“You did?”
“Of course,” Jasmine said with more of a grimace than a smile. “You’re my best friend and he’s my twin, there’s nothing either of you can think, do, or feel that I don’t know about … which is why I was so pissed when I walked into the shower and found you two in a lip lock. Shocked the shit out of me.”
“How long?” I asked, then clarified, “That I had feelings for him?”
“Since forever? I don’t know, fourth grade?”
“But, you always got so mad whenever anyone liked him…”
“Yeah, because they were just using me to get close to him, but you were never like that. You liked me for me, and Dillon for Dillon. Plus, you’re my best friend and if you and Dillon get married, we’d be sisters. That’s been my dream this whole time.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” I asked, totally befuddled.
“At first it was because I wanted you for myself. I was worried if you knew I was okay with it, the two of you would start dating and I’d be forgotten,” Jasmine admitted, her cheeks reddening. “As the years went by, I could tell you still liked him, but he was always so angry about us pranking him, that I didn’t think he’d go for it, and I didn’t want you to be hurt … and, you’d be upset and not want anything to do with either of us.”
“Wow,” I breathed, my mind reeling with this new information.
“I’m sorry I’m so selfish.”
I moved onto my knees and pulled Jasmine in for a hug, turning my face to put my cheek on her shoulder.
“You’re not selfish, you’re the best friend a girl could ever have,” I whispered.
“You’re too forgiving,” she said, then asked softly, “Are you going to forgive Dillon?”
I shrugged as best I could while hugging, unable to give a definitive answer.
“Do you love him?”
“Yes,” I managed, hugging her tighter.
“Then, I know everything is going to be okay.”
41
Dillon
I managed to wait the whole night before I decided I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to see her, to apologize, explain, and beg for forgiveness.
“I’ll take all the daisies you have,” I told Mary, who was working the counter at Laurel’s flower shop.
She eyed me warily, as if trying to gauge my sincerity, then rang up the order and went to get the flowers.
Once I had two fists full of the white and yellow buds, I went up to Laurel’s door and knocked. Then I waited for what seemed like an eternity. My palms began to get clammy, and my heart began to race. I’d never been this nervous about anything before in my life.
That’s because nothing has been this important, I reminded myself.
I knocked again, then heard a loud bang and a muffled voice through the door.
I held my breath, then let it out in a whoosh when I was greeted by my sister’s tangled mop. She pushed the mass of hair off of her face and squinted at me, then looked at the flowers and woke up with a huge smile.
“Oh good, you didn’t dawdle,” she said, stepping back to let me in.
“I didn’t expect to see you here, but I’m glad you are. Is she okay?”
“She wasn’t. We drank wine, make cookies, and binge watched Sex & the City until she fell asleep. I haven’t seen her yet this morning, want me to go get her?” Jasmine asked.
“No, I’ll take it from here,” I said, my eyes on Laurel’s closed bedroom door.