But whenIwalked through the front door, my eyes landed immediately onTeddynestled in a spot at the end of the sofa.Myspot.Willowran past me at full speed, chased byMorgan’sdog,Pablo, who was less than halfWillow’ssize but clearly a threat in this game of chase.
Teddy raised her hand and opened her mouth as if to say something, butAmylaunched herself at me to hug me, andIwatched overAmy’sshoulder asTeddydeflated and turned back toFatima.
Fatima, who sat in the chair looking back and forth betweenTeddyand me, a smug expression on her face.
“Hey,”Teddysaid softly asIplaced the takeaway on the coffee table in front of her.
“Hey,”Isaid back. “Ididn’t know you were coming.”
Teddy frowned and looked over atFatima. “Sorry,Ithought you were okay with it.Iwouldn’t have come otherwise.”
Fatima’s eyes went wide, but she smiled, too, loving what was happening.Icould tell thatI’dstressedTeddyout, though, so without thinking about whatIwas doing,Ibrought a hand to her bare knee likeIwould have with any of my friends in an attempt at reassurance.Butthe moment my skin touched hers, it was like an electrical current passed between us, andIpulled my hand back again.
WhenTeddyand the others got distracted byWillow’snoisy attempt to stealPablo’sball,IpulledFatimainto the kitchen and turned on her.
“You didn’t mentionTeddywas coming,”Isaid quietly.
“Didn’tI?Musthave slipped my mind.”Fatima’sexpression was the picture of innocence. “Isthat a problem?”
“It’s just … weird, having someone who’s basically my boss at girls’ night.”
“Is she your boss, though?IthoughtJenwas your boss.”
“Technically, but?—”
“So, whats the real problem?”Fatima’seyes were bright with mischief. “Youlike her.”Shedidn’t phrase it as a question.
“No.It’snot like that.”
“If you say so,”Fatimasaid, clearly not believing me for a second. “Comeon, let’s get some food.Youcarried it all the way here, after all.”
She left me standing in the kitchen, feeling likeIwas stuck between a rock and a hard place.Onthe one hand,I’dbeen desperate for a girls’ night soIcould stop thinking aboutTeddyand wouldn’t be tempted to go out withLaurenand her assorted exes.Onthe other hand,Iwas actually, surprisingly– masochistically, even– glad to see her.
The evening settled into easy conversation.Wespread blankets on the floor, demolished the foodI’dcollected, and started what turned into a heated debate about whetherThePrincessBridequalified as a “terrible film” for our movie night purposes.
“It hasn’t aged well,”Fatimainsisted. “Visually, at least.”
“It’s a classic,”Morganargued. “Bydefinition, classics can’t be terrible.”
“That’s circular logic,”Amycountered. “Plentyof things become classics despite being objectively terrible.”
“Are you callingThePrincessBrideobjectively terrible?”Teddyasked, and there was real incredulity in her voice.
“I’m calling the logic flawed,”Amysaid. “Thatparticular film is obviously perfect.”
“Thank you,”Morgansaid triumphantly.
I found myself relaxing as the conversation continued, the drinks and familiar company working their magic.Teddyseemed different here, too– less guarded, quicker to laugh, more willing to engage in the kinds of silly debates that made up the backbone of our group dynamic.
Amy was right–ThePrincessBridewas objectively perfect.Weall,Fatimaincluded, recited our favourite lines as they came up,TeddyandAmyhaving a very fun exchange asWestleyandButtercupwhen he told her, “Lifeis pain,Highness.”Icould perfectly pictureTeddyin the all-black get-upCareyElweswore; it wasn’t far off what she’d worn at theRenFairewhere we’d first met.Youcould be myDreadPirateRobertsany day,Ifound myself thinking.Itried to banish the thought, butIfound it wouldn’t quite dislodge from my brain from that point on, even when she danced around like an idiot acting outBillyCrystal’spart.Eventhat was attractive, somehow, seeing her so relaxed around my friends.Ourfriends,Isupposed.
After the film ended,Amydisappeared into the kitchen, returning with a deck of tarot cards and several candles.
“Reading time,” she announced, settling cross-legged on the floor. “Who’sfirst?”
“I’ll go,”Teddysaid unexpectedly. “I’venever had my cards read before.”
Amy’s face lit up as she lit the candles one by one. “Brilliant.Whatkind of reading do you want?Lovelife?Career?Generalguidance?”
