As I open my mouth to respond, Ben pokes his head out of the kitchen, a huge grin on his face.
“Nothing’s burned so hopefully everything tastes good.” His gaze slides past me and his smile falters. Stepping fully into the small foyer, he crosses his arms and regards his niece warily. “Good morning, Crystal.”
She doesn’t seem to know where to look.
“Good morning, Uncle Ben.”
“What brings you here?” His tone is firm, but not unkind. “I believe Skyler has endured enough of your accusations for quite a while.”
“No, no...” She waves her hands, looking first at Ben and then at me. “It’s not like that, please, I just want to talk.”
Ben eyes her dubiously, but I recognize the sincerity in her voice.
“Okay,” I say. “Let’s talk.”
I gesture to the couch. Ben excuses himself to my bedroom, softly shutting the door behind him to give us privacy.
“What did you want to talk about?” I take a seat at the far end of the couch and try to ignore the feeling of déjà vu I get when she sits down opposite me.
“Like I said before,” she says, picking at the hem of her skirt, “I wanted to apologize. I’m so sorry for the way I treated you, and for how I let Nate treat you, and for not believing you when you told me he was a bad guy.” Her lip quivers. “I’m so, so sorry for abandoning our friendship.”
A fat tear paints a shiny trail down her cheek. So much has passed between us, including time, that I’m not sure how to comfort her anymore. I settle for shifting closer to her and taking her hand in mine.
“What made you decide to believe me this time?” I ask.
She wipes the tears from her face with the back of her hand.
“You were right about me having doubts. I think part of me always knew Nate was an asshole. But I was so happy to have a boyfriend that I didn’t let myself see the truth. I’m not like you, Skye. I care too much about what other people think of me.”
“I mean, I’m not completely immune to caring about what people think of me. I’m just used to getting a lot of criticism that I’m better off ignoring if I want to enjoy my life.”
“But you’re so confident. I’ve always admired that about you. And, to be honest, I’ve always been a little jealous of your confidence.” She grabs a tissue from the box on the coffee table and wipes her nose. “But that doesn’t excuse what I did to you.”
I take a slow breath in and out, trying to center myself. “You really hurt me, Crystal. But I know you wouldn’t have done those things if it wasn’t for Nate. So, while the way you treated me wasn’t okay in any way, shape, or form...I’m ready move past it. I’m ready to forgive you.”
“R-really?” She sniffles, her lips curving into a hopeful smile.
“Yes,” I tell her. “Now, this doesn’t mean we’re suddenly friends again. But it does mean I’m open to trying to repair our friendship.”
Her shoulders sag a little, but she nods in understanding.
“That being said...” I nudge her gently with my elbow. “I’m really glad you came by today.”
“Me too.” She nudges me back in turn. “I know it’ll take time, but I really want to be friends again, Skye. I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” I say honestly. “We have so much to catch up on.”
Crystal chuckles nervously. “You mean like...the fact that you’re dating my uncle?”
I rub my forehead and groan.
“Okay, maybe we don’t have to catch up on that.”
“Good.” She laughs more earnestly now. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I could stomach all of those details.”
“And I will not subject you to them.”
Her gaze wanders over to my closed bedroom door. “Well, speaking of my uncle, I’m sure he’s pacing a hole in your floor right now. I’ll let you guys enjoy your breakfast.”