Chapter 33 #2
“Puppy passport?” The concept of a dog having a passport is wild to me, and I can’t contain the smirk or the cackle that pours from my lips.
I picture a tiny booklet like my own passport, with a photograph of my brother’s new assistance dog, tongue lolling out of his mouth like the picture Katy just shared.
“Well, it’s not officially a passport, but he has travel documentation like the rest of us.”
“What does he do on the plane? Just… sit there?”
“The same as any of us, I guess. He’s been on a plane before, apparently. Julie, the lady who trained him, she took him on trains a few times, and on a plane to Berlin, I think Jay said. So not exactly a long flight, but he’s done it.”
“What if he needs to pee?” The thought suddenly occurs, and I realise I can’t go on without knowing. Somehow, it’s the most important piece of information, and I look at Katy with wide eyes.
“Well… I’m sure there’s something in the rule book?” Katy’s smile falls, and she looks a little stressed as she flips her phone over and begins to type furiously. “I know dogs can hold their pee for long periods… but Phoenix is a long flight.”
Her phone buzzes twice in her hand, and her shoulders relax as she scans the screen.
“Amie says dogs usually do hold it, or if they need to go, their owners will use puppy pads in the toilet. And Jay said the same thing about puppy pads. So, I guess that’s it.”
“I don’t really know much about dogs. We never had one. Never really had any pets.”
“Me either,” Katy says. She reaches for my hand and squeezes it. “We’ll learn together.”
I smile, slowly at first, but then a wide grin that takes over my whole face and makes my cheeks ache.
My eyes burn with tears, as though I haven’t cried enough of them lately, and I launch myself across the sofa to fling my arms around Katy’s neck.
She raises her arms, half in defense, and then to return my hug.
“I missed you so much, Sweet Thing,” I whisper into the ponytail hanging over her shoulder. “I don’t ever want to fight like that again.”
“Never,” Katy agrees. “Sisters before misters, always. I know I—we—kept our relationship from you, but—”
“Katy, I don’t—”
“Please, Roo.” She pulls away from me, dipping her head and lifting my chin with her index finger at the same time. I lock eyes with hers: brown on brown. “I need to say it.”
I nod, a silent encouragement for her to continue.
“I know we kept it from you. But we never wanted to hurt you. We knew—we thought—you wouldn’t be okay with it, and we didn’t even know what we were doing at first. If it was a fling.
Maybe some weird gratitude or co-dependent sex.
But it grew, and we should’ve—we should’ve told you, Roo.
We should’ve said something. The longer we kept it secret, the easier it was to just not say anything at all. But we were wrong.”
The tears that threatened a moment ago spill over, tracking lines down my face and onto my chest. I feel the dampness on my thin T-shirt as the tears fall unbidden.
“I’m not mad, Katy. I was. I was really mad. But… I was wrong. I’m not mad anymore. I love you, and I love Jay, and I just want you both to be happy.”
“He makes me happy,” she whispers. “He makes me so happy.”
We hold each other quietly for a moment until our phones buzz in unison, dragging laughter from both of us. We check them with matching raised eyebrows, and within seconds, a second message appears in our group chat.
Lolo
sos need some models for a jewellery shoot on Thursday any of u free?
Amie
It’s mum’s birthday, Maisy and I are taking her for afternoon tea. Sorry xo
Lolo
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA SUZ
Katy looks at me, just as I open my mouth to speak.
“I could make time,” I say, and I kick myself even as the words fall out of my mouth.
“As long as I check in with work sometime later in the day, I can do it.” The biggest perk of working for an American-based company and living in London is that I often don’t start work until sometime in the afternoon.
The downside, of course, is that starting work late usually means finishing work late. But I’ve always been a workaholic, and I’ve built up plenty of personal time to take as and when I feel like it.
“You’re gonna do it?” Katy asks, a surprised smile on her face.
“Finally ready to make your big modelling debut?” Katy has modelled a few times for Paloma—sometimes just for Lo’s whims, and other times when clients have been stuck for a model.
Paloma’s been inviting me to take part for years, but I’ve always turned her down until now.
Katy’s gorgeous, with her long blonde hair and soulful eyes, and every time Lo has her camera out, she’s always so at ease.
Even Amie has done a shoot or two, but considering she’s absolutely stunning, and an extrovert who could make conversation with a rock, that’s hardly surprising.
I, on the other hand, am even more awkward in front of the lens.
I paste a grin on my face and text Paloma to say Katy and I will be there, all the while wondering how on earth I’m going to convince my feet to propel me there.
Might have to google how to be a model when I get home.