“Go.”
She did as I said, disappearing into the bathroom with a small pitstop to the linen cupboard. As soon as I heard the shower running, I quickly put all the pasta back in the pot to reheat and grabbed my phone to text Kai.
ME: You there? Don’t want to call and wake Tegan.
He replied almost immediately.
KAI: She’s awake. Just washed round two of vomit off us both. What’s wrong? Is Ivy ok?
ME: No.
KAI: Tori
ME: She’s staying here tonight. She’s overwhelmed and exhausted and needs a break.
KAI: Jesus, I thought you were going to tell me she’d been in a car accident or something. Don’t scare me like that you little shit.
ME: She’s feeling major guilt about me basically locking her in here and making her take a shower.
The shower stopped.
“Hey, Tori?”
I tilted my head. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Do you mind if I take a bath?”
“Would you like a glass of wine with your bubbles?” I called back to her.
“Bring the bottle!”
ME: Ignore that. She’s taking a bath and drinking my wine.
I grabbed the bottle and her glass and took them to her, cracking the door open enough to pass them to her one by one. “I put the pasta back in the pot to reheat. Let me know when you’re done, okay?”
“I feel horrible.”
“The bath and wine will make you feel better. Bye now.” I closed the door and walked off before she could respond with anything else. I grabbed my phone again and saw the unread message from Kai.
KAI: Good.
ME: Good?
KAI: Yes, good. Hold on. Tegan’s asleep.
I waited while Ivy continued running her bath.
KAI: She’s stressed. I know that. I haven’t been around enough lately with work since we’re doing long hours and Seb wants this barn done. I couldn’t get out of it. I know she’s annoyed.
I was playing therapist here, wasn’t I?
ME: She’s not annoyed. You’re doing what you have to do to provide for your family and she understands that. She just needs a breather, that’s all.
KAI: She couldn’t get out of here fast enough.
ME: She felt guilty about leaving you covered in tiny terrorist vomit, but if she didn’t, she wouldn’t have left.
KAI: That makes more sense.
ME: You aren’t talking to each other, are you?
KAI: When do we have the time? Between work and Tegan and her doing a few hours at the bar we don’t have many chances to be alone.
The lump in my throat swelled. Their entire relationship had been a whirlwind, but I wholeheartedly believed that they were each other’s end game. I’d seen the way they looked at each other, and it made my heart twang every single time.
It was just… love.
Pure love.
The kind of love everyone dreamed of having.
Fairytales couldn’t compare.
And I wasn’t going to let my best friend’s marriage fall apart like that.
ME: Bring Tegan to me when she’s better. I’ll have her for a night one weekend.
KAI: What?
ME: Or I’ll come to your place and you guys go somewhere for the night.
KAI: You’re insane. You hate kids.
ME: I don’t hate kids. Not a big fan of kids who pull my cat’s tail, but Tegan’s a baby. She’ll learn when Gen meows incessantly at her.
KAI: That’s fair. Your cat is about as scary as an umbrella.
That was very, very fair. Ragdolls weren’t exactly known for their aggressive dispositions. They were more… well, big fat ragdolls.
ME: I’m serious. You guys need a break and nobody else is going to give you one. I’m self-employed and work on my own schedule. Just give me notice so it gives me a chance to look over everything and you to make sure you aren’t working.
KAI: Are you serious?
ME: Yes, I’m serious. You guys clearly need to talk. Seb will understand and if not, I’ll sic Holley on him.
KAI: That’s a threat right there.
ME: I’ll find you a place to stay and book it for you. Send me your card details and I swear I won’t use it to call Chinese sex chat lines.
KAI: You’re the best.
ME: You’re buying me dinner that night.
KAI: I’ll prebook your pizza.
ME: Thank you. I appreciate that.
KAI: Not half as much as I appreciate you, Tori. Look after my girl tonight.
I smiled at my phone.
ME: Been doing that for years. You look after mine.
He responded with a picture of him lying in bed next to a sleeping Tegan. She was glad in a fleecy onesie with one arm sticking up like Superman while she sucked on her little pink pacifier.
KAI: Will you let Ivy know she’s okay? I don’t want her to worry but I don’t want to bug her. Jasmine is coming over in the morning if Tegan isn’t feeling better.
ME: I don’t think you can bug her.
KAI: You’ve ever experienced the whole toilet seat conversation in our house.
I grinned.
ME: I got it, don’t worry. Send at least twenty more photos between now and the morning so she won’t wake me up at two a.m.