Page 61 of Okay, Cupid

I’m forced forward, my momentum only stopped when Huy reaches to grab me by both arms. But it’s too late to stop the plate from falling out of my hands, from careening the few inches cake-first onto Huy’s shirt. We collide, my face hitting his chest. The panic sets in as I realize what’s happened.

“Oh my goodness, are you two okay?” The lady who allegedly caused all this grabs me by the shoulder.

I step back, conscious of just how close Huy and I are to each other. That’s when I look down, averting my gaze, and see the giant stain on his shirt. My plate falls to the floor as we both stare at the huge mess.

“Shit, Huy,” I say slowly. “I am so sorry.”

“Oh no!” The woman who caused this whole thing covers her hand with her mouth.

“It’s fine,” Huy says calmly, and I believe him. “I hate this shirt anyway.”

“Come on, bathroom.” I take him by the shoulders and we break through the doors to the gym. We cross the hallway just in time to see Neve exiting the men’s room.

Perfect.

“You too?” she asks.

“Cake,” I say.

“You?” Huy asks.

“Alice, and salsa!” Neve exits back into the gym. “We need seltzer.”

Huy and I pause at the bathroom door.

“I’m going with Neve,” I tell him.

“Oh, okay. I’ll be in here, I guess.”

“Hot water,” I warn him. “And don’t scrub, dab.”

“Got it.” He opens the door, and I listen before it shuts, the sound of his shoes squeaking against the tile. Then, once the door is closed, I can’t hear anything else.

Before I forget, I grab the OUT OF ORDER sign from the women’s room and place it on the men’s room door. This way, no one will bother them. I also shoot a text to Cal, so he can distract Neve. Hopefully he’ll think of something other than spilling food—I think we’ve lost enough clothing for one night.

It’ll all be worth it, though. Two garments sacrificed for these two people to get together, to be happy forever, to finally reunite and realize their feelings for each other never really went away, they just needed more time.

I sink against the wall, staring at the floor, at the patterns in the linoleum.

It’s for the best.

I don’t know how long I stand there, or how long I’m supposed to stand there for. I can’t just wait for them to come out, and I guess, at some point, Huy is waiting for me to show up with something to help him clean his shirt. But I can’t run the risk of interrupting what could be a pivotal moment.

Just talk to each other.

You’d be surprised how many issues between people would be solved if they just had a conversation. And yet humans act like it’s the hardest thing in the world.

The door to the gym opens again, and I dare to look up just to make sure Neve hasn’t broken through, but it’s Cal.

“How’d it go?” he asks, keeping his voice low. I’m not sure if we need to be whispering right now.

“They’re in there,” I say. “Now it’s in their hands.”

I can’t influence what they’ll say to each other, the words that they’ll choose. All I can do is hope that they’ll say the right ones, that I’ve influenced the two of them enough to say what they need to.

“Then you did what you could,” Call tells me.

“Right.” Then I remember. “Did you push me?”