I start to throw it into a trash receptacle by the elevators but stop before I let it go. The small piece of plastic is blue and has a white design on it. It reminds me of the water and the sky and the color of Dara’s Mustang.
I stick it back in my pocket, shake my head, and step into the elevator to go home.
FOURTEEN
DARA
“All right. One more,” I say, adjusting the lens. “Don’t look at me. Don’t even smile intentionally. Just look at each other and … be.”
Bronwyn and Eric turn toward each other. Within seconds, it’s photo magic.
She looks at him like they share a secret. Snap!
He reaches down and brushes a strand of hair off her face. Snap!
She tilts her chin, her eyes shining, and … Snap! Snap! Snap!
“That was awesome, you guys,” I say, taking a quick glance at the raw images on the back of my camera. “These are going to be great.”
“This was so much fun,” Bronwyn says. “I was so nervous.”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about. We’re just capturing your love. Nothing to do except let me into your lives for a few minutes.”
She looks up at Eric and beams.
“You’ll email us when the images are ready?” Eric asks.
I nod. “Give me a few weeks. I’ll work as fast as I can, but I’m a little behind on edits.”
“That’s fine. We’re so glad we got to work with you,” Bronwyn says.
We walk back to our cars, chatting about their engagement story and the weather. By the time my gear is packed up and loaded, and my clients have driven off, I’m ready for a bath and then bed.
I climb into my car and make quick work of getting onto the road. As I hit the off-ramp, a noise from my cup holder captures my attention. I smile without even looking down.
Wade’s cup.
I noticed it as soon as I got home this morning after dropping him off, and I should’ve taken it inside and thrown it away. My hand was wrapped around the lid to do just that … but I didn’t pick it up.
It’s juvenile to leave the cup sit in my car for the simple reason that I like it there. Every time I look at it, a little burst of humor fires through me. Having him in my car, toying with his control-freak tendencies was so much fun. His cologne scenting my vehicle is a win. And then being allowed to talk about my family and not feeling judged was something I think my soul needed.
I’ve only been able to talk to Rusti about my parents and grandparents. Our familial relationships and the way we grew up are all so different, and I’m not sure she can understand my point of view. She takes my side blindly and, while I appreciate that and love it about her, sometimes I’d like to just talk and not get her input. Sometimes I’d prefer her to come back at me with a question challenging my opinions instead of simply raising her pitchfork.
My phone rings as I get into the flow of traffic. I answer it via Bluetooth.
“Hello?” I say.
“Hi, you. How was your day?” Rusti asks.
“I was just thinking about you.”
“That’s … curious. Why?”
I check my blind spot and then change lanes. “No reason. What’s up?”
“Well, I slept with Zack last night.”
My spirits sink, but I put on a happy face for her. “And that’s a good thing, right?”
“It was a very, very good thing.” She giggles. “I know you hate him—”
“I don’t hate him. I just … I’m not sure he’s the perfect guy for you. That’s all.”
“And I hear that and value your opinion. It’s taken under consideration.”
Snorting, I roll my eyes. “Sure.”
She laughs again. “But I’m also taking into consideration how much Zack misses me and needs me in his life.”
“Oh, I’m sure he does.”
“Dara!”
“I mean it,” I say as convincingly as I can. “I’m sure he misses … certain things about you. But I’m really hoping that you remember that he had the audacity to break up with you over the phone like the man he is not.”
She sighs. “And you say you don’t hate him.”
“I don’t like him enough to hate him, Russell.”
“I’m pretending like this whole conversation hasn’t happened yet, and I’m starting over. I fucked Zack last night!” She pauses. “Now’s the part where you get excited for me.”
“You are so eloquent.”
“Hey! Are you going to play along, or do I need to look for a new best friend?”
“Good luck replacing me,” I joke as I take an exit toward my house. “So, how was Zack?”
I roll my eyes again as she chirps on about how sweet Zack was, how he took her out to dinner and then stayed the night—something he didn’t love to do when they were together. I listen to her gush because that’s what she needs to do, peppering in an appropriate ooh and aah as necessary.