Chapter 10
Denny
Be patient with me: my heart is heavy.
― Albert Camus, The Possessed
The last time she’d been in love, Denny had unwittingly signed herself up for the heartbreak of a lifetime.
When she’d met Blake, she’d been sure she’d found The One: they liked the same things, wanted the same things for their future, and Blake had been head over heels for her from the get-go despite Denny’s reluctance to jump into a new relationship after yet another failure.
Blake had been patient and understanding and hadn’t taken it personally that Denny wasn’t interested in sexual intimacy, so, eventually, Denny had caved.
Their year together had been a tale of two halves: a wonderful dream for six months and a never-ending nightmare for the remaining six. After that, Denny had had no desire to risk again.
Until now.
Eris was in the bathroom putting her makeup on.
Her strict routine had positively influenced Denny’s chaotic pace, providing a structure that Denny could sync with.
In return, Denny felt like her own laziness was rubbing off on Eris a little: her eye makeup had grown less and less elaborate, much to Denny’s joy.
Eris’ clean face was so beautiful and so young.
It was easy to see why she hid it behind makeup.
Standing side by side with her at the twin sinks, Denny had the impression that this must be some kind of predestination. Every atom in the universe must have aligned with the precise intention to get them here. She was happy—happier than she remembered being in a long, long time.
Eris admired herself in the mirror. Denny had plaited her long hair back along the top of her head to show off the freshly trimmed undercut. It was the perfect compromise between having her hair down, which Eris loved, and having her hair all over her face, which she hated.
Denny had a whole stock of silver beads and rings left from a past hair styling hyperfixation; she’d clipped a few along the tight braids, happy to finally put them to good use.
It was funny: that phase hadn’t lasted long because of how bored she’d get after the first few braids, but doing it for Eris was pleasant, almost fulfilling.
Denny was proud of her own handiwork and even more proud to see how content Eris was with it.
She was dressed up, with skinny jeans and a slinky black top that clung sinfully to every inch of her sculpted torso.
Every time she lifted her hand to brush the mascara on her lashes, her bicep swelled, distracting Denny from her face massage. She was caught staring several times.
“You’re showing off!” She tried to defend herself, but that only made Eris chuckle harder.
This was how life together was supposed to be: serenity, openness, fun… As natural as breathing. Painless. Drama-free.
One last retouch, then Eris stood back, satisfied. She put the mascara and eyeliner away, then held up a card. Denny squinted at the sleepy bunny in the mirror.
“You need a nap?”
Eris turned the card to herself, snorted at it, then selected the ‘I’m ready’ card.
Denny didn’t want to go. In fact, she’d be more than happy to spend the rest of the Sunday in the bathroom. But she’d promised to fourth-wheel with Eris and the twins for their chill coffee date, and now, even though she was questioning her own sanity, she couldn’t bail.
She wasn’t ready to witness Malik and Noah unleash a charm war. Eris wasn’t easy to impress, but even a lesbian could see how charming those two were.
Heading out, Denny bumped into the shoe cabinet and nearly dropped her phone. She was about to lock the door behind them when she noticed her bag was suspiciously light.
“I forgot my—”
The wallet materialised in her hands before she got to mention it. She raised a grateful look on Eris, who gave her a cocky smirk in return, turning Denny’s knees to warm goo.
“Wait! My glasses!”
Eris chuckled and reached above Denny’s head to pull the glasses down on her nose. Denny adjusted them with warming cheeks, a distant echo resonating in her memory.
‘You’re hopeless, darling, but at least you’re cute.’
Eris’ expression bore no trace of that exasperation.
It was indulgent, fond even, as if Denny had been something fascinating rather than a walking disaster.
When she nudged Denny down the stairs, the mirth in her body language swept the cruel whisper away, but the aftertaste of it lingered, sour and daunting, adding to the unnamed anguish that had been haunting Denny since she’d stepped out of bed.
On the way to the café, she got a photo from her dad, location Heathrow. It was an embarrassingly wonky close-up of his and Mum’s faces with the baggage claim belt in the background. It cheered Denny up for a whole minute. She had the most Boomer Gen X parents on earth.
Babasaur
Just landed
Dinner at ours tomorrow?
We’d love to meet your new “friend”
Muuum!
LUKE
Babasaur
Sorry
We’d love to meet your new friend
Denny put the phone away, vowing that she’d remember to reply later. She’d missed her parents and couldn’t wait to see them, but at the moment she wasn’t in the mood for family shenanigans.
