Page 19 of Before You
“You actually want to?” Mirabelle asks, and this is starting to sound like a conversation they should have without us listening.
I clear my throat, interrupting them. “Thanks for calling me first. I hope you know how happy I am for you guys. I love you both, but if you don’t call Mom and Dad next, it’s going to be the end of the fucking world.”
“I will, I promise. We love you too, JJ.”
Marley sniffles next to me as I hang up. “Are you crying?” I ask, surprised.
She sniffles, wiping at her face quickly. “No.”
Right, because Marley has the ability to produce fake tears. She’s totally not crying.
“It looks like you’re crying,” I continue, trying not to laugh.
“Shut up, JJ.” Marley sniffles again, casting a feigned look of annoyance in my direction. “They just sound so in love. I mean, he literally calls hermy heart. How freaking romantic, and he wants to take her last name?”
All I can think is one day, that will be us too. I’m willing to wait.
“They deserve to be happy,” I say, simply because I don’t trust myself to not cross the friend boundary she set by blurting something else out.
“Thank you for letting me listen. It really was something special,” she says, her eyes growing misty again. A stray tear escapes, and my thumb is wiping it away before I realize what I’m doing.
Marley inhales sharply, and I brush my thumb tenderly over her cheek, doing my best to commit the feeling to memory before pulling away. I focus on my plate like nothing happened, but my heart is thundering in my chest from an innocent touch.She’s not mine to touch.
“Where does your brother go to school?” I ask, stabbing the eggs with my fork, trying to keep the conversation moving forward.
Marley takes a moment to reply. “University of Milan. He’s studying Italian and art history.”
“Nice, sounds cool.”
“Don’t tell Bria. Her mom is an art collector, and my brother caught the bug when he was little,” she says, laughing quietly.
“You’re studying music therapy, right? I mean, if I remember correctly, that’s what you said you wanted to study,” I say, tripping over my words as I glance at her.
Her posture stiffens, and she sets her fork down on her plate.Oh shit, Marley thinks it’s weird I remember everything she told me.
“I-I’m majoring in chemistry with a minor in business. I’m taking over my family’s company in a couple of years so my dad can retire,” she says, each word sounding like she has to force it out. If anything, it sounds like the last thing she wants to be doing.
“What? Marley, is that really what you want to do? What about your brother?”
She picks at her nails absently, forcing a smile feeling similar to a punch to the gut. “Yep. My dad has worked his entire life, and he deserves to live a little. I want him to be happy, so if taking over the company does that, then yes, it’s what I want. Kaden’s never had an interest in it. Art is his true calling.”
“That’s really admirable,” I say, and she gives me a puzzled look.
“I thought you were going to say it’s dumb, and I should be studying music therapy.”
If I thought it’d help, yeah, I would say she should switch instead. On the flip side, I know better than anyone what it’s like to sacrifice your own happiness for others, so who am I to judge her?
I shrug as if it’s not a big deal. “You should do whatever makes you happy. What I think doesn’t matter, as long as you can live with the choices you make.”
“Do you regret any choices you’ve made?” Marley asks, and my mind jumps immediately to Bailey.
“Yeah, I do. Do you?” I turn the question around on her as I inhale the last of my eggs.
“I think so, but I also want to believe second chances exist for a reason.”
I slide off the stool to take the dishes to the sink, unable to let myself look at her. It’s probably unreasonable for me to hope there’s an underlying meaning to Marley’s theory on second chances.
“JJ,” Marley says softly, pulling at my heartstrings like she owns them. My name sounds like a prayer and a sin coming from her lips, but I regret nothing as I turn around to face her. Marley hesitates, and I hold my breath instinctively. “Do you still think people are meant to be together?”
