Page 24

“H ey, Kels. What’s up?”

“She ended it,” Kelsey said.

“Who ended what?”

“Megs. Megs ended it with what’s her name.”

“You know her name, Kelsey.” Bryce chuckled.

“Her name doesn’t matter anymore because Megs broke up with her. Well, they weren’t actually together; it was a few dates. But they’re not going out anymore.”

“When did this happen?”

“About twenty minutes ago. Megs texted me.”

“I didn’t get a text.”

“She knows you’re with Sophie, and she’s nice. I am, however, not nice and interrupting you because I am freaking out, Bryce. She ended things.”

“Did you say something to her?”

“What? No. She texted me that it was over, and I called to check on her like a good friend. She said she was okay. It was really early, but it was the right decision. I guess what’s her name didn’t want kids and was all very adamant and judgy about it, questioning why anyone would want to have kids, and Megs wants them soon. Megs told me that was enough to convince her that what’s her name is wrong for her.”

“You’re really going to keep calling her what’s her name , aren’t you?” Bryce laughed.

“Yes, because she’s gone now, Bry. She’s gone, and Megs texted me first. Just me. Not Sean. Not you. Not the group text. She wants us to hang out.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah. She told me she didn’t want to invite Sean, and you’re in New Orleans, and she wants us to hang out.”

“ Hang out, Kels. Not go out.”

“I know. But it’s a start. We talked a little on the drive back from the airport. It wasn’t about anything real, but at least we talked like we used to. Now, she wants to hang out alone with me again. I don’t know, Bry… I can feel it.”

“Feel what?”

“Like things are changing with us. Like I’m ready to tell her.”

“Kelsey, you have to be careful.”

“I know.”

“Can you really see it? See yourself being with a woman? Being with your best friend like that? It’s such a big deal. You tell her, and it’s out there. You can’t take it back. And if you figure out later that you can’t really be with her in the way that she’s wished for forever, it will kill her, Kels.”

“I know,” Kelsey repeated. “Bryce, I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s all the time now. It’s every moment I’m at work. It’s when I’m at home, cooking dinner or trying to fall asleep. I picture her staying over and wearing my clothes and waking up with her still in my old T-shirt, with nothing else on. I… picture other things, too, and it feels so good. I have never thought of someone like this before. Never. I realize what I’m risking, and I don’t want to hurt her. I just want her to be so happy.”

Bryce turned to look over at Sophie, who was doing her best to pretend like she couldn’t at least hear Bryce’s half of the conversation, and she had to smile over at her because she wanted Sophie to be so happy, too.

“She ended things with what’s her name on her own, not because I told her that I wanted to be with her. I waited, Bry. She was with someone, and as long as she was happy with her, I wasn’t going to tell her because I mean it: Megs is the best person and deserves to be with the best person for her.”

“And you think that’s you?”

“Don’t you?” Kelsey asked.

Bryce chuckled and said, “Well, I never really let myself think about that. You were always the straight one, Kels. I was too busy telling Megan that she should try to find someone else.”

“But it’s me, isn’t it?” Kelsey asked. “It’s me for her, Bry.”

“I don’t know,” Bryce replied. “I think that’s up to you and Megs to figure out. Do I think you’re compatible in just about every way I can see? I mean, yeah; you’re best friends for a reason.”

“Bryce, I want to fucking kiss her,” Kelsey blurted out. “It’s taking everything in me not to run to her house, burst through the door, find her, and kiss her hard until we both have to come up for air and I can tell her.”

“Tell her what, exactly? That you like her? Kelsey, Megs is in love with you. I don’t know that marching in and going straight in for the kiss is the way to go.”

Sophie cleared her throat, which made Bryce laugh.

“What?” Kelsey asked.

“Sophie’s here. She just reminded me that I did that to her last night.”

“See?!” Kelsey asked.

Sophie smiled and shook her head at Bryce.

“Our situation is different,” Bryce reminded. “You and Megan are best friends. Soph and I had one night, and when I saw her, I couldn’t stop it even if I tried.”

“How’s the sex?” Kelsey asked.

“Kels!”

“What? Is it good? God, Bry, I want to have sex with my best friend. That’s so weird for me to say, but it’s true. I stared at her fingers on the drive home, Bryce. We’d be at lights, and I’d look down at them and think about how they would feel.”

