Lauren Weisberger 5-Book Collection: The Devil Wears Prada, Revenge Wears Prada, Everyone Worth Knowing, Chasing Harry Winston, Last Night at Chateau Marmont. Lauren Weisberger

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СКАЧАТЬ It’s me.’

      ‘Hiiiiiiiiiii,’ she sang, happier than I’d heard her in weeks, maybe months. ‘I am so done. Done! No early summer session, nothing but a little, insignificant proposal due for a master’s thesis that I can change ten times after the fact if I want. So that leaves nothing until mid-July. Do you believe it?’ She sounded positively gleeful.

      ‘I know, I’m so excited for you! You up for a celebratory dinner? Anywhere you want, it’s on Runway.’

      ‘Really? Anywhere?’

      ‘Anywhere. I’m downstairs and I have a car. Come down; we’ll go somewhere great.’

      She squealed. ‘Fun! I’ve been meaning to tell you all about Freudian Boy. He’s beautiful! Hold on one second. I’m putting on jeans and I’ll be right down.’

      She bounded out five minutes later looking trendier and happier than I’d seen her in a very long time. She wore a pair of tight, faded boot-cut jeans that hugged her hips, paired with a long-sleeve flowy white peasant blouse. A pair of flip-flops I’d never seen before – brown leather straps with turquoise beads – completed the look. She was even wearing makeup, and her curls looked as though they had seen a blow-dryer at some point in the last twenty-four hours.

      ‘You look great,’ I said as she bounded into the backseat. ‘What’s your secret?’

      ‘Freudian Boy, of course. He’s amazing. I think I’m in love. So far, he’s going strong at nine-tenths. Do you believe it?’

      ‘First, let’s decide where we’re going. I didn’t make a reservation anywhere, but I can call ahead and use Miranda’s name. Anywhere you want.’

      She was rubbing on some Kiehl’s lip gloss and staring at herself in the driver’s rearview mirror. ‘Anywhere?’ she said absentmindedly.

      ‘Anywhere. Maybe Chicama for those mojitos?’ I suggested, knowing that the way to sell Lily on a restaurant was by advertising its drinks, not its food. ‘Or there are those amazing Cosmos at Meet. Or the Hudson Hotel – maybe we can even sit outside? If you want wine, though, I’d love to try—’

      ‘Andy, can we go to Benihana? I’ve been craving it forever.’ She looked sheepish.

      ‘Benihana? You want to go to Benihana? Like, the chain restaurant where they seat you with tourists who have lots of whining children and unemployed Asian actors cook the food right on your table? That Benihana?’

      She was nodding so enthusiastically, I had no choice but to call for the address.

      ‘No, no, I have it right here. Fifty-sixth between Fifth and Sixth, north side of the street,’ she called to the driver.

      My weirdly excited friend didn’t seem to notice that I was staring. Instead, she chatted happily about Freudian Boy, aptly named because he was in his last year of a Ph.D. program in psychology. They’d met in the graduate student lounge in the basement of Low Library. I got the full rundown on all of his qualifications: twenty-nine years old (‘So much more mature, but not at all too old’), originally from Montreal (‘Such a cute French accent, but like, totally Americanized’), longish hair (‘But not freaky ponytail long’), and just the right amount of stubble (‘He looks just like Antonio Banderas when he doesn’t shave for three days’).

      The samurai chef-actors did their thing, slicing and dicing and flipping cubes of meat all over the place while Lily laughed and clapped her hands like a little girl at her first circus. Although it seemed impossible to believe that Lily actually liked a guy, it appeared to be the only logical explanation for her obvious elation. Even more impossible to believe was her claim that she hadn’t slept with him yet (‘Two and a half full weeks of hanging out constantly at school and nothing! Aren’t you proud of me?’). When I asked why I hadn’t seen him around the apartment at all, she’d smiled proudly and said, ‘He hasn’t been invited over to the apartment yet. We’re taking things slow.’ We were standing directly outside the restaurant as she regaled me with all the funny stories he’d told her when Christian Collinsworth appeared in front of me.

      ‘Andrea. The lovely Andrea. I have to say, I’m rather surprised to discover that you’re a fan of Benihana … What would Miranda think?’ he asked teasingly, sliding his arm around my shoulder.

      ‘I, uh, well …’ The stammering was immediately all-consuming. There was no room for words when the thoughts were bouncing off each side of my head, pinging between my ears. Eating at Benihana. Christian knows it! Miranda at Benihana! Looks so adorable in leather bomber jacket! Must be able to smell the Benihana on me! Don’t kiss him on the cheek! Kiss him on the cheek! ‘Well, it’s not that, uh, that …’

      ‘We were actually just discussing where we would be going next,’ Lily stated crisply, extending her hand to Christian, who, it finally occurred to me, was alone. ‘We must’ve gotten so caught up that we didn’t even realize we’d stopped in the middle of the street! Hah, hah! How do you like that, Andy? My name’s Lily,’ she said to Christian, who shook her hand and then pushed a curl away from his eye, just like he’d done so many times at the party. Once again I had an odd feeling that I could be entranced for hours, maybe days, just watching him push that single, adorable curl away from his perfect face.

      I stared at her and at him and became vaguely aware that I had to say something, but the two of them seemed to be holding up just fine on their own.

      ‘Lily,’ Christian rolled the name around on his tongue. ‘Lily. Great name. Almost as great as Andrea.’ I had the presence of mind to at least look at them, and I noticed that Lily was beaming. She was thinking to herself that this guy was not only older and hot, but he was also charming. I could see the wheels turning, weighing whether I was interested in him, if I’d actually do anything because of Alex, and, if so, if there was anything she could do to expedite it. She adored Alex because, really, how could you not, but she refused to understand how two people so young could spend so much time together – or, at least, that’s what she claimed, although I knew that it was only the monogamy part that really blew her away. If there was a speck of a chance of some drama between Christian and me, then Lily would die fanning the fire.

      ‘Lily, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Christian, a friend of Andrea’s. Do you always stop in front of Benihana to talk?’ His smile actually prompted a shooting-sinking feeling in my stomach.

      Lily threw back her own brown curls with the back of her hand and said, ‘Well of course not, Christian! We just had dinner at Town and were trying to figure out a good place to get a drink. Any suggestions?’

      Town! It was one of the hottest and most expensive restaurants in the city. Miranda went there. Jessica and her fiancé went there. Emily talked obsessively about wanting to go there. But Lily?

      ‘Well, that’s weird,’ Christian said, obviously buying the whole thing. ‘I just came from a dinner with my agent there. Strange that I didn’t see you two …’

      ‘We were all the way in the back, kind of tucked behind the bar,’ I said quickly, regaining a modicum of composure. Thankfully I’d paid attention when Emily had made me look at the tiny picture of the restaurant’s bar listed on citysearch.com when she was trying to decide if it was a good date place.

      ‘Mmm.’ He nodded, looking a little distracted and cuter than ever. ‘So, you girls are on your way to get a drink?’

      I felt an overwhelming need to shower СКАЧАТЬ