Cyren knew there was no getting through to her, so she dropped the subject. For someone who was literally getting paid from brands and had sponsorships, technically living her dreams, she couldn’t understand why her cousin didn’t see the sacrifices it took to do one thing while waiting for another. If Cyren didn’t know anything, she knew there was power, healing, and blessings in the waiting. Even if sometimes she didn’t like the wait.Maybe she hasn’t gone through that season of life yet,Cyren thought.
“Well, hopefully you’re never in a place where you’ll have to be.”
Skylar smiled. “Exactly. You want a shot?”
Cyren hesitated. She hadn’t noticed the bottle of Don Julio until she picked it up. The way she just changed the subject was baffling, but it wasn’t anything new.
She shrugged. “Sure. I’ll take one with you.”
“Yay! See, that’s what I’m talking about. Loosen up some.”
Pushing off the counter, Cyren moved toward the cabinet, reaching up to grab a second glass. Her fingers brushed over a few before she decided on a smaller one with a pink painted rimand the word Phuket across the front. It was a souvenir her Aunt Nia returned home with after a two-week trip to Thailand.
She slid the glass her way. The quiet clink of it against the counter filled the silence between them. Skylar poured the amber liquid to the brim, and the scent of tequila cut through the air almost instantly. Cyren picked her glass up, running her thumb over the embossed detailing, and stared at her cousin.
Beneath her flawless makeup and the effortless way she carried herself… There was something else. Something quieter. Skylar’s eyes didn’t hold that same sharpness they had a second ago. If anything, they looked like they were pleading for something she wasn’t willing to ask for aloud or share with her cousin. Skylar lifted hers, and they tapped each other’s.
“To what?” Cyren asked.
Skylar paused, the question catching her off guard. For once, she didn’t have a quick, witty answer ready. Her gaze dropped to the glass in her hand, where her thumb traced the rim like she needed something else to focus on.
“To… getting through it,” she said in a softer tone.
The elephant made its presence known, but Cyren decided to ignore it. Nodding once, her chest tightened as her fingers lightly tapped the counter. “Yeah,” she mumbled, “to that.”
Skylar instantly winced, reaching for a lime. “Ugh. I swear I hate that every time,” she muttered, biting into it.
Cyren welcomed the burn more than the taste. It gave her something else to focus on, sharp enough to momentarily distract from the dull ache settling deep in her chest.
“Auntie Nia at work?” Cyren asked.
Skylar had already drifted back to her phone, and Cyren caught the subtle roll of her eyes.
“Of course she is. That’s where she’s always at. I don’t even know why you asked.”
Cyren knew why she’d asked. Because a part of her still held onto the hope that one day, the answer would be different, and that her aunt wouldn’t always be somewhere else, buried in work.
As a doctor, Nia had always worked hard, but lately, it felt excessive like she didn’t know what to do with herself when she wasn’t working. Cyren couldn’t remember a time when she wasn’t talking to her mom on FaceTime, and her aunt was right there with her. They were either out in the city spending quality time or traveling, enjoying everything they’d worked hard for. It was motivating to witness, and now all Cyren felt was silence.
She moved back at her aunt’s request so the family could lean on one another, but the truth was, Cyren hadn’t felt more alone. She wasn’t a complete shell of herself. Just of who she used to be and everything she knew.
What she did know was that somewhere in that silence, pieces of all of them had gone missing. The hole in Cyren’s chest hadn’t nearly begun to close, but the liquor softened the edges just enough to make the pain bearable.
“Pour me up another one,” she said, sliding her glass Skylar’s way.
Gripping the neck of the bottle, she poured them both another shot before Cyren ventured to her room. To her hiding space. Stripping from her clothes so she could shower and lie down, she stood at her dresser, removing her earrings and tennis bracelet. Plugging her phone into the charger, she noticed a missed call from her auntie and a voicemail to go with it.
Her hand hovered, not sure if she wanted to know what her auntie was saying, but she took a deep breath, pressed play, and listened anyway. Her stomach churned at the softness and sadness in her aunt’s voice.
“Hey, my beautiful niece. I know you’re probably home by now, and I hope you had a good day at work. I’ll be workinga double, so you won’t see me until the weekend. If you’re off, maybe we can do something. I try to keep myself busy around their birthdays, so I’m not as sad.”
Nia paused, and they both simultaneously cleared the ache from their throats. Cyren blinked to mask hers, while Nia sadly chuckled.
“I don’t know how that’s working out, but I’m here. And you are, too. We’ll keep getting through these tough times. They don’t last forever.”
Cyren knew that, but damn did it feel like forever was a long time. Someone needed to show her a clock counting down to when those tough times would end.
“Well, that was all I wanted. I have to get back to work. I love you.”
