Page 79 of Just Between Us

I love stories. I can tell her about the time someone filled your aunt’s swimming pool with lime Jell-O. I hear they’re still looking for whoever is responsible.

Abel

Why the hell is he still on the group chat?

Lee

Bro, your sister procreated with my brother. We’re family now.

Life wasa whole lot simpler when the Sullivans were our sworn enemies and the worst part of the week was when Dad made his rounds, shaking hands and kissing babies in town. The public fawning was gut-churning, but now things were shifting. The recent stress and having to be patient were eating me alive.

My only outlet washer.

I watched Veda as she sat across the couch from me. Our legs tangled as hers draped over mine. I absently rubbed her foot and watched as the adorable crease between her eyebrows deepened. On a small table next to her, Veda scribbled on a Post-it Note and stuck it between the pages of my aunt’s notebook.

I dug a thumb into the arch of her foot, and she hummed. Unspent energy buzzed through me. I knew she was working, but I couldn’t help but bug her ... just a little. I wrapped my hand around her foot and massaged it.

Veda’s eyes rolled shut and her head tipped back. “That feels too good.”

I chuckled. “There’s no such thing as feeling too good.”

She tipped her phone toward me. “There is when you’re eyeballs deep in handwritten notes and trying to make sense of it all.”

“I’d like to be deep into something,” I teased. I pulled her foot to my mouth and nipped at the arch of her foot. She laughed and wiggled her toes.

“You could take a break,” I offered.

Worry flickered across her face as she teased her lower lip. “Maybe. I just ...”

Getting shot down was a new and uncomfortable feeling that took up residence in my chest. Still, I hated the nervous look on her face even more.

I squeezed her foot and slipped out from beneath her legs. “You keep plugging away. I’m going to make you a snack.”

I hobbled toward the kitchen in my cast before she could argue. When she didn’t, I knew I’d made the right call. In the kitchen, I pulled the ingredients from the fridge and got to arranging. I sliced an apple and fanned it onto a small plate. Next to it I put a few slices of the Vlaskaas cheese she was loving lately and a handful of chocolate-covered almonds. I also poured her a glass of crisp white wine.

Veda was still scrolling and making notes when I returned. I set the small plate and wineglass on the table next to her.

She blinked up at me. “What’s this?”

I gestured toward the plate. “Something calledgirl dinner.” I plucked a chocolate-covered almond from the plate and popped it into my mouth. “But that’s bullshit, because who doesn’t love small-plate charcuterie?”

Veda beamed up at me. “You are too sweet.”

I winked at her and sat at the end of the couch. My fingers drummed on my knee. I was restless and bored. Typically quiet evenings made the thoughts in my head too loud, so I filled the downtime with creating content for Pulse.

Veda nibbled on a slice of cheese, and my knee bounced. I slipped my phone from my pocket and stared at the Pulse app before opening it. As expected, my inbox was flooded. I tapped it but didn’t open any messages. I wasn’t interested in hearing the disappointment of strangers on the internet. Still, knowing I had disappointed anyone sent a familiar, unwanted pang of shame through me. It was like I’d gotten in trouble at home or school again.

My content feed was no better. I was tagged in hundreds of comments on old videos asking where I’d gone and expressing their disappointment or anger. The number of subscription cancellations alone was dizzying.

I hated to admit that a part of me missed my online persona. It was empowering to show a secret side of myself that was usually so hidden from the outside world. It sounded ridiculous, even to myself, but Ihadhelped people. Men and women alike shared how I’d unlocked some hidden part of themselves or given them the courage to ask for what they wanted with their partner. It feltgoodto do something right.

I glanced at Veda. Since she’d blown into my life, Pulse hadn’t held the same luster. I was slowly uncovering thingsabout myself that were not meant to be hidden—things that could be shared with a partner you trusted and cared for.

Still, it felt like the sad end of an era. I couldn’t bring myself to outright delete the app. Not yet, at least.

A ping from my phone drew my attention. When I saw it was a direct message fromMsBlackCat, my eyes flicked to a smirking Veda.

Her eyes were trained on the phone in her hands, but a grin twitched at the corner of her lush mouth. I opened the message.

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