Page 19 of Crash and Burn

He had agirlfriend!

My mind whirled frantically.

Why hadn't he ever said anything? Why had he never mentioned her to me? How long had this been going on? How serious were they? Was this—

"Grant, introduce me to your friends?" Missy asked.

Grant, for his part, looked vaguely bashful as he discreetly wiped her lipstick off his mouth.

"Missy, this is Liz and Mason." He gestured to us. I noticed he left out Mark. Maybe because he couldn't remember his name and didn't want to get it wrong publicly. "Guys, this is Missy. She's a…" He trailed off.

"I'm his girlfriend," she chimed in, beaming again and leaning her head against his shoulder.

The hole in my stomach was widening, overtaking my chest, sucking my heart out into a dark, pitiless void.

"Mason, you mind if I take off a few minutes early?" Grant asked. "I told Missy we could get a really late dinner together."

My fists clenched.

I swear to the high heavens, if he tries to take her toourdiner I will—

"There's a really great twenty-four hour raw-food place I've been wanting to try," Missy said. "Grant's taking me."

"Sure thing," Mason said, casting a side-long glance at me. "Have fun."

"Thanks, man. See you later?" Grant asked as he looked to me.

I couldn't read what the expression on his face was trying to tell me, what those crinkled eyes and that lined brow meant. I'd always been able to read Grant. Not now. Not tonight. Not at that moment.

The dark void must have made its way to my vocal cords because I couldn't speak. I simply nodded and turned my back to them, pretending to go back to cleaning.

Missy chattered at Grant as they left. The door closed behind them.

I put down the cleaning cloth, braced myself against the table and closed my eyes.

What in the world just happened?

All those little signs, all those thoughtful gestures, had they really meant nothing?

A sense of indignation began to fill the hole in my chest.

Had Grant known the signals he'd been giving me? Did he know how I felt? Had he been messing with my head this entire time? Was he stringing me along? Was this a game to him?

I sighed and let my head hang low.

No. That wasn't fair to him. I'd just been reading too much into things.

I'd been seeing what I wanted to see.

The rising ire faded, leaving only that gaping void.

"You okay, Lizzy?" Mason asked, coming up beside me.

I peeled open my eyes.

"Why wouldn't I be?" My voice came out flat.

"I know you and Grant have a…thinggoing on," he said carefully.