Page 101 of Let’s Be Real

Rosalie laughing in the Wells’ kitchen while Nate looked at her like she hung the moon.

Rosalie helping Adrian with a French essay because she was perfectly fluent.

Rosalie slipping into family pictures seamlessly, as if she’d always been there.

Back then, I’d envied her, a gangly teenager with a hopeless crush. I’d wondered how someone could naturally know what to say, how to stand, how to belong, no matter where she was.

Elegant and curvy, Rosalie’s brunette waves tumbled over her shoulders and down her back. She crossed the hallway with practiced confidence, skyscraper heels silent now. Her black dress fit her perfectly, understated and tasteful, as though she’d considered every detail before walking out the door.

“Samantha? Is that you?” she asked in her lilting, sweet voice.

“Rosalie.” Finding my manners, I pressed my lips into a smile. “I didn’t know you were here.”

Why was she here?

“It’s good to see you.” Her smile faltered almost immediately. “I wish the circumstances were different.”

I nodded.

She smoothed invisible wrinkles from her dress. “I haven’t quite plucked up the courage to venture very far into the room yet. I wasn’t sure…well, I heard Mrs. Wells passed, and I thought I would come to pay my respects. Now that I’m here…”

As gently as I could manage, I said, “This isn’t an easy time for any of them. It might be better if you leave this alone.”

“Of course you’re right. I admit I peeked into the room. The flowers, the pictures, it’s all so lovely. And there’s quite the turnout, isn’t there?”

“She had a lot of friends.”

She fidgeted with her hair, the simple gold necklace at her throat, the buttons on the front of her dress. I’d never seen her less than completely sure of herself. This was disconcerting.

“I saw you with them. The brothers.”

“Okay…”

She flushed pink, turning her head slightly. “You’re still good friends with Adrian?”

“I am.” And I didn’t want to spend any more time on this conversation. “Actually, I should get back, so—”

“Are you and Nate together?”

There it was.

“We are.”

“Oh. Okay. I didn’t know.”

“How would you?”

She blinked, as though rearranging her own personal reality. “That’s not weird for the brothers?”

“What?”

“I always thought you were like a little sister to them all.”

“I’m not Nate’s little sister.” I took a retreating step. “I really should get back.”

She closed the small distance I’d gained. “How is he? Is he taking his medication?”

I stopped cold. “That’s not for me to share.”