Chapter 25 - Mary
Mary
“And then Cat took off her chancla and swatted him with it,” Carmen howls at the memory, and my whole body shakes in unison with hers.
Every single muscle in my core and face hurts from laughing so much, and still we can’t seem to stop.
From the moment she walked in and wrapped me in a big hug, it has felt as if we’ve known each other for years rather than having met only once a couple of months ago.
Cat smirked and sat back to watch it all unfold.
Carmen and I formed a surprising bond when she informed me she loves pineapple on pizza and has a strong distaste for anything coconut-related.
Catherine seemed offended by both, but I couldn’t agree more.
Much to her horror. Every worry I had before melted like snow in the sun when the childhood stories came. And boy, did they come.
The remnants of our dinner still sit on the table when Carmen pours us another glass of wine.
I’ve lost track of how many, but instead of feeling drunk, I feel warm and sheltered.
My cheeks are a bit more flushed than usual, perhaps, but my mind is sharp and present.
Cat has lifted my legs over hers and is now tracing soft circles on my thigh with her thumb, as if it is the most natural thing in the world.
Carmen’s eyes flicked over to it once but, other than a quick smirk, she didn’t respond to it.
My heart, on the other hand, began racing while something inside me opened up even more.
And now I am curled snugly against her, right where I belong.
“In my defense,” Cat’s voice rumbles low next to me, and I glance up at her. “He was trying to get me to dance twice after I said no. Twice.”
Carmen chuckles softly and shakes her head.
“You kicked him straight in his Cuban pride, hermana.”
“He’s lucky a swatting was all he got,” she grumbles back, and I snort.
Somehow, that statement feels so Cat that I can instantly see it.
Her at twelve years old, swatting at a very persistent uncle with her slipper.
Even then, already unable to be persuaded to do anything that went against her will.
I lean my head against her shoulder, still warm from laughter and wine, while beaming.
“Sounds like little Kitty Cat was a badass.” I grin, wiggling my eyebrows.
Carmen roars at the use of the nickname and nearly topples off her chair.
And here I was, afraid that I would cross some boundary and trespass on their lifelong friendship.
But she welcomed me from that very first moment in the hospital.
It was a playful curiosity then, but something warmer and more settled now.
As if I am an extension rather than an addition.
The sharp ring of Cat’s phone rudely interrupts us, and we all glare at the device knowingly. I slide my legs down as she stands up to grab it, presses a soft kiss against my temple, and walks into the next room with an apologetic look.
“Durand.”
Her voice is clipped as she closes the door behind her.
I stare at where she stepped out, still not used to the interruptions, and feel something settle in my chest. I am wanted here and seen for who I really am.
With Cat, I don’t have to pretend to be anything I am not or tone myself down.
I can just be me. And she is unapologetically herself, too.
By the time I turn my head again, Carmen’s eyes are on me.
The rueful glint has been replaced with something delicate.
A fondness of sorts. I glance over my shoulder toward the door, but I realize the look isn’t for Cat.
It is for me. She smirks when she sees the realization on my face and tilts her head.
“She really likes you, ya know.”
Her voice is silky, but her eyes bore into mine as if she is trying to penetrate deep into my soul. My throat instantly constricts, and I have to swallow hard to push down the lump forming there. This is it. Now she’ll warn me that if I ever hurt Cat—
“It’s been years since she last let anybody in like that,” Carmen interrupts my thoughts, and I nod softly to acknowledge her words. “I thought she’d never allow herself to have this.” She gestures at me with her hands.
“This?”
“Sí.” She nods firmly. “That feeling of being sheltered. You make her glow, guapa.”
My teeth scrape over my bottom lip as I glance over my shoulder again.
“She makes me feel that way too.”
“Claro que sí,” Carmen quips as if it is only natural. “Once Cat lets somebody in…” A soft, knowing smile appears on her lips. “But getting her to do that, that’s the real flex.”
And just like that, her face transforms back into something mischievous, almost bratty. I let out a huffed laugh and nod in agreement. This much I can affirm from my own personal experience.
“So tell me, rubia, what will you wear to the gala?”
Carmen leans forward on her elbows, props her chin on her hands, and lets her gaze glide down my body. When I recoil and draw my eyebrows together, her eyes widen slightly.
“Gala?” I hate how thin my voice suddenly sounds.
“Yeah, uhm. Just a hospital thing,” she backtracks. “I thought Cat told you. It’s nothing big, really.”
“Oh, okay,” I reply a little too quickly. “Are you taking anybody?”
“Nah, not really my scene,” she says, but the smile she offers is a little too tentative.
I nod and laugh as Carmen goes on about preferring to go out dancing.
I respond at the right moments, ask questions, and reply, all while the ground I was just standing so firmly on starts to crack under my feet.
Why hasn’t Cat invited me? What does it mean?
My belly cramps uncomfortably. It’s a hospital thing.
Of course she doesn’t want to take me. She doesn’t want me anywhere near her work.
It took her months to formally introduce me to Carmen.
Not because she is her best friend, but because they work together. You are still her dirty little secret.
I jump at Cat’s hand on my shoulder, and she gives me a puzzled look before sitting back down. Her eyes scan my face meticulously, so I force a gentle smile.
