Okay, pretend we were back in school tomorrow. How would you feel walking around, holding his hand?

Gabriela

Proud. I’d feel proud.

Parisa

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I’m crying. I think if there’s one silver lining to this shit world that we’re living in right now, it’s that we know we don’t have time to waste.

Gabriela

It’s probably too late. He probably wants to have nothing to do with me now.

Parisa

There’s no way. Call him. Tell him how you feel. Life is short.

Gabriela

I don’t want it to make things weird between us. Like, all of us. The three of us would still be the three of us.

Parisa

I know. I’m not worried. You can’t not date Wes because of me.

Gabriela

You know what. I think I’m gonna wait it out. Give myself a week and then see how I feel. Being trapped in my apartment for months… I don’t know if I’m thinking clearly.

Parisa

Wes is WONDERFUL. The best guy ever.

Gabriela

I know…

Parisa

And he’d be lucky to be with you. You have my blessing. But, like, you have to let me officiate your wedding. Obviously, I’d have to pull double duty as your maid of honor, but I’m very good at multitasking.

Gabriela

LOL. True. You’d definitely be my maid of honor.

Parisa

Can’t wait. You have to text me or call me or whatever as soon as you talk to him.

Gabriela

Okay, okay. Settle down. You’ll be the first to know.

PARISA

The prepandemic Parisa was not the type who would ever wake up at six AM to swim laps in our pool. It’s not because I was lazy. It was because my schedule was already filled to the brim with extracurricular activities—a small percentage of which I actually enjoyed, and a much larger percentage that were strategically chosen to make me look exceptional on my college applications. But now, with marching band obsolete and other clubs going virtual, and with the time I’m saving not commuting to school, I actually have room to incorporate exercise into my schedule.

The Peloton and the instructors, who feel like my squad, have served me well, but swimming feels like a daily rebirth. So here I am, standing in my bathing suit on a crisp Bay Area morning, eager to dive into our (heated) pool to perfect my freestyle. The sooner I start swimming, the sooner I will stop worrying that Wes and Gabs are going to have this wild love affair that will put the final nail in our friendship coffin.