Page 7 of Love, Take Two

"So," I say after a moment, "that happened."

"That happened," she agrees, and starts to laugh. Not the polite social laugh she was using with Derek, but the genuine, overwhelmed laugh I remember from college when we'd find ourselves in ridiculous situations.

"Derek is a lot," I observe, which makes her laugh harder.

"You think?" she agrees. "Though I have to admit, 'after the way Jared dumped you' doesn’t exactly tell the whole story.”

"And 'too immature for a serious relationship' probably wasn't how you expected to learn about my breakup with Erika,"

"Fair point." For a moment we stand there, both processing the surreal nature of our situation.

"For the record, it was a mutual breakup. The immaturity comment was more about my lifestyle than my personality. I think."

"For the record, Jared and I both knew we worked better as friends. The 'dumping' was more like mutual recognition that we were trying to force something that wasn't there."

"Good to know. Though I have a feeling Derek's going to provide everyone with his own version of our relationship histories whether we want him to or not."

Vada groans. “Yeah, you're right. He's going to spend the entire week oversharing everyone's personal business, isn't he?"

"Almost certainly. The question is, how do we survive a week of that without losing our minds?"

She's quiet for a moment, looking out at the dance floor where Jared and Erika are swaying together with the kind of easy intimacy that suggests they really did find what they were looking for with each other.

"We stick together," she says finally. "Moral support. Deflect Derek's storytelling. Keep each other sane."

"Like a survival alliance?" I ask, and she turns to look at me with a smile that brings back way too many memories of why I fell for her in the first place.

"Exactly like a survival alliance. Two old friends helping each other navigate an incredibly weird situation."

"Friends," I repeat, though something about the way she says it suggests we're both aware that being 'friends' with someone you used to be in love with might be more complicated than either of us wants to admit.

"Friends," she confirms, but I catch her glancing at me in a way that doesn't feel entirely platonic.

Around us, the party continues with people laughing and dancing and celebrating love in paradise. But all I can think about is the fact that for the next week, I'm going to be in constant proximity to Vada King, the girl who used to know me better than anyone, the girl whose voice I heard through the wall earlier without recognizing it, the girl who thinks we can be friends despite the fact that my heart is racing from standing next to her.

"So, I should probably mention that I think we're staying in adjoining suites."

Her eyebrows rise. "Adjoining?"

"Connected terrace, from what I understand." I watch her face go through several expressions as she processes this information.

"Oh, it was your voice. As if this week wasn't going to be complicated enough."

"On the bright side, at least we'll be able to coordinate our Derek-avoidance strategies."

She laughs again, and the sound makes something in my chest loosen with relief. Maybe we can pull off this 'friends' thing. Maybe eight years is enough time for old feelings to fade into comfortable nostalgia. Maybe I can spend a week in paradise with the girl I used to love without making everything complicated.

"I should probably go introduce myself to some of the other guests. Professional networking and all that."

"Good idea. I should probably do some more content creation while the lighting is still good."

"See you around, Wise," she says with a smile that's friendly and warm and nothing more than that.

"See you around, King," I reply, matching her tone.

I watch her walk away toward a group of women who look like they're discussing event planning. I tell myself that the way my eyes follow her movement is professional appreciation for how well she's learned to work a room.

Pulling out my phone, I start creating content about the incredible party atmosphere and the perfect tropical setting, but my brain keeps drifting to the realization that I can probably hear every sound from her suite through our shared wall.

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