“You’re not being called in, then?” Carmen asks to break the sudden tension, and Cat tears her eyes away from me.
“No, just a quick consult on a fractured pelvis.”
“A fractured pelvis.” The words slip out of my mouth in confusion. “How does somebody fracture their pelvis?”
“Well, you know, there are birds and bees, and when a bird likes a—”
“Carmen,” Cat groans, and her friend lets out a loud chuckle.
I just lift my eyebrows as my confusion grows. I am not sure whether I focus on it to drown out the noise in my brain or because my curiosity is genuinely piqued, but I really want to know.
“It is often blunt force trauma, like a car accident or, in this case, a fall,” Cat explains simply, but her eyes are still scanning my face as if she is not totally convinced yet.
“So… how… how do you fix that?”
“We put a cast around it.” Carmen grins, and this time I glare at her. She howls.
“It depends on the fracture. Often, we set the bone and stabilize it from the outside, but sometimes it needs more attentive care. Especially when other bodily functions are affected.”
“Oh, like their legs?”
“Yes, instability can cause pain and sometimes trouble walking. But it can also cause bowel and urological trouble.”
“Holy shit,” I exclaim, and Carmen snorts again.
“Quite literally, guapa.”
Cat’s lips tick up at that, but she tilts her head slightly.
When she reaches out to brush away a strand of hair, I flinch so briefly that it’s barely noticeable before I melt into her touch.
But the tiny crease between her eyebrows and the way her breath halts for a split second tell me that she saw it. And this will not be the end of it.
“Aight,” Carmen sighs as she breaks the silence and stretches her body. “Time for me to go. I have a twenty-four-hour shift in exactly…” She glances at her phone. “Ten hours.”
Cat smiles and nods. She doesn’t bother to rise and let Carmen out, who in turn doesn’t seem to be surprised at that. When I do move, she just shakes her head and comes around the table to hug me.
“It was wonderful to officially meet you, Mary. Thank you for such a fun night.”
“Oh, but the pleasure was all mine,” I say, blushing in return, and Carmen huffs out a laugh.
“Nah, but you are adorable for saying so. Buenas noches, carino.”
She squeezes me once before letting go and grabbing her coat from the chair. When she reaches the door, she glances over her shoulder, that same intimate look in her eyes. Her gaze travels from Cat to me as she smiles slowly.
“Quédate con esta, hermana. She is a good one.”
Cat nods in acknowledgement of something I am not quite sure about, but the way she instantly looks at me, makes my stomach flip. Yeah, except it’s only in this apartment that she does.
I move to grab the wine glasses when Cat’s fingers wrap around my wrist and she pulls me gently against her. There is barely an inch of space between us, and I feel wrapped in the warmth of her body.
“Hi,” she murmurs as she presses her lips against my hair.
“Hi,” I whisper back, my cheeks heating for no apparent reason.
Cat’s hand cradles the back of my head for a beat as she holds me tightly against her.
My fingers automatically curl into the fabric of her blouse, and I let out a warm sigh against her neck.
The hum she lets out vibrates through me but does nothing to calm the swirling storm inside my chest. I try to regulate my breathing and relax into her, but my shoulders stiffen as if they have a will of their own, and Cat instantly leans back to look at me.
“Querida?”
“Hm?” I hum, trying to play innocent.
But she won’t have it. Her eyes scan me again, and I know that if she presses, I will crumble right underneath her touch.
So I throw her a charming smile and raise myself on my tiptoes to press a kiss against her lips.
But instead of leaning into it, Cat physically steps back, making me nearly stumble into her.
Her hands instantly come up to my shoulders to steady me, but her gaze is sharp.
“Want to try that again?”
Her voice is stern, colder than I’ve heard it in days, and I blink up at her.
“Sorry?”
She squeezes her eyes closed and pinches the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger while letting out a soft sigh.
“What’s wrong?”
“N—nothing,” I stammer instantly while the blood inside my veins turns into ice.
“Maria, por favor.”
There is no heat in her words now. Quite the opposite. But there is a slight edge to them. She extends her fingers toward me before something stops her, and she lets her hand hover in midair.
“Did Carmen say something to upset you?”
“Wh—what? No. Carmen was perfectly fine.”
“Then what happened?”
“What do you—”
“Maria, I was gone for five minutes, but it was as if the entire air had shifted. Don’t tell me that nothing is wrong. It is okay if you don’t want to talk about it, but don’t shut me out by pretending you are all right.”
Her eyes shine with a mix of hurt and desperation, and the frown on her forehead has deepened. The sight alone makes my heart shatter even more. How can this be the same woman as the one who tries to keep me a secret? It just… it doesn’t make sense.
“Why haven’t you told me about the gala?”
The words tumble out, and tears instantly spring to my eyes. The one thing I’ve been trying to push down all evening rushes up like a coiled spring. My eyes fill with tears, and my bottom lip trembles. Cat’s frown deepens, only to be followed by her eyes widen as the realization hits her.
“Maria, I…” she stumbles as she searches for the words.
I shake my head and smile up at her, sadly.
“It’s okay. I understand.”
I press my hand against her chest once, just to feel her again, to feel what could have been, before I turn and walk away.