“What happened?” Luna asked me. “Anna didn’t give me much to go on.”
“It wasn’t my story to tell. Sorry,” Anna apologized, and Luna waved it off, obviously understanding.
“Oh good. Story time. We made it just in time,” Tammy’s voice called out from the doorway, where she was standing next to Ruthie.
I sighed but realized it was better to only have to tell this story to all of them once rather than each of them individually. I broke down the whole story of what had happened, starting with the vase.
Apparently, Milo had seen me carry my flowers up to my apartment and snapped, realizing I was falling hard and fast for Axel and he was losing his shot.
Axel grumbled what I assumed were Swedish curse words as he walked back into my room, likely not happy about the number of people in here.
I continued telling them all what had happened and ended with the ambulance ride here.
“I feel stupid for missing the signs,” I said, rubbing my hands over my face in embarrassment. “I should have paid more attention to Milo, because now that I look back, I definitely ignored some red flags.”
“One of my favorite quotes is from Maya Angelou,” Ruthie interrupted. “Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn't know before you learned it.”
Her voice was softer than usual. Kind, as if she understood what I had gone through on a personal level.
It was a perfect quote. “Thanks, Ruthie. I needed to hear that.”
“I don’t know which ones of you need to hearthis,” Tammy said, her gaze bouncing between Archer and Axel, “but if anyone in the room needs an alibi, I’ve got one for you.”
Ruthie and Anna chuckled, so I assumed Tammy was joking, but the looks on Axel’s and Archer’s faces suggested she might not be.
Tammy was a force of nature, no doubt about it. She was also a brand-new friend, and I found myself loving this unexpected friendship more than I’d thought I would. I couldn’t wait to spend more time with her and figure out what made her the chaotic delight she clearly was.
