Page 39 of The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos

“So what do you do, Claire?” She sounds so American asking that, she almost laughs at herself. Maybe she is feeling more at home here than she thought.

“I’m a med student, actually,” Claire replies.

“Oh! Funny, my sister is a med student too! Where at?”

“I do clinical rotations at Kaiser Permanente.”

“My sister does rotations there too! What a fun coincidence!”

Claire doesn’t stop smiling. No doubt she starts to realize the game being played. “Wow! Crazy happenstance!” she says, her eyes twinkling. Claire finally sees Nicole standing on the other side of the room, and Dalisay can actually see Claire melt. Her eyes widen, her smile gets bigger, and her whole body relaxes with a sigh. She’s in love with Nicole.

“Would you like some ice-cream cake?” Dalisay asks.

“Sure!”

Before Dalisay can guide Claire toward the dessert table where Nicole is, Nicole makes a beeline for them, elbowingher way through the crowd and intercepting them. Dalisay can see the whites of her eyes, and all the color has drained from her face.

“Hey!” Claire says, beaming.

“Hey,” says Nicole, slightly sharper, teeth clenched so her mouth barely moves. She tries to smile, but it looks strained. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you,” Claire says.

Nicole’s eyes dart back to Dalisay and she leans in to Claire. “Can we talk about this outside?”

Claire furrows her brow. “I … I thought I’d surprise you. Wanted to take you for a ride.” She shows her the motorcycle helmet tucked under her arm.

Nicole’s face is turning so pale, Dalisay is worried she might pass out. She keeps looking around, as if she’s waiting for a clown to pop out like the one who scared Evan at Angel’s party.

“Is this your sister?” Claire asks. “We were just chatting—”

“Yes, this is my sister,” interrupts Nicole, sharp and staccato. “She is needed at the dessert table.”

“It’s fine, Nicole!” Dalisay says. “Claire and I were just getting to know each other. She’s welcome to stay—”

But Nicole interrupts Dalisay now. “She’s just a friend from work.”

Claire reels back, staring at Nicole with a frown. She looks hurt.

Too late, Nicole sucks in a breath, like she knows she said the wrong thing. She freezes, waiting, and clenches her fists at her sides.

None of them say anything for a moment, and Claire clears her throat. “Right! Just a friend,” she says, eyes darting to Nicole.

Dalisay desperately wants to tell them it’s okay, that she knows, but she can’t. If Nicole wants to tell her, she will on her own. All she can do is put on a smile and say, “Well, you’re welcome to stay anyway.”

Claire gives Dalisay a tight smile, then looks at Nicole. “You know what, I’m going to …” She juts her thumb over her shoulder, spins, and leaves before she can finish her sentence.

Nicole drops her shoulders and groans. “Claire, wait!”

Before she can run after her, Dalisay grabs Nicole by the wrist. “Hey, it’s okay—”

“Not now, Dalisay.” Nicole rips her arm out of Dalisay’s grasp and chases after Claire.

Alone, Dalisay stands wringing her hands, spinning her silver infinity ring on her finger. It was a gift from Nicole when they were teenagers. It was supposed to symbolize that together, they were forever, and now it feels like a brick wall has been erected between them, and Nicole is filling in the holes with cement.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Late on Sunday evening, Evan’s on the couch reading with Tallulah curled up on her pillow beside him when he gets a text from Daniel.

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