CHAPTER 8

JULIA

After a long day of running around with Kyle, I'm more than ready for some gal time with Penny. We usually talk at least once a day, but between her work and wedding stuff, and me with my own job and the endless to-do list she and Chase left in my hands, there simply hasn't been the time.

At the back of the wine bar, I steal a booth and text Penny to hurry up. The bottle of wine and two glasses arrive, the waiter offering to open it now, or wait for my companion. Opting for the 'now' option, he fills my cup halfway, but I urge him to keep going. He eyes me as he does, but honestly, I couldn't care less about his judgment right now. I've spent days putting up with Kyle's BS-now it's time to de-stress. In fact, if Penny doesn't get here soon, I might just polish off this bottle myself.

When I'm halfway through my glass, Penny strolls in through the front door, eying me. She waves, then makes a beeline to the booth. She's still wearing her A-line, figure hugging business attire with heels so high they make her legs look six feet long. Yet here I sit in my denim jeans, and blouse, and sneakers to boot. I imagine anyone who bothered looking would think us an unlikely pair.

"Hey Pen," I say, rising from the seat to hug her.

"Jules, it's so good to see you," she says in my ear, then let's go, sliding into the seat opposite. "This past week has been hectic."

I nod. "Tell me about it. Between your wedding and my work, I barely know what day it is anymore."

She frowns, looking at me with puppy dog eyes. "I'm sorry Jules. We asked too much of you guys, I feel. Maybe I can -."

But I cut her off. "No, Pen. It's fine. Besides, I work from home, so it's no biggie."

"But -," she says.

I raise a hand. "Stop. You need to stop stressing-we both do." She smiles and I do too. "Tonight, we're relaxing." Raising my glass, she does the same, and we clink them together. It's silly, but it's our tradition-the 'thing' that we do-ever since we were old enough to buy wine. We saw it in a movie once, dared to try it out, pretending we were the women in the film. And ever since, it's been our thing.

"So, tell me. How is the wedding planning going? And, more importantly, how has it been working with Kyle? I'm surprised you two haven't killed each other yet." Penny giggles at her remark.

A dozen little annoyances flash through my mind-him being late, his snarky comments, the way he insults everything I like, such as critiquing every single cake flavour.

"Oh, he's a handful," I say, guzzling my wine. "Picky about everything. And he's late to almost every single meeting. It drives me up the wall."

Penny raises an eyebrow. "Sounds like Kyle. But come on, it can't be all bad. I remember when you two used to be close."

A pang of nostalgia nags at me. It's true. When Kyle and Penny were together, we were always hanging out. He was like the brother I never had, if I'm being honest. Whenever I had a problem, I knew one of my friends would have the answer, be it Penny, Kyle, or Chase. It was always the four of us.

"I mean, yeah. We were all friends, Pen. But things changed when he did what he did. You, of all people, should understand that." I suck in the last drop of wine from my glass and set it down in front of me. "Besides, he's not exactly the easiest person to work with."

She narrows her eyes, tipping her head curiously. "Sure, but you know that's ancient history now, Jules. And truthfully, him leaving me-well, it's the best thing that could have happened."

I screw my face up. "You can't be serious? 'Best thing'? I call BS on that."

Penny shakes her head, like I just don't understand-and maybe I don't. "If things hadn't gone down the way they did, then I probably wouldn't be with Chase now. The love of my life. So yeah, it was the best thing."

My brows pinch together involuntarily, still not understanding how she can just let him win, or forgive him, or whatever you want to call it. But as she speaks, I know she's telling the truth. There's not a single sign of ire in her voice or her words. So, why am I still mad at him then?

We run through the checklist. What we've achieved so far, and what remains to be completed. She's thrilled with what we've chosen so far, and I pat myself on the back, metaphorically of course.

Then a smirk appears at the corner of her mouth, and her eyes seem to sparkle. "You smile when you talk about him, you know?"

"Huh? Who?" I blurt, unsure of what she's talking about.

She arches her brows, then waggles them at me like a clown.

