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“They’re going to get on your case about when you’re marrying her.”

She scratched her head. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. They’re not super hard off, but they’re not rolling in it either. If they try to mooch off Aria, I want to tell them off, but I don’t know if I have the guts.”

“Then I will,” I said, sitting up straighter. “Just bring me around. It’s my solemn duty as your best friend to tear them a new one on your behalf.”

She grinned. “Thanks, Pais. Not sure if you can handle it, though.”

I snorted. “Please. There’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“She loves spicy food. We’ll have dinner that would cook you to death.”

I faltered. That was hardly fair. “I’ll… I’ll eat the mashed potatoes and the bread.”

She relaxed back in her seat. “Genuinely, it’ll be a lot easier to breathe if I have you there. I’ll let her know my next-door neighbor will help herself in through the window to join us.”

I huffed. “I can use the door for polite company.”

“Yeah, just a question of which door,” she said. “If you climb over the balcony and in that way…”

“Fussy. I’m a woman of convenience. I take the shortest path.”

She dropped her gaze to the ground, slouching forwards. “Hey, um… thanks.”

“For climbing over your balcony? Girl, you don’t even have to say a word. I’m already on it.”

“This is gonna blow your mind. No, that’s not it.” She shook her head. “For being there.”

I paused. “Well… yeah. We’re besties.”

“Yeah. Just… I don’t know if it’s just me, but it’s felt a little off lately. But I think it’s me inventing a problem.”

I felt like something untied in my chest, unraveled, came loose enough that I could breathe again, and I relaxed. “Um… you know, I’d actually been whining to Kay about that not long ago. Like I feel awkward and… um…”

She glanced at me, waiting for me to finish the sentence. As if I knew how to finish a sentence.

“I dunno. Like things are fixed in place. Like I’m supposed to be a certain way. And then it’s like it’s not me anymore, and then I’m just… just kinda lost.”

She smiled softly, glancing down at my dress. “Clearly been having some luck pushing out of your comfort zone with Harps, though.”

“Yeah. ‘Cause she’s leaving.” I shifted. “Um… guess I figured I could embarrass myself in front of her all I liked, and it wouldn’t matter.”

“Not gonna lie, I had to do a double take when I saw you here because I genuinely did not think it was you. But… hey. You look good like this.” She paused. “And that’s a very elaborate excuse to dress up for your girlfriend.”

I hung my head. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Uh-huh.”

“She’s my wife, don’t you know?” I pulled my keys from my bag, jingling them. “She gave me the keys to her house and bakery. Now we’re basically married.”

She softened. “I’m really sorry.”

I dropped my arms by my sides. “Damn. Are you really dragging my wife like that?”

“Not that. Just…” She looked down, toeing the lines between stones on the floor. “She’s leaving. It’s going to hit all of us hard, but nobody harder than you.”

I tried desperately to shove down the burning feeling in my chest, and I looked away. “Yeah, big talk from the one who was spitting fireballs at the idea of me with her to begin with—”

“I wasspitting fireballsat you casually dropping details of the weird exhibitionist sex you had—”