AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sonia! Don’t be like that. I heard your show was unbelievable. When Ian and I saw the video Brendan sent, we were completely bowled over. You’re talented enough to do anything you want.”
Talent alone isn’t enough.Rolling her shoulders back, Sonia raised her arms above her head.
“You heard the show was good, huh? Who told you?”
“Brendan, of course,” Diana said teasingly. “That’s the real reason I called. Did he talk to you afterwards like I told him to? I hope you were nice to him, but that might be asking too much.”
“It’s asking a lot,” Sonia conceded. Diana laughed, and the sound eased the tension in Sonia’s shoulders.
Diana was sweet and smart as hell, with just enough sarcastic edge — and weirdness at heart — to complement Sonia. While Sonia would never admit it, saying goodbye at graduation last year had been hard. Living with Di for four years, building a friendship slowly through genuine trust, sharing jewelry and baking cookies while they laughed about nothing, giving each other space when they needed it — she was the closest Sonia had ever had to a sister.
She’d never tell Ian either, but he felt like a brother to her. He was protective — Sonia tended to let her phone die and Ian had quietly plugged it in to charge whenever he came over. He was also the goofy, annoying sibling she’d never known she needed.
To top it off, Ian and Di were good together. Good enough to almost make Sonia believe in marriage. She just hoped it wouldn’t change them.
“Butwereyou nice to Brendan?” Diana persisted. “Tell me you at least said hello. I know it’s wildly unrealistic, but in my dreams…”
“Yeah?” Sonia prompted cautiously.
“The four of us are one big happy family. And you don’t think Brendan’s the devil.”
Crossing the room, Sonia perched on her wooden toy chest,.God, she hated keeping secrets.
“We did say hi,” she admitted. “And don’t worry about the wedding. I can tolerate walking down the aisle with him.”
“Really?” Diana’s delighted shock filled the phone. “That’s great! Trust me, he’ll be busy helping out all weekend. He won’t have the chance to annoy you.”
“So he’s going to be busy the whole time?”
“What do you mean?” Di sounded surprised.
Sonia opened the clasp on the chest. She imagined bringing the toys that Brendan had looked at with so much wariness and hunger.
“Why not let Brendan enjoy your wedding? Give the guy a break.”
Down the hall, the sounds of the TV rose as her grandmother opened her bedroom door, then cut off abruptly when it closed.
Diana spluttered with laughter. “Sonia, wait. You care about Brendan all of a sudden? You’re actually uttering his name? Trust me, this is what he lives for. He wants to be involved. It would kill him not to help.”
Dropping the clasp, Sonia rubbed her wrist against the gold studs in her ear. “Whatever works for you. We talked a little, that’s all. He seemed stressed.”
“Brendan did?” Diana’s tone changed to worry. “He hasn’t said anything to me or Ian.”
He hadn’t said much to Sonia either, but she’d recognized the signs of burnout. Not to mention the angst he carried inside.
Do you want Ian? Have you ever wanted him?
It made her want to tuck him into bed and feed him homemade soup, then fuck him senseless to make it clear who she really wanted.
“Maybe we should call him,” Di was saying.
“Up to you,” Sonia said brusquely, wishing she hadn’t opened her mouth. “Anyway, the real question is, how much do I need to mentally prepare for your bachelorette party?”
Di laughed wickedly. “Oh, it’ll be a total snoozefest, I promise.”
“I can already see the parade of fruity drinks you’ll order. I’ll be haunted by your high school friends’ giggles for months.” Sonia pressed her knuckles into her bare thigh. Diana knew she disliked parties, but Sonia had never told her why.
“You can just glare at everyone. Bring a book. You have my permission.”
