28. Thrown Into the Fire

Sage

F rom the corner of her eye, Sage caught Stassi repeatedly looking in her direction. She had agreed to the brunch, but then spent the rest of the night trying to convince herself it wasn’t the worst idea in the world. What if she clashed with Stassi’s friends? That would be just another reason why Stassi and her weren’t meant to be. It was disheartening, but at the time same it was good to know before they put any more effort into it.

“Are you excited?” Stassi asked when they reached the café.

Sage sighed. “Excited isn’t quite the expression I would use.” Stassi opened her mouth and turned to look straight ahead. Her eyes narrowed in, and Sage feared she would start crying. “It’s not that I’m not looking forward to meeting your friends. But…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s just hope for a good day.” She quirked up her lips into a faint smile and reached for the door. “We’re a few minutes late, I don’t want to keep them waiting.”

They got out of the car and headed up to the café. A woman waved from an outdoor table, before they could even reach the door. “That’s Ariel,” Stassi replied.

Ariel was beautiful. Sage stared, suddenly feeling that sensation in her mind again. Maybe Sage wasn’t the woman for Stassi. She had a different lifestyle than Sage was used to, and Sage didn’t want to muck that up for her just because it wasn’t her thing.

Stassi reached for Sage’s hand and Sage knew her hands were clammy. Yet, Stassi didn’t jerk to get away. She released a slow breath. She just needed to take it one minute at a time and do her best to breathe.

“Hey, Girly.” Ariel jumped up and wrapped her arms around Stassi, greeting her with a more than generous embrace. Sage stood back and watched the encounter. Was this really someone that had moved on and no longer had feelings for Stassi? Stassi had mentioned they were once a couple, but this didn’t seem like that was too far away. Ariel pulled back from Stassi. “This is Natalia the love of my life,” Ariel quickly introduced her.

Natalia laughed and shook Stassi’s hand. “She used to say that about me. Don’t get too comfortable.” Stassi made the comment with an easy laugh, but Sage quickly looked away. Stassi shot a look to Sage. “I’m absolutely kidding. We lasted about two seconds.”

Ariel continued to laugh. “Yeah, I couldn’t deal with her drama.” She shot a look at Sage. “Good luck to you.”

Sage wanted to bolt, but she was stuck standing there, gawking aimlessly, and wondering when they could get out of there. “Well, as I’m sure you figured,” Stassi cleared her throat. “This is Sage.”

“Is it?” Ariel asked. “I thought you just picked up some random Jane on the street.” She laughed. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Natalia nudged Ariel in the side and glared in her direction. Stassi shook her head. “And on that note…” She motioned to the table. “Let’s have a seat and get this brunch going.”

“Works for me,” Natalia commented. She shot a knowing look to Sage, a look that seemed to say her apologies for the way Ariel behaved.

Sage grabbed a menu and looked at it but saw that there weren’t any prices listed next to the food items. She checked the other side of the menu, but nothing. How did you know what you wanted to order if you couldn’t see how much it cost? Another sign that she was way out of her comfort zone. When the waitress arrived to take their orders, Sage was worried she would say the wrong thing. When Stassi ordered, she smiled and nodded.

“I’ll take the same.” It was easier that way, and she could just hope that she had enough money to take care of their orders.

“So, Sage,” Ariel started. She glanced over Sage, and then looked up and met her gaze. “What makes you think that you’re good enough for my BFF here? Ouch!” Ariel shot Stassi a look when Stassi kicked her. The whole table saw it, especially Sage. Deep down she was relieved that someone had done it, so she wouldn’t be the one that was expected to defend her honor. “I’m only teasing,” Ariel commented. “Some people can be so touchy.” Ariel rolled her eyes and smirked as she turned to Sage. “Do you enjoy your job?”

“Love it,” Sage replied. Her words came just above a whisper, and she hoped she didn’t sound unsure.

“You’re an Occupational Therapist, right?” Natalia asked.

“That’s correct.” Sage nodded. “It’s a rewarding career, and I wouldn’t do anything else.”

“That’s exciting. It’s great to find something that you love and enjoy doing. That’s what I’m working towards. Just two more semesters and I’ll be graduating. Thank heavens!”

“What are you going for?” Sage asked. Natalia seemed genuinely interested, and having a conversation with her was easy, as long as she didn’t have Ariel interrupting with her holier-than-thou attitude. She was possibly just trying to be the protective friend, but she was overly protective and didn’t need to be quite that aggressive.

“Anthropology.”

“That’s awesome. I took a course in college, and it was interesting stuff. I wish you the best in your endeavors.”

“Thank you!” Natalia grinned brightly, and the mood at the table eased slightly.

The waitress came back to the table with their food, and they all started to eat the omelets and French toast they had ordered. “How’s your eggs?” Stassi whispered.

“Delicious.” And Sage wasn’t lying. The food was great, but in the back of her mind, she still questioned how much it would all cost her. The conversation stayed light and airy throughout the meal, with Sage talking briefly when someone asked her a question but not fully appreciating the social atmosphere.

Towards the end, when dishes were being cleared, Ariel broke the mood. “Nothing will ever surprise me as much as it did when Stassi told me she was getting a job at the hospital.” She laughed loudly, loud enough that everyone within two tables turned to see what was so funny.

“Is something wrong with the hospital?” Sage asked.

“Not wrong, per se. I just didn’t think Stassi would ever want to stoop to getting a real job. The Stassi I know, would never.”

