Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card (Jessie and Luke)

SUNSHINE JESS

The vibration pulled me out of a rare, wonderful dream. Most nights, my dreams were nightmares, mainly about Luke and Josh plummeting out of the sky.

This dream was peaceful.

We were all together, sitting around a table like we used to. My family was there, including all of them, and Luke was too. We were having a family dinner, laughter filling the air, and

then a little girl with bright eyes ran into the kitchen, her giggles like music... She was like a ray of light, and Luke stood up from the table to pick her up - spinning her around as she giggled. I hadn't realized I was crying in my dream until I felt the wetness skin. on my cheeks, slick against my

BUZZ

BUZZ

BUZZ

The phone vibrated again, and I groaned, reaching over to pick it up. A handful of messages lit up the screen-several from my mom. She'd been checking in every day. But this morning, there was also a message from Marcelo. SUNSHINE

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I took him up on the offer to view the gallery with a little push from Laura. She promised he was a good person with not intentions-not that anyone would have intentions.

I'm a pregnant widower...

But Marcello had this knowing sensation about him-like he could feel what I was feeling without any words. I was comfortable in his silence, and I think that was the best part. We were two very broken people, but we weren't trying to fix each other. I told him last night when he reached for my hand, and

I pulled away that I was too shattered, my heart too broken, to really be a friend. Marcelo merely took the hand and turned it over -"l'amitié n'est pas une question de perfection," he said, and I still haven't Googled what it means.

I looked up when there was a knock on my door, and Laura's head popped in. I sat upright, even though I wished I could go. back to that dream.