It’s easy when she gets to lean back and observe after dinner. The way her friends include Hannah right in their stories, the way Hannah’s tentative smiles and nerves faded easily and she just joins right in. She and Miranda talk about her courses after they’d learned that one of her professors used to work with Miranda at Merrimack College, before the conversation turns to family and children, Lacey – as a mother of three – joining in.

“And husbands aren’t allowed here for the weekend? Even if you’ve been together for eight years and have three kids?” Hannah asks, a flush on her cheeks from the wine she’s been drinking as Kris diligently fills cups.

Lacey laughs her own tipsy giggle. “Then who would watch the kids?”

Jess chimes in. “It’s women’s weekend, we decided that a long time ago. No boys allowed. We can bring other women friends. Or partners, in mine and Caroline’s cases.” She lifts her cup in a cheers motion to Caroline, who returns it with a sly smile.

Miranda, who is definitely the closest to being actually drunk, leans in over the table to state, “Not that Caroline has ever taken advantage of that! Never brings anyone.”

“Until Hannah,” Kris supplies, a wicked grin on her face that Caroline hopes no one else notices as she glowers at her.

“No one?” Hannah asks in surprise. She’s sitting directly across from Caroline and her eyes are trained on her, wide and questioning.

She can feel herself blush and she ducks her gaze to look insistently into her cup. She’s a little tipsy, sure, but definitely not enough for this. And there is no universe where she is going to explain that while she’s had several relationships that she’d thought were love, there had never been anyone that seemed like a good fit with her friends. That this weekend is special to her and she couldn’t just bring someone who wouldn’t fit with their whole dynamic.

Lacey playfully tosses some popcorn toward her. “Caroline has a lot of big, fanciful ideas about love. Very high expectations and not very willing to give people a lot of chances.”

Caroline only rolls her eyes, hard, because this is all familiar territory. Everyone else chuckles, before Hannah slaps her cup a little too hard on the table. The chuckles stop, while their pop music in the background plays on, and everyone – Caroline included – startles.

“Caroline should have high expectations. She shouldn’t settle for anyone or anything.” There’s a fire in Hannah’s voice that Caroline thinks might be more present because of her alcohol consumption, but regardless, it makes her chest feel so warm.

Like she might melt into a puddle here and now.

Instead of turning awkward, her friends do a hearty, “Hear, hear!” in agreement and Miranda pats Hannah’s shoulder appreciatively.