The bridesmaids squealed after I said I’d marry Connor.
“We’ll help you!” Amanda exclaimed. I noticed her speaking voice grew louder and more enthusiastic with every drink. “Oh my god, we can totally make this happen—”
Katie cleared her throat. “Paige, your turn,” she said before draining her drink and gesturing at her empty glass. Yasmin dutifully poured her more rosé.
I had selective listening for the rest of the game, and byselective listening, I meant I did no listening whatsoever. Instead, I stared at the stone fireplace and replayed this summer in my head. Marco and me, both slick with sweat as we played field hockey on my front lawn—the way he’d tossed me over his shoulder and how fast my heart had raced as I clung to him, the way my body had buzzed. Marco and me, sitting on the porch—him working on his cryptic novel while I readThis Side of Paradise. Marco and me in Stone Harbor, the two of us waking up before the stars stopped twinkling so we could watch the sunrise on the beach.
And all the hours we had spent together in the Garden. More writing, more reading, but so much talking and laughing. I closedmy eyes to imagine what things would be like if our relationship was different. Marco slipping through the garden gate, but instead of just zapping my waist hello before settling in his usual chair, I’d stick out my foot so he’d trip over and I could catch him for a kiss.You’re cruel, I imagined him whispering before taking my face in his hands and kissing me back.
The daydream made me ache.
“Hey, are you okay?” Someone waved their hand in front of my face. “Mads?”
I blinked to see Meredith. “Yes,” I blurted. “Yes, I’m fine!”
“Good, because it’s time for Prosecco Pong,” Reese said. “Are you in or out?”
“Totally in,” I said. “I’m just gonna run to the bathroom…”
Is Marco alive?!I texted the Princetonians after locking the powder room door behind me.
Yes, alive and thriving, Marco replied, and I felt like a moron for forgetting that he himself was in this chat.What’s up?
What’s up?I thought.WHAT’S UP?!
“You’ve been ignoring me all day,” I muttered as Timothy Hobson-Kirby IV texted:Can we get a play-by-play of the panty game?
Sorry, Marco told us, Zach said.
Simon:But he was under duress.
Their words blurred together a little, so I had to really focus when typing back:We’re about to play beer pong, but with champers. Any and all tips appreciated…
Marco privately texted me as the Princetonians poured pointers into our chat:You okay?
I didn’t respond; I didn’t know what to say.
A few minutes later, he tried again:How is it?
Miserable, I told him, then changed my mind.Magical.
I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, I wanted to throw up.
But most of all, I wanted to hear his voice.
***
Never had I ever imagined Amanda Gallant and I would have a signature handshake, but we made one up about a half hour into Prosecco Pong (it ended with our fists exploding into fireworks). We trounced Yasmin and Meredith, and now were pretty much decimating Katie and Reese. “Drink!” Amanda shouted after I elegantly landed a hot pink Ping-Pong ball into a plastic champagne glass. Reese gave us the middle finger while steadying the bride so Katie could down the prosecco. I’d noticed she was starting to sway.
“New partners!” Courtney said in a crisp British accent after Amanda and I had bested everyone. (Apparently, she adopted a different nationality every time she got drunk.)
And like the ultracompetitive jock I was, I shouted Paige’s name, but giggly Yasmin grabbed my arm before Katie’s cousin and I could make confirmative eye contact.
That’s when I tasted revenge. “Do you haveanyhand-eye coordination?” I asked Yasmin.
“Nope, none.” She smiled. “My law firm’s softball team cut me!”
We fell into a fit of laughter; I soon felt tears pricking the corner of my eyes.
