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“I still remember the way you looked at him when we went to do our college tour at Duke.”
I smiled, remembering that moment, too. “I’d been secretly staring at pictures of him at your house forever. If only you’d moved to Richmond a year earlier.”
“There was nothing secret about that.” She laughed. “I don’t think I could have handled you two dating in high school. And besides, you probably would have hated high school Daniel. College Daniel was much cooler.”
“If you say so, but meeting him was so much better than I’d thought, and I almost put my acceptance in right then and there.”
“Your mom would have killed you.” She laughed.
“When we had an amazing art program right down the street? Absolutely. But that didn’t stop me from driving down to visit you every chance I had.”
She gave me a dubious look. “Me, huh? Sure. And whose dorm did you use to wake up in?”
I gave her a half-hearted slap on the arm, making her grin. “Don’t say that too loud. I know I’m an adult now, but my mom still scares the shit out of me. Besides, I think we got a little off-topic. We were talking about you and your supposed boy problems.”
“We were, and you’re right. And they are not ‘supposed’ problems—they are very real. We are headed toward something neither of us wants to acknowledge. I just don’t want to hurt him, you know?”
“Then, what makes you so sure it’s the right thing to do? If you’re so bothered by the thought of it, shouldn’t that be a clue? I mean, I’ve never seen you even the slightest bit mad at him. For anything! He’s always treated you well, and you guys seem?—”
“Happy?” she interjected.
I nodded.
“See, that’s the thing. I always thought I was happy. But I think I was confusing the feeling of being comfortable and safe with being happy. He’s easy to talk to, and I enjoy spending time with him, but I keep thinking about you and Daniel—and that night I mentioned before.”
“When you were our third wheel?” I said, grinning.
She rolled her eyes but continued, “You hadn’t been dating long, maybe a couple of months, and I was still a little leery of you two being together.”
“A little?” I scoffed, knowing that was understating it by a long shot. “You made your feelings perfectly clear on the matter when Daniel and I came to you.”
“Up until that moment, we’d always had the same taste in guys. And then you all of a sudden fell in love with my brother? Gross.” She stuck her finger in her mouth and pretended to gag. “Anyway, we were at this little Italian restaurant not too far from campus. Do you remember the one?”
“I remember the beer was cheap. Not sure I’d label it Italian though.”
“Whatever, anyway,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You got up from the table to head to the restroom, and I watched Dan’s eyes follow you as you walked away. For the next five minutes, his gaze constantly drifted back toward that side of the restaurant, searching for you. It was like the two of you were tethered and he was looking for the other half of himself.”
Tethered. That was how I had felt when I was with Daniel.
And when he had died…
“And you don’t think Chad is that to you?” I asked, feeling the emotions weighing heavy on my chest at the mention of my late husband.
Unfortunately, I never got the chance to hear her answer. As soon as her lips parted to speak, the telltale sound of metal hitting a champagne glass had everyone halting their words. As silence fell across the apartment, I let out a huff and turned my eyes toward my father. He was known for his elaborate speeches and would never miss an opportunity to bestow a bit of wisdom to a captivated crowd. But to my amazement, it wasn’t him holding the glass.
It was Curtis.
His eyes met mine, and suddenly, I felt a swift sense of dread settle deep in my gut, and I had no idea why. I quickly tried to dismiss it, smiling as he held out his hand for me to join him.
I glanced quickly over to Elena, raising my eyebrow ever so slightly. In best-friend language, this was the equivalent of,Do you know what the hell is going on?
Her eyes went wide, and her shoulders shrugged a bit, which translated to,I have no idea, I swear.
I swallowed the anxious feeling I had as all eyes in the room settled on mine. Rising to my feet, I smiled and smoothed the satin of my dress as I took a few steps across the living room. My parents seemed unaffected by this impromptu interruption as they both did their best to avoid my gaze.
What’s going on?I mouthed as my hand met his.
Curtis was not the kind of man who sought out attention. If anything, he was the exact opposite. During big gatherings like this, he often took breaks, stepping outside for a moment because his social battery needed a quick charge.