"You mean Kyle?" I spit out, crinkling my nose.

"Uh huh," she replies, almost laughing.

"I'm not smiling about... Kyle. Are you kidding me right now?"

"Sure, you're not," Penny giggles behind her hand, then sips her wine to hide her smirk.

I pour myself another glass of wine and down half of it. Am I really smiling? And worse, why does it feel like I'm enjoying this-whatever it is-with him, more than I should?

Penny leans in, lowering her voice. "What's he actually like these days?"

Hesitating, I try to pinpoint what is truly different with him. "He's still Kyle. But I don't know. There are these moments where he seems in invested, like he wants this to be special for you and Chase. It throws me off a little. Especially on the odd occasion when he looks almost sincere." Pausing for a moment, I watch her before continuing. "Not that it changes the fact that he drives me insane."

"That's a start, I suppose."

For a long minute, we both silently sip our wines, but then she flashes her 'best friend stare'. The one that tells me she sees through me, even without trying.

"Julia," she says, putting her glass down. "You remember that he's not all bad, right? He has his flaws-believe me, I know better than anyone-but he has his good side, too. I'd hate for you to write him off completely just because of, well... what happened."

Her words halt me, rooting me in place. On the one hand, I wish I could remind her of all the ways he's impossible, but on the other hand, I know she's right.

"Maybe. But I don't know if I can be friends or friendly with him again. How do you trust someone who does that?" Staring off into the nether, my thoughts dwindle as I realise someone's approaching our table. But Penny hasn't noticed and keeps talking.

"I understand, Jule. I just want you to be open, you know? Things aren't always black and white."

"Good evening, ladies," a tall, ruggedly handsome man who must be in his thirties says. "Mind if I join you?"

Penny looks up at the man, eyeing his navy suit. She grins and waves the back of her hand, showing her engagement ring. "Sorry, taken." Then she glances over to me. "But my friend here is very much single."

He turns his body to face me and offers a hand. But I hold up my hand, palm facing him. "Thanks, but I'm not dating right now."

He frowns, then nods. "Worth a try. Have a wonderful night." And with that, he heads back to the bar.

Penny scorns. "Why'd you do that? He seemed nice."

I roll my eyes. "Nice, maybe. But probably the type who'd want to know what I'm doing every second of the day. I'm not interested in someone like that."

She tilts her head. "You know, relationships don't have to mean losing yourself, Julia. They can be about finding someone who respects your independence."

I shrug. "That's easy for you to say. You found Chase. He's probably the only guy on earth who'd let you do your own thing without trying to change you."

She shakes her head. "I used to think that too, but then I found out that sometimes, letting someone in doesn't mean losing anything. It's adding something... if it's with the right person."

I look down, tracing the edge of my wineglass. I don't want to admit it but wonder if maybe she has a point. Maybe my independence is a shield.

"You know, it's interesting how much you're talking about Kyle tonight. You keep mentioning him, and it's... it's kind of cute."

"Cute?" I echo, narrowing my eyes at her. "Are you serious?"

She laughs. "I mean it! You two bicker like an old married couple, but you're actually smiling when you talk about him. It's like, I don't know, he's getting under your skin in a good way."

I open my mouth to protest, but she raises her hand, silencing me.

"Listen, I know he's frustrating. And I know it's complicated, given... well, everything. But there's something there, Julia. Something worth paying attention to."

I shake my head, scoffing. "Trust me, Penny, Kyle's just as annoying now as he's always been. I'm only putting up with him because I want your wedding to be perfect."

Penny just smiles, watching me. "Of course. But I also know you, and I can tell there's more going on." She sighs. "Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"Keep an open mind and don't let your walls be so high that you can't see what's right in front of you. Whether it's with Kyle or anyone else." She places a hand on mine. "You deserve happiness too, Jules."

Her gentle words push past my defences, smacking me in the face. I'm perfectly happy on my own, doing what I like when I like, answering to no one.

"Fine," I say, knowing she won't move on unless I agree. "But don't hold your breath."