Seeing that I remained unmoved, something else seemed to occur to her, and she broke into a grin.
"Also, I just grabbed that nightgown at random. I had no idea the slit in the back was that high. Nearly gave me a heart attack—I almost lost face in front of all the guys."
"But it was really comfortable to wear. Like wearing nothing at all. Send me the link? I want to buy one too."
I shook my head calmly.
"He bought it. I don't have the link."
Laura froze for a moment, her smile stiffening.
"Jeffrey bought it? I never would have guessed. He looks so proper on the surface, but apparently he's into this kind of risqué stuff in private."
"No wonder he wouldn't accept those boxers I gave him when I lost that game of Truth or Dare. If I'd known, I would've gone with leopard print."
That was last Valentine's Day.
My relationship with Jeffrey had already hit rock bottom.
He had never been one to back down, but out of nowhere, he invited me to dinner at my favorite restaurant.
When the dishes arrived, I felt a rare flicker of the warmth we used to share.
Then the door to our private room burst open. Laura led a group of people inside, pushing an ugly cake, singing "Happy Breakup," and setting off party poppers.
Jeffrey wore a helpless smile—he had clearly known about this.
In an instant, the soft violin music, the candlelight on the table, the exquisite food—all of it became a joke.
Laura pulled out a pair of matching couple's underwear from behind her back and announced with a bold laugh: "A bet's a bet. We've warmed up the party for you, and I've left my gift right here. The only question is whether you've got the guts to accept it."
And just like that, she left.
She didn't even wait for me to throw the water in my hand.
So I threw it at Jeffrey instead, and slapped him across the face for good measure.
He pressed his lips together impatiently. "It was from that game of Truth or Dare last time. Laura lost and asked me to help her out."
"You know how she is—always causing a scene. She's your friend too. What's there to be upset about?"
Right. Before I met Jeffrey, I thought Laura would be my best friend for life.
We'd shared the same pair of jeans, sipped from the same cup of bubble tea with one straw, whispered our deepest secrets to each other in the quiet of the night.
But I eventually realized we had very different definitions of what we meant to each other.