"To Scott working for Vogue, bitches," I said with a proud beam, as we held our coffee cups in the air.
I was so excited for him when I first heard the news that I threw my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. I had done the same thing thousands of other times when he made progress in his career as a photographer. This was the first time I needed space to recover and get my pulse under control.
Things were definitely different now. I found myself wondering if I should be here, waiting for him like this. It's not like I really had a choice, what with me not having a place to stay anymore, but it was more than that. I stayed because I wanted to know that he was okay after seeing his father.
"I still don't know if I'm going to do it," he said, deep in thought about the call he got on his way home this morning. "It's nice to be considered, but a fashion magazine is not really my thing."
"It's Vogue. The Vogue. All I heard was that my roommate has a stable job. To no more paying the rent late," said Kenny, holding his styrofoam cup up again. "We need real drinks. We need to go out and celebrate tonight. There's this new bar that just opened up near work—"
"Let me guess: this chick you met last night is going to be there. A little soon to meet the friends, isn't it? Trouble in paradise already?" Scott asked, sipping on his hot coffee thoughtfully.
My gaze lingered on his tongue licking the coffee off his lips a second too long before I looked away, forcing myself to hone in on his banter with Kenny.
"Maybe? I may or may not have accidentally deleted Marlene's number right after she gave it to me yesterday," said Kenny, blowing out a frustrated breath.
"Go the distance, my ass," I mumbled under my breath, cursing myself for not betting that there wouldn't even be a first date.
"You know what buddy, we're there," Scott said, giving me his challenge accepted look.
"Well I'm out. Sorry guys. My father is throwing me out of my apartment, so I need to go and pack up my stuff, assuming it's even still there," I said, getting up and tossing my cup in the trash.
I had no idea where I was going to stay until I could find a new apartment. In a perfect world, I'd probably have stayed with Kenny and Scott, but with everything that was going on between me and Scott, it felt wrong to ask. Would it seem pathetic and desperate? Like I was making something of nothing if I moved in after a few silly, in his words, platonic kisses? Scott would never let me take the couch. What did living with him look like right now?
"Let's all go. Three pairs of hands are better than two. And then if we finish early, who knows?" said Kenny.
We gave him suspicious looks.
"You have work," Scott protested.
"So we'll meet after. It's not every day Vogue calls, Scott," said Kenny with a shrug, reeking of desperation.
"How hot is she?" Scott asked, turning his head to me.
He was asking for his friend. This was a bit we did at Kenny's expense. It got to me that he was asking anyway.
"Pretty hot. Totally out of his league. Meet me at mine around three? Your gig should be over by then, right?" I asked, trying to play it cool.
This was exactly how I would have responded two days ago. Now it felt like I was entitled. Demanding his time, whether he wanted to give it to me or not. It took everything in me not to backtrack and uninvite him.
"See you then," he said, like it went without saying.
The butterflies in my tummy went nuts as I suppressed a smile.
Scott and I spent the rest of the work day going back and forth about who won the bet, given the circumstances. Many memes and Tiktoks were involved. How I got through my lectures I didn't know.
"Let's just call it a draw. Nobody wins the bet," I said, as we approached my apartment just after five.
"No chance. I am going to make this happen, come hell or high water, so you better pack fast," he insisted, as I unlocked my apartment.
Between the banter and silly texts, I had allowed myself to get comfortable, but suddenly I was acutely aware of the fact that we were alone. A bead of sweat trickled down my back as I thought about how much things have spiralled out of control in just the last two days.
"Should we wait for Kenny?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck, looking me up and down.
"Who knows when he will get here," I said, pretending I didn't know we both had reason to be nervous.
A few things went through my head when we stepped into the apartment.
Keep a safe distance.
That's a lot of red roses. They're fucking everywhere.
Then, I saw her.
"Who the hell are you?" Scott asked, hiding me behind his back.
Whatever love bubble induced haze I had been in all day was gone in an instant.
"You're here. Finally," said the woman standing in the center of my apartment.
I peeked to see who she was.
"Jenny?" I said in disbelief, coming out from behind Scott.
"Yup. Hi," said Jenny, stepping forward.
"Jenny as in your sister, Jenny?" Scott asked, caught off guard just like I was, as Jenny walked towards us.
