My fears about them are dashed immediately. Although Sophie is young, she’s an absolute charm and a half. Kylie is closer to my age, and I envy her for what a strong woman she is and instantly hope we will be good friends.
We go to a bar where, even though I know I can’t afford it, I down my first cocktail in an effort to calm my nerves. I’m about to order a second when I see the prices on their drink menu. I try to hide my shock as I discreetly pull open my wallet and count how much I have left.
“Don’t worry, this afternoon is on Collins,” Kylie says. “We were instructed to not let you pay for anything.” She smiles at me.
“I insist,” I say, because even though it’s more than I can afford, I don’t want to be a burden to Collins.
Sophie laughs and waves me off. “We aren’t really used to all the money they throw around, either. Neither of us came from money. Colton always tells me I don’t need to worry about money; I don’t need to ask before I buy things. But it still feels weird, you know?”
I nod. I don’t know exactly, since I have hardly any money myself, but I get what she means. “The wealth around these guys is insane,” I say. “I always knew Collins was smart, and driven, but it’s still really crazy to see how well they’ve done for themselves.”
“What brings you to LA?” Kylie asks.
“I lost my job,” I say. Telling them about the marriage promise seems too private. I like them, but I’ve only just met them. I take a sip of my cocktail, hoping it will give me the strength to tell this story again. There’s no good spin for getting fired. Even if it wasn’t my fault, it’s still humiliating. “I found myself with no money and nowhere to go. So I guess you could say I came here for a fresh start.”
Kylie’s brow furrows. Oh dear, I can tell I’ve said something she doesn’t like. Fear rushes through me.
She shakes her head. “So, what? You saw your old buddy, Collins, on the list of the wealthiest Americans, and decide to come here and live off him?”
Nervous laughter makes vodka lemonade nearly shoot out my nose. Shit, that burns. My eyes tear from the sting. “Oh my god, no. It’s all a bit more embarrassing, and...” I shrink and blush, “...maybe a bit crazier than that.” I take another fortifying sip of my drink.
Sophie and Kylie share a questioning look, then lean in and wait for me to explain.
I’m mortified at the thought of telling these two why I am really here. Seriously, I’m such a romantic dork. Why am I here? Oh, because my best friend and I made a promise to each other that if we were both single when we turned thirty, we'd marry each other… Yeah, that sounds too crazy. Why the heck had I come? Because when I hit rock bottom, I wanted to be with the one person who made me feel like I was worth something.
By the way they look at me, I can tell they’ll never trust or accept me if I don’t tell them the sad truth.
I take a deep breath and tell them my story. The one about a ten-year-old girl who was head over heels in love with her best friend, Collins. I tell them about the moment in my room when he jabbed me in the arm with his finger and said he wanted to marry me. I stare at my hands the whole time and feel my palms sweat as I tell the story I haven’t told anyone in such a long time.
When I finish, I look up and their eyes are softer and their smiles lighter. I can see right away that telling them was the right thing. And it’s relieving to tell them. I’m desperate to hear their reactions.
“Awe,” Sophie sighs. “That’s right, you’ve known the guys forever. What were they like?”
Kylie folds her arms in front of her and leans in more. “Yeah, what were the boys like growing up?”
I think back. For me it was always all about Collins, but I know they’re asking about Colton and Pace. “They’ve always been obnoxious together. Three brothers growing up in one house, there’s bound to be a lot of rowdiness. Some days I’d come over to play with Collins and, the house would be shaking from the roughhousing. It was definitely something to experience.” I smile thinking back to one time in particular. “Once Colton and Pace were wrestling, and they almost tumbled right into me. Collins saw it as it happened, and rushed over and threw himself between me and the rough and tumble mass of his younger brothers. My hero.” I blush as I realize I’ve said the last part out loud. But their smiles haven’t faded and their curious looks beg me to tell more.
“Sometimes, when they weren’t roughhousing,” I continue, “they did this thing they called a laugh-off, trying to tell the best jokes, make the best funny faces. Whatever they could do to make each other laugh so hard they couldn’t breathe.”