“It’s breast cancer. He goes in for a mastectomy in a few days.”
She reaches out and squeezes my shoulder.
“No offence Caleb, but why the fuck are you here then?”
I almost smile at being called out, almost.
“Because I’m a selfish arsehole. I found a letter, one he wrote just in case things go badly, and I saw red.”
“Oh Caleb,” she says softly, reaching for my hand. “What did you do?”
I shrug. “I was angry, had a go at him. Things got heated. I just hate that this is completely out of my control, that I can’t fix it.”
I throw back the rest of my drink not giving two shits that it’s meant to be savoured.
Glancing towards the bar, I signal the bartender for a refill. He nods in response, and I sit back, twirling the remaining ice.
Octavia squeezes my hand, reminding me she’s here.
“Caleb, is that a good idea?”
I raise my eyebrows, and she gives me a soft smile.
“Okay, well, I’m not letting you drown alone.”
She sips her own glass in salute and downs it as the same waitress re-appears with my whiskey.
“Can you get me a Disaronno on the rocks?”
The waitress nods, removing my empty glass and replacing it with a fresh drink.
“And keep them coming,” O continues. “Can you get the kitchen to whip us up a sharing platter?”
I eye Octavia, but she just raises her brow. “Do not give me that look, if we’re getting wasted, we’ll be eating bougie food while we do it.”
I just grunt in response.
She smiles her thanks to the waitress when she returns with herDisaronno.
Raising her glass, she clinks it with mine before taking a sip of the amber coloured liquid, the scent of bitter almond assailing my senses.
“I don’t know how you can drink that shit,” I say before raising my glass to my lips.
“We listen, we don’t judge,” she replies, her lipstick still immaculate.
I’ve only ever seen her not put together once, and I never want to see her like that again. She’s like a sister to Noah and me. And Jessica has grown fond of her too.
I worried that after everything that happened with Jessica, she’d never come out of her shell, so to speak, but she just keeps proving how strong and resilient she really is.
“So, why are you here and not at home with Noah and Jessica?”
I swirl my glass, the golden liquid glistening off the light.
“I needed a moment to catch my breath. I couldn’t breathe at home,” I admit, hating that I sound like a grade A arsehole.
“You’re scared, I get it, and your feelings are valid, but Noah had every right to write a letter, Caleb.”
She’s right, of course. I’d be saying the same to someone else in my position.
