Chapter 17
W HICH DO YOU LIKE better w the dress? Morgan’s text was accompanied by a picture of a gold necklace with a wide band next to a pair of long diamond earrings.
Avery thought it over, then wrote, earrings. i think with a plunging neckline you need to go statement earring
These kinds of conversations, in which Morgan would text Avery pictures of jewelry or hairstyles or silverware design and request her thoughts, were happening with increasing frequency since the bridal shower a couple of weeks ago.
Today when Morgan texted, Avery had been following a burst of productivity that inspired her to clean out her fridge.
She had just chucked a six-month-old loaf of bread she’d defrosted and forgotten about and an expired jar of mayonnaise that, when she opened it, was alarmingly chunky, into the garbage when her phone buzzed with Morgan’s reply.
Thanks! I’ll do that
Three dots appeared on the screen again.
Avery wondered if Morgan was finally going to tell her that she’d decided on a centerpiece.
Morgan was torn between a clear hexagonal bowl or tall glass cylinder adorned with either white ribbon or gold, and wasn’t sure which combination would overshadow the flowers and which would complement them.
Avery liked the hexagonal bowl and Morgan did, too, depending on which influencer’s wedding she stalked online that day.
Btw hows Pete? Can we double date yet?
Avery hadn’t talked about Pete to Morgan since they discussed the toothbrush incident at Ofrenda, though Morgan was itching to reconnect with him and officially make him part of their friend group, which she probably hoped would encourage Avery to invite him as her plus-one to the wedding.
But Pete was busy with work lately, always sending Avery Snapchats from his late nights in the office, sometimes even at 2 AM .
It reminded Avery of what he’d told her about his music career dreams a few months ago at his parents’ house.
It seemed like the corporate world was not only sinking its teeth into him, but also taking a huge bite.
She tossed a smoothie bowl pocked with fuzzy green mold into the trash. maybe. he’s been really busy with work. i haven’t even seen him much lately
It surprised Avery how much she cared about Pete already.
They’d only hung out a handful of times so far, and she was still getting used to the idea that he would actually stick around, but so far his presence in her life had inspired mostly positive feelings.
Of course, the self-doubt still crept in sometimes; she always wondered if the next layer she peeled back about herself would be the one to scare him away.
But so far he’d stayed. To be fair, though, he didn’t know her that well yet, so his impression of her wasn’t an impression of her and more an impression of the parts that she was willing to show him at this point, which was both a relief and a source of some stress.
How long could they keep up these playful and mostly superficial conversations via text about movies and TV shows and funny memes? At some point he’d want more.
Her phone buzzed. Well when he’s free, we need to hang, Morgan said. And I know you’re weird about the word “dating” so we won’t call it double dating. We can call it a group hang! Just a casual group hang among some pals
Avery knew people used the word “dating” in all kinds of different ways.
But to her it felt so serious, like she was trying to find someone to settle down with.
Or that whoever she was dating was the person she was trying to settle down with, that “dating” was synonymous with “relationship.” That was why she preferred “talking” or “hanging out.” It was the bare bones of the truth but the truth nonetheless, a way to honor what she and Pete were doing without the pressure that came with labels.
Because the closer they got to a label, the more of herself she would have to give him.
A label made things definitive, absolute, complete, when she’d only so far given him fragments.
She didn’t want to rush the process of letting him see more of her than she was ready to show.
But regardless of what she called it, it made her happy.
Pete made her happy. Lately she found herself feeling disappointed when she didn’t wake up to one of his late-night Snapchats.
She also realized that if she wanted to bring him to the wedding, she’d need to get comfortable with him knowing more of her and integrating into the friend group.
She knew Charlie and Morgan saw the best in her and would never have gossiped to Pete about what happened with Ryan whenever they hung out in Boston.
A double date with friends Avery trusted would allow her to dip her toes into mixing Pete in with everyone else.
She had less than six months to get comfortable with that, if she wanted to bring him as her plus-one in August.
ok let’s do it, she texted . what about karaoke? Planet Rose? Avery smiled to herself as she remembered preteen Pete singing and playing guitar on his Instagram video. She’d love to watch him sing like that in person, all uninhibited and carefree.
