Dating Makes Perfect - Pintip Dunn Page 0,80

I miss not having him in my life, in one way or another, as a friend or an enemy or something else. Something more.

Looking back, I’ve finally figured out that you don’t spend that much energy hating someone if they’re not important to you. If they don’t matter.

Mat has always been important to me. He probably always will be.

I miss his superiorly raised eyebrows. I miss his hilarious text messages. I even miss his casual confidence—because I understand, now, that it stems not from arrogance but a steady sense of self. He doesn’t have to hide behind anyone else, because he’s proud of who he is.

Unlike me.

I press my hands against my temples, not sure what to do. I don’t know how to change the way things are. The person I am.

Downstairs, the doorbell rings. There’s a commotion at the door, a few high-pitched shrieks, an excited shout or two. I don’t move. Might be a package, possibly a visitor. Whatever or whomever it is, it can’t possibly concern me.

The shrieks get louder, and footsteps pound up the stairs. I push up on my elbows. The voices are feminine, eerily familiar. It can’t possibly be… But oy tai, what if it is…?

My bedroom door flies open, and Ari and Bunny rush inside.

I collapse on my mattress, shock turning my bones liquid. My sisters. But how? They weren’t due for another visit home for months. They’re so busy with studies, their friends, their new lives.

But they’re here. I can’t believe it, but they’re here.

They jump on my bed, unconcerned by my lack of response. In an instant, we’re tangled together, Bunny’s perfume enveloping us, Ari’s hair tickling my chin.

I burst into tears.

One of my sisters pats me. The other one smooths back my hair, tucking it behind my ear. I can’t tell which hands belong to whom, but it doesn’t much matter. Because I love them both, together and individually.

“Poor Winnie,” Ari says, snuggling up to me.

“It will be okay.” Bunny lies on her stomach, her chin in her hands. “We’re home now.”

I swipe at my cheeks. “But how? Why?”

My sisters exchange a glance. I may be out of practice interpreting their silent-speak, but I’m competent enough to figure out that they settle on the truth.

“Papa called us.” Bunny flips onto her back, lifting first one leg and then the other. That’s my sister for you. Never wastes an opportunity to fit in some exercise. “He was worried. He thought you didn’t seem like yourself, and both you and Mama were giving him these short, one-word explanations.”

Because we were trying, desperately, to hide my betrayal from him. Silly of us to think that he wouldn’t notice.

“We were free this weekend,” Ari continues. “At least, there wasn’t anything we couldn’t move around. So we hopped on a train after our last class. And here we are.”

I blink. “You came all this way to see me? But you’re so busy.”

Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. I know they love me. But as unconditional as their love may be, our relationship has never been a two-way street. All the admiration and idolatry flow in one direction: from me to them. Rightly or wrongly, I’ve always felt that I got the time that was left over from their other pursuits.

“Winnie,” Ari scolds. “Don’t you know that you’re our foundation? If you’re not happy, then we’re not happy.”

“If someone’s hurt you, then we need to kill him. I’ve sharpened my talons just for this occasion.” Bunny wiggles her perfectly manicured nails in the air.

I laugh through my tears. “You remember when we went to Disney World and the sun came out, even though it was still raining? I thought it was pure magic. That’s what you two are to me: magic.”

As though planned, they drop their heads onto my shoulders in unison. Now they’re the foundation propping me up.

“Spill it,” Ari says. “Last week, everything was going so well. You had your first kiss, your first date with Mat. Now, all of a sudden, you’re with Taran. What?”

I tell them everything, from Mat’s kisses at Lowcountry to him walking in on Taran and me holding hands at the deli. From Taran wanting to date me to please his mother to Mat asking me to tell our parents the truth.

“Can you imagine? He wanted a real chance at dating me. But that would never happen. Right?” I sit up, my sisters spilling off my shoulders. “I mean, our parents are completely unreasonable. They wouldn’t even let you