“Well, Ariel, maybe I’m not the Stassi I used to be.” Sage turned to Stassi when she made that remark. “Ever think of that? People have been known to change.”

“Not that much,” Ariel mumbled.

Sage looked down at the last couple bites of her food and tossed her napkin in its place. Stassi glared at Ariel, a silent remark to tell her to cool it. Stassi reached into the center of the table for the receipt, but Ariel quickly grabbed it.

“Money is tight, so I’ll get the tab. Besides, I invited you both out to brunch. My treat.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Sage argued. “I’m more than capable of paying.” She reached for the receipt, but Ariel pulled it back. Sage raised her hand to say she accepted defeat. “Thank you!”

Ariel nodded. “I’m happy to do it.” She then looked down at her coffee and back up, a smug grin on her face. “I know I might have come off strong, but I only want the best for my friend.”

Sage glanced at Stassi, who had her hand covering her face. “You and me both.”

Stassi dropped her hand, and they got up from the table. “It was nice meeting you both. Maybe we’ll do it again sometime.” She shook Natalia’s hand, then turned to Ariel. Ariel shook it.

“I’ll give you a call later,” Stassi said to Ariel.

Sage felt awkward as they left the table. When they reached Stassi’s car, Sage grimaced.

“Not sure that went so great.”

“It was good. I appreciate you coming. Ariel can just sometimes be forward. Too forward.” She looked down at her clenched hands. “Want to go for a hike? I know the perfect place.”

Sage agreed, and they got into the car, and Stassi drove away. Maybe it was time to decide if what they were doing was worth it, because Sage wasn’t quite sure.

As they started the hike at the park observatory, it gave Sage the opportunity to take a deep breath and try to hone in on her thoughts, without saying anything that she would regret later. She wasn’t the type to discuss feelings, and this was no exception, but as they walked, she started to relax and remind herself that it was Stassi who was beside her. When she was with Stassi, she always felt like she could be herself. There was no reason this should be anything different.

“It’s a beautiful day out,” Stassi replied.

“That it is.” Sage continued to walk, the silence catching up to her again. When they reached a clearing, Sage stopped and turned to Stassi. “This is totally out of my comfort zone, but that’s nothing new this weekend.” She snickered, hoping the lightheartedness attempt was received. “I didn’t know how to respond this weekend as everything we did was out of my comfort zone.” Stassi opened her mouth, but Sage reached up and touched her fingers to her mouth. “It’s made me wonder if we’re meant to be together.”

“Sage,” Stassi began, Sage’s fingers dropping as Stassi’s eyes narrowed in. “Please don’t think that way. I want to be with you. We get along, and to me, we make absolute sense.”

“But,” Sage began. This time, it was Stassi’s fingers that touched Sage’s lips. “Let me finish. I know that you didn’t feel like you belong… first at the photoshoot and then today at brunch. And I’m sorry that you feel that way, but here’s why I think you’re wrong. Ariel and I have been friends for a long time. We have a history.” Sage opened her mouth, and Stassi held up her hand to stall her. “Just like you and Lena have history.”

“I was never intimate with Lena,” Sage argued.

Stassi shrugged. “Okay, maybe the relationships haven’t been the same, but you are best friends with Lena, and I am best friends with Ariel. She knows me better than anyone else. She was there for me when I lost my mom, and it’s sometimes hard for her to have boundaries. It’s something she’s going to have to learn. But the bottom line is that is the life I used to know.” Stassi smiled. “I won’t deny that I enjoyed the photoshoot this weekend, but I am more than that now.”

“And I don’t want you to have to change that. If you enjoy it, then you should do it.”

“But, babe,” Stassi continued. “What I’ve learned about myself is that while I do enjoy that, I enjoy new parts of my life much more. If I wouldn’t have come to the hospital, I would have never met you. And I can’t imagine how drab my life would have continued to be. We’re going on two months of knowing each other, and I believe we can only continue to get stronger. You’ve encouraged me to be down-to-earth. You’ve encouraged me to be a better person.”

Sage enjoyed hearing that, but it didn’t change certain things. “You still buy expensive coffees. While, yes, you have toned down the accessorizing at the office, when you’re out, you still glam it up. I’m the jeans and t-shirt kind of person.”

“And that’s okay. You look great in that, but just because I got a regular job and not doing the modeling regularly, does that mean I can’t look good while I’m doing it? Besides, I like those coffees, and I’m working to have less go into getting ready for the day. Doesn’t that account for something?”

Sage rolled her eyes and dropped her gaze. It was better to say nothing at all than to argue about why she disagreed with those comments.

“You say you’re out of your comfort zone this weekend, but I can assure you that I’m out of my comfort zone at the hospital nearly every day.”

Sage frowned. “You look like you’re making your place there, though. I haven’t noticed you struggling recently.”

Stassi smirked. “Well, that’s because you’ve been there. And things have improved greatly from when I first started, but it hasn’t been easy. I’m not certain that Lena and Marcus like me, other than they know that you and I are close. They probably feel like they’re forced to have lunch with me.”

“That’s not true,” Sage quickly denied, yet Stassi shrugged.

“It’s how I feel, though. So maybe my thoughts are just as unfounded as yours are.” Stassi quirked up her lips. “Do you think?”

Sage laughed, shaking her head. Stassi worked to reassure Sage, and for that, she was grateful. Everything wouldn’t be resolved overnight, but Sage believed they were one step closer.