You're Invited(13)

Beth, you there?



She didn’t always reply immediately. She worked the night shift at a call center, so she kept an odd schedule. But thankfully, I didn’t have to wait too long until my phone buzzed back.

Hi babe, yes, I’m here. You okay?





I breathed out in relief. Where would I even begin?

No



At least I could be honest.

What’s going on?





I took a deep breath.

Remember my friend Kaavi? The one . . .



How would I even begin to describe that friendship?

The one I’m not friends with anymore?



Yeah, the one who made you skip your reunion.





Well, it’s not like Kaavi made me skip anything. I’d checked and double-checked that she wasn’t going when I first signed up. I mean, she lived in Sri Lanka. Why would she make it all the way to California just to attend a college reunion? Her name wasn’t on the list when I checked two weeks before the date. And so I’d RSVP’d that I was attending. Figured I would fly up to the Bay Area a day earlier. Maybe rent a car and take a drive to Napa. I’d always wanted to go wine tasting there, but it seemed like something you’d want to do with a group of your girlfriends, and I just couldn’t imagine spending an entire weekend getting drunk with Jessica, Imogen, and Deepa, I was finally feeling confident enough to book a wine tour for one. I was finally feeling confident.

But then I’d logged on to Facebook and noticed that Kaavi had checked into the first-class lounge at Bandaranaike International Airport, and was en route to SFO. I guess she’d changed her mind after all.

And so I’d unpacked my bags and ordered my body weight in Chinese food that sat congealing in the takeout boxes because I couldn’t bring myself to eat more than a few bites.

Beth knew all about that. It was around the time we met.

Yeah. Well, she’s getting married. To my ex.



There was a pause while I watched the dancing dots on my screen that showed me she was typing something.

No way.





That was it? It felt like she was typing a lot more. But, well, I guess I wouldn’t really know what to say to someone in my position either.

Yeah. I just can’t believe it. I never even knew they were together. She knew us as a couple as well. Hell, the three of us were really close.



I’m so sorry, babe. I can’t believe she would do that to you.





See, this is why I was friends with Beth. No calling Kaavi a bitch. No mean comments. Just straight-up empathy.

Want to know the worst part?



It gets worse . . . ? Oh no





Yep. She actually invited me to the wedding.



Wow . . .





Yeah, wow.



I didn’t know what else to say. I wanted to tell Beth how this wedding couldn’t happen. How I would do anything I could to stop it—even though what I could actually do was pretty darn minimal.

So . . . you gonna go, right?





And here I was, thinking Beth understood me. Sure, I had fantasized a million different ways in which Kaavi and Spencer would call the whole thing off. But to actually go?

Um, no. There’s no way I could face them all after so long.



That bad with the family, huh?





Well, actually, the invitation did come from the whole family.



That’s nice of them, right?





How the hell am I going to face Spencer, that’s my ex btw, after so long? It’ll be super awkward.



A part of me did want to see him though. Part curiosity, part . . . well . . . maybe it was some perverse way for me to convince myself that I was finally over everything that happened. Except I don’t know if I’ll ever be over it. Over him. And now he’s marrying Kaavi? I can’t let that happen. I can’t believe she would do this.

The dancing dots on my screen were there for a while. But Beth’s actual message, when I got it, was short.

I think you should go.





What? Why?



Because, babe, no one needs closure right now more than you do. And the entire family asked you? That sounds to me like they want to make it up to you.





Beth didn’t know the real terms of our agreement, of course. But maybe she did have a point. I would love to see them again.

But who was I kidding? I would only get closure from one thing, and if it worked, well, it’s not like I’d be any closer to making amends.

You’re right about getting closure . . .



Maybe I could burn Kaavi’s wedding dress. Now that might give me some closure. A small, delicious wave shuddered through me.

Trust me, babe. Holding on to all this negativity isn’t going to be good for you. Go. Speak to them. Tell them how you feel. You said they were like your family once. You can always be honest with family.





Not this kind of family.

But still, I was slowly inching my way over to the edge. Beth was right. It would do me good to see them. To see her. If they all wanted me there, I should go.