I grab mine and Halle’s drinks from the bar and take a healthy sip. “I know that’s what everyone sees me as, but I’m not her brother, Elana.”
I can see her struggling with what to say next as her curious eyes study me. “Nothing’s changed, has it?”
“What do you think?” I ask while not looking at her. My eyes are trained on the door, waiting for Saint. She doesn’t respond, and when I look over at her, I can tell she’s not planning to until I answer her. “No.” I shake my head. “Nothing’s changed. Nothing is ever going to change. I won’t ever not be in love with her.” I swallow nervously, hating the words preparing to leave my mouth. “Whether or not that means we’ll be together forever is another story.”
“Are you… together now?”
“Yes,” I answer honestly.
“Does your mother know?”
“Well, I sort of exploded that all over her about ten minutes ago, so yeah, but she didn’t before. Or maybe she did.” I turnto face her. “You tell me. You’re her best friend, so you’d know better than me.”
“Not to my knowledge. She figured things fizzled out when you moved to Seattle.”
“No. Not even close.” I shake my head. “I mean, obviously, we went longer without seeing each other, and there were periods when we weren’t talking, but it’s always been her for me.”
I hear a sharp intake of breath, and when I look over, Elana is looking at me like she feels sorry for me. “I hate that this was how you had to meet. That your circumstances make it so hard for you to be together,” she says with a soft smile.
I’m shocked by this response after hearing everyone else’s opinions over the years and inthe past few days.But then I remember the compassion Elana has consistently shown all three of us from the moment we moved in next door. “Have you shared this opinion with my mother?”
“Here and there, when it was warranted. I’ve just always told her that two people who are destined or even determined to be together are going to find a way. And nothing or no one will ever be able to stop that. I understood her approach when you guys were younger, but once you went away to college and Halle was a senior…” She shrugs. “I told her she was wasting her breath, and the harder she pushed, the more you guys were going to push back. I love her dearly, and I think she did have the best intentions, but she doesn’t understand why you two have distanced yourselves… I do.” She pauses before she speaks up again. “My son really never stood a chance.” She chuckles.
“No, and if you could relay that message to him, that would be great,” I say with a hint of humor even though I’m dead serious.
I look toward the entrance just as Halle enters, and it’s amazing what just having her in my sights can do to my mood. Not that I was bothered by the conversation with Elana, but itjust made me want to have my eyes on her. Halle approaches us, and I immediately hand her the old-fashioned I ordered.
“Hi, Elana.” She gives a timid wave, probably because she’s not sure what kind of conversation she’s walking into. I can tell she reapplied her makeup, and while her hair has fallen slightly from the tighter curls from earlier, it doesn’t look like she spent the last twenty minutes being fucked in a coat closet.
“Hi, Halle.” She smiles back and gives me a small side hug. “I’m going to take my seat. But it’s good to see you both”—she hesitates before finishing her thought—“happy.”
When she leaves, Halle’s eyes flit to mine in question. “Way better than I was expecting,” I say, answering her unspoken question about how that conversation went.
The sound of silverware hitting a champagne flute rings through the air, and when I look toward it, Mike stands in front of his seat, trying to get everyone’s attention.
“If everyone wants to take their seat, we are going to start serving dinner. But before that, I want to thank everyone on behalf of my future wife, Sara, and myself for coming out tonight and celebrating with us. I hope everyone enjoys themselves,” he says before sitting down. There are two empty seats across from him and my mother, which I assume are for us, and I’m already dreading it.
When we make it to the table, sure enough, our place cards are there, and my Aunt Emily is sitting next to my mother, while Dylan is on the other side of Mike, making for a potentially very uncomfortable dinner.
I pull out the chair for Halle, and she sits down before I take the seat next to her. I immediately put my hand on her thigh to give it a brief squeeze, alerting her that I’m here and she’s not alone. Elana sits next to her, and I’m grateful that it’s someone who isn’t judging us.And that it’s not Brant.
“I hope you’re hungry,” my mother says to us with a smile that I can tell is forced.
I nod, still irritated with her, while Halle politely speaks up. “Yes. I wasn’t feeling that great, but I’m better now,” she offers, probably to corroborate the story she told me to tell to excuse her absence from the party.
“Good,” my mother says, but her voice is clipped.
“So, Halle, when do you graduate from business school?” Mike asks, and I wish everyone could just leave her alone.
“In May,” she answers.
“And what’s next for you?”
“I have started applying to a few places, but I'm not exactly sure if I want to stay in New York.”
“Where do you see yourself if not in New York?” Dylan asks just as our salads are being placed in front of us.
“As I said, I don’t know yet,” Halle says with a smile, but I can hear thefuck offin her voice, and I couldn’t be prouder.
