Tales Of Friendship Interventions And Random Guests

Day 21 of The Andie Chronicles

I’m not asking you to be there. I’m telling you to be there.

You had to love her persistence. It turns out she knew what had happened. Douglas told his brother, who then told GG. She called James and Sophia and filled them in. 

I wasn’t surprised that this happened but I would have loved to tell them myself. 

It was my story, and to this point, my friends only knew my ex’s version of events. That didn’t really seem fair to me. And it was the second time this week the people in my life were speaking about my life without me in the conversation.

I didn’t have the enthusiasm to go to this little get-together. I didn’t want to see my friends yet. The thought of leaving my cacoon didn’t appeal much, either. 

Thankfully Candy’s bar is at the end of my street so I didn’t need to drive or put in much effort to get there. 

I contemplated putting on makeup but then ditched the idea once I held a brush to my face. What was the point? I figured I might as well look the way I felt.

I arrived ten minutes late and couldn’t find any of my friends in the small restaurant. 

Trevor, the regular barrister was behind the coffee machine and pointed me to the back room. 

“James reserved the private room.” 

Oh shit, I thought. He’s making a fuss again. What was I walking into? An intervention? The temptation to leave reached a fever pitch.

I walked into the room to find the room filled with my friends and their partners. 

GG was seated next to Taylor, and Sophia was with her ex Malcolm, who was somehow becoming her current boyfriend again. And James was sitting next to a mystery man, whose face I didn’t know. There was one spot available between Malcolm and the mystery man for me. 

I looked at it and everyone else who was staring at me.

“Hi,” I said. They all smiled in collective unison. It was weird. These weren’t vibes I was into. 

“I didn’t know we were having a party.” 

James rose from his seat and hugged me. “We’re not. We’re all here for you. We all love you.” 

It was sounding more like an intervention at this point.

I scanned the room and studied the empathetic faces. And the faces I didn’t know that well, didn’t know at all and didn’t care to have near me right now. Seeing Taylor only reminded me of his brother who dumped me. 

No, nope, I couldn’t stay.

“Thank you. Really. But I’m good. I’m sorry you’ve believed whatever bullshit you’ve heard from my ex. He’s got it all wrong. I don’t need any of this.”

I went to leave and James grabbed my arm. “What the hell, Andie?” He was clearly offended.

“Are you serious? Do you think this is what I would want? A gathering of misery? Or the fact you haven’t even heard my version of events before assuming I need this?” 

I looked at the stranger. “And who even is that?”

I didn’t wait for his response. I turned, walked out, and eventually ran the rest of the way home. 

I deadbolted the door and went to bed.

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You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.

By the way, this all started when Andie turned thirty-five, and her then-boyfriend didn’t call her.

Or the day after that.

Or the day after that, too. 

Everything started to unravel when her BFFs got into bed with her ex, too… ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

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