Chapter Three
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Dani felt like a zombie as she walked from the screen door into the backyard. Out of all the things she had expected to happen that afternoon, witnessing her best friends getting engaged was not on her list. Then again, neither was being unemployed, but here she was. The smile on her face felt even more forced than it was before, but the closer she got to Haley, the more she felt it relax into a genuine grin.
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“Hi!” Haley called out.
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“Is that what I think it is?” Dani grabbed her hand to take a closer look at the ring. It was a simple silver band, with a sapphire set in between tiny diamond clusters. Haley was always a bit unconventional in that way, but it was still one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry that Dani had ever seen, and she told her so.
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“You didn’t know this was coming?” Haley’s voice seemed to jump an octave with each word she spoke. She was still bouncing with excitement, even as Dani held her hand.
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“I had no idea,” Dani answered honestly.
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Haley gestured around the backyard. “Look at what Kai did!”
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Now that she was actually standing in the yard instead of looking out into it, Dani could take a closer look at the Polaroids that Kai had strung up with the lights. They must have gone into Haley’s stash of photos to find some of their favorite moments together. Given that Haley never went anywhere without her camera, there were plenty for them to choose from.
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Haley had been dating Kai for almost as long as she’d known Dani. The two met shortly after the start of freshman year; they shared a class together on children’s literature, and since her dorm was on the way back to theirs, they got in the habit of walking her home, and the rest, apparently, was history.
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Dani stopped in front of one picture and smiled. “Aww, I remember this trip.” The shot was fuzzy, but she could still make out Haley, Kai, and herself, bundled up in coats and scarves with a golden hour sun shining onto their faces. Spring break, freshman year. After their original plans to spend the week in Florida had fallen through, Dani suggested an alternative trip to her family’s lake house up north. Even though reading and playing the old board games from the cupboards were about the only available activities, since it was March in northern Michigan, it still felt like a true “break” from the hectic semester.
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The house had belonged to her dad’s parents, who had left it to him and his siblings in the hopes that each of their families would share it throughout the year. Nobody used it as much as Dani’s family, though. She and Stella used to borrow their dad’s key every once in a while, either for a sisters’ weekend or for trips like this one. Dani hadn’t been back there since freshman year, but Stella had been living in the house year-round for the past few years, working at a private school in the downtown area.
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Kai came up behind Dani and walked with her as she checked out the rest of the pictures. “Lots of good moments,” they said placidly.
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Dani nodded. With the shots they had chosen, they managed to piece together a visual timeline of theirs and Haley’s relationship. But when Dani noticed that she was also in almost every photo, it made her feel even worse. As dumb as it sounded, she couldn’t help feeling like all she had to show for her time in college was being the third wheel to her best friends. She felt a lump rise up again in her throat. The last thing she wanted to do was start crying again, but at least this time it could come across as happy tears.
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“So how did you ask her?” she asked Kai, trying to distract herself.
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Kai’s cheeks turned slightly pink. “Honestly? I kinda blacked out.” They laughed. “But I knew it was the right thing to do, however nervous I was. She’s my forever girl, Dani.”
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As confused and upset as she was about the events of this entire afternoon, Dani felt her stomach flutter listening to them talk. They really loved her, there was no doubting that.
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Haley had joined them now too, now that Dani and Kai had made their way closer to the door. “You okay?” she asked Dani. Leave it to her to tell the difference between happy tears and sad tears.
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“Yeah, I’m fine,” Dani answered quickly.
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“Did you see the poster I made you?”
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“I did. I like the color scheme you went with this time.”
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Haley grinned. “Maroon and purple are Dynasty’s colors. I did my research.” She led the other two back inside the house as she talked. “Oh, by the way, the real estate agent called me back about an hour ago. Are you free Thursday afternoon to go check out that listing on Third?”
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Dani was reminded again that the couple still thought she had gotten a return offer, after it had finally escaped her mind for a brief minute. Given that celebrating was the only thing left on the docket for the night, she wasn’t ready to burst the “I can’t afford to live with you anymore” bubble just yet. “You know, I actually have somewhere to be for the first half of the afternoon. Do you and Kai want to check it out without me?”
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“Yeah, no problem.” At least Kai didn’t seem to register that Dani had totally lied through her teeth. Now fully inside, they pulled three blueberry hard seltzers out of the fridge and placed two on the counter, opening the other one and taking a big gulp. “Alright, who’s ready to party?”
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The nausea had only been building since Dani arrived home — slowly, but still noticeably. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep it to herself for much longer, especially not if she was starting to drink. As a last-ditch effort, she pulled out her phone and texted her sister Stella.
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I need you to call me in ~2 mins.
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As expected, she responded almost immediately:
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Everything ok?
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Dani sent a quick thumbs up in reply, then set her phone down, waiting for Stella’s designated ringtone to chime and save her.