“Don’t be flippant, Cosima,” her mother said. There was a firming up of her tone that made Cosima roll her eyes heavenward. She had about five seconds to convince her lovely, beautiful, devoted — if not a little bit overbearing — mother that canceling the twelve-day cruise she and father had been planning for over a year wasn’t a good idea. And even less time to get off the phone before Dorothy suggested Cosima join her disgustingly loved-up parents as a third wheel on the trip.

“I will be fine,” she said, trying to make her voice sound extra certain. “I’m using the time to finish up a bunch of work I want to get done before the new year. The only thing I plan to break for is to put up my Christmas tree, and I’ll pop by Navaya’s on Christmas Day so I can have a homecooked meal.”

Cosima hoped the well-placed lie would silence her mother. She was depending on it, even though she wished she hadn’t had to resort to such tactics. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand her mother’s concern. She understood her friends’ concern too. Even the concern of the random acquaintances who popped up when whispers about her relationship’s demise started circulating made sense in theory. But she was fine. Maybe too fine. Perhaps that was where the real concern lay.

Damian hadn’t surprised her with the proposal everyone thought would happen on Thanksgiving. His family had been so sure that his sister had started dropping hints in the months leading up to the holiday and went as far as telling Cosima she needed to make sure her nails were on point for the family dinner. Cosima hadn’t dared voice her discomfort at the situation to anyone, but she’d spent the entirety of Thanksgiving dinner feeling anxious and jittery, dreading what seemed like an inevitability. The proposal never came, though. They’d returned to their hotel room in Denver after spending the evening gorging on sweet potato pies, turkey, and the baked macaroni and cheese his grandmother never failed to put her foot into in the five years Cosima had been spending Thanksgiving with his family, and he’d poured himself a large glass of vodka. Considering how infrequently Damian drank anything stronger than an IPA, Cosima immediately knew what he was trying to work up the courage to do. Her stomach twisted into ribbons, but soon an emotion she was still embarrassed to admit to everyone who rushed to her comfort afterward settled over her…relief.