There was a brief pause in the relentless onslaught of encouragement during which they chose their nail polish colours. The bridesmaids agreed on classic red, the bride went with traditional pink, and Hugo chose a striking electric blue.
‘I’m no longer sure about a travel blog,’ Samantha blurted.
‘But you’ve been dreaming of travelling since we were kids,’ Naomi said.
‘I’ve dreamed of spontaneous trips with friends. We book a cheap hotel, drink cheap wine, sleep in, get out at some point to see the sites.’
Jen nodded her approval. ‘All of that sounds amazing, except for the cheap hotel part. Not really my style.’
‘My point is: I don’t want to document the experience. I want to live it.’
Naomi urged her to do both. ‘It’s called multitasking. You’re too good a writer to give up.’
‘I’m not giving up on anything.’ Samantha looked from one to the other, trying to decide whether this was the right time to float her idea. After careful consideration, she decided to hell with it. ‘I’d like to write about us.’
Jasmine studied her cuticles. ‘You can’t mean us?’
‘That’s exactly what I mean,’ Samantha said. ‘Roman read some of my draft posts and he thinks—’
Naomi’s big-sister instinct kicked in. ‘I don’t care what Roman thinks. What do you think?’
Heat spread across Samantha’s face. ‘I think I can do more than a generic travel blog.’
Jasmine took her self-appointed coaching duties seriously. ‘We’re listening.’
‘I want to write about my travels, but I want to write about my life, too. That includes all of you. We’ve all been through a lot this past year alone. I’m interested in writing how we’ve processed and dealt with our issues.’
‘We still have issues,’ Hugo said. ‘It’s an ongoing thing.’
‘I agree, yet sometimes it’s hard to tell.’ Samantha shot a look at Naomi. ‘We don’t always talk about the things that matter.’
‘Who started that trend?’ Naomi asked hotly. ‘Does the great late break-up announcement via group chat ring any bells? I came close to having a stroke.’
‘You’re as tight-lipped as she is,’ Hugo said. ‘I figured it had something to do with your uptight British upbringing.’
‘You’re one to talk,’ Naomi snapped. ‘All you do is send out silly memes.’
‘Memes are my love language.’
‘I’m willing to admit I don’t share as much as I should,’ Jasmine said, contrite. ‘Going forward, we’ll all do better.’
Naomi reached over and squeezed Samantha’s hand. ‘I say this with love. Nobody gives a damn about us.’
‘Not true,’ Samantha said. ‘They don’t have to know us or love us to relate to what we’re going through. Take our relationships with our parents. I’m sure people would like to know how to handle conservative parents, or divorced parents, or—’
‘Absentee parents?’ Jen offered.
Hugo chimed in. ‘Or parents who wanted you to be a doctor, so you marry one?’
‘Or perfectly wonderful parents like yours,’ Naomi said. ‘What could you reproach Patrick and Diane about? They’re lovely. I’m still disappointed they chose not to attend the wedding.’
Patrick and Diane would never cross the pond and then catch another plane to cross the Caribbean just to attend a wedding. ‘My parents are cautious people who never venture far from home. I love them, but I don’t want to turn out like them.’
Hugo was the first to get on board. ‘Write about me all you like. My life is an open book.’
Naomi was still on the fence. ‘Would you change names to protect the innocent?’
‘I wouldn’t name names. Like you said, no one cares about us. I’d use our issues as starting points. If it sounds vague, it’s because I’m making this up as I go.’