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7
EMILY
The heavenly aroma of hot pizza fills my cozy living room as I fluff the throw pillows on the couch in preparation for girl's night. I've got the string lights glowing softly overhead and a bottle of pinot grigio chilling in the fridge. Now all I need is for Jaime and Maggie to arrive with the popcorn and chocolate, and we'll be ready for a night of gossip, pizza, and binge-watching reality TV.
As if on cue, there's a knock at the door. I hurry over and swing it open to reveal my two best friends standing there with arms full of goodies.
"Special delivery!" announces Maggie, holding up two bags overflowing with every flavor of chocolate imaginable.
Jaime sniffs the air appreciatively. "Mmm, something smells amazing, Em! Is that the goat cheese and fig pizza from Enzo's?"
"You know it!" I say with a grin. Nothing beats their wood-fired gourmet pies.
The girls kick off their shoes and make themselves at home, Jaime settling onto the couch while Maggie raids my wine glasses.
"So, how's life? Any new guys on the horizon?" asks Maggie. Straight to the point, Mags is always snooping into my love life.
I roll my eyes good-naturedly. "You know I don't have time for dating right now. I've got my job at the arena and my blog to keep me entertained."
Jaime nods understandingly. "The blog is so good, Em. It's only a matter of time before it takes off."
Then her expression shifts to one of concern. "But you can't let it take over your whole life. Don't forget to have a little fun, too!"
Leave it to Jaime to play therapist and get straight to the heart of things. She's right though, I have been kind of single-minded lately.
"I know, I know," I sigh. "It's just... for fun, and I think, in a way, I've finally found something I like almost as much as skating."
Both Jaime and Maggie are quiet for a moment. They know how devastating it was when my partner disqualified us from competing in the Olympics. I had dedicated over a decade of my life to the sport, only to have it ripped from under me in the eleventh hour.
Maggie hugs me, reaching around to pinch my butt, and I scream in surprise.
"Girl, tonight, we are going to stuff our faces with pizza, drink lots of wine, and veg out to trashy TV!"
She punctuates this declaration by sauntering over to my tiny kitchen, popping the cork on the wine and filling our glasses. I have to laugh. Trust Maggie to know exactly how to lift my spirits.
"Cheers to that!" I say, raising my glass. The crisp white wine is cool and tart on my tongue.
Jaime lifts a slice of pizza from the box, the melted cheese stretching deliciously. "Mmm... Enzo's really outdid themselves with this one."
The combination of flavors is absolute perfection—the sweet fig jam contrasting with the salty tang of the goat cheese and the chewy, blistered crust. The three of us lapse into contented silence as we devour slice after slice.
"Alright ladies, time to queue up the latest episode of 'Love at First Swipe'!" announces Maggie.
"Ugh, I can't wait to see if Amanda chooses Liam or Tyler this week," Jaime says, before taking a huge bite of pizza. Strings of mozzarella stretch deliciously from her mouth.
"My money's on Liam. He's way more her type," I reply. Though truthfully, I don't care that much about the outcome.
"Nothing like crap TV, junk food and girl time," declares Maggie.
During a commercial break, Maggie refills our wine glasses and Jaime brings over a tray of chocolate truffles. The dark chocolate shells crack under our teeth, revealing smooth, velvety ganache centers.
"So...I have a confession to make," I say hesitantly, keeping my eyes glued to the pizza crust remnants on my plate.
Jaime and Maggie stop chatting and turn to look at me curiously.
"I, um, I may have gone back on my word a tiny bit," I continue, feeling my cheeks flush.
"What do you mean?" asks Jaime, her brow furrowing.
