Chapter 12 #2
The king-sized bed is a mess of pillows, tangled blankets, and snack wrappers, just the way we like it.
Marianna and I are sitting cross-legged with a pile of junk food between us: Nerds Clusters, barbecue chips, chocolate-covered almonds, and two bottles of Topo Chico we snagged from the hotel convenience store.
Pretty Woman plays softly on the TV. Richard Gere is holding out a jewelry box, and Marianna lets out a little dreamy sigh I’m sure she thought I wouldn’t notice. There’s a tired edge to her smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“So,” I say, trying to keep my voice casual as I reach for another cluster. “Tell me what’s going on with Spence.”
Marianna freezes for a second, then lowers her eyes to the half-eaten bag of chips. “You’re not gonna let me off the hook, huh?”
“Nope.” I pop a chocolate almond into my mouth. “Last time we talked, you were trying to pick a wedding date. Now you’re taking a break?”
She exhales slowly and leans back against the headboard, staring up at the ceiling.
“He’s been … distant lately. Ever since he got that last promotion at the firm.
It’s like he’s in a different world now.
You know we don’t live together, but he used to practically live with me, staying over all the time.
Now I’m lucky if I see him once or twice a week. ”
I nod. “You thought it was just work stuff?”
“Yeah,” she says, her voice small. “And maybe a little my fault too. I’ve been working a lot, all those late shifts at the rehab center, on-call weekends.
So I figured, okay, maybe we’re both just …
tired. I thought I’d try something.” She shifts, pulling her knees up to her chest. “I went to his apartment just last week to surprise him. Brought dinner, set everything up with candles, music, the works. You know how I am.”
I smile softly. “That’s so you.”
Marianna laughs, but it’s hollow. “He didn’t come home until after two. Completely hammered. Barely remembered how to get his key in the door.”
My heart sinks. “Anna …”
“I didn’t yell. Didn’t cry. I just … cleaned up the table, threw away the food, and left.” She pauses, picking at the label on her bottle. “The next morning, I told him I needed space. I haven’t seen him since.”
I squeeze her hand, and she squeezes back, tight.
“He’s been texting,” she adds. “Calling, leaving messages at the clinic. He says he wants to fix it, but I don’t know, Cat. I really don’t know. Marriage is forever, right? And if I’m even a little unsure … how can I say yes to forever?”
I nod. “You can’t. Not until you feel right about it. You’re doing the smart thing.”
Her eyes fill, but she blinks the tears away. “We’ve been together six years. Six, Cat. He’s all I know. He’s been part of my life for so long, I don’t even know what life looks like without him.”
I scoot closer and rest my head against her shoulder. “That doesn’t mean you owe him your future.”
She lets out a shaky laugh. “When did you get so wise?”
“Probably around the time I started managing twenty grown men with the emotional intelligence of opossums,” I say with a grin. “Also, I am your older sister, you know?”
She laughs for real this time, and I swear it lights up the whole room.
“I love you, you know,” she says.
I bump her shoulder. “I love you more.”
There’s a soft pause, the kind that invites secrets.
Marianna shifts and gives me a sly look. “So … how about you? Are you seeing anyone? Any of those opossums taking up your time?”
I burst out laughing. “Oh my God, let’s not let the opossum thing stick.”
“Well? Seriously. How do you keep your distance from those hot-ass guys? I couldn’t stop staring today. They’re all so … perfectly muscular. Like action figures but with real sweat.”
I laugh again and shake my head. “I don’t think any of them even notice I exist most of the time.”
Marianna gasps. “Lina, please. You’re gorgeous and smart and funny. You’re literally the dream girl.”
I roll my eyes, but my cheeks warm anyway.
“What about Rogue?” she adds, grinning now. “He’s so hot. Broody, cloudy, carved-by-the-gods kind of hot. Like he fell straight out of whatever planet Thor is from.”
“Asgard,” I mumble.
“Exactly. I saw him watching you today.”
“There’s no way,” I say, brushing the thought off even though it’s already taken root. “He’s … I mean, yeah, he’s been polite and surprisingly nice, considering how famous he is and everything, but he’s not into me.”
“I don’t know,” Marianna says, drawing out each word. “He did seem a little into you today. How old is he, anyway?”
“I don’t know. Thirty-six? Thirty-seven?”
“Mmmm,” she hums dramatically. “An age gap daddy. I think you should go for it.”
“Okay, no. Absolutely not.” I laugh and toss a Nerds Cluster at her face.
She catches it midair like a smug little gremlin. “What? You’d be adorable together. Sunshine and grump, a classic.”
I shake my head, still smiling, and shift under the blankets. Rogue might set my pulse racing, but Veil is easier, safer. A place where I can just be me, not the girl responsible for keeping a legend’s image intact, the one having to hold it all together. Just … me.
“Actually,” I say after a beat, “I have been talking to someone.”
Her head whips toward me so fast I’m surprised she doesn’t strain something. “Excuse me? Who? When? Why am I only hearing about this now?”
“It’s not a big deal,” I say, suddenly shy. “It’s just this guy. We matched on Veil.”
Marianna’s jaw drops. “Wait, Veil? Have you seen him yet?”
“Nope.”
“Why? If you like him, you should totally meet up.”
I shake my head, pulling the blanket up over my knees. “I like what we’re building right now. It’s different. There’s no pressure. We’re just … talking. And he’s sweet. Like really sweet.”
Marianna narrows her eyes. “So, is he flirty? Or are you just making friends with this mysterious internet man?”
I grin at the ceiling. “Oh, there’s definitely tension. Like, charged tension. I don’t know. I really want to see where it goes.”
She watches me for a beat, then smiles softly. “You deserve someone sweet, Lina. Someone who sees you. Who makes you feel good.”
I blink a few times too quickly, my throat catching unexpectedly.
We fall quiet, letting the weight of everything settle.
On the screen, Julia Roberts is walking barefoot across a hotel suite, and Richard Gere is about to say something that’ll make us both sigh.
I don’t know where things are going with the man on the app, or Rogue, or anything, really, but tonight, with my sister by my side and the city I love just outside our window, I feel good, and for now, that’s enough.