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“It’s me, Chris. Let me in.”
I get up and unlock the door, opening it far enough to let Taryn in. I plop back onto the toilet lid.
“You okay?” She bites her lip.
“I don’t think so,” I answer honestly.
“He asked where you went, you know,” she confesses.
I look up at her. “He did?”
“Yes, he asked if you left the party. He seemed... upset.”
“What did you say?” I ask.
“That you didn’t, and you probably were in the bathroom. And I was right.” She folds her arms across her chest. “Go out there and talk to him. At the bare minimum, he needs a friend.”
I want to cry, but I hold in a sob. “I can’t just be his friend. It’s impossible to be around him and not want him. You understand we’re like magnets? Drawn to each other by force. The air is electric when he’s anywhere near me. It’s horribly painful and I don’t think I can do this.”
She blows out a breath, takes a step toward me, and grabs me by my upper arm. “Christa Marie Alvarez, get the fuck up off this damn toilet and face the music. You’re not gonna die if you have to be in the same room as him. Just. Fucking. Talk. I’ll slap you if I have to. In fact, I’ll slap you both.”
At that, I laugh. Taryn’s so docile, she’d never lay a hand on anyone. I stand on shaky legs and smooth down the cotton dress.
She envelops me in a hug and I return it, feeling calmer now. “I’m sorry I’m being a baby.”
“You’re not. Now, let’s go have a party. I’m dying to find out if this little one is a boy or a girl.” She rubs her bump, and I put my hand on it as well.
“You’re gonna be so happy.”
As we leave the bathroom, I lift my chin up and hold my head high. I see Eric in the backyard holding a water and talking to Carter.
I bravely approach him—because I can’t not be near him when the universe is magnetically pulling us together—and put on a smile. “Hi, Eric. How have you been?”
It’s polite, considering I would rather say,“Why the fuck did you ghost me?”But, of course, I don’t.
He squeezes my arm and kisses my temple and I want to melt into a puddle. “I’m good, Christa. How have you been?”
I’m dying inside, thanks for asking.
“I’m okay,” I say instead. “How was Kenya?”
Oh, my God. I did not simply ask him that.
“It was... eye-opening,” he replies.
“I’d love to hear about it sometime,” I reply honestly.
“I’d like that,” he says, gazing into my eyes.
Really?
Carter’s voice breaks us out of our stare-off. “Okay, everyone, gather ’round. We’re going to beat the shit out of this thing until it explodes, so we find out if our baby is a boy or a girl.”
Carter and Taryn stand next to the pinata, and Carter holds a baseball bat. “Who wants first the try?”
“Me,” Eric offers quickly, heading toward them.
Wow, he sure wanted away from me quickly.
