“Can we go ahead and watch the next episode?” I say, because I’m desperate for a change in subject. “I should go to bed early tonight.”
“I’ll grab the popcorn,” India says quietly, and a wave of regret washes over me—regret that I’ve pulled the mood down so far.
“Do you need help?” I call, even though I know she doesn’t. It’s just popcorn. But I don’t want them to think I’m angry.
India’s bark of laughter tells me everything is okay, and some of the tension drains out of my body.
Juliet stands gracefully and settles next to me on the couch, and when the scent of buttered popcorn begins wafting from the kitchen, we press play. India appears behind us and passes the popcorn over the back of the sofa to us. She stands there for a moment as the theme song blares through the room.
“I love this show,” she says fondly.
“Me too,” Jules says with a happy sigh. She reaches up to tug on India’s hand, which is on her shoulder. “Why are you still standing?” she says. “Come—” But she breaks off, and although I’m not looking at her, I can feel her body still.
I frown and look over at them, at Indy as she yanks her hand away and Juliet’s wide eyes.
Everyone freezes for several long seconds, until Juliet moves, her entire face changing.
“India!” she gasps. She knocks over half the bowl of popcorn onto the floor as she scrambles over the back of the sofa to stare at Indy, who’s wearing a deer-in-the-headlights look.
“India!” Juliet says again, louder this time. “I felt a ring. I felt a ring on your hand! Did Felix propose?”
My eyes widen, my gaze dropping to India’s hands, but they’re behind her back now. “Did he?”
When India doesn’t answer, Jules says, “Did he?!”
India lets out a little sigh, but it’s accompanied by a smile, and then she holds out her left hand and wiggles her ring finger—on which rests a thin golden band with three small diamonds. It’s not flashy or gaudy. It’s simple; practical, even, in that it won’t catch on fabric or poke anyone’s eye out.
It’s perfect. It’s the exact kind of ring I would choose for India myself.
Juliet screams, not a horror-movie scream, but close. The bowl of popcorn now goes flying into the air as she kicks it with her foot and climbs all the way over the back of the sofa, launching herself at India.
They go tumbling to the ground, as anyone could have predicted, but they’re both laughing, a sound punctuated by tears.
My vision is blurry too as I hurry off the couch and around the back, where I find them in a tangled heap on the floor. Juliet is now openly sobbing, and there are tears in India’s eyes as she smiles, patting Juliet’s back.
And I can’t help it—my watery eyes overflow. I sit down next to them and lean forward, wrapping my arms around the whole knot of arms and legs as something intangibly bright rises in my chest, banishing the shadows where they still linger.
“Why didn’t you say something?” I say.
“I was going to,” India admits. “But—you were having trouble with Roman, so I decided to wait. I just hadn’t taken the ring off yet.”
“You didn’t need—” But I break off when a voice from overhead causes Juliet to shriek and the rest of us to startle.
“What onearth?”
We crane our necks as one to look up, only to see Cyrus looming over us, his face screwed into a highly concerned expression.
“It’s just Cy,” Jules says in a watery voice, and then she proceeds to go back to her happy cries, her arms tightening around whatever she can find of India.
“Why are you here?” I say.
“Poppy said you were doing a weird auction thing,” he grunts. “It sounds sketchy. I came to ask about it, and you had the money thing with the lousy ex? And I wanted to see if Jules had baked anything recently.” He pauses. “Can someone please explain—” But he breaks off when India wrestles her hand free and holds it up in the air, wiggling her ring finger overhead.
“Oh,” Cyrus says.
That’s all, the great lug.
“Congratulate her!” I say, but the words are muffled because my mouth is more or less full of Juliet’s shoulder now.
