “I, Macallan Marion Dietz, do hereby swear that Levi Rodgers is a total manly man, the ultimate bro. Reason number one, he does a mean British accent. Reason number two, he knows to always compliment a lady’s cooking skills. Um, reason number three. Um …”

“Nice.” He grabbed his phone back. “You can’t even come up with three reasons?”

“See, there are just so many reasons, my poor brain is on overload.”

“Good save.”

“Phew!” I wiped my brow dramatically.

“Hey!” Danielle approached us. “I didn’t see you guys come in. But then I saw your dates outside and figured you were doing that thing you do.”

Danielle could read the nonverbal exchange Levi and I shared. “Let me guess. You didn’t realize your dates left.”

I grimaced.

She shook her head. “You guys are too much.”

“Clearly,” Levi and I said in unison.

“Well, may I suggest that you take your party outside and keep your dates company?”

“Thanks!” I gave Danielle a quick hug before she returned to her marching band friends.

Levi and I went to the glass patio door and saw Carrie and Ian leaning against the deck railing. Ian was telling some story that was making Carrie laugh.

“Well, at least they’re having a good time,” Levi remarked. “In fact, it looks like they’re having a better time now than they did at di

“Levi.” I stopped him from opening the door. “I think that maybe it’s not the best idea for us to go on double dates.”

He nodded. “I know. It’s hard to throw anybody into our mix. I don’t want to mess things up with Carrie.”

“You and I will still hang out. I’m only saying that maybe date night should just be date night. Not forcing our dates to put up with the two of us.”

Levi’s gaze was fixed straight ahead. His jaw was tightly clenched.

“Levi?”

When he didn’t respond, I followed his stare. Ian moved closer to Carrie and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She blushed, but leaned into him. He then put his arm around her.

“Are they flirting?” I gasped out. There was no way this was happening.

Levi and I remained frozen as we watched Ian and Carrie get closer and closer. He said something else that made her laugh. She twirled a piece of hair with her finger. Then he leaned farther into her. Her smile dropped. They were studying each other. Intensely.

I recognized that look on Ian. He tilted his head and put his index finger up to her chin.

This was so not happening.

“I can’t …” Levi’s pained voice snapped me into action.

I slid the glass door so quickly it rattled.

“How could you?” I found myself in front of Carrie. I know I should’ve been more upset with Ian, but at that moment I was furious at Carrie. Levi had been on a few dates with her, he’d asked her to come hang out with his friends and go to a party he was invited to, and this was how she repaid him?

Carrie shrank from me. But Ian stepped closer. “Are you being serious right now?” I’d never seen him mad before. But he was mad now.

“Are you being serious right now?” I threw back.

He looked at me with disgust. “Do you realize how messed up this is? You’re mad at Carrie? Do you even care about me? You know what — you don’t need to answer that. It’s clear that your only concern is Levi, not your boyfriend. No, wait, your former boyfriend.”

“Let me make sure I’m getting this straight.” My mind was trying to keep up with everything that had happened in the past few minutes. “You were flirting with another girl. If I hadn’t stepped in, you were probably going to kiss another girl. You were going to cheat on me. Yet you’re mad at me? And you’re breaking up with me?”

“Do you have any idea how much this hurts me?” Ian’s voice cracked, and I could tell it was completely genuine. I felt awful. Maybe I had hurt him. But I certainly knew I didn’t do anything that justified cheating.

“How are you putting this on me?” Confusion swirled around in my head. Ian and I had never fought. Not once. We were talking about going into Milwaukee for our one-year a

“You know I don’t drink,” he snapped at me. “Maybe I did do this on purpose, for you to see what it’s like to have your boyfriend give another girl all your attention. I really like you, Macallan. But I can’t sit here and play second best to Levi anymore.”

“You wouldn’t think any of this if he was a girl.”

“But he’s not. And that’s the problem. Why don’t you two just go out already?”

This was what it always came down to. The perception that there was no way Levi and I could be legitimately best friends and only friends. Nobody ever got that.

Mostly because those people never had a best friend of the opposite sex.

Or maybe it would be more appropriate to say that none of those people had Levi as a best friend.

“If you’ve had such a problem with it, why are you only saying something now?”

He groaned. “Because I figured that the closer you and I got, the less I’d have to deal with him?”

“Deal with him?”

“You know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Levi’s voice say, “I’m so sorry.” I had forgotten that he and Carrie were there. In fact, a whole crowd had started gathering around the door.

Carrie was hunched over in a clear attempt to disappear. “I should go,” she said quietly.

“I’ll drive you home.” Ian walked into the group of observers with Carrie following behind him.

I heard some clapping. “Dudes,” Keith called out, emerging from the crowd. “I know I can always count on you two for entertainment. If only I had some popcorn! That was insane.”

“Really, Keith?” I asked.

Something in my voice stopped him. “Oh, man, I’m sorry, Macallan.”

I stood there waiting for him to make a sarcastic follow-up comment. But he had a look of actual sympathy on his face. Which made me feel even worse. If Keith felt bad for you, you knew your life must be pathetic.

“Let’s get out of here.” I grabbed Levi by the arm and led us out of the house.

“Um, our ride left,” Levi said with quiet resignation.

“We’ll figure something out.” I opened the door and started walking. “I think fresh air might do us some good.”

Levi stayed uncharacteristically silent for several minutes. I left him alone with his thoughts, as I had a ton of mine to sort out. Mostly, what had just happened? Maybe I was missing some signals. I racked my brain for signs that Ian had been unhappy. He’d made lots of jabs at how much time I spent with Levi and usually pretended to gag whenever I would talk about him. But he was a guy. I’d thought he was teasing me.

Regardless of what I’d done, it didn’t give him any excuse to flirt the second my back was turned. But what made me the most upset was that it had been Levi’s girlfriend. I would’ve thought Ian would’ve wanted Levi to have a girlfriend.