I pause wiping the counter and glance at Eli. “He said that too.”
“Maybe you should trust him, then.”
“Or... you could be a good friend and tell me what I missed if it was so crucial.”
“Nuh-uh. Nope. This is between you two. Ask him directly if you want that answer.”
“Why do I keep you around if you’re always this damn useless?” I grump.
“Because I’m easy on the eyes and a fucking delight.” Eli shrugs, taking another sip of his beer.
“And obviously humble.”
“Can’t stay humble in the City of Champions.” He rolls up his sleeves and flashes his Superbowl, World Series, NBA Championship, and Stanley Cup tattoos.
“Yes, and you were integral to all those wins.” I reach out and tousle his curls with my hand.
“Get out of here.” He bats me away. “But seriously, Evie, why would I be in on some prank after last week? Like if you can’t trust him, at least trust me.”
“Fine. Maybe I panicked and jumped to conclusions.”
“Oh no, you definitely did.” A few more laughs bubble out of Eli sipping his beer. “Welcome to the Train Wrecks in Love Club, kid.” He raises his glass to me.
“I accept the train wreck part, but I’m not in love with that spawn.” Heat rises to my cheeks as I recall my dream at Liam’s. I’ll take my dream-state proclamation to the grave. Besides, Eli’s the one who gets overwhelmed with feelings and does stuff like this. Not me.
At least, itwasn’tme for the longest time. I thought I had everything together in high school and college, but now? It’s possible Liam’s presence has highlighted how much I’ve broken down in the past five years and stopped growing.
Something had to go seriously south if Eli’s claiming maturity over me.
I open my mouth to tell Eli I’ll apologize to Liam when I’m home and can gather my thoughts enough for a decent text, but a sudden, shrill “Eevee, hi,” steals the air from my lungs and arrests Eli’s laugh in an instant.
Only one person butchers my name like that no matter how many times I correct her; it’s a short “e” like “heavy” without the “h” and not a Pokémon. Eyes widening, terrorized by the impending situation, I manage a quick “Run. Run now” to Eli and gather whatever reserves I have left for another battle.
10
Sugar and Spice
Thedeterminedclackofheels striding over the worn-out floorboards draws closer.Harmony, another reminder of the woman I used to be. Back to the impending doom, I breathe and gather my weapons for battle.
Clack.
Harmony and I met my first year here. She was everything Caroline wanted in a dutiful daughter. So naturally, still clinging to the dream that I could please my mother if I tried hard enough, I wanted to be Harmony.
Like a lost puppy, I followed her everywhere, staying out until five in the morning, going out to clubs, and snapping photos of us dressed in the latest fashions around different parts of the city.
The endo was present but manageable, and I could hide and drag through the pain without letting anyone in on the reality of living with the disease.
As the endo became a more prominent player in my life, though, Harmony’s role as the main character in my story diminished, my disease demanding the title, and her interest in me waned.
I invited her over for movies with Maria, but she didn’t “get” Gene Kelly, and she kept relating Audrey Hepburn to Blair Waldorf inGossip Girl,which felt sacrilegious to me.
She started throwing solutions at me while whining that I wasn’t fun anymore, pointing out my lack of organic food, exercise, gluten intake, etc., as possible culprits, like having this disease without a cure was my fault.
Clack.
Maybe I should have forced Eli to stay for moral support instead of sacrificing myself for the cause, but hopefully his hasty retreat led him into the arms of Fionn, and he can thank me for my offering at his wedding one day.
The clacks echo in the empty landscape of my mind until they are no more, replaced by nimble fingers drumming on the counter.
