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Harlow said she’d meet us at the park

This is the first tiether since my phone call with Mia, and since I found out Harloas upset about e of this shared day off She insisted e all needed was girl time She insisted it wouldn’t be weird

But let’s be honest: I’irl friendships, and Harlow’s te to be weird

It’s a perfect day: the sky is blue with only the fluffiest, most innocent clouds overhead The air is waro it’s heavy with the scent of salt water I want to believe there isn’t any further drama to be found here but even I, a staunchly anti-dra happened

"Everyone’s okay, right?" Lola says, breaking the silence

I can’t tell if she’s asking ood, too!" I chirp

I can feel then and the Prius falls so cohtness of h the car

"We’re all best friends, you know," Lola says, but she waves her hand in a circle, clearly including me "I think that’s just why Harlow flipped She’s cool"

"Good," I say, grinning over at her and deteresture she’s roup as the rest of the out the obvious, that I wasn’t around four, three, or even two years ago when Luke and Mia would have been working through anything Besides, it’s moot anyway, and the

It’s so not a thing

When he’d called ht, I’d been in the middle of an order and had to double-check that it was actually hiet h ad to askmore Sutter? Fred watched me with the most amused expression and I had to turn my back to him, because the look of surprise onht

Luke sounded so sincere that, for a uard I like Luke--which is actually part of the proble him I had to hen I could have si

I’ll call him later, I decide I’ll admit that I panicked, that I wasn’t prepared for hi harsh--that the best he and I can ever hope for is friendship

We pull into the lot and everyone piles out of the car, stretching li faces up into the sun Balboa Park is an enoro The zoo is one of the best in the world, there are le day, but we usually coiant stretches of lawn beneath the brilliant blue sky

We find a shady spot under a towering tree, and spread out a blanket I slip off hto shut my brain off for a few hours

Lola opens the picnic basket and tosses us each a bottle of water before brandishing a s dessert first"

"I do not need a cupcake," I groan, stretching out on the blanket "I polished off an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s when I got ho to straighten her side of the blanket Her dark hair is cut shorter again and skims her jawline as she leans forward It’s a cut ular, maybe even a little harsh--but with her delicate features and crea one of those hats with the beer cans on it and still eous

Mia is of course lovely, but it’s moments like these where I can really see her and Luke as a couple: beautiful, petite, porcelain-doll Mia, and Abercrombie & Fitch Luke who has better cheekbones than any woman I know

"Yeah, Fred’s"