“What is it?” she asked.
“Nothing — well, it’s just... that’s the first time I’ve heard you say that in years.”
Ari frowned, puzzled. “To stop punishing yourself?”
“No.” She watched as Tom swallowed. “That you know me too well.”
She paused, chewing her lip awkwardly. “Oh. Right.”
Next to her, she felt Tom inhale deeply. “I like it when you know me,” he said, before Ari heard him swallow again. “I like that you know me. Therealme.”
Ari inexplicably felt her heart pick up tempo, and she gripped her glass of water hard, so Tom wouldn’t see the sudden tremble to her fingers.
“Well, there’s a lot to like about you, Tom.”
She chanced a glance at him again, and once more found his eyes intently upon her. Abruptly she stood, moving to the kitchen sink and dumping the remains of her water into it. She heard rather than saw Tom sink deeper into his chair.
“Have you heard from the happy couple recently?” he asked, with tension in his voice.
Ari turned back to him, giving a crooked smile. “Actually, I spoke to them both this afternoon. They wanted to change Reine’s flower girl dressagain. Luis’s going to pitch a fit when he finds out. Do you know how hard he worked on the first three versions? His fingers bled and he nearly went blind sewing Egyptian gold thread into the white satin.”
“Well, Corentin was always changeable,” Tom replied gruffly, and Ari shrugged.
“Surprisingly, he’s being quite laid-back about the wedding. Stella is the one in charge there. Poor Corentin will need all the blessings from his goddess he can get if he’s going to successfully navigate marriage to Stella long-term.”
Tom shook his head. “No, Corentin will be fine. He grew up with my mother. Trust me, he’s had all the prep he needs for marriage to a strong woman.”
“Do you still find it weird?” Ari asked him curiously.
“What, you mean my brother marrying the woman who terrifies me more than any other? The woman who told me just last week about her birth control implant so that she doesn’t pass on my ‘unfortunate’ jawline to an unsuspecting child? Yes, I still find it weird.”
Ari smiled. “They seem sickeningly happy.”
“Yeah, I guess. Mom’s flying in tomorrow for the family dinner here before we all fly to Iceland on Sunday morning. Are you coming?”
Ari went to her fridge, opening it to retrieve a cucumber from one of the shelves. “To Iceland? Yes. I’m kind of planning the wedding, Tom. My presence there is a contractual requirement.”
“No, I meant the family dinner,” Tom clarified. “Are you coming?”
“I’m not family,” Ari replied instantly, at which Tom frowned in disapproval.
“Yes, you are. You’re Reine’s mother, Stella’s friend and my . . . well, you should be there.”
Ari picked up a knife, slowly slicing the cucumber into batons. “I’ll come if I’m invited. Pass me one of the boiled eggs from that pot there, will you? I’m making Reine a snack for your place. I know you won’t have had any time to shop.”
“No I haven’t, but eggs? Reine hates eggs.”
“They’re good for her,” Ari said firmly, “she needs the protein.”
“So, give her some sliced chicken,” Tom returned. “At least she’ll eat that.”
“She should be eating eggs. An egg is an adventure—” Ari stopped, the knife still in her hand. For a moment, a strange kind of quiet fell over the room, and she looked over to Tom, who was smiling at her.
“We had some good times, didn’t we?” he asked softly, and Ari nodded, feeling tears prick at her eyes.
“I have some falafel,” she said over the lump in her throat, “I’ll put that in instead.”
Ari quietly packed the rest of Reine’s snack box, handing it to Tom awkwardly, doing everything she could to avoid her fingers touching the long lengths of his. She had a feeling if her skin brushed any part of him that she would fall apart in his arms.
