Page 31 of Hang the Moon
Darcy lost it, laughing harder.
Annie palmed her face, her lips twitching. She was losing the battle, trying and failing not to laugh. “Stop.I’m not interested in your brother. I’m definitely not marrying him. Absolutely not.”
“‘Absolutely not’? What’s that supposed to mean? What’s wrong with my brother?”
Damned if she did, damned if she didn’t. “Nothingis wrong with your brother. I don’tknowyour brother.”
“What’s there to know? He’s successful. He owns his own company. He’s—”
“—and you think he’s hot,” Elle added, oh so helpfully.
Darcy did a poor job of muffling her laughter. “Brendon’s sweet—”
“—you think he’sgorgeous. You want tokisshim. You want tobonehim—”
Darcy choked on her laughter.
“I do not.” Annie huffed. “No, I donotwant to kiss him. I donotwant to bone him. I donotlike—”
“—him, Sam-I-Am.” Elle dissolved into riotous giggles.
“I don’t want to date anyone!” Annie blurted. “Okay? I have sworn off dating entirely.”
Elle’s laughter petered out. From the muffled whispers, Annie was pretty sure Darcy had covered the receiver. She bit her lip, tempted to shove her face in one of Darcy’s decorative pillows.
On the other end of the line, a door shut quietly. Darcy cleared her throat. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“You’re fine. I really should let you get back to your vacation. Back to Elle.”
“Elle’s fine,” Darcy said, brushing off Annie’s concerns. “Areyou?”
She scoffed out a laugh. “Of course.”
“Annie.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Contrary to how my little outburst might make it seem, I really am fine. Promise.”
She was fine. Just fine.
Darcy sighed. “I know I’ve been... wrapped up in Elle—”
“As you should be.”
“But you’re my best friend. I should be better about reaching out.”
Annie bit down on the inside of her lip.
It was fine.
It was the natural course of things. Darcy had moved to Seattle. Annie lived on the opposite side of the country. Darcy was now happily coupled up with Elle. Annie was no longer the first person she called, the first person she texted, the first person she turned to.
Darcy was still Annie’s person, but Annie wasn’t hers.
It wasn’t bad. It was normal. Annie was happy for her. Darcy deserved to be happy, deserved to be with someone who loved her as much as Elle.
Yet, on a deeply irrational, shitty, never-would-she-in-a-million-years-admit-it-aloud level, it stung.
She didn’t begrudge Darcy her relationship. She just wished it didn’t feel like the whole world was moving on while she was stuck standing still. Ironic, seeing as she was the one in constant motion, bopping from city to city, bouncing from one destination to the next. All her friends were settling down or trying. And she used the wordfriendloosely. They were more like acquaintances at this point, because for most people it was out of sight, out of mind. Annie was out of sight more often than not these days, and her brunch invitations had suffered for it.
