Her return smile expressed that she had no delusions to how sorry I was. She shook my hand with a rough, hard shake. “Iknow who you are. It’s nice to meet you, too. Although, it would have been nice to know you were coming in advance.”
I shrugged and let go of her hand. I wasn’t going to apologize. This was Ally’s place, after all.
“Sam?” Ally’s voice drawled sleepily from somewhere behind Samantha. “Who’s at the door?”
Sam’s lips pinched, but she stepped back and opened the door wide. Ally stood there in a matching satin robe, looking sleep rumpled and like home. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, and I had to smile. She looked just the same. Except for the elegant brunette next to her, she hadn’t changed.
Her eyes widened. Large chocolate brown eyes stared back at me in shock. “Ember?”
“In the flesh,” I offered and laughed outright when she bolted from the safety of their apartment and embraced me in a bone crushing hug. Her riot of curls smothered me and I was never so happy to be suffocated. She had changed her shampoo. She smelled of roses, instead of oranges. I blinked back the tears of happiness…and pain as she hit a nasty bruise on my ribs. She didn’t know it was there. They were all covered. I whispered by her ear, “I missed you.”
Her tear filled gaze found mine after she planted a kiss on my forehead. “No more than I’ve missed you.”
Sam cleared her throat, interrupting our happy reunion. Ah, yes. My replacement. I sighed and released Ally, but she didn’t let me go. She turned defiantly to Sam with an arm slung over my shoulder, but spoke respectfully enough, “Sam, this is…”
Sam cut her off. “We’ve already made the introductions, love. I think we should take this inside before we wake the neighbors.”
“Right, right. We wouldn’t want that now,” Ally’s twang showed up in her merriment. Glad to hear she hadn’t lost it.She ushered me inside before grabbing my rolling suitcase and dragging it in.
The inside of their apartment matched them I decided as I sat down on their tan couch. Sam went off to make some hot chocolate for me and coffee for the two of them. Ally sat across from me while I took in their place. There were southern bits here and there with the artwork of forests and mountains, all beautifully photographed, candles of all colors scattered on bookshelves – fire hazard?, and a large wooden desk under their window. The rest screamed London. Some items were old, like the coffee table in front of me made of rock and iron, but there were contemporary pieces of Big Ben and Buckingham palace that were done with swift brushstrokes and lively colors. It was a smorgasbord of the two of them. Perfect.
Whoop tie-do. I wasn’t ready to be happy for them yet. In time. Possibly. But, not now.
“Your apartment suits you two,” I murmured absently. My roaming gaze caught on a frame. Brent’s gift.
I jumped up and grabbed it like a lifeline. She hadn’t forgotten me completely. I stood there holding it while Ally watched. “Thank you. Sam had a lot to do with it. I was never any good at decorating…but, you know this.”
I nodded absently, staring at the three of us captured forever in our youth. Nine years later, things had changed so much. Not only were we all twenty-seven now, but we would never be that happy couple again. Ally had ruined that for all of us. I sat it down, withholding my sigh. That was an unfair thought. Ally deserved happiness. Nine years was a long time to wait.
I stood staring out the window blankly. “Are you happy, Ally?”
I heard her stand. Footfalls behind me, then her warm arms wrapped around me from behind. Her head rested on mine and she whispered, “Yes. She’s it for me.”
I swallowed harshly, knowing fully that all I wanted for my past lover was happiness. It didn’t stop the tears that threatened, but I wouldn’t cry. No one had seen me cry, but a bastard. And Ally was not that bastard. She would never see them fall.
A hunk of glasses hitting rock interrupted our solitude of silence and thoughts of a future that would never be. Sam’s voice rang out in the quiet, “Here you go.”
Ally and I eyed her from our comfortable stance and I discretely elbowed her. Sam was feeling threatened. Her movements were jerky as she cleaned the table off where she’d spilt some of the dark liquid when she had slammed them down and her eyes were slits of suppressed anger. I wasn’t here to wreck their relationship. I only needed my friend.
Ally released me and walked over grabbing her cup, then placing a lingering kiss of Sam’s lips. I shut my eyes. Yeah, it was hard. So very hard. But, I got myself together before they pulled away. They didn’t notice my flinch, luckily, and I sank on to their couch with my cup. I blew on it until they took their seats in a loveseat. Very cozy. How nice.
No one spoke for a moment and I decided to drop the bomb. “Momma’s dead.”
Silence existed in their shocked states until Sam’s polite upbringing must have taken over at my completely unsophisticated blurting. “I’m so sorry.”
Ally’s response was a tab bit different.
After her initial shock, she handed off her drink to Sam and jumped from her chair and beat the air with her fists above her head, screaming, “Woo-hoo! ‘Bout damn time! Yea!”
Sam looked appalled and I couldn’t help laughing. Goodness, it was good to have Ally around. I jumped up and threw my arms around her and we hopped around like a five years old screaming and laughing. Sam had to think we were plum loony, but heck even she deserved to be in on thecelebration, too. So I grabbed her hand after she sat the drinks down and gave her a big ‘ol hug – shocking her more – while Ally found a song to put on despite the late hour. I imagined her having neighbors calling the doorman to complain. Maybe not. It was New York.
“Independence Day” rang out through the speakers and even though Sam didn’t have a Sam-hell of a clue what was going on, she got out the vodka and beer and we celebrated until we were all properly drunker than Aunt Helen on a church day – graciously she was always too sick to go to church, after all. Wink, wink.
An hour later, I slurred from the couch, “Well, now. That was the wake I have been dying to give momma.” I hiccupped and giggled.
“Brent should have been here for this,” Ally belched from her prone position on the floor in front of the stereo. Sam was taking a big chug from the bottle of vodka. Darn it, there went the last of it. Guess Brits could drink.
“How is he?” I asked, looking at her. My turn ended me on the floor face down somehow. Dang, that couch was tall. I rubbed my nose on their carpet.Mmm, soft.
