Rhiannon’s lips pursed in a soundless whistle. “Play back what you just said.”
Katrina pressed her fingers to her temple. She’d said what she said, and she meant it. “I know. I do love him. I think I have for a long time.”
“Omg. You should ask him how he feels,” Jia whispered, clutching her hands to her chest.
Rhiannon shook her head. “No, she shouldn’t have to badger him about how he feels. He should be able to talk about his feelings.”
“Even if he does, I’m worried he won’t be telling me the truth. What if he says he loves me because it’s what I want to hear?” She shook her head. “You guys, he is so damn devoted. It all feels so one-sided, like he’s seeing to my every need, and I can’t do the same for him.”
There was silence for a minute. Rhiannon put her water bottle down. “So let me get this straight: you, a heterosexual woman, in our current modern dating hellscape, are complaining that the man you are seeing is . . . too selfless.”
“I love you very much, Katrina,” Jia remarked. “But please don’t be offended if I kind of hate you right now.”
“Samson is almost a saint, but I’m with you, Jia.” Rhiannon made a disgusted noise.
Katrina choked out a laugh. “Okay, well. It sounds silly when you say it like that.”
“Boy, does it.” Rhiannon squinted at her. “Look, I’m still not entirely sure that Samson’s as good as he seems. Like, I’m finally pretty sure he’s not being nice to me so he can kill me, but who can tell? That’s the whole leap-of-faith you kept pushing me to take.”
Katrina’s smile was faint. “I have new respect for the leap I was telling you to make.”
“You have no idea how terrifying it is.” Rhiannon paused. “Isn’t it entirely possible that Jas is so devoted to you because he loves you too?”
She made a face. “I don’t know.”
Rhiannon gestured between them. “I mean, we love you, and we are very cool people. He would be in excellent company.”
“Ha. Right.”
The chair they sat on rocked a little as Jia perched on the arm. Her slender hand came to rest on Katrina’s shoulder. “How long has Jas been with you?”
“Years.” It was hard to remember a time when Jas hadn’t been with her. Or rather, she didn’t want to remember the time before Jas was with her.
“You’ve cooked him breakfast every morning for every one of those years, right?” Jia asked.
“Yeah, that’s not—”
“What I’m saying is, yes, he should tell you more about his needs, especially if you feel like things are getting one-sided, but pretty sure if he does, you’ll trip over yourself to make it equal, and then he’ll trip over himself to do the same.” Jia’s smile was fond. “I’ve never seen two people more suited to each other, to be honest. You’re equally considerate and kind. In fact, you might have a spiral death match to out-kind each other. I only have one reservation.”
“What’s that?”
“If you get married, you cannot hyphenate your last name.” Jia wrinkled her nose. “God, Katrina King-Singh? You’ll sound like a Dr. Seuss character.”
Katrina and Rhiannon both chuckled.
“It’s not funny, names are so important.” Jia pursed her lips. “Anyway, send a text, open the door. See if he’ll walk through it and be emotionally vulnerable.”
Rhiannon toasted the younger woman. “Good advice, Jia.”
Katrina gave a decisive nod, and pulled out her phone. “What if I say How’s the, and . . .” She squinted at the tiny emoji keyboard. Phew, she must have drunk more than she’d thought. “Peach. For peach farm! His grandpa.”
“Wait, no!” Jia grasped her arm. “Think what a peach means, Katrina.”
She gasped. What had she been thinking? “I sent it.”
JAS’S PHONE DINGED. He picked it up from where he’d dropped it on the hospital bed and peered at the display. He was on his third scotch, and he felt great.
He read Katrina’s text once, then again, trying to puzzle it out.
His grandfather broke off from telling a story to a laughing Gurjit. “Ooooh. Is that Katrina?”
The alcohol had lowered Jas’s inhibitions. “It is, but I don’t understand this text.”
“What does it say?”
“It says, How’s your peach?” He glanced up.
“Oh, son,” his grandfather said with pity. “Even I know what the peach emoji stands for.”
Jas’s eyes widened as realization dawned. “Oh, uh.” His phone dinged again and he snorted. “Okay, this makes more sense. I meant, how’s your grandpa?”
“She’s asking about my peach?”
“Ew.” Jas made a face. “No.”
Andrés sniffed. “You don’t have to say no like that.”
He kept reading. “Sorry, peach for peach farm. There, that’s cleared up.”
He typed out his reply. My grandpa faked the whole thing to get me to come home because he was scared I wouldn’t come to his ceremony. I’ll be back tomorrow.
RHIANNON READ JAS’S reply out loud. “Well, his grandfather sounds like he’s a few peaches short of a—”
“He’s very sweet,” Katrina said repressively.
“Okay, so respond.” Jia nudged her.
“What should I say back?”
“Whatever you want.”
Katrina thought about it for a minute. “I miss you.”
“Wait, that’s way too vulnerable,” Rhiannon yelped.
Katrina cringed. “I hit send again.”
“Katrina!” Rhiannon swiped the phone out of her hand. “We gotta work on this. You have a real problem with premature transmissions.”
I miss you.
Jas sucked in a deep breath.
“What did she send now? More butts?” his grandfather demanded.
Gurjit leaned over and looked at his phone before Jas could hide it. “Aw. She says she misses him.” His mustache jumped in delight. “Jas! This is so sweet. When do I get to meet her?”
“She is very sweet. Think carefully about what to say in reply, son. You have to woo her,” his grandpa warned.
Gurjit scoffed at Andrés. “Let the boy write whatever’s in his heart.”
Jas tapped the phone against his leg. “I can’t tell her what’s in my heart.”
“Why not?”
“Because . . . we kissed for the first time like a minute ago. It’s too soon.”
“So you have strong feelings for her! Listen, when you know, you know,” Gurjit said dreamily.
“I changed my mind,” Andrés counseled. “Tell her how you feel. If you don’t you’ll regret it. There’s lots of things I regret not saying to your grandma.”
“Are there things you regret saying?”
“Yes. But less of those.”
Jas looked down at his phone and typed all the words in his soul. I love you.
Delete.
He hesitated, then typed again. I love you.
Delete. No. That was something to be said in person, not over text.