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“If you don’t, I’ll call the cops and get them to do a welfare check on you.”
I peeked out the peephole again. “You wouldn’t.”
Stacy put her hands on her hips. “Try me!”
She sounded serious. I unlocked the door and popped it open a crack, putting my foot behind it to stop Stacy from barreling inside. She looked miffed to be blocked. “You’re annoying, you know that?” I told her.
“Thanks,” she said. “I try. Now move.”
I held firm. “Look, you’re my best friend and I love you, but I can’t deal with your insane optimism right now.”
“Okay, I’ll dial it back.”
That got a chuckle out of me despite how wretched I felt. “I don’t know if that’s possible. But I mean it, Stace. I don’t want to hear that everything’s gonna work out in the end or that this is the journey I was meant to be on to make room for something better or whatever other motivational junk you’ve got on reserve. Okay? I can’t handle it today. So if you’re only here to tell me that everything’s going to be all right, could you just…not?”
For a second, Stacy looked like she was about to cry. But she swallowed it back. “I’m here to tell you exactly whatyouneed to hear right now. Whatever you tell me that is.”
“Fine.” I pulled the door open to let her in. She came at me, arms wide. “No, don’t hug me,” I said, warding her off.
“You’re not going to combust if I hug you,” Stacy said, stomping past me, her flowery shawl billowing out behind her. “You look awful, by the way.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, following her to the couch. “I feel awful.”
“Crying really takes it out of you, huh?” She untangled one of my curls, tucking it behind my ear.
I nodded.
Stacy sighed. “I really can’t believe he did this to you.”
“I can,” I said, a bite to the words. I should have seen it coming like a train barreling straight for me. Stacy frowned. “Trent told me he didn’t do relationships. Why would I have been any different?”
“I saw the way you two were together. Itwasdifferent,” Stacy insisted.
I shook my head. “No, it was only a matter of time before this blew up. I just never expected it to be because I was trying to do something nice. I’m so stupid.”
“He didn’t deserve you, Tash.” Stacy took my hands, squeezing. “I could kill him for you. Iwillkill him for you.”
I worked up a smile. Maybe I didn’t give Stacy enough credit. Sure, in many ways it was better to only rely on myself. Certainly, it was safer. And yet, here she was, like a barnacle, latching on and wedging herself into my life, refusing to let me deal with this alone. “I don’t know how Dominic would feel about that. And I wouldn’t want to ruin things for you with him.”
Stacy hummed. “We wouldn’t have to tell him. I can keep a secret.”
For some reason that caught me, and the weight behind my eyes released, a few stray tears escaping.
“Oh, Natasha,” Stacy said softly.
I wiped my eyes. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not. Come here,” she said. She caught me in a hug, and this time, I didn’t fight her. The harder she squeezed, the harder the tears fell until I was sobbing into her shoulder. Wecollapsed on the couch, arms wrapped around each other as I left tearstains on Stacy’s pretty shirt. “This sucks,” she whispered, rubbing my back. “I’m so sorry.”
“I was really happy,” I managed to force out between the sobs. “Just yesterday I wasreallyhappy, and I’m pissed at him because he made me happy and then took it all away.”
“Good. You should be pissed at him,” Stacy said.
I pulled back, drying my face with the edge of the comforter. “And it’s not even just him I lost, but my job and my team and not having to worry about whether I’ll be able to make rent payments and Nana Dee and his friends andeverything. In the blink of an eye, he made all that disappear, and I hate myself for getting used to having it all. For thinking I might actually be able to keep it.” If anyone could understand that, it was Stacy. She’d fallen for Dominic hard and fast, and I sincerely hoped things worked out better for her than they had for me. “It feels like I’ve got nothing left.”
“You’ve got me,” Stacy countered.
“And what if something happens to you?”