Chapter 17
SIMONE SCRATCHED THE HEAD OF THE plump orange cat who was curled up on the bar. “Thanks for guarding my seat, Loonie.”
Before she plopped down on the stool she now thought of as “hers,” she walked to the end of the bar, where Dom waited to give her a hug. “Loonie’s genuinely been guarding that seat. A guy sat down there about an hour ago and got hissed at.”
“Loonie!” She feigned disapproval in the brewery cat’s direction, but the truth was she loved the idea that Loonie was becoming attached to her, whether or not it was actually true.
(Loonie liked anyone who gave him head scratches and snubbed anyone who didn’t.) It was another small sign of her life and Ryan’s becoming enmeshed, like the toothbrushes and comfy clothes they’d recently started leaving at each other’s apartments.
Simone walked back to her stool. The moms were still on their way, and Ryan had run across the street to pick up pizza for the group.
“Got something I want you to try,” Dom said, stooping to open the fridge beneath the bar. He emerged holding a can with a dark brown label. “I know you’re not usually a stout person, but we’re trying out this new one with coffee and orange zest.”
“I do love coffee,” Simone said.
“That’s why I have a feeling you’re gonna be into this.”
Simone loved that she and Dom were getting closer, too.
Over the past few weeks, she’d learned the origin story of Dom and Ryan’s friendship.
They’d both gone to an expensive private boys’ school in the city: Ryan because one of his moms—Claire—was an art teacher there and got a significant discount on tuition; Dom because his parents were loaded ophthalmologists who dreamed of him and his sister following in their footsteps.
They bonded in part because they both played baseball, and in part because they both were outsiders in their own way: Ryan was the scholarship kid with lesbian moms, and Dom was one of the only Black kids at a school that skewed awfully white for being in a city as diverse as Toronto.
After high school, they lived together in their first year at Queen’s University, where Ryan soon realized he had no idea what he was doing pursuing a general arts degree, and that he’d much rather go to carpentry school—which he did the year after.
Dom stuck it out for three more years, but when it came time to consider the next steps in his medical career, he confessed to his parents that his true dream was to open a brewery.
With his sister already in med school, his parents were at least one for two, so they relented and gave their son a small business loan.
Ten years later, the Common Loon was doing better than ever. Dom and Ryan were still best friends.
Dom cracked open the can and poured some of the velvety stout into two five-ounce glasses, one for each of them.
“Cheers,” he said, passing her a glass.
“Cheers.” She took a sip, then raised her eyebrows. It tasted a lot like coffee, but the orange zest made it surprisingly refreshing, too.
“Was I right?” he asked.
“You were very right. This is awesome.”
“Speaking of awesome…” Dom rested his tattooed forearms on the bar and leaned in. “I heard you guys made it official.”
Simone grinned and nodded. “He asked me on Wednesday. My birthday.”
With a rueful smile, Dom shook his head. “I told him to do it this weekend so that your birthday and anniversary wouldn’t be on the same day, and you’d have more days to celebrate. But my boy couldn’t wait.”
Simone grinned even wider.
Dom went off to serve another customer, then came back her way to continue the conversation. “In all seriousness, though, I just wanna say thank you for everything you’ve done for him. I didn’t know if I’d ever see him this happy again—and definitely not this soon after the shit that went down.”
“You don’t have to thank me. He makes me just as happy.”
“I know, I know, but damn, it was rough watching him go through all that. Losing your girlfriend and one of your closest friends at the same time? Just… brutal.”
Simone paused with her stout halfway to her lips. “Wait, I know about Victoria and the finance bro, but who was the friend?”
“Oh, shit. He said he’d told you about Victoria, so I assumed you knew.”
Her heart lurched. She put down the glass without taking a sip. “Knew what?”
Dom’s eyes darted to the window and back again. “I don’t know if it’s technically my story to share, but I’ll tell you this: I lost a close friend last year, too.”
She watched him go off to greet another regular, his words churning in her head. It had sounded like the finance bro—the guy Victoria cheated on Ryan with—was one of Ryan and Dom’s close friends.
Oh God.
She spun her glass in circles, her stomach doing the same. It was bad enough to be betrayed by one person you cared about, but two? No wonder the man had his walls up when they first met.
Her mind flashed to the way she’d reacted to the jerks outside the Rainbow Museum—how she’d practically dragged him down the sidewalk, ashamed to be seen with him. Ryan deserved better. He deserved someone steady. Simone could not, would not, be betrayal number three.
