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"Stop it. He's just a good friend," I protested, though a flicker of uncertainty danced in my mind.
"He wants to be more than friends," Sadie insisted, her tone tinged with conviction.
“He does not,” I shot back.
But he did. Ty made it clear several times that he wanted to be more than friends, but I felt no chemistry with him.
“What are you two talking about,” my mother asked.
I quickly segued from our conversation about Ty. “How my lame brothers didn’t bother to come to my graduation.”
“Matthew was here to see you get your diploma, and Finley saw you via Facetime.”
I raised my eyebrows, “Really?” I almost squealed.
“Yes. Matthew had a client meeting so he couldn’t stay, and you know Finley is in California.”
I felt warmth in my chest that my brothers took the time to see me graduate. They were both wrapped up in their own careers, Finley especially since he was building his tech company.
“At least they took the time.”
“Make sure you call to thank them,” my mother said.
I raised my eyebrows. “For what?”
“You’ll see.”
I frowned and was about to question my mother until she turned to talk to Laura’s mother.
“What was that supposed to mean?” Sadie asked.
I shrugged. “I have no idea.”
After pictures and the reception, we went out to lunch with our parents. By the time we got back to our apartment, it was well after 3 p.m., and we were exhausted. All I wanted to do was plop down on my bed and take a nap. Our apartment was in a door-manned building with sunny exposure, and my parents insisted we lived in a good area.
I knew the rent would be tight with Sadie’s budget, but her parents agreed they would feel more comfortable if we lived there. The Fulbright family didn’t have much money, but they gave Sadie whatever they could to help her out. They wouldn’t have to if she would stop being so stubborn and let me pay a bigger portion of the rent.
We took the elevator to the fifteenth floor, and I waited for Sadie to open the door. She halted, stopping short, which caused me to bump into her and almost knock her down.
“What gives?” I asked.
“What the fuck!”
I looked over her shoulder and saw that our living room had been fully furnished with a large beige sectional, two dark wood end tables with white ceramic lamps, a matching coffee table, and a large multicolored area rug. On the wall hung a big flatscreen television, and below it was a console made of the same type of wood as the coffee and end tables.
“Holy shit, this must be what my mother meant. My brothers bought us living room furniture for a graduation gift.”
Sadie narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure you didn’t have something to do with this?”
I shook my head. “Absolutely not. I knew you wanted to help pay for the furniture.”
“I didn’t want to help pay for it; I wanted to pay half.”
“Well, we don’t need to worry about it. I wonder how they orchestrated this?”
Sadie wandered over to the coffee table and scooped up the thick white envelope that sat there. She slipped her finger under and pulled out the card. Inside were two five-hundred-dollar visa gift cards and a note from my brothers. The handwriting looked like Matthew’s.
Ryleigh and Sadie,