"Yes, that Jenny. You shouldn't be here," I said, staring at my sister like I'd seen a ghost.
"Luca sent me. This is for you. Well, all of it is," said Jenny, handing me an envelope, before spreading her arm out towards the room filled with roses.
"He can't take a hint," said Scott.
I heard him take a deep breath. If Scott wasn't seeing red before, he certainly was now. He snatched the envelope out of my hands. I snatched it back.
"Don't be a jerk," I said, not wanting him to get even more ticked off by whatever was in the envelope.
"Well? Aren't you going to open it?" Jenny asked, slicing the tension between Scott and I with her voice.
"Yes Stace, open it," Scott insisted.
"Maybe later. We should get to packing," I said, not wanting to add fuel to the fire.
"It's the deed to the apartment," said an excited Jenny, clapping her hands together. "And an invitation to Don Cattaneo's wake."
My fingers fumbled over each other as I opened the envelope, needing to see it to believe it. Sure enough, inside I found the deed to my apartment and an invitation to the wake. Buying me my apartment and having it presented to me by the sister I hadn't seen in fifteen years was one hell of a move.
"Got to give the man props. He does his homework," I said, finding the whole thing surreal.
"What did I miss?" Kenny asked, having just arrived, slamming on the breaks when he saw the flowers. "There's definitely a story here."
"Stacy's not moving anymore," said Scott, a tinge of bitterness in his voice.
"Scott—" I wanted to refute his claim, because obviously these "gifts" came with strings, but then I thought better of it.
Things were moving so fast I felt like I was getting whiplash. Did I have much of a choice but to accept this, at least for the time being?
"That's great," said Kenny. "Did your dad change his mind?"
"Luca bought the place from Don Angelo and put it in Stacy's name," said Scott.
I could hear the bitterness turning into anger.
"Oh," said Kenny, looking awkwardly between Scott and I. "I'm guessing the flowers are—"
"From him too. Isn't it so romantic?" Jenny cooed.
"What's he going to expect for this, Stace?" Scott spat out.
"I don't fucking know," I said defensively. "I'm not in his head, Scott."
"Actually, there's a note in there too," Jenny helpfully supplied.
Great. Like the fire needed more fuel. Scott looked at me expectantly as I dug back into the envelope.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Kenny asked, advancing towards Jenny with his hand held out. "I'm Kenny."
"Jenny, Stacy's sister. Luca sent me," said Jenny, shaking Kenny's hand.
"Of course he did," said Kenny, throwing a glance back to the situation unfolding between Scott and I.
Meanwhile, I had found the note and pulled it out of the envelope. I considered my options, but with Scott glaring at me I knew I wasn't going to get away with not reading it out loud.
"Bella. I hope my gifts find you well. If they please you, do honor me with your presence on the trying day of my father's burial. Seeing you there would mean a lot to me personally. I am a man of my word, and Mr. Expert did win the poker game, so when we marry, it will be your choice. PS, just don't—" I gasped and gaped openly when I saw the next words, heat flooding my cheeks.
"Just don't what? Finish it, Stacy," Scott said, almost screaming, his arms now folded.
"I don't want to," I said, crushing the note in my hands into a ball, unable to meet Scott's eye.
"It says just don't fuck him," supplied a helpful Jenny once again. "Sorry, I read it. I've been here a while. Who is the him in question?"
"Oh damn," said Kenny, as my eyes shot up to Scott's.
I swear I saw Scott's head explode before he threw it back and laughed darkly.
"Classy. The guy in question is me, Jenny. That's okay though. There's nothing to worry about because I don't fuck engaged women," said a livid Scott.
It felt like a slap in the face and ice cold water being dumped over my head at the same time. Just a sliver of hurt reached my heart. I took a deep breath.
Before I could react by telling Scott that I didn't fucking ask for this and that I didn't belong to him, Luca or my father, Kenny shut me down with a sudden realization.
"Long lost sister Jenny? That Jenny? No fucking way. Luca's got game. You know, we can always go out to celebrate some other time. I guess you guys won't be needing me," said Kenny, sucking in his lips as he backed away from us slowly.
"You know what, Ken? I think we could all use a drink. Lead the way," I said, shoving past Scott on the way out.
"Cool. What are we celebrating?" asked Jenny.