WHO: Alicia Spinnet & Angelina Johnson WHAT: Post-#SPADATEORMATEGATE2K17 WHEN: Backdated to December 16 WHERE: Angelicia's!
When Alicia was finally able to leave the spa, she barely delayed long enough to say goodbye and thank Eddie again. The sight of her house around her when she arrived was the most relaxing thing sheâd seen all day. She dropped her things next to the sofa and pitched herself onto the cushions, groaning out loud as she buried her face in one of the throw pillows.
She wasnât sure where Ang was, but she hoped she was close enough to hear her when she shouted, loudly but muffled by the pillow, âAng, help! Why are boys so stupid?â
âBecause society makes too many excuses for their stupidity,â Angelina shouted back from the bathroom. But then, after checking the time on her phone and realising Alicia was back way too early, added, âWhat happened?â
âI donât know,â Alicia shouted back, lifting her head off her pillow just enough so Angelina would be able to hear her. âSomeone thought we were a couple and he freaked out. And then he said he was glad that things werenât awkward because we used to hook up or whatever. And heâs glad we can be friends.â
Alicia sat up, loudly bemoaning, âFriends.â
âFriends?â Angelina echoed, just as loudly, her face screwed up in confusion. âWhy would he invite you to a spa if he just wanted to be friends?â
âRight??â Alicia let out another groan of frustration. âI really thought this was going somewhere. We were clearly flirting and all of that! The only thing making it awkward is him going from hot to cold, just like that.â She brought the pillow up to cover her face again and took a deep breath. âI feel like such an idiot.â
âYou are not — okay, hang on.â
After a long moment, Angelina emerged from the bathroom, wiping her freshly washed hands on her jumper. She collapsed onto the sofa next to Alicia and immediately wrapped an arm around her friendâs shoulders. âYouâre not an idiot,â she said, softly now. âEddie is.â
Alicia let out a another loud sigh and leaned against her friend. âI donât know how I got it so wrong. I thought he liked me,â she mumbled, staring down at the pillow in her lap. âI never wouldâve gone if I thought itâd be weird.â
âDid you maybe say you were dtf and he thought it meant âdown to friendâ?â It was mostly a joke, but Angelina was half-serious. It didnât make sense for Eddie to flirt with Alicia, invite her to a spa, and then friendzone her.
âFortunately, I did not get as far as admitting I was dtf,â she said with a pitiful attempt at laughter. âSo I can still show my face in public and stuff.â
âI canât believe he wasnât dtf,â Angelina said, wrinkling her nose. She flung her other arm around Alicia, though, and pulled her in close. With a half-hearted laugh of her own, she added, âI mean, this is the nicest youâre going to smell for a while probably.â
âItâs definitely the smoothest my legs are going to be for a long time,â Alicia said, angling a partial grin at her. âI mean, who goes through all this and suddenly decides, âyou know what, just cancelled those tickets to pound town I got youâ?â
âHmm, maybe itâs a Knockturn mating ritual we donât know about,â Angelina offered. âYou know, the old âleave them turned off and confusedâ one. Leaving them wanting more is for plebes.â
âIf anyone knows the ins and outs of supply and demand,â Alicia said with a halting laugh. âItâs an old diamond industry tactic. Withhold the goods, make people think theyâre great, prosper.â
âYeah, but youâre the diamond here,â Angelina said, pursing her lips.
âI donât know,â she replied, wrinkling her nose. âClearly I want his goods way more than he wants mine.â
Angelina heaved a heavy sigh. What the hell, Eddie? She released Alicia entirely and jumped to her feet. âCome on. Weâre going to see if Cai will feed us.â She held out a hand to her friend. âAnd then weâre going to go race brooms and youâll probably win because youâre more aerodynamic than me right now.â
Alicia grinned again and yanked at her trousers to reveal her smooth ankles. âThatâs the real reason I put myself through this.â
âNot to reject you for a second time today, but I have a boyfriend, Alicia,â Angelina said, teasing, throwing her hand over her eyes. âI wonât be seduced by your hairless ankles.â
âBut theyâre so smooth,â she said, leaning forward to touch them with her free hand. âIâm just glad I didnât put myself through all the waxing. Wouldâve been a complete waste of pain and gain.â
âI wouldâve helped you find someone to show your fanny to,â Angelina said, a little sympathetically as she lowered her hand.
âThatâs because youâre a true friend.â Alicia sat back with a looser laugh this time. âAnd friends donât let a fine fanny go to waste.â
âExactly!â Angelina held her hand out to Alicia again, wiggling her fingers enticingly. âDo you want to go see if Cai will feed us? We could always order something, too. I think we definitely need food, though.â
âOkay, yes,â Alicia said after a moment's pause. She reached for Angelinaâs hands and allowed herself to be pulled off the sofa. âFood will definitely take the edge off, especially if thereâs a pre-flight drink involved.â
âOh, thereâs going to be a pre-flight drink,â Angelina said with an emphatic nod. âAnd several post-flight drinks. But I draw the line at in-flight drinks. Weâre not flight attendants.â
âYouâre right, that wonât fly,â Alicia said. She glancing over her shoulder at her reflection in the window and only just managing to keep from cringing. She didnât look as rejuvenated as sheâd been promised. âI think after that, I need a massage to recover from my massage.â
âThat can definitely be arranged,â Angelina said, linking arms with Alicia and tugging her away from the window. âWe can go to the shopping center and use those coin-operated massage chairs. Itâll be great!â
âPerfect, those things never get tired,â Alicia replied, bumping her shoulder against her friendâs. After a beat, she took on a more serious tone to say, âThanks, Ang.â
âOf course!â Angelina gave Aliciaâs arm a squeeze. She still had a million questions, most of them for Eddie, but making sure Alicia felt better was her top priority. âI think we should get pizza actually,â she said, as she steered them towards the kitchen.