“That’s one of my friends, too, so I’d rather not think about Megs and her fingers like that, okay?”

“I’m thinking about them enough for the both of us,” Kelsey retorted. “And I know it’s different for us, but, Bryce, I don’t know what to do now. She said she was happy with what’s her name. I thought that they’d date and Megs would tell me one day that she was in love. I’d be a bridesmaid at their wedding and watch them pop out those kids while I sat back, thinking about how when I finally figured it out, I was too late.”

“Kelsey, I’m not saying you shouldn’t tell her. Just take it step by step. Don’t tell her you’re in love with her if you are. Don’t lead with the kiss. Tell her you’ve been figuring things out recently and that you didn’t say anything because Megs seemed happy, but now that that’s over, you needed to tell her that you have feelings for her. Tell her you’d like to explore them and maybe go on a real date, okay? Megs isn’t someone who jumps into things. She’ll need the steps.”

“Yeah. You’re right,” Kelsey said. “Do I bring flowers?”

Bryce smiled and replied, “Maybe for the date, but not for the time you tell her how you’re feeling. She did just stop dating someone. She might want a little time.”

“Right. If she needs it, I’ll give her that.”

“I’d say so. She’s giving you about a million years.”

“Yeah… Yeah… I’m slow, okay?” her friend told her, probably rolling her eyes at herself. “So, I know you’re with Sophie right now, but give me a signal. How’s it going, Bry? Is it all you thought and more?”

“Yes,” she stated immediately. “It’s crazy and amazing and intense and perfect and somehow familiar.” Bryce noticed Sophie looking over at her as they walked. “It feels like we’ve been dating forever; like we’re kind of an old married couple but still brand-new, with so much to discover and explore together.”

Sophie smiled adorably at her and rested her head on Bryce’s shoulder.

“How will it work when you leave? Have you gotten to that part yet?”

“No,” she replied. “Not yet. And I should probably get back to my date, Kels. Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Kelsey sighed. “No. Wait… Yes.”

Bryce laughed, and Sophie squeezed her hand.

“I’m okay,” Kelsey added. “I will be. I’m going to plan my speech to Megs. Should I write it down so that I don’t ramble?”

“I think you should just speak from your heart. No speech, Kels. Just tell her how you feel, okay?”

“No speech? Okay. Fine. I still need to practice, though.”

“Whatever you need, I guess,” Bryce said.

“Bryce?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. I know you’re busy figuring this thing out with Sophie, and you still took the time, so thank you.”

“Always, Kels.”

They hung up, and Bryce tucked her phone away.

“So, she’s going to tell Megan?” Sophie asked.

“Apparently,” she replied. “Megs and the woman Kelsey only refers to as what’s her name ended things tonight, I guess.”

“Kelsey’s going for it. Good for her.”

“Yeah. We went for it, and it seems to be going well so far,” she replied.

“Hey, I have an idea,” Sophie said, lifting her head to look at Bryce.

“Okay.”

“There’s this art gallery that’s open at night. It’s new, so you wouldn’t have been there when you were here last time.”

“You want to go?”

“I think you’ll like it. It’s different, and it’s on the next block.” Sophie nodded ahead of them.

“Let’s do it,” she replied.

They continued to walk in comfortable silence until Sophie pulled them onto a street and into a building with an open door. When they got inside, though, the lights were off, surprisingly, and it only took a second for her to understand why.

“Glow in the dark?” she asked as she turned to take it all in.

“Cool, huh? I discovered it last month. It’s all these artists working with paints that show up in the dark. They’re pretty amazing.”

Bryce had to agree with Sophie. There were probably about thirty paintings hanging on the walls in the relatively small space, and they were all really good. Landscapes, mostly, with a few portraits tossed in. Most of them showed New Orleans at night in luminescent paints that gave the paintings a life of their own. They walked hand in hand over to the first one they saw, which was a musician playing the saxophone standing in front of a sign for Bourbon Street. The second one was of the bayou. The water, the hanging trees, and a bird that Bryce didn’t know the name of were heavily featured. Sophie walked them onto the next painting, which was a line of bars on Bourbon Street, and all of the colors made it pop off the canvas in a way Bryce hadn’t ever seen before.

“That’s our bar,” Bryce noted, pointing to the spot she believed their bar to be located.

“Yeah, it is,” Sophie replied.

