She was trying to get the attention off her, and while I was willing to give her a break from the spotlight and to settle, I wanted to make sure she knew my help wasn’t a one-time thing. No, as far as I was concerned, this was going to be a long-term endeavor. I would be by her side as long as she allowed.
“That’s no excuse. Not really. I should have been there for you like you’re there for me.”
“Naomi, you can’t blame yourself for something I purposely kept a secret from you. I know that’s not what you’re supposedto do with friends, but you’re so accomplished and always on the go. I wanted to be like you. And the fact that I wasn’t and was actively getting worse instead of better just made me hide things even more. I’m sorry.”
Her voice was getting wobbly again, but that was just fine, because mine was too. I let go of her, but only so I could cup her tear-stained cheeks in my hands. I’d always been more of a touchy-feely person, so it was quite nice to be able to communicate that part of myself with my best friend for the very first time.
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m just sorry that you felt that way. But from now on, let’s promise no more secrets, okay?”
“Okay. No more secrets. Except around birthdays and Christmas.”
That got a tiny chuckle out of me, and I let go of one of her cheeks, holding my pinky out. “If you’re gonna make a promise like that, we gotta make it serious.”
“Yeah, we do,” she said, her lips twitching into a faint smile. We hooked pinkies, and although it was a silly ritual leftover from childhood days, it made our words feel that much more real.
“And I want to do weekly check-ins for all of this month,” I added, knowing that I was risking it for the biscuit but pretty sure that the gambit was worth it. “You don’t have to leave here, but I would like to stop by. I can bring food, or we can just order a pizza and veg out. Girl time, you know?”
Tweety chewed on her lip again, and I couldn’t help but notice the red marks there. Harpies were slow to heal, and I resolved to get her some lip balm with ointment in it. “You really wanna trek across the city to do that?”
“Babe, I’d ride a train for three hours if I needed to. You do realize that I literally just walk around with dogs for multiple hours, right?”
“True.”
“So, deal?”
“It’s a deal.”
“Hell yeah.” I pulled her into another hug, although this one was a lot less urgent than the others. More of a top-up rather than being an anchor mooring her in the middle of a storm. “Now, why don’t we open a delivery app and see who’s open around here? Do you have anything you’re craving?”
“Uhm, I think I’m down for anything. Chicken wings? Indian, maybe? Is anyone running any specials?”
I didn’t comment on the potential irony of a harpy eating chicken wings and instead beamed at her. “Let’s find out!”
Rowan returned sooner than I expected, and I was surprised that not only had the corner store been willing to charge Carolina’s phone and her power bank, but they also charged a new one he bought. Naturally, my friend, anxious thing that she was, tried to compensate him, but Rowan was quite artful at dodging every way she tried to sneakily pay him. From pretending not to understand how cash transfer apps worked, to removing dollar bills she kept trying to sneak onto his person. He wassmooth.Honestly, it was fun to watch the two of them interact. It had to be healthy for my best friend. When was the last time she’d even been in the same room with two people at once?
I didn’t know, and I didn’t ask. The same way I didn’t tell her that my boyfriend was actually quite wealthy despite his demeanor and relatively humble home. I’d googled how much someone who did instrument restoration made and apparently seniors in the craft on average made a pretty penny. ConsideringRowan had been doing his job for oh, aboutforever, that made him pretty senior, and he didn’t have to buy groceries!No wonder he insisted on paying for every date.
“Are you sure you’re okay with us going?” I asked for about the dozenth time as Rowan and I stood by the door, trash from our food order in hand. I was very assured that Rowan, despite not needing to eat, had indeed gotten Carolina some good food that she wouldn’t have to cook tomorrow,andI’d left a voicemail with the office as well as helped Carolina send the email telling them that her power had been out. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any repercussions, but with a fully charged phone and two power banks, my friend would be able to get in contact with me no matter what.
“Yes, I’m sure,” she said, her expression content but her face a bit drawn. “I had a lot of fun, and I really appreciate everything you’ve done, but I’m a little peopled out and need to recharge.”
“That’s fair.” We’d been here for more than a couple of hours. That was a long time for Tweety to not just be awake, but also interacting with people in person.
She had to have been so lonely.
“I’ll see you this weekend?” I hedged cautiously, just in case the harpy who had agreed to that a couple of hours earlier was a different harpy than the one in front of me. Goodness knew that had happened to me plenty of times in my life.
“Yeah. Maybe for a lunch? There’s a place near here that does buy one get one free lamb and chicken platters if ordered before three.”
“That sounds great.And let me know if your apartment’s office gives you any static, okay?”
“Scout’s honor.”
Neither of us were ever in the scouts. “Okay, I’mma hold you to that.”
“Believe me, I know it.”
“Good.”
