Prior to meeting Amelia, she couldn’t imagine a life where the biggest secret you kept was that your boyfriend went by the name of his favorite singer in your contacts. But ever since they’d gotten close, she’d caught a glimpse of a better life. One with a family. A sister. A trusted friend.

It was the reason she’d altered her original plan. When she first came to town, she’d been hell-bent on one thing: revenge. She wanted to make Whitney pay for what she’d stolen from Lauren. But then Lauren became friends with Amelia, and realized that she could have something better, more satisfying than revenge. She could have a family. A sister. A trusted friend.

That’s why a few weeks ago, she’d come clean.

It was evening, the sun a bright orange like a flame burning out. The air had cooled, but still held some warmth to it. They sat side by side on the edge of the pool at Amelia’s apartment complex. Next to them sat their discarded sandals. Their calves were submerged in the water. A few feet away, a young woman dried off her two little boys.

“Come on. Time for Mommy to make dinner,” she said in a singsong voice, which was barely audible over her son’s screaming tantrum. “Daddy will be home soon.”

Lauren was beyond relieved when the mom was able to corral her children and get them the heck out of the pool area. His screams got gradually quieter until they disappeared altogether. She didn’t envy that mom at all.

The smell of chlorine was thick, cloying. Amelia kicked her legs upward, and water sprayed in the air. Earlier Amelia had wanted to swim, but Lauren didn’t bring a suit and despite Amelia’s offer she knew she’d never fit into one of hers. So, they’d opted to simply stick their feet in.

Silence spun around them, the pool area empty.

An urgent feeling pressed on Lauren’s chest, reminding her this was the perfect time. They were alone. No Whitney. No screaming children.

Since before she’d even met Amelia, she’d fantasized about this moment. How she’d break the news. Lauren had watched dozens of clips online of people being reunited with long-lost family members. They were cheesy, and overdramatic with a lot of tears. The kind of thing Lauren would make fun of if she’d watched with friends. Being raised the way she had been taught her to be tough. Never show weakness.

Despite that, she’d teared up watching those clips.

And as she sat by the pool with Amelia, she realized that deep down she wanted that cheesy dramatic reunion, complete with tears, sniffles and hugs.

That revelation alone almost made her keep quiet.

Growing up, her friends had often accused her of being a pessimist, to which she’d retort, No, I’m a realist.