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“Dancing ridiculously at a club doesn’t mean anything,” Carly offers.
“No, I know. It shouldn’t mean anything, but it does to me. I keep hoping that Vinny will be more outgoing, like all the other guys in our friend group, but he never is.”
Camila puts a hand on her arm. “Juliet, you can’t compare them. Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses.”
“I know.” She groans, sinking onto a stool. Her head drops into her hands. “What if I’m making a mistake?”
I blink.
That’s literally all I can do.
Camila and Carly share a look.
Carly slowly walks to her. “What do you mean?”
Her head lifts. “I mean, what if I’m making a mistake by marrying Vinny?”
Air escapes my lungs. Not dramatically enough for anyone to hear. Just enough for my entire body to deflate.
“Jules,” Camila whispers.
“I know!” She shakes her head. “I shouldn’t be saying this. The wedding is in a week and a half, but the closer it gets, the more our differences stand out in my mind, and I’m just questioning everything.”
Carly steals a glance at me, but I don’t move, so she pulls a stool out and sits next to Juliet.
“Okay, well, let’s break this down. Besides wishing that Vinny was a little bit more outgoing, what else is bothering you?”
Juliet’s chin drops. “I just can’t stop wondering if we got back together after college because we belong together or if it was the easy thing to do. Like we were both there and single, and so it just happened without either of us questioning if it should happen, you know?”
Camila leans down, letting her forearms rest on the kitchen island. “But that was four years ago. You’ve been happy with him since, right?”
“Yeah, of course. I wouldn’t be marrying him if I wasn’t happy and in love with him.”
“Then why all the doubts?” Carly asks.
“I don’t know.” She shakes her head, lost in her thoughts. “I guess when you’re taking the next step, you start examining things more closely. And I’m not really sure how I got here. I broke up with him once for similar reasons. What if eighteen-year-old me knew something then that I don’t know now?”
We’re all silent.
Then her head lifts to me.
“Emma?”
The pounding in my chest kicks harder and harder. “What?”
“I don’t know. You’re so quiet.”
“I’m just listening.”
“I know, but what do you think?”
My eyes dart between Carly and Camila. “What do I think about what?”
“What do you think about me and Vinny? I mean, you know both of us better than anyone else.” Her eyes soften. “Should I marry him?”
It’s the opening I’ve been waiting for.
I can take it if I want to.
