Page 119 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
chapter thirty-seven
gabe
Gabe
Are you free to talk?
Tala
Give me 30 mins.
How long couldsomeone stare at a piece of glass?
It had gotten to the point that I could probably recreate it in my head, edges, glints, and all. I’d known that string of numbers etched on it since I was a child—that endless sequence that followed no logic yet influenced so many computations. It was a reminder that some things would always be beyond my understanding.
It was also a reminder that the lack of absolute certainty shouldn’t stop me from pursuing what truly mattered.
After two years, I finally took down the rocks glass from my shelf. One wash and two fingers of cachaça later, I sat in my armchair and remembered the night Luna had given it to me.She’d been both proud that she’d bought it with her own money and seemingly ashamed that it was all she could afford. Knowing her as I did now, I recognized how it stemmed from her seeing herself as less than—less than capable, less than her sister. And I had helped perpetuate that misbelief.
Another memory came to me—the car ride with Tala to pick up Luna at the airport that very first day. I remembered Tala checking her phone repeatedly and my annoyance mounting each time she did.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked her.
“About what?”
“Your sister.”
“Gabe. She’s almost here. Are you asking me if I’m considering sending my sister back home?” Her stare drilled into me.
“Not sending her home, but getting her into a dorm, maybe? You’re giving up your space for her.”
“I’m not giving it up—I’m sharing it with her.” Tala sighed. “Look, I know Luna being my family doesn’t mean you’ll care about her, too, but I hope you’ll give her a chance. Who knows, you might even like her.”
A strange sense of foreboding filled me then, as though my instincts recognized my life would change with Luna’s arrival. I couldn’t have known how right they’d been or the magnitude of the impact she’d have on me.
My phone rang, and I answered right away. “Tala.”
“Hey, we just finished lunch,” she said. “What’s up?”
“Where’s Jason?”
“He’s checking on something, but he’ll say hi in a bit. Now stop putting it off and tell me why you wanted to talk.”
“Can’t a man check in on his best friend from time to time?” Yes, I was stalling, but I had no experience with these types of conversations.
“Of course he can. But this particular guy prefers to check in via text, not a random phone call.”
I decided to just get on with it. “It’s Luna. I’m?—”
Tala screeched. It was a sound I’d never heard from her before. “I knew it! Finally!”
I frowned, annoyed that she’d interrupted the speech I’d been practicing. “I haven’t said anything yet.”
“Your tone says it all. And honestly, when Luna told me you went to her party, I knew that was it.”
“Don’t sound so smug,” I grumbled.
“I love being right, especially when it comes to two people I care about.”
