Page 5 of All of Him
I WALKED BACK TOmy apartment a few minutes late that day. The heat slowed me down, and I’d shamelessly bought an espresso on the way home. I noticed a new yoga shop on the walk past the building next to mine and tried not to roll my eyes. To each their own, but my little downtown neighborhood was too gentrified. Within a six-block radius, we had three coffee shops, an organic grocery store, two yoga studios, and a vegan, paleo, gluten-free, lactose-free juice bar. In which everything on the menu tasted like shit. Still, it was safe and close to work, and my sister loved it.
Speaking of my sister, Teel was cooking when I walked into the apartment. Normally, it wouldn’t be alarming, except she was cooking pasta.
“Are those zucchini noodles, or do I see actualcarbsin that pot?” I asked after rushing to the stove.
The smell of store-brand sauce infiltrated my nostrils as I leaned over the boiling liquid. Yes, it was actual pasta. Teel wiggled her eyebrows at me and turned to grab something out of the fridge—actual pre-grated Parmesan.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, cocking my hip against the counter. Teel smirked, clearly up to something of large proportions.
“I’ll tell you later,” she teased. “Now, I need to focus on cooking.” I watched her as she fell into character, tossing spices where they needed to go, enhancing the store-bought items. She was a chef at a nice restaurant that specialized in clean eating, but I saw none of that on our counter. Even the basil was in dried flake form.
Teel and I looked a lot alike. We’d both inherited our mother’s tall, thin frame. Our hair color, which had come from our father, was a light auburn—a color I rarely saw on anyone else. Naturally, as I wore it, it was thick and wavy—the kind of hair girls dreamed of. Though I had no idea how to style it without looking like a child. Bangs had occurred on more than one occasion. Teel had buzzed the underside and wore hers short, straightened, and in a messy bun on top of her head. It had been that way since she had come out to our parents in high school.
We were a year apart and similar in personality. We both oozed with sarcasm. We’d rather spend an evening at the gym, challenging each other to push-up contests, than meshing with people in a crowded bar. Other than the fact that she wasn’t straight, the only thing that set us apart was her healthy eating. I preferred instant noodles and frozen pizza. Teel liked to spike those things with tofu or a balsamic demi-glace when I wasn’t looking. Occasionally, a real fresh herb would sneak onto my sandwiches—the greenery a sign of hope that I had an acceptable diet.
I sighed and glanced around the kitchen for a sign as to why there was actual spaghetti for dinner when a shiny little thing caught my eye.
“Oh myGod, what isthat?!” I screamed, pointing to Teel’s left hand.
She blushed—yes, my sisterblushed—and shrugged.
“Don’t you shrug at me!” I yelled, pointing accusingly at her chest.
And as if the blushing wasn’t bad enough, she started giggling.
“Teel Bette!” I shrieked. “Did you getengaged?!”
“Maybe,” she cooed, wiggling her left ring finger in front of my face.
I pulled her hand close to look, not caring that she nearly stumbled forward. It was a woven white gold band with tiny diamonds placed on every other ripple. It was beautiful and so, so Teel.
“Delia asked me last night after you went to bed. I was crazy surprised.”
Delia and Teel had been best friends since middle school. When I was sixteen, I found them in a closet together, making me realize they’d been more for a while. After that, she came out to our parents. There was no hiding it.
I had to admit that I was surprised—not about Teel, but about Delia. She was a cheerleader, beautiful, tall, and blonde. She usually had on the most fashionable clothes and loved her silver jewelry. She was as girlie and as fashionable as you could get. Their relationship bomb had at least explained why two teenage girls who were so different spent so much time together.
“So, can I tell her it’s okay to come in now?” Teel asked, clasping her hands together anxiously. “She’s been waiting outside for me to finish telling you.”
Delia was actually our third roommate, but I was used to her not being around since she worked in a law firm. She was usually busy.
“Of course!” I yelled, gesturing at the door. “But this still doesn’t explain the pasta.”
Teel wiggled her eyebrows again and shot a text to Delia. I waited impatiently for an explanation, raising my brows at her, though she was looking down.
“Maid of honor?” she asked, finally looking up.
“Yes!” I screamed, leaping forward to hug her. “You really were waiting in the hall!” I said to Delia as she came into the apartment and ran toward us.
The three of us hugged and jumped up and down, celebrating the engagement. My sister was engaged to her best friend, and I was going to get to be a huge part of it. My usual sarcasm was in hiding for the moment as I savored the sisterly bond in the kitchen. But it only took me a second to realize that the whole thing meant something for me.
“Wait,” I said, backing up and suddenly stressed. “Does this mean I have to move out?”
“What?!” Delia shot back, smiling. “Of course not!”
“We already discussed this, Manda,” Teel explained, rubbing my shoulder for extra reassurance. “Delia and I are going to buy a place, but we won’t evenstartlooking until after the wedding.”
“And the wedding is?” I pressed.
