“It was okay,” I say, trying not to say anything more, but she’s Karrie. “He asked me to go with him to the SPCA gala next weekend.”

“Are you going to go?” she asks me, and then the water shuts off.

“Yes,” I say to her and then take off my blouse from last night and then pick up my phone and walk to the kitchen to start my coffee. She doesn’t say anything. “I’m going to stop doing this after the gala.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have to stop being friends with him,” I tell her, closing my eyes, and my heart breaks just knowing that it’s coming. “It’s just I thought I could handle it, but I can’t. I want him.”

“You know you could have him,” she says softly.

“It’s not fair to him. He is going to want marriage and kids and all that traditional stuff. How does this happen?”

“How does what happen?” she asks, laughing.

“How does the one person who hates commitment sleep with a man who only wants a commitment?”

“Opposites attract,” she says. “What are you going to wear?”

“My champagne silk gown,” I tell her and wait for her to gasp.

“The one that you bought ‘for the next biggest milestone of your life.’” She imitates me. When I saw it hanging on the hanger in the store, I knew I was going to buy it, but I didn’t have a reason for it. So I said the next biggest milestone in my life I was going to wear this dress. But it’s been two years, and there hasn’t been anything big in my life.

“I don’t need to hear it right now,” I tell her, grabbing my coffee and phone and going back to my bedroom. “What I need is for you to not make a big deal about it, and,” I say softly, “for you to come over on Sunday and hold my hand.”

“Done,” she says, “And done. I’ll bring all the cheesecake and croissants for us. With all the wine and tequila in the world.”

“Perfect, and then from then on, no more Mark. I won’t answer his texts,” I tell her, and then I say, “What if he wants to ask about Elsa?”

“Give him Elsa back,” she says, and I gasp.

“I can’t just give her back!” I shriek. “I just got her pink glow in the dark rocks.” She laughs so hard. “I have to go now. I forgot to feed her,” I say, disconnecting.

The rest of the week goes by slowly. Mark texts me on Thursday to tell me he’s going to pick me up at seven. I know that he’s on the road, and they lost both games.