Andshit.
Romeo-Dylan had kind eyes. But they weren’t the eyes that had made the whole world go away.
‘The other Dylan, I mean,’ Romeo-Dylan said. ‘Dylan G. I’m not quite vain enough to try and declare my love to myself.’
There was a titter of laughter as Dylan swept towards him in her trail of green sequins, but I didn’t join in.
I’d had a lovely time talking with Romeo-Dylan on the couch. Truth be told, we might actually be able to make it work, if it weren’t for the fourth thing that the First Night Party had made me sure of.
I’d looked into her eyes, and everything had changed.
She was my friend. We were dating the same man. She was straight; or at least, she’d given me no indication otherwise.
But I’d looked into her eyes, and it had been tectonic.
‘Dylan,’ Romeo-Dylan said, ‘I want to know if your heart is the other half of mine. Will you take this necklace and commit to finding out with me?’
‘Of course,’ she said to him, and it hurt like hell.
There was only one thing I could do: ignore it.
I focused intently on Romeo-Dylan handing out necklaces to other women. I studied every line of his handsome face. I poured my attention into Cece, standing beside me, her shaking becoming increasingly violent as more names were called and none of them were hers.
I might as well have tried to ignore an earthquake.
Even when I wasn’t looking at Dylan, I could feel her, feel the energy of her presence, radiating out from her like sunshine.
No. Not like sunshine. That was too gentle. It was like lightning, crackling around her, and – God, I had to get it together. I absolutely could not be feeling like this.
It’s been a long, stressful night, and you’ve drunk a lot of champagne and eaten, like, one mini-quiche,I told myself.You just need to go to bed and sleep it off.
Hopefully that would be sooner rather than later. Romeo-Dylan was down to his last necklace.
‘I thought long and hard about who to give this last necklace to,’ he said. ‘I told you at the beginning of tonight that I like strong women. Ballsy women. Women who aren’t afraid to go for what they want.’
Cece. I was only going to think about Cece. I wrapped my fingers around hers and held on tight, because if I was busy worrying about Cece, then surely I wouldn’t have room in my brain to think about how Romeo-Dylan was straight-up describing my Dylan, and how perfect they were going to be together.
‘Sometimes, though,’ Romeo-Dylan said, ‘it’s possible to take things too far.’
They’d have such beautiful children.
‘I like a woman who stands up for herself. Someone who stands up for what she believes in. Someone with a strong sense of justice. Someone who fights for what she wants.’
Maybe I’d be godmother to one of them. I’d stand beside the Dylans in some church somewhere and promise to guard their baby with my life, and Dylan would stand beside Romeo-Dylan and smile at me and say, ‘Thanks, babe,’ and I’d just smile back and say, ‘Any time,’ even though all I wanted to do was run my finger over those smile lines at the corners of her eyes.
‘And I believe in second chances,’ Romeo-Dylan finished. ‘Which is why I’d like to give this last necklace to… Lily Fireball.’
Dylan caught my eye and made a face as Lily flounced up to claim her necklace.Kill me now,she mouthed.
I could only manage the weakest of weak smiles back.
But still, I managed it. I was hanging on by my fingernails, but I was keeping it together.
And I was going to keep keeping it together. I was going to get this – whateverthiswas – under control.
It was only feeling out of control because of this whole bananas intense situation, anyway. And because of Jac! Couldn’t forget Jac! Of course I’d glomp onto the first pretty person who was nice to me! It was late and I was tipsy and confused and all of this was going to be better after I had some sleep. Definitely.
‘Samantha, Rani, Cecilia, I’m so sorry,’ Z said, ‘but this is the end of your journey.’
