Page 61 of Someone Just Like You

While she recovered from the shock, I carefully stepped backward toward the buffet. I closely examined the crudité platter until I overheard Laura ask Jude when his date was expected to arrive.

Turning to the rest of us, Laura raised her voice. “Jude’s dating someone…someone ‘special,’” she said, using air quotes. “I’m not sure how special she can be considering he was dating someone else a month ago, but that’s my Jude.” She pinched his cheek. “The ladies’ man.”

My eyes prickled. I wasspecial. I pressed a finger to my lips and waited with bated breath. Our families’ minds were about to be blown.

“Actually, Mom, she is special…and she’s already here.”

Eddie barked out a laugh. “Welcome to the Stark family, where harsh judgments come before introductions.”

Laura sucked in a breath as a flush crawled up her neck. “Oh! I didn’t mean to suggest she wasn’t special. I’m sure she’sexceptional.” She scanned the room with a furrowed brow, then turned to her youngest child. “Where is she? You didn’t make her hide in a closet, did you?”

“That was me in middle school, remember?” Alison joked.

Laura waggled a finger in Jude’s face while pressing her other hand against her jutted hip. “We’re a crowd of lambs, not lions.”

“Speak for yourself,” Patrick mumbled into his vodka tonic.

Jude laughed. “Relax, Mom. It’s fine. My girlfriend has had years…decades…to acclimate herself to this crowd.”

Girlfriend. I was Jude Stark’s girlfriend. I imagined hearts floating above my head.

He crossed the room in my direction.

My heart wentpowpowpow. This was it.

He winked at me. “Everyone, meet my new girlfriend.” He took my hand. “Her name is Molly. She’s a singer in a—”

I jabbed him with my hip, giggling even as a droplet of sweat trickled down my back. But we were in this together.

“Ta da!” I said, doing jazz hands for the crowd.

Clink. A glass (thankfully plastic) crashed to the floor. Twenty-plus jaws hung low while eyes bugged out like tree frogs.

Say something. Someone.

Finally, after a moment of silence too long to be called amoment, Laura slapped a hand to her heart. “Oh, my God!”

My dad stood and raised his fist.“Woot!”

Eddie blinked. “No fucking way.”

His wife repeated, “No. Fucking. Way.”

The toddlers and small children abandoned their toys and chanted, “Fucky way! Fucky way! Fucky way!”

My mom ran over to Laura. “Yippee!”

“We called it!” The two high-fived, then hugged while jumping up and down.

“You sly fox,” Michelle whispered in my ear.

As the wolf-whistles and clinking of glasses continued, Jude and I stood back and observed our families’ transition from shock to euphoria and finally to acceptance. In the hour following, conversation expanded beyond the news of our coupling to the football scores, replenishment of drinks, status of the turkey, and other small talk, but before long, it always veered back to us.

My mom stood in front of the armchair where Jude and I were squished together and shook her head in awe. “I can’t get over how well things worked out with your dates getting together too.”

Patrick pointed a stalk of celery at us. “And the two can play your stunt doubles when they make the movie.”

From behind us, Nicole patted my head. “Who would have thought all those times we forced you to play together we were making a love match?”

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