Most of the people at the table smiled and waved off his apologies. A couple of cousins got up to grab more napkins and new glasses for us.
“I didn’t… I’m sorry.” David lowered himself into his seat, looking defeated as our silverware got replaced.
“Your reflexes are better with a football, son,” Dad noted, still chuckling.
“It’s fine,” I whispered and rubbed his back. I wanted to laugh too, but when we locked eyes, I could tell something was off. He wasn’t recovering from the embarrassment, the red darkening on his cheeks.
“Sorry,” he repeated, again, sounding like he deserved some kind of penance.
I frowned, my hand frozen on his back. “It’s fine. It was an accident.”
“Yeah.” He nodded as if trying to convince himself. “It’s just… it all looks very… expensive.”
“We have plenty more tablecloths and glasses,” Mom assured from her side of the table with a genuine smile.Someone commented that it was extra to have the cloth on the table anyway, setting off our family’s recurring debate about fine dining at home.
With the attention off of him, I hoped David would relax. Instead, I caught him tucking his shaking hands underneath the tablecloth. He wouldn’t meet my gaze anymore, retreating into his own world. My brother caught my gaze, though, sending a wordless inquiry about my boyfriend’s issue. Adam temporarily set aside judgment for empathy.
“It’s fine,” I mouthed, stomach clenching at how not fine it felt.
I wasdesperate to get David alone and check on him after dinner. But before I could, Rose pulled me aside when we were all done eating, and everyone moved into the backyard for dessert by the pool. The heat from so many people inside dissipated. And the younger cousins kept going back and forth outside, letting the chill fall air find its way through the first floor.
“How are you?” Rose asked.
It felt like a silly question. Even though I wasn’t upset with her anymore, there was a slight twinge of annoyance in my gut. Rose didn’t want to broach the topic. She would just poke at it to see if it would give.
“I’m great.” I offered her a small smile. “Congrats. I know you two are going to be happy together.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes lit up at my stamp of approval. “You really think so?”
“Of course, don’t you?” My brows wrinkled when she hesitated.
She shook her head but still tried to smile. “I do, I do. I just… it’s all so surreal, you know? And you and I never really talked about how Ren and I happened. We hardly talk about anything anymore.”
Rose and I had the least close relationship of our siblings. It could be the eleven-month age gap, the constant external comparison, or that we’re more alike than we’d like to admit. Either way, I didn’t think we would ever be best friends, but we could be there for each other.
“I’m happy the two of you happened because you’re happy.” I grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You light up when she looks at you. It’s beautiful.”
She squeezed my hand back. “You don’t know how nervous I was to see you.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t think you were actually over Ren. I can’t imagine anyone being over her.”
When I laughed, Rose frowned. She looked almost offended. I reeled back in. Just because we were working toward common ground didn’t mean we would throw out years of baggage.
“You can’t imagine it because you’re in love,” I reminded her. “But I never was.”
“Really?” Her eyes grew big. The relief in her voice was palpable. “Ren swore you were.”
“We were only together for two months. Besides, Ren swears a lot of things,” I muttered.
“She does,” Rose agreed and laughed with me this time.
“The point is, I wasn’t. I was only hurt that she asked you out, because I thought maybe the whole time you two were into each other, and I was just in the way. No one wants to be the foil in someone’s romance story. Least of all your own sister’s.”
“And here I was thinking I was the foil to yours.” Her shoulders relaxed, freed from the burden of a guilty conscience.
“For a moment I thought maybe you were, but…” I shrugged and glanced toward the sliding glass door that led outside. I saw David, with Adam and Aimee, on the porch. He held two plates of cake as he waited for me. David looked mostly recovered from the wine tipping incident. His only tell of nerves was his struggle to maintain eye contact for more than a couple of seconds. I needed to go to him.
