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Laura shudders, shaking her head violently. “Yeah, no, you’re right. I would have fainted.”
“But I shouldn’t have lied. I should’ve found a way to tell you,” Juliet admits.
Laura takes a deep breath. “I need time to process all this.” She looks at me and then at Juliet. “I don’t know if this is ever not going to be really fucking weird. But if you’re serious about this, about each other?—”
“We are,” Juliet and I both answer at once.
Laura sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose like she has a headache. “I’ve seen how happy you’ve been recently, Juliet. I want that for you and for you too, Dad. You both deserve to be happy, to be loved. Just…give me a while to get to grips with the fact that you’re finding that love and happiness together.”
“Of course,” I tell her, watching her stand.
Juliet catches Laura’s hand and squeezes, and my daughter offers her a shaky smile. I walk Laura to the door, pausing at the threshold of the apartment.
“You know I love you, Laura,” I tell my daughter.
She nods. “I love you, too, Dad, but my best friend…really?” she says with a huff of a laugh.
“I know,” is all I can say in response. Because I can understand how fucking odd this must be for her. But there’s no screaming or yelling or demanding we stop seeing each other, so I hold onto that seed of hope that she really will be able to accept this. Before she leaves, I give her a hug, which she returns, and make her promise to text me when she gets home safe.
Then I return to Juliet and hold her while we both discuss what to do next. We’re in agreement on the future though—us together no matter what.
6
JULIET
Laura links her arm through mine as we stroll through the college campus, coffee in hand.
It had been three or so weeks since she found out Jared and I were together, but she came around to the idea faster than I thought I would’ve if I was in her shoes. Sure, she still finds it odd, and I try not to tell her any of the details to save her sanity, but she has declared she doesn’t want to lose her best friend and I’ve never been so grateful for anything.
I don’t know what I’d do without her, and I’m so glad I don’t have to find out. We even went out to dinner with Laura and Ryan, a slightly weird sort of double date, but it went surprisingly well. It fills me with so much joy knowing I get to keep the love of my life and my best friend, and I’ve never been happier.
Our last class of the week ended half an hour ago, and Laura’s chatting my ear off about the holiday she and Ryan plan on taking in the summer. I listen eagerly, nodding and squealing with her when she tells me about the resort Ryan’s taking her to. It feels normal between us, and the relief is unreal.
“Oh, wait!” Laura exclaims, pulling me to a stop. I curse, nearly falling over, and I’m grateful that I already finished my coffee so I can’t spill it all over myself. Laura stops us right outside the theater where our performances are usually held. I frown, confused.
“What’s up?” I ask, looking around.
“I left something in the wings,” Laura says, tugging me towards the theater entrance.
“Wait, what? When? We weren’t practicing there today,” I protest, but when Laura’s got her mind made up, she’s impossible to sway and I find myself following her anyway.
Laura shoulders through the double doors, and we head to the main theater, the one I danced on weeks ago on the night I met Jared. The memory makes me smile, and I’m so caught up in it that it takes me a moment to register what I’m seeing in the present.
The stage lights are on, and in the center of the stage, Jared is standing holding a massive bouquet. I turn to gape at Laura, only to find her beaming and bouncing on her feet.
“What…what is this?” I ask, looking between them with wide eyes. My heart begins to pound so hard in my chest that it feels like there’s a stampede happening behind my ribs.
“Get up there, girl!” She shoves me towards the stage.
I stumble in surprise but quickly catch myself, grinning so wide that my cheeks begin to hurt while scrambling up the short set of stairs leading to the stage.
“Jared…” I whisper, unsure if he’ll even hear me with the way my voice trembles.
“Come here, little fairy,” Jared says with a smile, holding his free hand out to me.
I take it and let him pull me closer until I have to tip my head back to meet his eyes.
“I never got you flowers for your performance,” Jared says softly, his eyes sparkling as he stares down at me. “But you deserve a whole garden of them, beautiful.”