A spasm of pain in her temples told her she was clenching her jaw with the force of a trash compactor, so she did one of her go-to stretches to relax it.
Sliding a hand through the collar of her shirt, she pressed down on the skin below her collarbone and craned her neck in the opposite direction.
She most definitely looked like she was experiencing an exorcism, but whatever.
She needed to pull it together and get back to being the bubbly Simone who’d gushed to Seth about her plans tonight.
She turned at the sound of the brewery doors opening.
If there were ever a time to get her bubbliness back, it was now.
There was Ryan, carrying two pizza boxes, and behind him were two women: one short and sturdy with an edgy silver faux-hawk, the other tall and willowy with elbow-length ash-brown hair.
She slapped on a smile and bounced over to meet the moms.
“Hi!” she squealed.
Ryan set the boxes on the corner of the bar. “Mom, Mum, this is Simone. Simone, these are my moms.”
The woman with the faux-hawk immediately stepped forward. “Paula,” she said in a booming voice, and pulled Simone in for a one-armed hug. “I’d hug ya with both, but…” She showed off the clear bandage covering the inside of her forearm.
“The tattoos!” Simone cried. “How did it go?”
“Fantastic. It’s hard to see it through the bandage, but she did a phenomenal job. And Claire made the design.”
Paula looked at her wife, who stepped forward, holding out a hand to Simone.
“It’s lovely to meet you, dear. We’ve heard so much about you from Ry.
” Her smile was polite, if a bit restrained.
Simone felt a flicker of nerves that Claire could somehow see right through her bubbly facade to the writhing bisexual chaos within.
Simone shook her hand, still smiling. “I’ve heard so much about you, too. Including the fact that you call him Ry, which is adorable.”
Simone had expected a laugh, or at least a chuckle, but instead, all she got from Claire was a thank-you. Tough crowd. The woman put her hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “Should we sit down?”
“Yeah, let’s do it,” Ryan replied, and led them to one of the round tables.
Simone sat between Ryan and Paula and across from Claire, who thoughtfully nibbled at her pizza while Paula peppered Simone with friendly questions.
Simone couldn’t help but notice that Claire opened up when Dom came over to say hi and grab a slice.
She even stood to give him a one-armed hug, like the one Paula had given Simone.
While the moms were busy catching up with Dom, Ryan slid a hand onto Simone’s leg. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah! Why wouldn’t it be?”
“You seem… chipper.”
She knew this was his polite way of saying that something seemed off. “I just want your moms to like me!”
“Simone, of course they do!”
Simone let out a small laugh. “Not sure I’m your mum’s cup of tea.”
He gave her a small smile. “I think she’s just being protective. Especially after… you know.”
After Victoria cheated on you with one of your closest friends, she thought miserably. She wanted to ask him about it, but not here.
“Stop worrying and just be you,” he said, and kissed her on the forehead.
Tell that to my spiraling brain.
“Aww, would ya look at these two lovebirds?” Dom teased them from across the table. “Aren’t they cute?”
“Adorable,” Paula confirmed.
Claire sipped her drink as Dom walked back to the bar.
Under the table, Ryan gave Simone’s leg a reassuring squeeze. “Mum,” he said to Claire, “you should show Simone the tattoo design.”
“Oh. Sure.” She pulled up an image on her phone and slid it across the table.
Simone peered at the intricate line drawing and gasped with recognition.
“She took me on a picnic for our first date,” Paula explained, leaning in to appreciate the drawing, too.
“We were down by the lake, and these giant green dragonflies were just… everywhere. Landing on our food, on us… It was actually a bit creepy.”
“Oh, stop, it was romantic,” Claire countered, flashing a loving smile at her wife.
Simone turned to Ryan, her heart swelling. “Was this your inspiration for the dragonfly at the Rainbow Museum?”
He nodded.
Claire reached over and squeezed her son’s wrist. “We were touched that he gave us a shout-out.”
“I bawled when he sent us a photo,” Paula said.
“He’s the best son in the world,” Claire added.
“Okay, okay, that’s enough.” Ryan chuckled as he rose from his chair. “I’m going to run to the washroom. Be right back.”
When he was gone, Simone turned to Paula and Claire. “I don’t know if he told you, but that giant dragonfly was the reason we met.”
“Yes, he told us,” Claire said pointedly.
“Speaking of which, congrats on coming out.” Paula patted the back of Simone’s hand.