Broken Wings (29 page)

“Did you have a hangover?” Rye asked.

Holly looked up, surprised. “Yeah. It was deathly.”

Rye smiled and patted Holly’s leg. “We all do stupid things. The idea is not to
do the same stupid thing twice. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Flora entered with a tray. She set it down on the coffee table closest to Rye
and Holly. Holly wriggled forward to pour the tea.

“Have you told her?” Flora asked.

“Um,” Rye said. “We were talking about Holly.”

“Told me what?” Holly said.

Rye looked imploringly at Flora. Flora picked up a cup of tea and raised her
eyebrow at Rye. Rye frowned down at her hand in her lap, the hand with the ring
on it.

“Is it good?” Holly said. “Hey! Did you hear about one of my scholarships? Is
that it?”

“Um,” Rye said. “No. Um. Holls. You know that –”

“Here.” Holly handed Rye a cup of tea.

“Oh. Thanks.” One-handed, Rye didn’t quite know what to do with it. She balanced
the saucer on her thigh. “Um. Thing is, Holls. It’s… um. Well, it’s sort of…
um.”

“Wow,” Holly said. “This must be really important. You haven’t been this
incoherent since you told me about sex.”

Rye blushed. She glanced up to see Flora imperfectly hiding a smile behind her
cup.

“It’s sort of along those lines,” Rye said.

“You’re giving me sex education in instalments?” Holly said.

Flora choked out a chuckle. Rye glared up at her. Flora bit her lip but her
shoulders shook.

“The thing is,” Rye said. “Um… you know that… well, Flora said that you know
that… um, that I’m gay.”

“Yeah, so?” Holly slumped with a disgusted look. “Is that it? The big news?”

Rye frowned and shifted. She nearly tipped tea all over herself, so she reached
across to set the cup and saucer on the table. “The thing is –”

“Holy shit!” Holly grabbed Rye’s good wrist. “Rye! You didn’t! You did! That’s a
wedding ring. Oh, that is so utterly, utterly scathing! I never thought you’d do
it in a zillion years!”

Rye watched, stupefied, as Holly leaped to her feet to envelop Flora in a hug.

“You’re not displeased, then?” Flora asked.

“This is the best thing ever!” Holly said. “Wow. That means we’re
sisters-in-law, doesn’t it? My mind is melting.”

Flora smiled down at Rye.

“That means we’ll be living here, not going back to our cruddy apartment,” Holly
said. “Astronomical! Can I keep that room beside the bathroom? And use the pool
whenever I like? I can’t believe it. My life just got great! Can I invite Daisy
over? She’ll gnaw her leg off with envy!”

Rye sat stunned.

“Can I see your ring?” Holly peered at Flora’s hand. “This is too scathing. Does
Rye’s match?”

“They’re not exact copies,” Flora said. “They’re complementary. Slightly
different patterns which make a harmonious whole when you put them together.”

“You picked them,” Holly said. “When did you do the deed? This morning?”

“Um. We got married three days ago,” Rye said. “In the detention centre.”

“I’m her prison bride,” Flora said. “That’ll be something fun to tell the
grandchildren. And my mother.”

Rye scowled. Flora smiled and sat down beside Rye. She clasped Rye’s good hand
between hers.

“I bet you asked Rye,” Holly said.

“Does it matter?” Flora said.

“You know, I’ve never seen you hold hands before,” Holly said. “But it was so
utterly obvious that you were gone on each other.”

“You’re… um. You’re okay with it, then?” Rye said.

Holly rolled her eyes. “No, Rye, I am not okay with it. There are not two
letters in the whole alphabet to describe how scathing I think it is that you
and Flora are married.”

Flora mouthed “I told you so” at Rye. Rye couldn’t help grinning. She lifted her
hand to kiss the back of Flora’s fingers.

“That’s my cue to leave,” Holly said. “I’ll be in my room with my music on.
Won’t see or hear a thing, guys.”

Rye blushed hotly as she watched Holly stroll out through the side door. Flora
laughed.

“Elm, I adore you,” Flora said. “We have a few things to work out, you and I,
but I know we’re going to make it. And life with you is not going to be dull.”

Rye didn’t feel like she was standing on firm ground yet. But there were two
things she was certain of. “I love you. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than with
you.”

Flora wriggled closer. Rye glanced at the doorway, just to make sure they were
alone, before she kissed Flora.