Page 42 of Sliding into Love
Claudia raises her hand. “Absolutely, my apologies. I should not have assumed that. Again, you did say ‘marry him.’”
I wince. “Yes, I know, but it was just to make it clear that you knew, anyway.”
Claudia waves me away. “No, I get it. You needed to stand your ground that you’re not one for the coochie. Understandable. But tell me more about them.” She enunciates the pronoun to make sure we’re on the same page.
I smile and dive into the history of Kenneth and Royce. Honestly, it would be a great biopic. A story that moves across decades and spans the medium town of Bellport. I nearly crack myself up with the internal monologue moving through my head. It’s like I’m thinking of an episode ofGilmore Girlsmixed withBattlestar Galactica.
We’re not that fanciful, though. It’s truly one of those 'wish I could but probably never will' situations.
By the time I’m finished, Claudia is completely tuned in to me. She’s captivated, making noises of shock and glee and nearly panting when I describe the tension-filled moments between us that have happened. She pulls her hands away and presses them to her cheeks.
“I can’t believe all this has been happening to you, and you somehow still made it to this party. I would not be able to climb out of bed with all the time I’d need to just contemplate and bed rot. How do you go to work with them? Because that’s just fascinating.”
I pick up my drink and take a sip. It gives me a minute to think over the correct answer. And by correct, I mean honest, because my initial reaction is to lie.
“To be fair, I have to show up for work. Royce doesn’t know all the inner workings of everything yet, and I kind of want to prove myself to them.”
“Well, that’s good, I guess. But where are they right now? I mean, why aren’t you seeing them for the holiday? You seem to have grown pretty close, right?”
“I mean, we’re close-ish, I guess. I don’t know. It’s all still very complicated.”
Her eyes light up. “Wait, you just said Royce. As in Royce Bellport. Oh, the scandal continues! If you don’t know where they are, then this is an easy fix. We’ll just get on social media.”
She pulls out her phone, and in an instant she turns it toward me, showing the Bellport family page.
“What is this?” I ask.
She raises a brow. “You don’t know what this is? Jake Bellport runs it. It’s pretty much a behind-the-scenes look at the Bellport family. You know how much people are obsessed with them, right?”
I nod slowly, taking in the images on the screen. Each one is a glimpse into their lives, and I am quite aware that later on I’ll spend hours breaking down every single photo and post when I’m in the comfort of my own home—with a pen and paper.
I sense Claudia understands my plight because she just dives straight in. “See here, it looks like they have stories up. Jake is really good about posting what the family’s doing when they’re all gathered in real time, so let’s see.”
She presses the button, and the screen changes. We’re presented with a video of Jake in a room full of people.
“Hey everybody, we’re here with the Bellports,” he says. “Well, almost all of us. Poor little Roycey-Royce is sick, so they went to bed.”
He says it in a teasing voice. My heart lurches, and Claudia winces. “Oh no! They’re sick.”
Before she can say anything else, I pull my own phone out and begin to search for meal delivery services that might be open today. While I could try to take it to them myself, I don’t think my parents would take well to me leaving the party so soon. I’m usually expected to last until the final guests leave. It’s meant to show solidarity of the family unit.
Claudia looks over at my screen and then smiles, closing out her app. “Here, let me help you. I know a place. They should be able to help, but you’re not gonna find it on any of the delivery apps.”
Taking my phone, she dials a number and puts it up to her ear. She begins to speak in rapid-fire Spanish, and I recognize a few names: Aries and Raymond, along with Rodney. She’s got to be talking to Bellamy’s co-worker for the Bulldogs. Aries plays for the team, right?
I’m doing mental gymnastics, trying to connect the dots in a six-degrees-of-Bacon situation, when she looks to me and speaks in English.
“She says she can have it ready in forty-five minutes and have it delivered and dropped off. It’s no fee. She just asks that you give her tickets to a game.”
“Tickets to a game?” I ask for clarity. “She can have freaking season passes for all I care.”
The woman on the phone squeals excitedly, loud enough for me to hear, and Claudia goes back to speaking Spanish with her.
By the time she hangs up, I understand that a large portion of food is going to be cooked up and delivered to the Bellport home,specifically to Royce, with only my initials signed on a get well soon card.
“Claudia, you beautiful woman, thank you so much,” I say, my hands cupping her face as I press a kiss to her forehead.
She blushes, pulling back, and that’s when I realize our parents are watching us from across the room. Claudia turns to look too, and when she looks back at me, her eyes are wide.
