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“Open up.”I pound my fist on the door of Avery’s Upper West Side apartment. Her husband swings it open, greeting me with a perplexed look.
“Lily, come on—”
I push past Luca and into their gorgeous three-bedroom apartment with city views through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
I spot my best friend sitting on the couch.
“Avery!” The three shots of tequila sing in my veins as I wrap my arms around her. “I did it!”
“Drank your weight in tequila?”
“I’m the proud owner”—I swallow the hiccup brimming my throat—“of a bachelor of arts degree in English Literature.”
“Seriously?” Avery wriggles away from me, connecting her hazel eyes with mine.
“I don’t get the diploma until December, but yes, I’mofficiallydone with college.” I kick off my boots on their fuzzy white rug. It takes Luca a fraction of a second to pick up my shoes and walk them back to the entryway.
“So does that mean the school board sided with you?” Avery shifts beside me.
“Yes, after the board met with Tianna and me today—thanks for her, by the way”—I nod toward Luca as the hiccups come again—“they agreed to terminate Professor Miller. As an apology, they issued a passing grade for my creative writing class last spring. Which means I had enough credits to graduate as an English major, and I said fuck it, so here we are.” I throw my hands above me.
Avery wraps herself around me, squeezing tightly. “I’m so proud of you, Lily.”
“No more soul-sucking financial modeling classes or late-night study sessions in the library.” I pull myself out of her embrace and stumble over to the liquor cabinet tucked away beneath their kitchen island. I grab the first bottle I see. “Can I open this?”
Luca hurries to take the wine out of my hand, concern on his serious face. “Let me do that.”
“Be my guest.” I nudge his arm with my elbow.
He forces a tight smile.
Who could blame him? It’s probably a four-hundred-dollar bottle of wine he casually drinks on Tuesdays.
Avery joins us in the kitchen and leans on the counter. “I wish I had a gift for you or something. You threw me a giant party when I graduated from Columbia.”
“I’m just happy you’re my best friend, Ave, and that you’ve been here to support me.” I sling myself around her like a needy child.
I’m horribly touch-starved.
She laughs, and I realize this is better than any graduation walk or silly business degree. My best friend, her doting husband, and I are in New York. I’m a college graduate after five long years of classes and indecision.
The only thing missing is the other person I want to share this moment with more than anyone else in the world.
Nico.
Avery squeals.“I love drunk Lily. You’re so cuddly.”
My hands cup the tiny baby bump on my best friend’s stomach. I direct my voice right at the little peanut swimming around in there. “Baby, your mama is my favorite. Please don’t rip her vagina to pieces on your way out.”
Avery slaps me away despite her fit of giggles. “I actually found an oil that helps prevent that.”
“Of course you did,” I say. Luca hands me a glass of red wine and gives Avery a glass of seltzer. “Thank you.”
His face returns to its typical earnest expression. “Does this mean you’re going to proceed with signing the paperwork for the court settlement against your professor?”
“It’s so fancy when you put it that way, but yes, I signed the documents and am just waiting for the courts to set a settlement date.”
“You’re really sure?” My best friend’s concerned brows stitch together, and it only makes me love her more deeply.
