Chapter 9 A few days passed before I ran into Dorian again. It was especially unusual to see him home on a Saturday afternoon-with a guest. When I entered the kitchen, I froze upon finding him standing with another man. "Oh, hello." I waved. "Hi there." The guy's face spread into a smile. "Primrose, this is my buddy Chandler." Dorian looked over at him. "We grew up together." "Oh wow. Nice to meet you." I smiled, offering my hand. He took it and grinned. "The pleasure is all mine." Running a hand over my hair, I turned to Dorian. "What are you guys up to?" "We were just gonna hang out by the pool," Chandler answered. My eyes widened. "Dorian is taking a day off to hang out by the pool?" "I know, right?" Chandler laughed. "It's only because I've been calling him every day, torturing him to get together until he finally gave in. It's not easy getting this guy to give up a day of work." "Well, enjoy your time together. I'm just gonna grab a drink and take it up to my room." "Nonsense," Chandler said. "You should hang out with us." No way was I going to join them unless Dorian invited me. I shook my head. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your guys' day." "It's not a guys' day, actually. My wife, Candace, will be here soon," Chandler explained. "She's coming straight from an appointment, so we took separate cars. I think she'd appreciate some female company." "Oh, I see." It surprised me to learn Dorian had married friends. He seemed to be the quintessential bachelor. I'd assumed most of his friends were the same. "You should join us," Dorian finally said. In that case, sure. "Okay." I nodded. "I'll go get changed." I had stuff to get done today, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet Dorian's friends, even if just to satisfy my curiosity. My stomach felt a bit unsettled as I headed upstairs, and I could identify a variety of possible reasons. Getting into a bathing suit in front of Dorian was at the top of the list. Not to mention meeting his friend's wife. Would we get along? Lord knows every other woman Dorian had brought around me had turned out to be a disaster. What if she was judgmental? I thought about my conversation with Patsy, how she was so sure men like Dorian went for a certain type of woman-one that wasn't anything like me. Chandler seemed nice enough, but he might've had the same taste. Once upstairs, I slipped into a basic black bikini and threw a light, beachy dress over the top. I would not be taking it off unless I felt fully comfortable around them. I'd have to play this whole thing by ear. After finding some black flip-flops, I headed downstairs. Outside at the pool, I was surprised to find that Chandler's wife had already arrived. She wore a scarf around her head. I thought maybe it was a style choice until she walked over to introduce herself. "You must be Primrose." She beamed. "I am. So great to meet you. Candace, right?" I offered my hand. "Yes." She shook with me. "I have cancer. That's why I'm wearing the head wrap. Just thought I'd let you know, so you didn't have to wonder or ask me about it." I couldn't help but admire her candor. I nodded. "How many times have you had to explain that to people?" "I do it at the top of every introduction. Makes me feel better to get it out of the way." "I totally get that." "I normally wear a wig, but it's too damn hot today, and this cotton is pretty cool, while still protecting my head from the sun." "Thank you for being so open. It must be exhausting feeling like you need to explain the situation to strangers." "Well, thank you for not saying 'I'm sorry' when I told you I had cancer." "There's nothing to be sorry about if you're happy and staying present." I smiled. "And you seem to be doing well, despite everything?" "I am. I try my best not to let my mind go to the dark places. I'm living my life as Candace as best I can, not as a patient. It's important to stay busy and distracted. But most important, I have to surround myself with positive people." I nodded. "When my mom had cancer, we had to shut out some friends who were real downers." "Yeah...the ones who always feel compelled to tell you that their distant relative died of the same disease you have." "That's the worst." I rolled my eyes. "Is your mom...okay?" My stomach dropped. "She passed a few years back." It killed me to have to admit that. Her expression fell. "I'm sorry." "It's okay." Chandler walked over, interrupting our conversation. "It didn't take long for my beautiful wife to charm you, did it, Primrose?" "Maybe all of thirty seconds." Dorian grinned from behind him. Candace and I moved to sit on lounge chairs while Dorian and Chandler opened the barbecue grill. She told me she and Chandler had both grown up with Dorian. They were all friends in school. I got the impression that Chandler and Candace also came from wealthy families, particularly since they went to the same private school. Her eyes lit up when I told her I was an artist, and her excitement only grew when I showed her some photos of my paintings on my phone. She was so easy to talk to, and it was a huge relief to realize I might enjoy this afternoon instead of having to put on a front. I'd been planning to fake my way through the entire thing, but she made me feel so comfortable. At one point, I went inside to use the bathroom, and I found Dorian alone in the kitchen, looking through the refrigerator. I snuck up behind him. "Whaddya looking for?" "Chandler brought a bunch of meat to grill, but we have no condiments. That was poor planning on my part. I'm gonna head to the market." He closed the refrigerator. "Wanna take a ride with me?" I raised my shoulders. "Sure." He told his friends we'd be back in a bit, and he and I got into his Porsche. As he pulled out of the driveway, I turned to him. "They're really awesome. You have some