![\"\"](\"http:\/\/darncats.ca\/images\/clanross\/1-25\/01.png\")
<\/a>It’s hard to really call it “the next day” when we didn’t actually sleep.\u00a0There were some brief naps, and I still had a serum that kept be going, but we all really needed to maybe stop drinking and get some food. \u00a0Jade suggested the cafe down the hill, Carla said she was starving, and Caitlyn sat up at the thought of coffee, so off we went.<\/p>\nOh man, I need coffee.<\/p>\n
I hadn’t really met Jade before, although I’d seen her several times at the club. \u00a0Caitlyn seemed to know her, but kept talking about how great Carla was.<\/p>\n
We lost it. \u00a0I think we were still a little drunk.<\/p>\n “It’ll work out,” she said and hugged me. \u00a0I mumbled thanks, but I was thinking less charitable thoughts.<\/p>\n I went home, and napped. \u00a0Maybe I’ll see him again, maybe I’ll avoid him like a hot box of cobras and go live in a cave with that robot from work.<\/p>\n Hours later, I woke to the phone ringing. It was Carla, asking if I wanted to head out for dinner. \u00a0I agreed, thinking that a nice expensive dinner was what I needed right now.<\/p>\n I guess I’d really never talked with her about it, and only complained about Kimberley. \u00a0Oh, and Skylar. \u00a0Shit… Georgia. \u00a0Wow. \u00a0Okay, I see it now.<\/p>\n Carla must have noticed the stunned look in my eyes. \u00a0She smiled sadly.<\/p>\n “Let me guess; Caitlyn’s meddling when she should be listening.”<\/p>\n “I’m sorry…” I started. \u00a0She chuckled.<\/p>\n “No, that’s okay. I’m sorry for assuming. \u00a0She means well, and I guess she thought two of her friends would …”<\/p>\n “Finally be happy?”<\/p>\n “Have what she’s got?”<\/p>\n “Teagan\u00a0is<\/em> really hot.” She almost spat out her … whatever the hell she was eating. \u00a0But we were both laughing.<\/p>\n “To meddling but thoughtful friends.”<\/p>\n chapter 26 …<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Girls, A Park, and Another Assumption It’s hard to really call it “the next day” when we didn’t actually sleep.\u00a0There were some brief naps, and I still had a serum that kept be going, but we all really needed to maybe stop drinking and get some food. \u00a0Jade suggested the cafe down the hill, … Continue reading “Jeanette, Chapter 25”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[33,34,15,32],"class_list":["post-835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ross","category-jeanette","tag-aiden","tag-carla","tag-park","tag-skylar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnefatafl.darncats.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnefatafl.darncats.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnefatafl.darncats.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnefatafl.darncats.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnefatafl.darncats.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=835"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/hnefatafl.darncats.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1227,"href":"https:\/\/hnefatafl.darncats.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835\/revisions\/1227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hnefatafl.darncats.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnefatafl.darncats.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hnefatafl.darncats.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a> I’ll admit, she was a hoot. I think she’s going to be a good friend. She’s quite funny too!<\/p>\n<\/a>“I don’t know what you did, but I stepped on a duck!”<\/p>\nAfter a few hours wandering the park around the cafe, Caitlyn wanted to head over to the park where I’d run into her wife Teagan, and we both met Creepy Guy. \u00a0I didn’t see him this time.<\/p>\n<\/a> I did spot Skyler out for a walk, looking… whoa! \u00a0That kid’s coming in fast.<\/p>\nCaitlyn barbequed up some vegetables, although I really could have used a burger. Apparently Teagan’s a vegetarian, and Caitlyn has … “adjusted”, she said. \u00a0I wondered briefly if there was any meat in the park I could catch with the stuff she’d cooked.<\/p>\nBut it was a great day out with good friends. \u00a0I wondered what Aiden was doing on this sunny Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\nBy the time I’d convinced myself to call him, Caitlyn wandered off to the bar, and a friend of Jade’s had shown up. \u00a0Lacie, I think she said. \u00a0I wasn’t paying too much attention. \u00a0Aiden said was just sitting around the house, and agreed to come down to the park! \u00a0I was really looking forward to this.<\/p>\n<\/a> About 15 minutes later, he arrived. \u00a0Man, he cleans up well. \u00a0He wasn’t wearing those glasses last night, but … yum. \u00a0Kind of a sexy nerd thing going on. \u00a0I’m sure I can talk him out of that ponytail, but …<\/p>\n<\/a> Hey… where’re you going, Aiden?<\/p>\n<\/a>He headed straight down to the playground. \u00a0Seriously? I’M OVER HERE!<\/p>\n He spent the entire time down playing with the kids. \u00a0I don’t *think* any of them were his, it’s just … I don’t know. I guess it’s really nice that he likes kids that much, I just wanted him to spend some time with *me*. \u00a0It was heart-warming and -breaking at the same time.<\/p>\n<\/a> Caitlyn came over to say goodbye for the day, and saw me watching Aiden.<\/p>\n<\/a> He didn’t even wave. \u00a0Or smile at me.<\/p>\n<\/a>Hmph.<\/p>\n After ordering and talking for a few minutes, I realised what was going on. Jeez I’m clueless sometimes. \u00a0Caitlyn had set us up. \u00a0I’ll have to have yet another talk with that woman.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n We talked well into the night, and I think got to know each other well. \u00a0We won’t be dating, but I’m sure we’ll be good friends.<\/p>\nAt least, I hope so. \u00a0I’d hate to lose friends just because I won’t date them. \u00a0That would SUCK.<\/p>\n