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And I stared at my hands, still contemplating.
“Maybe,” was my small voice. “But even if they weren’t fighting, don’t you think it’s weird? Don’t you think it’s weird that I’m with six men?”
Karen was silent for a moment, black hair absorbing all the light. Wow, her dye job was intense, the strands like sooty charcoal without any shiny glints whatsoever.
“I do,” my friend began slowly. “But it doesn’t matter what I think. There are so many ways to live life, and I’ve learned not to judge.”
I sat back, staring at her unblinking.
“Really?” came my croaky voice. “You’re okay with it?”
Karen was silent for a moment, staring at the bedspread before looking back up at me.
“Joanie,” she said slowly. “I’ve learned that you have to live life out loud, and if you’re in love with six men, then it’s fine. Love is love, and we all have our secrets.” She took a deep breath before looking me straight in the eye, gaze unwavering. “Do you know why my dad moved me to the city in the middle of eighth grade?”
I nodded, confused.
“Yeah, because he got a job in Manhattan, right? And your parents divorced too. At least that’s what I always thought. Why, was there something else?”
Karen nodded then.
“My dad did get a job with a shop here,” she said slowly. “But it’s more than that. I came out to my parents, and they wanted me to be in a safer environment. Where we’re from, people aren’t so nice when they find out you’re gay. It’s not that they’re mean, they just don’t want to be friends anymore. So my dad moved us to the East Village, figuring that the boho crowd wouldn’t care.”
I stared.
“You-you’re gay?” I stammered. “You mean, like lesbian?”
Karen nodded slowly, eyes flickering a little.
“I am,” she confirmed in a soft voice. “I’ve been lesbian since I was a little girl. I always knew, even when I was small. I hope you don’t mind Joanie. I hope this doesn’t change our friendship.”
I stared at my buddy with new eyes. This conversation was insane. We’d started talking about my love affair with six men, and now Karen was coming out of the closet? How did this conversation make any sense? How was Karen a lesbian anyways? Because never would I have suspected. There were times when we hung out in my room, listening to boy bands while cooing over pictures of Justin Bieber. So this was unexpected for sure.
But friends are friends, and it doesn’t matter if you’re gay, straight, black, white, or covered in polka dots. All that mattered was our relationship, and Karen had my back no matter what. The same way that I had hers.
I grabbed her hand tightly, our fingers interlaced.
“I guess I’m not the only one with secrets, huh?” came my croaky voice. “We both turned out different than expected.”
Karen gripped my fingers just as tight.
“We turned out different,” she affirmed. “But better in the end.”
And with that, the two of us began to laugh and cry at once. Because life’s not simple. It’s not straightforward. It’s not a smooth path without any bumps. Instead, this wonderful thing called living is an adventure, with dozens of left turns and loopy curves.
And right now, we were walking it as best we could. Karen had come out of the closet, a goth lesbian majoring in gender studies at Hudson. And I was a flight attendant, working for a scandalous airline servicing six men.
But one thing we both know is never to judge. Because life is short, while love is long. Why waste time when you only have limited time on this Earth? And laughing and crying once more, we embraced. Nothing seemed so difficult now. It was four a.m., and bright and early tomorrow, I’d make my way back to Nick’s penthouse with a fresh perspective and a load off my shoulders.
Karen sniffled a little, holding out a pinkie. Her mascara had run, making my buddy look even more like a ghoul, but it was still my bestie under there.
“Friends forever?” she asked, voice quavering a little.
“Forever,” I affirmed, locking digits with her. And my mind swooped and whirled, even as we traded watery smiles. Because there are good people in this world. My buddy proved that now. And Aaron, Andrew, Charlie, Damien, Nick and Tom were good people as well. I knew in my heart of hearts that the alphas wanted to do right by me. Not just with the generous salary and benefits, but that they truly wanted to take care of me.
So tomorrow, I’d go back. I’d tell my billionaires that we’d work it out. That didn’t mean no more arguing, but it did mean we’d establish boundaries, whether far or near. What those parameters were exactly, I wasn’t sure … but we’d figure it out together.