When they arrived at the café, ten minutes late, the twins were waiting outside. They made an unnecessarily big scene of their jaws dropping when they saw Eris.
Malik let out a long, appreciative whistle. Noah exclaimed: “Girl, you look stunning!”
Denny almost retorted: She always does.
She was surprised by her own spite and ashamed of it. It was just a compliment, and Eris did look ravishing today. Unfortunately for the boys, sweet talk didn’t work on her. Her customary impassive expression didn’t crack or even falter a little.
“Are we going in or what? It’s Baltic out here.”
Without missing a beat, Noah stood aside and held the door open. “Ladies first.”
Denny had handpicked this specific café because it was small and rarely noisy.
Inside, a table of girls ogled the twins.
They stood out among the patrons, tall and brawny, with their flashy clothes and glowing brown skin.
Denny hoped they’d refrain from their usual lame quips about ladies loving chocolate; it was one of her father’s favourite lines and she would never not be embarrassed by it.
They found a secluded table. Denny made sure Eris got the seat in the corner by the wall. After the waiter took their orders, she created a group chat.
“What’s that?” asked Malik, pointing at the stack of flashcards next to Eris’ phone.
“Uh?” It took Denny a second to register the question. “Oh, it’s a communication tool for autistic children. I thought it’d be a useful gift.”
Malik took the cards to inspect them with arched eyebrows. “For a grown woman?”
Eris stiffened beside Denny. She snatched the cards back and tore through them until she got to the red-eyed bull captioned as ‘I’m irritated’ and slammed it flat on the table.
“Whoa, whoa, sorry!” Malik humbly held his palms up. “Didn’t mean to offend you.” His black eyes flitted to Eris’ side. “Or Denny.”
The way Eris slapped her hand on the flashcard stack and pointedly took it back seemed to say ‘I’m glad we clarified this.’
“She doesn’t like people touching her things,” Denny conveyed.
Noah’s look flickered between her and Eris like something didn’t add up.
“Fair. My bad, I’m sorry. Won’t happen again.” Malik cast Eris a grovelling look. “Guess you hate me now.”
Eris laughed. A real, hearty laugh that astonished even the twins.
Astonished wasn’t the right definition for what Denny was feeling. It was a sharper, colder emotion sitting heavy on her chest. She felt awful for it.
When their order arrived, Eris pushed her caramel latte to Denny, who skimmed off all the milk foam and transferred it to her own cup, spilling some on the table in the process.
“Typical Denny,” Malik chortled. “Bet God made you leng to apologise for your clumsiness.”
Denny’s vision blurred.
‘You’re so beautiful, darling. No wonder you’ve got everybody wrapped around your little finger.’
Noah poured two sugars in his coffee. “She dropped a thirty-pound kettlebell on a guy’s brand new iPhone once—”
‘One barely notices your flaws.’
“—the phone turned into confetti. And you know what the guy said? He said: ‘It’s alright, love,—”
‘Do you have any idea how lucky you are?’
“—I was going to buy a new one anyway.’ That model had literally just come out...”
A touch on her leg startled her. She hadn’t realised she was bouncing it so frantically. Eris patiently rubbed the restlessness away.
‘Thank you,’ Denny mouthed.
Eris’ hand stayed there even after her leg stopped bouncing.
“Eris, d’you mind if I ask…” Malik looked unusually serious. “How did you… You know…” He made a circular gesture around his own face.
Noah punched his arm. “That’s so rude, bro!”
But Eris was already typing.
Eris
Took a swing to my face when I was little
It was a question Denny had always wanted to ask but had kept to herself, not wanting to come across as nosy or insensitive. People could be touchy about that kind of thing.
“Damn.” Malik leaned across the table to take a better look. Eris inched back. “How fast was that swing going?”
Eris blinked.
“To split your lips like that, must’ve been very fast or very heavy.”
“Probably very fast, dude. How heavy can a swing be?”
“How fast can it be? Takes quite a momentum to cause damage like that, no?”
Eris
I don’t remember much
All I know is I woke up at the hospital and stayed there for 2 weeks
Ruined Christmas
Dad never forgave me
An awkward silence fell.
Denny couldn’t even express her consternation for how unfazed Eris was. What kind of parent would put that kind of guilt on their kid?