Page 36 of Theirs for the Holidays

It’s clear she’s expecting us to leave, to go back to whatever it is we’d be doing if we didn’t feel obligated to take care of her. I can see it playing out in her head that she’s inconveniencing us by having a natural reaction to being in extreme pain.

Instead, without even discussing it, the three of us settle in to keep her company. Sawyer slides up to sit on her left side, and I take my place at her right, leaving Rhett to sit on the end of the bed.

“You don’t have to do this,” she says, looking around at the three of us. “I really mean it. I’ll be fine now. It’s not like this is the first time this has happened or anything.”

I shrug, unbothered as I get comfortable. “I don’t have anything else I need to be doing. Do you?” I glance over at Sawyer.

“Nope,” he says definitively. “I’m free as a bird right now.”

We both look to Rhett, who shakes his head. “Nothing on my end either.”

I can’t remember the last time we were all on the same page like this. And then I correct myself because the last time was when we all agreed to pretend to date Violet. Clearly there’s something about her that makes it easy for us to put aside our differences and stand as a united front.

“So,” Sawyer drawls, folding his hands behind his head. “What do you want to do?”

Violet shrugs. “I usually just binge movies or reality TV when I’m knocked out by my period like this. Something light that doesn’t require me to think too much.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

“But I don’t have a TV in here. I’m usually just watching on my laptop.”

“That’s fine,” Rhett tells her. He fetches her laptop from on top of the dresser and brings it to her, letting her search through her streaming services until she finds something she wants to watch.

“You really don’t mind?” she asks, finger hovering over the trackpad before pressing play.

“I mind Rhett’s foot in my personal space,” Sawyer says, playfully kicking at Rhett to get him to move over a little. “But other than that, it’s not a big deal.”

“You’re one to talk,” Rhett mutters back. “Manspreading all over the place like you think you’re hot shit.”

Sawyer throws him a scandalized look, and I roll my eyes at both of them. “If you don’t stop, you’re both going to fall off the bed, and I’m just going to laugh.”

“Because you’re fucking rude,” Sawyer says.

There’s some pushing and jostling as we get settled in to watch the movie, but even that has more of a playful vibe than it has in a long time. The barbs aren’t venomous so much as they are just snarky, and no one storms off in a huff.

Violet starts playingThe Princess Bride, and I lean back against the headboard. Her bed isn’t big enough for us to be truly comfortable like this, all crammed in the way we are, but it feels… nice. It feels warm in a weird way.

Sawyer makes snarky comments during the movie that make Violet laugh, but by the time it’s over, she’s fallen asleep with her head on my shoulder, breathing softly.

The three of us quietly close the laptop and return it to the dresser and then get up to leave. It’s more awkward than it was before, none of us making eye contact with each other as we slip out of the room and close the door behind us.

Standing in the hallway, I feel like I want to say something. Like I want to continue the companionship I felt with Rhett while we were shopping or the casual teasing from when we were watching the movie.

But I don’t. I don’t know what I’d say, and without Violet there to be a buffer, it just feels harder to get started.

So when Sawyer and Rhett disappear into the living room, I head into the office, crawling onto my makeshift bed to get some sleep.

13

VIOLET

SIX YEARS AGO

I’m sorelieved when the exit for Sweetwater Lake pops up on the horizon. My butt is sore from sitting for so long, and I desperately need to stretch my legs. I debated pulling over like fifty miles ago, but the need to be home won out, making me push myself to keep going.

The trip after graduating college was fun, and it was nice to just be near the beach with my friends, laughing and blowing off some steam after finals and everything. We all worked so hard to make it to that stage, to get our diplomas, and we deserved every bit of fun that we had.

Most of my friends flew back to their homes, but it was easier, and cheaper for me to drive.