She chuckled and scrolled through her phone. “Hear this—‘Glory be, is this the same Mel from our shared dorm?!’ ‘Mel’s glow-up is elite!’ ‘Is that Coach Murphy?!’ ‘Girl, you’re trending among people who used to copy your notes!’”
And so, we slipped back into the morning highlights.
“Justice for the girl with highlighters. You’ve gone viral, Mel.”
“That’s it. I’m throwing my phone in the lake.”
She smirked. “I’m curious what Erica thinks about that.”
“Don’t even go there. She’d send me a GIF of a cheerleader doing backflips with the caption:Me when you finally marry that man.”
“I love her. She’s totally in my camp.” Sam laughed, then added, “Tonight, you’re going to help me finish packing. Sushi, wine, floor seating—our trademark brand of peak emotional maturity.”
“I don’t know how to feel about all this. Yesterday I was carefree. Today I’m panicking. Part of me is waiting for someone to say I stepped out of line.”
Sam tilted her head. “And who exactly gets to say that? Mom? Vince? Internet trolls?”
I didn’t respond.
“Mel, you’re fine. You’ve just decided to stop hiding; that’s all.”
My phone buzzed.
Sean:That flower in your hair, you on my shoulders laughing like that… Not going to lie, it rewired my brain.
I laughed under my breath.
“Sean?” Sam guessed.
I nodded.
“You like him.”
“Yeah.”
She flopped onto the bed beside me and bumped her shoulder into mine. “Love it. Keep showing up and let the rest of them figure it out.”
By the time I parked at work, I’d mentally drafted my new favorite sentence:Glad you loved the pictures, but I’d rather not discuss them.Polite, efficient, and emotionally coated. My heart thudded a little louder with each step toward the main entrance.
I didn’t know what today held, but I wasn’t walking in alone. I had a tiny invisible bodyguard of self-assurance, and I couldn’t deny that my boyfriend had his hand in it.
The day went exactly as predicted. I dodged every curious question with my now-tested, famous line, and it worked.
Later, I was sitting in my car, ready to head home. My phone rang.
Sean.
“Hey, Cutie.”
“Hey. You landed?”
“Yeah, and it’s already kinda warm here in Dallas.” A pause. “So, how are you holding up?”
“The day went as expected. But holy smokes! I had no idea! It’ll take me the rest of the year to process the sheer volume of ‘likes’ and ‘hearts.’”
He chuckled. “Same. Press conferences are definitely going to be all about that. But, hey…,” His voice softened. “I’m glad it’s with you.”
My heart skittered. “I’m glad it’s with you, too,” I said.