Yessss!!!! Morgan replied with a string of heart-eye emojis.
Avery closed her fridge and opened a new text to Pete.
Their last conversation was a debate over what happened to Tony in the finale of The Sopranos.
(Pete said he was clearly killed; Avery believed it wasn’t as obvious as people thought, even if it was true.
They concluded that they’d do a series rewatch soon to confirm the clues together.)
She sent him a text. wanna do karaoke with Charlie and Morgan at Planet Rose? when are you free?
Her phone buzzed ten minutes later. I’ll actually finally be free Thurs. Sorry it’s been insane at work but Thursdays are usually my slower day.
that’s ok! no shame in getting that bread
You know it. I miss you though.
Avery held her phone to her heart, which had melted into a puddle. Then she darted her eyes left and right, embarrassed, like someone had caught her.
i might miss you a little bit too, she texted back . MIGHT. key word
Haha. Avery. You’re impossible.
On the night of karaoke, Avery was in such a good mood that she was convinced the guy at the pizza shop she stopped at beforehand slipped her drugs.
She was about to take a bite of her dollar slice when she was startled by a dog barking close to her feet, making her yelp and drop her pizza.
Disgruntled, she flung open the front door to Planet Rose, where Pete was already sitting at the bar and scrolling through his phone.
He looked up, his face dotted with rainbow light from the disco balls hanging from the ceiling.
“Hey, you!” he called out.
Avery dug her hand into a bowl of peanuts on the counter and cracked some open without responding. Pete frowned.
“Uh oh, everything okay?” he asked.
“No,” Avery muttered. “Some dog just barked at me and made me drop my pizza. He’s lucky it wasn’t a fifteen-dollar pad thai.”
“Awww,” Pete said with a tiny laugh. “You’re not a fan of dogs, are you?”
Avery shoved a peanut into her mouth. “You think?”
“I remember how you reacted to Milo. He’s scary, though.”
“Whatever, I’m here. Hi.” She kissed Pete hello. He kissed her back and pressed his body flush against her. The closeness made her woozy.
“Want a beer?” he asked. “I’ve got a tab open.”
Avery nodded, and Pete ordered her a drink, leaning closer into her.
All her nerve endings zeroed in on the spot where the skin on his arm brushed hers.
She felt light-headed and anxious in a good way, like her feelings for him had already grown since the last time she saw him, like she was a preteen girl harboring her first crush, both scared and exhilarated to bump into him after class.
She really hoped that today would go well, that she could keep all her bad parts and past hidden from him for as long as possible.
A bell above the front door jingled, signaling Morgan and Charlie’s arrival. Morgan lifted her eyebrows in Avery’s direction and then darted her eyes to Pete. She scanned him up and down with a satisfied smile on her face. Avery shook her head. Morgan was never one for subtlety.
“Good to see you again, Pete!” Morgan said, pulling Pete in for a hug.
Charlie went next, shaking Pete’s hand and clasping him on the back. “What’s going on, man? I haven’t seen you since college.”
“I know, it already feels like forever ago,” Pete said. “Small world, huh?”
Avery’s heart swelled. She couldn’t believe she was hanging out with her best friends and the guy she might, if she didn’t reveal anything about herself that would ruin it, one day call her boyfriend. She never thought she’d be here again, with anyone.
Pete nodded at the bar. “You guys want a drink? I got the first round.”
“Thanks! I’d love a beer,” Charlie said. “Morgan?”
Morgan hung her purse on the back of the chair. “Vodka soda, please.”
“You’re brave,” Pete said, laughing. “I think I had enough of those in college for the rest of my life.”
“It’s not by choice, trust me. I’m just trying to keep the calories low. Gotta fit into the wedding dress.”
“I hear ya. The metabolism’s starting to slow for all of us.
” Pete patted his stomach in sympathy, which was hilarious because Avery knew for a fact that he had abs.
But if there was one thing Pete knew how to do, it was make jokes at his own expense.
And Morgan laughed, which probably was his goal.
“But congrats again!” he added. “Very exciting. When’s the wedding? ”
“August twenty-second. So soon!” Morgan beamed. “At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.”
“They do weddings there? That’s awesome. I bet it’s beautiful.”
“It is. It’s amazing.”