a fickle matter

"What? You mean you two haven't set a date? I thought Ethan was going to move in with you?" Kayla's friend from high school asked. She'd gone out for drinks with Lynsey and Jen. They were home for a visit. Both lived out of state, where obviously better things were.

"Well, he's back from China." Kayla shrugged. They went out once when he got back, and it had been awkward. He was fun as an e-mail pal, but she found him as someone who would rather be alone drinking or being the party animal to make up for lost time.

"What happened?" Lynsey was all curious about their falling out. "He adored you."

Kayla thought he had a funny way of showing it. Not once did she get a post card. Not even a souvenir when he got back. All he'd wanted was sex. And she certainly hadn't thought she'd indicated that in any of her letters.

"Isn't his dad on his fifth wife?" Jen questioned as if maybe Lynsey wasn't exactly right about Ethan. "I think Ethan just wants to travel. Maybe he has a lady in every port." Jen teased. It almost made Kayla smile. She didn't care.

"I just hate to see you alone." Lynsey did have a husband and a house and lots of credit cards to prove their status in life.

"I'm OK." Kayla promised.

"She's OK." Jen was on Kayla's side.

Then they started chatting about who was going to have their second child and who was divorced, already. Kayla felt so out of place. She wasn't going to dare mention Oliver. What if he was like Ethan? What if he came here and expected he had someone. Her?

It felt different. They talked. So much. She wanted to talk to him right now. Tell him how bored she was. How she wished he were here. She didn't know what she wished. Exactly. She wanted something far more better than what her friends talked of.