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“And let me guess, there’s going to be chanting or meditation, right?”
“Probably. It is her birthday. I guess she can do what she likes. Are you going to be joining in the chanting?” Hadley lifted one eyebrow questioningly. “You never know. Maybe it’ll help.”
What does she mean by that?
“I don’t need any help. I’m fine.”
“And by ‘fine,’ you mean half in love with Asher and not sure what you’re going to do next? If you’re talking about that, then yeah, I agree.”
Willow’s mouth fell open, but Hadley only picked up another balloon and started tying it.
“What? I am not in love with Asher. He’s my best friend.”
“And you think best friends can’t fall in love?” Folding her arms, Hadley gave Willow a long stare. “They’re supposed to be the best kind of relationship—the one where you love them, but you also know them so well that there’s no one else you’d rather spend time with. Soul mates.”
“Come on. Now you’re starting to sound like Mom.” Clearing her throat gently, Willow tried to change the topic of conversation. “What about you? Are there any nice guys at college?”
Unfortunately, Hadley rolled her eyes, and she shook her head, obviously seeing exactly what Willow was trying to do. “There are lots of nice guys, but nobody I’m really interested in. But, let’s get back to you. Don’t let Asher get away. You need to tell him how you feel.”
Willow opened her mouth to protest but then shook her head.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s all such a mess.” Her words were like a long, broken sigh tearing out of her heart.
“What’s a mess?” Hadley’s expression softened, and Willow swallowed against the sudden tightness in her throat.
“It’s only since we signed up for that stupid dating app that things started getting complicated—with me, I mean, not between me and Asher.” Flinging the balloon away from her, Willow shook her head, then shoved one hand through her hair. “At first I thought it was a great idea…and I had three terrible dates.” Screwing up her eyes, she waved one hand in her sister’s direction. “And no, I don’t want to talk about them.”
When she peeked at her sister, Hadley was just sitting there calmly, looking ready to listen without even a hint of a smile on her face.
“Are you sure you want to hear about this?”
“I wouldn’t have said anything if I didn’t want to hear about it, Willow.” Shifting forward slightly in her chair, Hadley clasped her hands and rested her elbows on her knees.
Willow let out another heavy sigh. “Like I said, it’s all so confusing, and I don’t even know what I want myself! I’ve been bottling it up for a few days, hoping it’ll all just go away, but it’s only been making things worse.”
“That’s because you need to talk to someone. It’ll help you get a little more perspective,” Hadley replied.
“The thing is—” Taking in another deep breath, Willow closed her eyes tightly. It was easier to speak clearly when she wasn’t looking at Hadley. “As much as I might want to deny this, I think I already have it—perspective, I mean. Seeing Asher getting ready to go out on dates, hearing that he’s going to meet some hot belly dancer for his next date…” A scowl pulled her expression down. “That’sgiven me the perspective I need. I don’t want Asher to date. I don’t want him to meet someone else. I don’t want next year’s Fourth of July fireworks to be me sitting by myself while he snuggles up to his girlfriend…or his wife!” Mortified that hot tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, Willow rubbed at them furiously.
Hadley sighed, smiled, and shook her head. “Oh, Willow. I think you’ve loved him for a long time. You just didn’t realize it until now.”
Still struggling against tears, Willow dropped her hands to her lap. “Maybe?” Sniffing, she forced a smile. “Not that it makes any difference.” Hearing the way her voice cracked, Willow dragged air into her lungs, fighting to stay composed enough to finish her conversation. “Like I said, he’s already planning to go out on another date. I don’t think he’s ever eventhoughtabout the possibility of us being more than just friends.”
Hadley sliced the air with her hand. “You have no idea about that, Willow!”
Willow blinked.
“You have no idea how he’s feelingorwhat he’s thinking!”
“He was the one who suggested the dating app, Hadley. If that’s not a clear indication of where his head’s at, then I don’t know what is.”
Hadley slammed both hands down on her knees, her eyes blazing with a fire that Willow had never seen before. “Hello, you werejustas interested in joining that app as he was! Don’t you remember? You wanted to tell Asher all about your profile! We took such a long time going through it all to make sure it was good enough. And now look at you!”
Her tears gone, Willow found herself staring back at her sister with wide eyes.
“How do you know that he hasn’t changed his mind, same as you? That he hasn’t started feeling the same way? Everything you’ve talked about with me could be going on with him, too. Things could be so different, and both of you are too afraid to say anything to each other because you’re terrified it will ruin your friendship. However, it might lead to something more incredible than you’ve ever imagined!” Hadley finished speaking and sucked in a huge breath of air, as though she’d given her all to that final speech.
