me.” I plucked a stray pink feather off the pillow. “It’s there. Under the surface. Waiting to come out.”
I remembered the day Gabe introduced me to Alicia. Though no one else had noticed it, Alicia’s eyes narrowed to slits when his hand touched me, or when he laughed at one of my jokes. I recognized that glare. I’d been through it a time, or two, or seven. It was another case of Gabe’s hot girlfriend who secretly loathed the outcast he called his best friend.
Betsy sucked in a sharp breath. “Okay, so when is the blessed event?”
My eyes filled, but I swallowed the lump in my throat. “My mom already texted me. They announced the date over pie. May fifteenth.”
“The rat bastard is getting married on your birthday?” Kim hissed.
I nodded, my shoulders slumping. “It’s the only time her parents can get off work, or some stupid family crap like that. And don’t call Gabe a rat bastard.”
Betsy rubbed her temples tiredly. “Well, he’s getting married on his best friend’s birthday. Oh, and it happens to be the best friend who is also in love with him. Yes, he is a rat bastard.”
“What was he supposed to do?” I asked. “Tell his fiancée that he can’t get married on the date she picked because his best friend needs him available for her pizza party? I don’t think so.”
She cleared her throat and looked at me with a humorless expression. “All right, then. So he’s getting married on your birthday. Fine. When between now and your birthday do you plan on telling him that you love him?”
I gave her a one-shouldered shrug. “Well, obviously…never.”
Kim bolted upright. “You mean to tell me that you’re going to let the man of your dreams marry someone else, on your damn birthday, without ever letting him know that you’ve been in love with him for, like, a million years?”
I wiped my nose. “I’m not about to take away from Gabe’s happiness just because I have something to get off my chest. What if it was you two getting married and I decided to profess my love for you in the midst of your wedding plans?” I jumped up from the couch, not waiting for an answer. “He’s in love. He’s deliriously happy, and right now I need to be the best friend he’s ever had.”
“It’s different with you and Gabe. I’ve seen it in his eyes, too. I swear I have.”
I shook my head defiantly and headed for my bedroom. “I appreciate the fact that you guys want to help me so much with this, and I love you for it.”
“Does that mean you’re going to fight for him?” Betsy asked.
I pictured Gabe holding Alicia’s hand, grinning like the happiest man in the world, and my chest felt heavy. “I don’t know if I can.”
Kim raked a hand through her short hair. “But what about you? Who’s going to support you while you watch him marry someone else?”
I turned around and pointed my finger at them. “You guys are.”
“Ugh. Yes, you know that we’re going to support you,” Betsy replied. “And it’s going to suck.”
“I realize that.” I smiled at her weakly. “There will undoubtedly be gross amounts of ice cream consumed.”
She eyeballed the empty Häagen Dazs container across the room. “I don’t doubt that.”
“What you really need is to move on,” Kim said. “You need to get out there. Make out with someone new. Maybe go to bed with a few guys—”
“Good Lord!” I laughed despite my watery eyes. “Just because my heart is broken doesn’t mean I’m going to start bed hopping.”
Betsy elbowed her girlfriend. “What she means is…Violet, you need to give some thought to dating other people.”
I bit my lip. “I know.”
She nodded knowingly. “We’ll find someone for you. You can start slow, with a coffee date. Then work up to lunch.”
“Let the record show that I do not support your decision not to tell Gabe that you love him.” Kim growled. “I stand firmly against that decision.”
I ignored her and shut myself in my messy bedroom. Leaving the light off, I undressed and crawled underneath my covers, the sheets cool against my skin as I burrowed my way into the blankets. My life was turning into a sad romance novel. But at least Kim and Betsy had brought Christmas dinner leftovers home. I had that to look forward to…
Chapter Five
September 3, 2003
I’ll never forget today. I opened the door today while wearing a miniskirt for the first time since I