I shudder-laugh. More shudder than laugh. Sixty-three percent shudder.
“Thank God you’re back,” he says. “It’s not the same without you.”
He leads me through the house and out to the pool.
At first, they don’t see me. They’re too busy canoodling in the water. I don’t want to interrupt, so I take a seat at the outdoor dining table. It’s spread with fancy plates, actual silver silverware and champagne glasses. I see the remnants of waffles and a few different syrups.
“Did you guys get takeout from SCW?” I ask.
“No, it turns out they have a family chef now,” Martin says.
“Jesus, they’re so rich,” I say.
“Yup,” he says, and offers me a plate.
I’m too nervous to eat, so I just sit there and wait. I don’t have to wait long for Cassidy to realize I’m here. “I don’t remember inviting you over,” she says, using her I’m about to set something on fire voice.
Martin mimes pulling out and offering an organ.
I start with the basics instead. “Hey, guys.”
Sophie gets out of the water, wraps herself in a towel and sits down on a lounge chair. “Hi, Evie,” she mumbles, but she doesn’t look at me.
Cassidy gets out of the pool and follows Sophie to the lounge. She ignores me completely. To Martin she says: “Why is she here?”
“I came to apologize,” I say.
In her eyes, I can see Sophie wants to forgive me. She rests her hand on Cassidy’s shoulder and squeezes, but Cassidy just folds her arms tight.
I look to Martin for help. “Grovel,” he mouths.
I didn’t think it was going to be this hard to get back to being friends. But now I’m realizing that it might not be up to me. What if they decide not to forgive me? Then X will have been right: I’ll be responsible for our breakup. Not them.
“Why’d you say we should break up?” Cassidy asks. “It’s me, right? You think I’m not good enough for Sophie?”
I can’t believe she thinks that. Or, I can believe it. It’s basically what her parents have been telling her all her life with their constant neglect.
I walk over to the lounge chair and squat in front of her. “No, Cassidy. It’s not that at all. It’s just me. Ever since Mom and Dad—”
Sophie squeezes Cassidy’s shoulder again. “See, I told you,” she says.
I’m happy to know that Sophie’s been holding on to her faith in me.
But Cassidy isn’t ready to forgive me yet. “Jesus, just get over it already. Ever since it happened, you’ve been—”
Sophie interrupts her. “What Cassidy means is we miss the old Evie. Not everyone’s going to end up like your parents. Some people are happy.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been so selfish. I’ve been a complete idiot,” I say to Cassidy.
She shakes her head, but I catch a glimpse of a small smile. “Complete idiot bitch,” she says.
“I’m sorry I was a complete idiot bitch,” I say, smiling back at her. “I didn’t mean any of what I said. I’m so happy you guys are happy.”
Cassidy beams. It might be the first known beaming in Cassidy history.
“You’re beaming.”
She scowls. “I don’t beam.”
“Yes you do,” says Sophie.
And then Cassidy does another un-Cassidy-like thing: she blushes.
We all stare at her.
“Fuck,” she says.
We spend the rest of the day catching up. Martin’s right that Sophie and Cassidy are charter members of the public displays of affection fan club. And the word babe needs to be exorcised from their vocabulary. And it really is strange watching them touch and kiss.
But I can’t deny that they’re happy. Really happy.
I wish I could make it last for them. That’s the superpower I should have, making love last forever.
We keep hanging out until it’s time for me to head home for dinner.
Sophie pulls me into a hug. “We missed you, Evie.”
Cassidy joins the hug. “Next time we won’t forgive you so easily.”
“This was easy?”
“You still have all your organs,” Martin says, wrapping his arms around all of us.
“That’s true,” I say. “I missed you guys too.”
CHAPTER 35
Bachata Monday
“I’M GLAD YOU made up with them,” X says as soon as he walks into the studio on Monday evening.
I texted him last night to tell him I fixed things with Sophie and Cassidy.