Page 57 of Vodka And Virtue

“No, it’s not that. You can do whatever the fuck you want with Rory. In fact, from everything he’s told me, I doubt he wants you to leave at all.” Carson took a sip of his tea. Then he shook his head, seeming to choose his words carefully. “I’m going to ask Ryan to marry me.”

“What? When?” Although I was excited to hear it, my head was spinning with questions.

“Soon? I don’t have it nailed down yet. But we’ve talked about me moving in with him. Between his last semester of school and The Sugar Rush, and the Lounge, we barely see each other. We want more time together.” A dreamy smile stretched his lips. “I want to wake up with him every day. I want to see him wear those ridiculous pjs every night. And when he—”

“Okay, I get it. Stop.” The less details I knew, the better.

“I hate leaving you. We’ve shared a room our whole lives. Or a house. And I’m—”

Carson dabbed his eyes with his napkin. I leaned in and hugged him, despite the awkward angle.

“I’m going to miss you, too, Cary.”

He laughed and pinched my arm.

“When are you leaving?”

“Probably soon, but I’ll let you know before I do anything. Also, I’m not really leaving. Ryan lives twenty minutes from us. I see you every day at work. And you’re welcome to come over anytime. Ryan loves you.”

“I know. It’s just not the same, though. All alone in our house with grumpy Gordy for company. I feel like everything is changing so fast lately, and I’m running behind, trying to hang on.”

“I get it. I really do. Who knows, maybe things are changing for you, too. It’s for the best. I don’t want to be thirty years old and still living at home with my brother and my cousin. It’s time, ya’ know?”

I nodded, swallowing a bundle of emotions I couldn’t give a voice to without falling apart in public.

It was the circle of life. People came and went, circumstances changed for better or worse, and all we could do was adapt and roll with the punches.

19

RORY

It felt sogood to have my stitches taken out. The skin around my wound itched as it started to heal, and I constantly feared snagging one of the sutures with my nails when I scratched.

We left the doctors office hand-in-hand as we made our way across the parking lot, back to my truck.

“What is it, Carly?”

“What? Nothing. Are you hungry? I can take you out to eat. My treat.”

What a sweetheart. “First, I want to know what’s going on with you.”

“I told you. Nothing. Everything is fine.”

I didn’t buy that for a second. “Listen, I’m hungry and it’s time for me to take my meds, and I can’t do it on an empty stomach. So we can stay here as long as you like, and go round and round while I starve to death and am in pain. The longer it takes you to tell me the truth, the longer I suffer. My fate is in your hands.”

Carlisle chuffed, rolling his eyes. “Oh my God, that was so extra that I don’t even feel bad for you.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I could be telling a lie, or I could be telling the truth. You won’t know untilyoutell the truth.” Carlisle hesitated, wringing his hands. “Did you have lunch with your brother today?”

“Yeah.”

“How did that go?” I felt like a dentist, pulling teeth.

“Pretty good. Him and Ryan are doing great. Too great.”

“What does that mean?” When he remained silent, looking everywhere but at my face, I prodded him gently. “Carly, I’m wasting away here, baby.”

“Carson’s going to ask Ryan to marry him.”

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