Page 120 of The Ring
TJ and I are on our way to brunch, and I can’t think of anything less appealing right now than eating. I feel like anything I put in my stomach will come straight back up. I’m hoping once we get there, drop the news, and see everyone’s reaction, I’ll feel better.
Today, we’re telling all our friends we’re back together. Well—not exactly telling them. We’re going to brunch with everyone, and TJ and I are just going to act like a couple, which we are again, and they’ll be able to tell. Also, since we’re going out in public for the first time, it won’t take long before photos of us kissing and touching each other end up online.
I’m prepared for what the people online will say. I know they’ll call me stupid, naive, and spineless for getting back with TJ after what he did.
And maybe… I am those things.
But I love him. I love him to the point I feel him in my veins.
Maybe there should be limits to what you can forgive from someone you love, but with TJ, I fear maybe there aren’t any.The good thing is that I have learned to mostly ignore what people online say, but what I can’t ignore is what my friends think. At least I know one out of five is happily on board.
West was the first to find out—kind of byaccident.He heard my voice coming from TJ’s bedroom, and when TJ went to grab a glass of water from the kitchen, he was taking longer than expected. I went looking for him and found him in the living room, talking to West. I overheard West telling TJ that he heard me, and that it was obvious, since the smile on his face hadmyname written all over.
Joe stops the car in front of Hide, and TJ gets out, walking around to open my door. “Relax. They love you, they love me, and they’ll be happy we’re back together and moving on from… what happened,” he tells me as I step out.
Are we really… or just ignoring it?
And I doubt Nate will be happy. I don’t know how he’ll react or how he’ll feel about us getting back together, but happy won’t be it. All I know is how I feel, and I feel like I’m stabbing another knife in his back, causing him pain I never want to cause anyone I love.
And then there’s Annabelle. I know she’d be happy for me, and I don’t have to worry about her right now. She won’t say anything in front of TJ, but I know she will the next time we see each other. She’ll ask if we had talked about what happened with my mother, and when I say no, she’ll mostly say that avoiding it is being in denial. But denial and avoidance are my favourite coping mechanisms.
I swallow and nod a few times, trying to push my anxiety aside. I take his hand, and together, we enter. We spot all our friends already sitting at an oval table on the ground floor. We came late on purpose, so everyone could see us walking in together. As we approach them, they all turn to look at us. Annabelle looks like she could leap out of her seat and hug me.West has a smug look on his face and lifts a flute of what I assume contains a mimosa. Laurie looks genuinely happy. Lucian and Nate—I can’t quite decipher the expressions on their faces, but they don’t exactly look mad. Judging by the fact none of them seem shocked and there’s already a champagne bottle on the table, I’m pretty sure they all already know.
I look at West. “You told them?”
He shrugs. “How could I not?”
I glare at him.
“It’s kind of your fault—you two were talking too long.”
“We were fifteen minutes late,” I point out.
He doesn’t answer—he just smirks and takes a sip from his flute.
Annabelle gets up from her chair, rushes over, and hugs me tightly, then pulls TJ into a hug too. “I’m so happy for you two!”
Laurie follows her lead, smiling, and pulls us both into a hug.
Things between Laurie and Annabelle are… let’s just say, at a standstill.
“Are you two really back together? I need verbal confirmation. I don’t trust him,” Lucian says, eyeing West.
“I am trustworthy,” West defends himself, but under his breath mutters, “most of the time.”
We nod.
“I’m happy for you, mate,” Lucian says to TJ, then turns to me. “And you.” He looks happy, but I can sense some tension. He’s Nate’s best friend, so I get it.
Nate also congratulates us, but it feels… fake. Like he’s trying too hard to seem okay, when in reality, he’s mad—maybe even furious.
We all sit down, except West, who never got up, and Nate, who dashed to the loo right after congratulating us.
I tilt my head slightly towards the loo, silently asking TJ ifhe’s okay with me going to check on Nate. He nods, like I knew he would.
I get up from my seat and head towards it. I’m worried about him, but not as much as I would be if Lucian had gone after him. And maybe part of me feels I should have gotten more pushback, and I’m going to where I know I will get it.
I wait outside the men’s loo for Nate to come out. When he does, he doesn’t look surprised to see me.
