Page 7 of The Replay

Bear: Aye

Dom: I AM SERIOUS. Leave Mariana and me alone.

Logan: Aye. That seals it.

My nostrils flare. I clench and unclench my free hand. My molars grind together. My friends don't need to know all the details to assume things I want to avoid. They're too obsessed with love. In their own way, they're trying to make sure I get my happily ever after, too. I can't tell them our story. They'd jump to conclusions I want to avoid and, despite everything, I won't air my grievances. What's in the past should stay there.

I'll need to find a different way to manage the aftermath of our blowup. There has to be a way to keep a safe distance.

Dom: I'm home. Annoyed at you all now, too. No need for an intervention and please, please do not get involved.

Damián: All right, but that's not a promise it won’t happen. You can relax for now.

Saint: We'll keep an eye out. The time will come and when you need it, we'll be there.

Dom: I'm turning off my phone now.

Bear: It's okay. We know where to find you.

And sooner or later, I'll face Mariana again.

After tonight, I'm not sure I can hope for a calm and mature conversation. Perhaps there's too much unresolved pain. Maybe the fact we knew each other so well back in college makes it hard to fake pleasantries. It could be that the hurt will demand to be seen somehow.

Well, it's done now. We let it out. No need to go there again. And if we can't be detached, we can find a way to appear neutral in front of my friends.

Or at least, that's the new plan.

Chapter 4

Mariana

The party ends up being weird. Everyone seems to go with it when I say Dom and I had a small disagreement but everything was fine. If his friends are distracted by their phones at first and give me long, contemplative looks over the course of the night, I pretend I don't see it. If once or twice it seems they're biting their tongues, I don't pry. All I do is smile, chat with everyone, and thank them for coming.

I maintain that approach a few days later, when I'm in a meeting with two of Dom's friends at the Strike's building. The Thunderdome has a modern design. It holds the training and treatment facilities as well as all of the front office. Today, we're lucky to be in one of the board rooms with a view of the lake. The office itself is simple, painted in a shimmering white I've seen everywhere in the TD. At the center, a large table where Evie, Pen, and I gather.

"Okay, the year is taking shape," Pen says. "We're going to focus on community outreach as we build up to the big gala in December."

I nod. "And it's going to be the biggest gala the Strike has ever seen. Especially if the team makes it to the playoffs again."

Evie sits at my right, working with me on the overlap between her PR projects and my Seattle Strike Foundation overhaul. At my left, Pen helps me as a new hire for the department, in her role as Community Outreach Lead. One hour into it, and they don't seem to be treating me in any way other than friendly professionalism.

"I'll look into the library thing," Pen continues, "and help coordinate with the spouses and partners event. That one will probably have to be in December too. We'll schedule dates soon."

"And I'll look into working with the producers of Amelia Guerrero's TV show for some sort of collab for that party."

Their neutrality is a relief. How embarrassing, that their first impression of me was of a stomping woman frustrated at a man walking away from her, and exclaiming she's figuring her shit out. I'm not sure what Cora was thinking, inviting them to the party, when their loyalty is with Dom already. Cora can't get too close, and I don't want to mingle with him too much. Not beyond the bare minimum needed to excel at my new job, anyway. I'll do anything to impress Selena as the team's owner, and my parents when they see how good I can be at this job. That way, when I go back to England to work with my other sister Maisie at our family's charity, I'll finally have their respect and a say of my own.

"I can help with the Partners' Party, too," Evie offers. "I think Natalia— Damián's wife— wants to add in something about book access and literacy."

I twirl my pen between two fingers. "It could be a fundraiser for some school-aged thing. Food, literacy, and sports."

Both of them nod.

It's close to the end of the work day. Fall is finally approaching as we end August, but the sun hits the windows on its way down to the horizon. It brightens the space around us.

"Part of that gala build up will blend with my PR plans," Evie says. "The calendar being the primary focus for the next few weeks."

Evie already had this plan in motion when I joined the team, and I was only happy to support it. A charity calendar featuring the reigning champions, with all of them wearing their rings. Clothing optional.