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Caleb: want to make it a foursome?
She didn’t answer for a few minutes. I pulled my shirt on, only then noticing I was half dressed with my pants hanging open.
Sloane: might as well make it an orgy
She sent another photo with two bottles of wine and two pints of ice cream
Caleb: you’re my favorite person
Sloane: I know
Sloane: Aimee went to some work thing tonight. bring your jammies if you want to crash
Caleb: be there in 30
She sent a kissy face. I shoved my phone into my pocket. A night of wine and ice cream with my best friend was exactly what I needed to forget about Graham and his sad eyes and the haunted way he’d told me about what had happened to him.
12
GRAY
“And the building is so nice.”Eli beamed at West, where they sat side by side on our parents’ loveseat. “It has a gym and a pool, and we can use them anytime.”
“A pool!” Henry, our little brother, bounced on the couch cushion next to me and clapped his hands. “I wanna live with you and West!”
“Me too!” Harper, our sister, squealed from where she was curled up next to our mom.
Eli laughed. “I don’t think that’ll work.”
“Can we visit?” Henry asked.
“We’d love it if you could all visit.” West glanced around the room. “We were thinking maybe over Christmas vacation?”
Mom and Glenn exchanged a look. Flying to California with three kids was way outside what they could afford.
“On us,” Eli added quickly.
Mom smiled. “I think that would be lovely.”
Harper and Henry cheered.
“What do you think, Lyla?” West asked our youngest sister, who tended to be quieter than the others.
“I like swimming.” She snuggled into my chest. She was only four and claimed my lap every time we sat together.
“Do you know how to swim, West?” Henry asked. “Gray taught us. Maybe he can teach you too.”
“Did you know that West and Gray used to swim together?” Eli asked our little brother.
“Really?” Henry looked between West and me. “Are you as good as Gray? He used to be a champion.”
“Maybe not as good as him, but I was pretty good.” West’s face filled with soft affection as he looked at Eli.
Bile and resentment rose in my throat as the conversation shifted back to the apartment Eli and West had rented for their move.
I knew Eli hadn’t mentioned West and I being on the swim team together to hurt me. He didn’t have a malicious bone in his body, but he also didn’t have a filter when he was around people he was comfortable with.
Seeing him all snuggled up to the person responsible for derailing my life and ruining my chances of a future was difficult on a good day. I listened with half an ear and tried to look like I was engaged and happy, but my mind spun as the familiar feelings of failure simmered inside me.