nice friends there." He glanced in my direction. "You're shocked I have any friends, aren't you?" "I didn't say that. You did." I chuckled. "But yeah. You hadn't brought anyone around besides that one woman you said you used to hook up with, so I assumed maybe you'd lost touch with most of your friends from here." "It doesn't get any better than Candace and Chandler. Truth is, I have lost touch with a lot of people over the years. But those two? They don't let you get away. I couldn't lose them if I tried. And I'm a lucky guy for it." "Those are the best kind of friends," I said. Most of my friends from back home had gone by the wayside. "I'm a bit ashamed, actually, that I didn't reach out to them as soon as I got back out here." "Doesn't seem like they're mad about it..." He suddenly pulled into a coffee shop drive-thru. "You're getting a coffee?" I asked. "I didn't have enough this morning, and I'm getting a headache. What do you want?" "I'll take an iced vanilla latte. Thank you." After he made it through the drive-thru, he parked. "Shouldn't we be heading to the supermarket, so we can get back to your friends?" "Yeah. I just wanted to enjoy this in peace for a bit and talk to you first." Ah. Perhaps there was another purpose to this drive. "Talk to me about what?" "About Candace, actually." "Oh. Okay..." He leaned his head on the back of the seat. "I feel like shit." I stopped stirring my drink. "Why?" "I think I was subconsciously avoiding seeing them because I was afraid I'd treat her differently and she'd see through it. I never want to make her uncomfortable. This is my first time seeing her...since the diagnosis." "Why did you think you'd come across that way?" "I get triggered around people with cancer because of my mother. I do my best not to let it show, but I'm not the best actor. That was partly why I avoided seeing them. But now that they've come over, I'm glad I didn't put it off any longer." He pulled back the lid on his coffee. "Not sure why, but I wanted to explain that to you. Maybe you can help keep me in check. Let me know if I'm coming across as weird at any point." "Well, I've thought you were weird from the moment I met you." I winked. "Kidding, but did we even need condiments, or was this just an excuse to talk?" "We did, actually." "Okay." I sighed. "Candace told me she appreciates it when people treat her normally and don't make a big thing about her diagnosis. She doesn't want her life to be about the disease. I didn't ask her what kind of cancer she has. Do you know?" "Ovarian." He stared out the windshield. "Same as my mother." Now his reaction made even more sense. "Oh." I nodded. "Have they mentioned her prognosis?" Dorian shook his head. "She and Chandler don't like to talk about the details. I don't blame them." "I think the best thing you can do is to stop avoiding them. Don't worry so much about how you're coming across. Just be present and enjoy your friends without trying to be perfect." "You're right." He lifted his drink in a salute. "And I'm glad you happened to be home today, so you could join us." "Me, too." Trying to ignore what felt like a massive swarm of butterflies in my stomach, I stayed in the car and continued to sip my coffee as Dorian ran into the adjacent supermarket to grab the needed items. When we got back to the house, Chandler wasted no time busting Dorian's balls. "Where the heck did you go to get barbecue sauce, Timbuktu?" Candace laughed as she sat at the edge of the pool, moving her feet around in the water. Since she'd taken off her cover-up to reveal her impressive figure, I decided it was safe to take off my dress and join her. I couldn't help but notice Dorian's eyes veer in my direction as I sat down next to Candace. "So..." she said, splashing the water with her toes. "You and Dorian?" Quick to debunk her theory, I shook my head. "Oh no. No, no. We're just friends. I guess? Roommates..." "You don't sound too certain about that," she noted. "Nothing else happening there?" "Nothing." I grinned. "Is there a reason you thought it was more?" "I just figured...two attractive people living together. It made sense that maybe things might've gotten...interesting." She shrugged. "I asked Chandler, but he said he wasn't sure. Dorian denied it, but Chandler still got a vibe." Dorian denied it. I cleared my throat. "Why does Chandler suspect something?" "Dorian seemed a little coy when my husband asked him about it." "It's not more than friendship right now," I repeated. "Right now." She smirked. "Okay. I'll check back in a month, then." I felt my cheeks burn. Why had I worded it like that? Candace giggled. "Oh my gosh. I'm totally embarrassing you." "Uh-oh. Why? Am I red?" "Yes." She laughed. "I'm sorry. I was just being nosy." Naturally, Candace's words regarding Chandler's vibe from Dorian weighed heavily on my mind all afternoon. As the four of us eventually got in the pool together, I caught Dorian looking at my chest. And I might've noticed how well his wet swim trunks clung to him as well. Still, I warned myself not to get my hopes up. He'd given me no direct hint that he was interested in me as more than a friend. After our swim, we enjoyed an impressive barbecue of steak, chicken, and shrimp, along with a delicious potato salad Candace had made. It was one of the most fun afternoons I'd had in a long time. It felt like life had returned to this mansion for the first time since Remington and Christina died. As the sun set, we returned to the lounge chairs after dinner. The mood of the evening changed in a way I never could've predicted when Candace uttered a simple sentence: "Let's play a game." In a romance-themed observation show, several participants undergo a series of interactions and conflicts filled with love, misunderstandings, and power struggles. In the end, one couple rises to over...