On an Edge of Glass

our table, Drew does a double-take and stops abruptly.
    He points at me and shuts one eye like he’s trying to place me.  “Ellie, right?”
    I nod my head twice.  “Hi Drew.  And, Lily, how are you?”
    “ Sorry, but do I know you?”  She asks, shaking her head a bit.  Her dark hair swishes against her golden skin.  I notice that today she’s wearing another skirt that is so short she must have found it in the toddler section of a department store. 
    “ Sort of.  I’m Ben’s roommate.  We met that night at the—”
    She interrupts me.  “Oh, that’s right.  It was dark and I was distracted.  You know how those things go.  It’s nice to see you again.”
    “Actually,” I say , gesturing to Payton and Ainsley.  “All three of us are Ben’s roommates.”
    “Well, isn’t that g ood for you,” she says with a condescending smile.  My stomach flips over and I realize that I hate her.  I hate her because of the way that she hurt Ben, who is so full of love and light.  I hate that she took even one bit of that from him.  And, I hate the smug look on her face. 
    Payton angles her head and grins artfully.  “In all honestly, we’re more than Ben’s roommates.  We’re all sleeping with him and, truth be told, the sex is incredible.  Well, I suppose that you would know that already.”  She ends her proclamation with an elusive shrug.
    I half-gag on a sip of water.  Ainsley’s blue eyes widen.  Drew’s eyebrows lift about five feet in the air.  Mark claps his hands and laughs raucously. 
    Lily looks like she’s ready to throw Payton into the patio fountain, but before she says or does anything, Drew pulls her away from our table and out the door. 
    “That was interesting ,” Mark manages finally when they’re out of range of hearing.
    “You are a terrible person,” I tell Payton, but I don’t really mean it.  I can’t keep the smile off my face. 
    She giggles.  “That bitch deserved it.”
                  Ainsley’s mouth is pursed into an oval shape.  “Well, she’s definitely an awful human being, but she’s really quite pretty.  I’ll give her that much.”
                  Payton scoffs and narrows her eyes.  “I know girls like that.  Trust me.  She’s got venom for blood and a shard of ice where her heart should be.  Plus,” she says as she tosses her head to one side, “I don’t think she’ll age very well.”
                  Mark lifts his glass of ouzo in the air.  “Cheers to that!”

CHAPTER TWELVE
    Making it on the Milky Way
     
     
    My strategy while getting ready for my date with Ben is not very well-developed because I’m still mystified as to where we’re going.  The only thing he told me was to be ready at six.  An instruction that leaves me conflicted about what clothes to wear.  I don’t know if we’re going to be inside or outside, or if the place he’s taking me to is fancy or casual or somewhere in between.  This is a situation made all the more maddening by the fact that Ben is just one room away from me and has the answers to all of my questions.
    F inally, after staring into my closet for the better part of a century, I decide that wearing a dress seems a tad presumptuous, so I settle on a pair of stretchy jeans, a long-sleeved top with some embellishments around the collar, and my dressiest boots—the ones with the narrow heel and the side zipper.   
    Since this is a n official date, I’ve opted not do my hair or makeup in the bathroom across the hall, where I run the risk of bumping into Ben.  Instead, I’ve brought all of the necessary primping tools into my bedroom.  As the late afternoon turns my window panes to an incandescent yellow gold, I sit on the floor of my bedroom in front of a long mirror that I’ve propped against the wall.  Methodically, I smooth out my hair with a large paddle brush and my hairdryer until it falls like a silky veil over my shoulders.  Using an angled makeup brush, I put on a sparkly chestnut eyeshadow.  Next, I line the top lids and add an extra coat of mascara to my lashes to brighten up my eyes.
    The knock at my door comes a few minutes early.  I turn to the mirror one last time, pressing my lips together to even out my lip gloss. I’ve chosen a deep red shade because it matches the stitching in the floral detail on my shirt.  Mark would be proud if he could see me now.
    I open the door and Ben is there, in the half-light of