“Are there prints of this for sale?” Bryce asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve never asked.”

“Excuse me,” Bryce said as she let go of Sophie’s hand and walked over to someone who was wearing a name tag. “Do you have prints of that one available?” She pointed to the painting.

“Not yet, but I will. It just came in today, actually. I can put your name down on a list and give you a call when they get in.

“How much is the original?” Bryce asked.

“Four hundred,” the woman replied.

“Sold,” Bryce said.

“Bry?” Sophie asked as she walked over. “You’re buying that for four hundred dollars?”

“Yes,” Bryce said. “Can you wrap it up for me?”

“And ship it,” the woman offered. “Anywhere domestically, anyway.”

“No, it’s a gift,” Bryce said and pulled out a credit card for this impulse purchase. “It’s going to a local.”

“Bryce, no way. I can’t–”

“Sophie, it’s our bar,” she said. “And it’s glowing in the dark and making it all feel like we’re on that street whenever we stare at it.” She handed the woman her credit card. “I want it.”

“Okay. Buy it and have her send it home for you.”

“No, I want it here for when I come back. Will you hang it up in your place for me? I’ll do it, if you want. I’m very handy.” Bryce smiled at her. “Soph, it’s for you to look at when I’m not here.”

“Oh,” Sophie said with a solemn nod.

“And I can see it when I come back and remember that we bought it on my first visit back to you.”

“That’s sweet,” the gallery employee said as she swiped Bryce’s credit card. “How long have you two been together?”

“About two days,” Sophie said with a chuckle.

“About a year and two days,” Bryce added.

Sophie tilted her head at that and nodded.

“Well, that’s confusing,” the woman said as she handed the credit card back. “Give me just a minute to wrap it up for you.”

When they were left alone, Bryce turned back to Sophie and said, “Soph, I’ve been yours since that night. You know that, right? I’m all-in on this. I meant what I said to Kelsey on the phone a minute ago and to Victoria in the interview today: I am all-in on us.”

Sophie took Bryce’s hand and said, “So am I.”

“Then, will you hang up the painting for me?”

“I thought you were handy,” Sophie teased as she placed her free hand on Bryce’s hip.

“Do you have a hammer and a nail?”

“Possibly. I’m not handy.”

“Sophie, you need a toolbox with basic supplies.”

“Why? I live in an apartment. I have a maintenance guy who fixes things for me.”

“We’re buying you a hammer and maybe a couple of screwdrivers.”

“I have the ones I get from IKEA in my junk drawer. They work fine.”

“You’re killing me right now,” Bryce said, shaking her head.

When Sophie laughed, Bryce cupped her soft cheek and leaned in for a quick kiss.

“Where are we going after this?”

“Well, I thought this would take longer, and we’d look at all the paintings, but you took about thirty seconds and just bought one, so I don’t know,” Sophie said with a smile.

“Back to my hotel?” Bryce asked. “It’s closer than your place.”

“You want to watch another movie? My TV is bigger than your laptop, babe.”

“No, Soph. I don’t want to watch another movie.”

“Oh.”

Bryce watched Sophie swallow hard, and she worried she’d said the wrong thing.

“I know what I want, Sophie. I want you. Only you. I want you tonight.”

“Um…” Sophie looked around the gallery, which only had a handful of people milling about and not paying attention to them. “I want that, too,” she whispered that part as if she wanted to make sure no one else could hear them.

“Tonight?” Bryce asked hopefully.

Sophie nodded.

“Okay. I’ve got it wrapped up for you,” the gallery employee said as she arrived and handed Bryce a bag with her newly purchased painting wrapped up inside. “Anything else I can do for you? Would you like to receive our newsletter? We don’t just do this at night. We’re open Monday through Saturday and have great artists we work with displaying their landscapes, mainly during the day. We have sales and new–”

“No, thank you,” Bryce interrupted her.

“Okay. Have a good night,” the woman replied.

“I will,” Bryce said, still cupping Sophie’s cheek.

“I hope so,” Sophie added after taking a deep breath.

Bryce nodded toward the door as she squeezed Sophie’s hand, and they walked back onto the dark street with the gas lantern lights illuminating their walk to her hotel, which, she knew, was only a couple of blocks away. Things were quiet between them now. They both understood what was about to happen and that they didn’t need words. They just needed each other.