Page 34 of Between Here and There

I finish with a dramatic mic drop (which is really just me nearly tripping over a table), and plop down on the couch, grabbing a chicken lollipop to reward my musical efforts.

Someone refills my glass and slides onto the couch next to me. I glance up to see a pretty girl I haven’t met before. She’s tall, tan, and wearing a sequined dress that rides up to her thighs. She’s wearing a friendly, yet slightly hesitant, smile.

“The look of confusion on your face is unsettling,” she says, her tone easygoing. “I’m Denise. I kind of got invited last minute when Haley ran into me on her way here. To be honest, I feel like I’m crashing a close friends’ thing… but I’ve never really been part of a friend group before, so… here I am.” She shrugs, a bit nervously.

That clears up nothing for me, and she picks up on it immediately, flashing a sheepish grin. “Oh, right! Sorry, I’m Denise… Rob’s new girlfriend.”

Oh. My stomach clenches a little, though I don’t quite know what to feel—hatred? Annoyance? Hurt?

Before I can fully process, she leans forward, keeping her voice low. “I just wanted to tell you… I didn’t know about you two. I mean… Ikindaknew, but he told me you’d already broken up. I just thought you should know… it’s been bugging me for weeks.”

I take a sip of my drink, watching her carefully. Her dark brown hair falls to her shoulders, and her tan skin glistens even in the dark room full of neon lights. She’s really beautiful. In a way, I get it. I’m waiting for the anger or hurt to bubble up, but instead, there’s only a soft wave of relief. I’m a little pissed off, to be honest. Not at her, but more at Rob. It was entirely his choice. I don’t have to waste time resenting Denise—she’s as much a bystander in his mess as I am.

“Thanks,” I say, after a moment. “I appreciate that, really. And… you’re pretty cool.”

“Isn’t she, though?!” Haley materializes out of nowhere, throwing her arm around both of us. “Sorry I didn’t mention anything sooner,” she says, glancing at me with a wince.

“It’s fine.” I give Haley a quick nod. “She did nothing wrong.”

We’re interrupted by a high-pitched screech from the front of the room. We look up to find Bon attempting one of Mariah Carey’s legendary whistles, giggling with Alexa beside her. They’ve become close friends, apparently—who would’ve thought the girl Bon helped Ryan try to date would end up being one of her close friends?

“Cheers?” Denise says, holding up her glass. I clink mine against hers, a small smile passing between us. It still doesn’t quite make sense to me why she’s chosen to stay with him, knowing he’s lied. But that’s not my problem anymore. And I really have to stop creating problems out of thin air. Sure, it’s a useless talent I’ve had since childhood, but it gets tiring. Denise didn’t deliberately choose to be part of what happened, and I’m not about to blame another woman for one man’s terrible choices. Society has done enough of that.

I look at my drink and contemplate if I’m going to finish this fourth glass. There’s about ten women in this room, and I have to know if they will all get home safely. As the mom of the group, I have to. I ask Haley and she says that they all have arranged rides for later and that the four of us can take a taxi or book a car back to Magnolia Heights.

Denise takes the mic, and I take one more look at her. She’s wearing a sequined short dress. I wonder what Rob thought of that. He was the epitome of ‘by the book.’ Upright, meticulous, and maddeningly proper. Like me, he planned everything down to the smallest detail—dinners, vacations, even lazy Sundays. But where my plans came with a little flexibility, his were carved in stone. Rules were rules, and Rob had a lot of them.

He’d never do something impulsive like getting a tattoo. And then my mind flashes to Joshua’s ink, the way it curves just below the sleeve of his shirt. I catch myself remembering what it looks like, fully visible—Whoa, hold up, where did that come from? I shake my head as if I can physically rid myself of the thought.

Rob and Joshua couldn’t be more different. Rob wouldn’t have dared to step out of line, but then again, Rob also turned out to be the one who cheated. I never saw it coming, not from someone so... rigid.

One memory surfaces, unbidden: the time I wore a short dress to his office party. I’d felt good in it, confident for once. But Rob had pulled me aside the moment we arrived.

“Are you trying to embarrass me?” he’d whispered harshly. “You can’t dress like that. It’s unprofessional.”I spent the entire night tugging at the hem, feeling smaller and smaller under his critical gaze.

He was like that about everything. What I wore, what I ate, how I spent my weekends. Every suggestion came wrapped in a bow of condescension. Looking back, I don’t know if I was in love with him or the idea of him—the stability he offered, the safety of his rules.

The memory churns in my stomach, leaving behind a simmering anger. I glance at the drink in my hand. Why am I even letting myself think about him tonight? He’s not here.

I take another sip of my drink, the warmth spreading through me like liquid courage. Rob isn’t here to stop me, to judge me, to drag me down. For the first time in a long while, I feel like the weight of his expectations—–and frankly, the weight of him—is gone for good.

I walk over to the center as we proceed to the gift-giving. Bon raises an eyebrow, bracing herself. “Should I be worried?”

“Only a little,” Haley winks, handing Bon the bag.

Bon reaches inside and pulls out a pair of fuzzy handcuffs. She lets out a shocked laugh, holding them up as we all burst into laughter.

“For when he makes youJuno,” Haley says, smirking, referencing the Sabrina Carpenter song that’s been stuck in everyone’s heads for months.

“Good to know you’re looking out for my marriage,” Bon jokes, setting them aside. “But they’re surprisingly…cute?” She shakes her head, amused.

Next up, Kate nudges a neatly wrapped, pastel-colored box toward Bon. “My turn! This one’s a little more...sophisticated.” Kate’s cheeks turn pink, which makes us all lean in, curious.

Bon unwraps it to reveal a soft, silk robe in a lovely blush shade. She runs her fingers over the material, a soft smile on her face. “Kate, this is perfect. Thank you.” She stands up to give Kate a hug.

“Just a little something for those cozy mornings,” Kate says, looking pleased. “You deserve something to unwind in.”

Haley rolls her eyes. “Leave it to Kate to bring the only non-scandalous gift.”

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