“I’m on my way to pick Charlotte up from a sleepover,” she says. “No plans for the afternoon, though. Why, are you two looking for company?”
“No,” I reply bluntly.
“Didn’t think so,” Breanna says with a laugh. “But we should have dinner together sometime.” She smiles at Ally. “I should getgoing, but it was really nice to meet you, Ally. Be good to Drew, he’s not as tough as he looks.”
“Thanks for that, Breanna,” I say dryly, as my sister walks out.
Ally takes a sip of her coffee. “Do you want to sit for a bit, or keep walking back?”
“I’m good to keep walking,” I say, reaching for the tennis bag. “I’ll carry that.”
“No, I got it,” she says playfully. “I heard you’re not as tough as you look.”
“Right,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“You’re pretty close with your sister, huh?” Ally asks as we walk back to the condo.
“Close enough, yeah.” Close enough that my phone’s been buzzing in my pocket ever since Breanna left the coffee shop. I haven’t checked the messages, but I can imagine what they say.
Why didn’t you tell me about her?
I’m so happy for you!!
How long has this been going on?
We should have dinner together!
I love Breanna, but she can be a lot.
“Maybe we should tell her the truth,” Ally says thoughtfully. “About the relationship, I mean.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Ally’s brow furrows as she turns to me. “But you could trust her not to tell anyone, right? I don’t know, Drew, lying to your sister just feels wrong.”
I know what Ally means, and she has a good point. But I simply can’t imagine explaining my relationship with Ally to Breanna. Or to anyone else, really. Hell, I can’t even explain it to myself.
It may not be conventional, but it sure as hell isn’t fake.
“I don’t think it’s wrong, Ally,” I tell her. “And we haven’t exactly lied to Breanna. I mean, we are in a relationship, just not the kind she thinks. The details aren’t anyone’s business but ours.”
“I guess,” Ally says, but her expression tells me she isn’t convinced.
“Will you please let me carry the tennis bag now?” I ask as we approach my building. I move a little closer to her and lower my voice. “I’m sure the elderly neighbors have old fashioned ideas about gender roles. They’ll think I’m a schmuck if I let you carry that through the lobby.”
“Feeling a little insecure, Dr. Malone?” Ally teases, but she slips the bag off her shoulder and over mine. “Happy now?”
“Yes, thank you.”
I finish my orange juice as we ride the elevator, and I catch Ally’s eyes on the empty bottle.
“Breanna asked if you were still off coffee,” she says. “But I thought you said you’d never liked it?”
Shit. I thought she’d forgotten about that.
“Um, yeah,” I say as we walk down the hall to my unit. “I used to like it, but I don’t anymore.”
I unlock the door to the condo, follow her inside, and close the door.
