Page 94 of Closer than Ever

“I quit.”

Rose regarded Hayley closely. “That just makes you even more of a badass.”

“That’s true,” Lauren said. “Being able to walk away and start on your own path is very inspiring.”

“I’m just having a long vacation at the moment, guys. I haven’t tested my own path yet.”

“You will,” Lauren said. “I’m sure it will all work out for you.”

“Thanks, Lauren. So how did you get engaged? Can I see the ring?”

Lauren extended her hand as Hayley made excitable noises at the small rock on her finger. “We went to Paris. He got down on one knee with the Eiffel Tower in the background.” Lauren blushed.

“That’s awesome! Congratulations!” Hayley said.

What type of engagement would Hayley love? Would she want the fairytale engagement like Lauren had, or something more unique? Anna didn’t know the answer, and it bothered her that she didn’t know.

The talk moved onto Lauren’s wedding plans and then about parties in general. Going to parties and navigating life together was their shared interest while at university, so there was a lot of ground to cover.

“You remember that time we had that hippie party towards the end of your year here?” Rose said. “That was such a great night. Who was that guy who showed up with all the weed? He was the perfect addition to that night. It was like we all manifested him into being then never saw him again.”

“He’s become like university folklore in my mind,” Lauren said.

“We took some great pictures from that night. I still have them,” Rose said. “Especially of the two of you.” She looked at Anna and Hayley. “You were so cute together.”

Anna had never told Rose and Lauren that she had been deeply in love with Hayley all those years ago. They suspected and were never shy about saying so, which on some level always grated on Anna.

Of course, that they had thought something was going on between them used to give Anna hope that maybe Hayley felt the same. And now she knew that Hayley had. Anna still hadn’t fully come to terms with the enormity of finding that out. She probably never would.

“Anna was looking particularly beautiful that night,” Hayley said.

She remembered every detail of that party but would rather not think about it. That night had been one of the most painful nights in her not-so-unrequited love story back then.

“So, you two shared a campervan for two months? How did that go?” Rose said.

Hayley glanced over at Anna. “It went very well.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Lauren said.

“Yeah, there’s something going on with you two,” Rose said. “The tension is off the charts. You’ve got to tell us.”

Anna gave Rose a scolding look. She could be quite tactless at times.

“So, nothing much has changed then,” Rose said. “The sparks are still flying between you two.”

Hayley smiled and shook her head.

What the hell was going on? Was Hayley enjoying this? Did she see them as some sort of fun joke with her old university friends? Anna was hanging on by a thread not knowing where all this was leading and what they were doing. And to have to pretend that nothing had happened was testing her.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Anna said, rising out of her chair.

In the peace and quiet of the empty bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. Was any of this good for her?

The door to the bathroom opened. It was Hayley. “Are you okay?” Hayley came up behind her and cuddled into her in that way she often did.

Anna met Hayley’s eyes in the mirror. They were concerned. “I’m fine.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

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