ibrant city of art and noise and life. The streets hum louder during tourist season, and I get swept up in the rhythm of it, l

t one of the local high schools. I'm datin

all. Sometimes she does. Our conversations stretch for h

it in time for

ng too long. By the time I'm free, it's too late. Elena is furious. She doesn't

een here," she s

I ca

e home in a way nothing else ever has. It's mine, loud, wild, bursting at the seams. I wan

he phone lines. Elena swears she'll come see me, se

w it's

my boyfriend of two months, stop mid-sentence and stare. Maybe even swallow hard. T

give Elena a full view of my neatly arranged wa

s every curve I have-Latina hips, thick thighs, full chest. I don't lo

glancing up. She's feeding Willi

lena says if I want to meet him, I ne

t simple. I

," I say, exasperated, h

"I just have to feed the little apple of my eye. A

oo old for

testy glint in them, like she

to feed him, wh

and feed him at th

yed. "Well, I needed

an dress however you want,

more than a distracted glance. "Look, I'm just sayi

e grand total of two minutes of attentio

And I know what you're like when you really like someone." She doesn't. But s

excitement bleeding out of me.

her-her face glows, her skin golden and clear. Giving birth didn't touch her good looks;

at you wear. He'll just be happy to see you. Like Noah-he lights up every time he sees me." Her smile stretches, full of contentm

I hate that

. That buried irritation, the kind that used to catch in my throat like a splin

" I say, tone casu

en if you don't like it. "Busy, as usual. I still don't know why he became a doctor. He could've done anything else, but

remember what Daddy looks like?" A pause.

hair is the color of sunlight, curly, soft, and unmistakably not from either of them. Elena onc

" I say. It's a small town-how

on her shoulder like he's made of sleep. "Just pick a dress. I still thin

. I smile. "Yeah, I'll just t

ays, eyes softening as she glances toward the scree

hick, and straight, an almost perfect copy of hers. We look like twins again. Except she curls hers thes

voice quieter.

familiar squeal, her soft, excited kind of sound. Noah's b

ay, but Elena's already on her

er her shoulder. "Wait

ped the red button.

. One long FaceTime call, skimming over everything but the thing that mattered. We ta

ne rejection. But something cracked open that day, and even though we tried, we never found our way back. We tal

e and clinging to my ass like I usually av

unny. And most importantly-he

ended for this very reason. That stubborn absence of spark, of excitement, of... something. But

ometimes it takes time, effort. A few tries to

ate today. Usually, she's home by five

osh hasn't called yet, but getting downstairs takes age

smile. My attention flickers toward the corner where the el

le

Jo

ne Josh always wears. He's been here th