Katie poked her head out of the bathroom. She saw Tyler, Jack, and Grace just as she had left them--laughing and drinking champagne in the kitchen. Tyler and Jack were gesturing at each other in agreement, like old friends, while Grace kept finding small ways to touch Tyler’s arm.

Maybe she could just slip out the front door and worry about an apology later. But how would she explain to Jack why she left him behind?

Her stomach gurgled again, suggesting her own body was in agreement that she had to do something. Katie grabbed her phone and texted Grace: “Can you come to the bathroom?”

Katie heard Grace’s phone ding in the other room and saw Grace look down at it, looking momentarily concerned and tearing herself away from being the charming hostess with a bright “BRB!” to the men.

Grace saw Katie peeking out of the door. “Babe, are you ok? Tampons are under the sink, if you need--”

Katie grabbed Grace’s hand and pulled her inside the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. The bathroom sneak attack made Grace stumble, almost losing a patent leather high heel outside the door. 

“Ok, what is going on?!” Grace looked Katie up and down. “Spill it. You’ve been acting like a weirdo for a full week.”

“I--I have to tell you something,” Katie started, not knowing how to begin. “Because if I don’t, it’s going to end up hurting someone, and I don’t want that. But I’m worried you’re going to hate me.” Tears started to form in her eyes. 

“Katie,” Grace looked her straight in the eyes. “You’re my best friend. You can tell me anything. Lord knows I’m no saint.” Grace smiled, hoping to encourage Katie to continue.

Katie took a deep breath. “Ok. So...I know Tyler.”

Grace looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“I--we...used to be engaged.” Katie said slowly.

Grace’s normally big eyes looked now like they were going to pop out of her head. “WHAT?!” she said, a little too loud. 

“Shhh!” Katie waved her hands over Grace’s mouth. She continued, quietly, “The thing is...he doesn’t remember.”

“What?” Grace said again, in a confused whisper.

“There was this accident. I was driving. And I...lost control.” The tears began to flow from Katie’s eyes.

“Wait, hold on--I want to hear everything, and I don’t want us to be interrupted,” Grace poked her head out of the door. “Gentlemen? I just realized--you should probably run to the store to get extra charcoal. And lighter fluid. I like mine extra charred. Thanks!”

Before they could protest, Grace closed the bathroom door again. The women listened to the men put up a good natured protest, and then without hearing a response, exit.

“Start at the beginning,” Grace encouraged her friend. “Tell me everything.”

***

And Katie did. Once the words started flowing, it was like she had turned on a faucet that couldn’t be turned off. Katie realized she had never told anyone the full story--not a therapist, not her mother, and certainly not Jack. It was a relief to finally talk about all of it: the good parts and the bad parts. Just saying it out loud made it all seem like less of a dream.

Grace listened on the edge of the bathtub while Katie talked about how she and Tyler met cute in college, the two blissful years they spent dating, and the perfect proposal on the mountain top that started as the best day of her life and ended as the worst.

Katie studied her friend’s face for a reaction as she brought them back to the present--Tyler now working as her intern with no memory of their past together. 

“I did this terrible thing, and he doesn’t remember it, which is a relief, I guess, but he also doesn’t remember how much we loved each other, which...hurts more than I thought it would.” Katie finished and took a breath, waiting for Grace’s response. 

Katie closed her eyes and waited for Grace to tell her what a bad person she was, how she should quit, or move away, or--

And then Grace was hugging her. Tightly.

“I’m sorry,” Grace said quietly. “That sounds so awful. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Katie pulled back from the embrace. “I didn’t know how. I felt so guilty for so many reasons, and you like him, so I was trying to be supportive, but it just--wasn’t working.”

“Honey,” Grace said, “I would have never tried to date your ex-fiancé if I knew he was your ex-fiancé. Sisters before misters.” 

Both women let out small laughs, and it felt good to lighten the mood.

“So what now?” Grace asked. “What’s the plan?”

“I, um, don’t have one.” Katie replied honestly, shrugging her shoulders.

“But you’re Katie Kim,” Grace said. “Plan is like, your middle name. Or at least a tattoo you should have.”

They heard footsteps coming down the hall.

“I don’t think there’s a roadmap for this kind of scenario,” Katie said. “The love of my life is inside this house and has no idea what kind of person I actually am.”

Grace paused. “Wait. Which one of those men are you talking about?”

There was a light knock at the door.

“Katie?” Are you ok in there?” Jack’s concerned voice came through. “We’ve been back for thirty minutes and you still haven’t come out--”

“We’re good!” Grace answered before Katie could think of what to say. “Girl stuff!”

“Ok, well...Tyler and I are gonna get those wings going!” Jack was normally the stoic, reliable, even-keeled one in the relationship, but he did get giddy when he talked about wings, which Katie thought was adorable.

“Sounds good! Be right out,” Katie answered back.

They both waited to hear Jack’s footsteps away from the door.

“You have to tell him. Both of them,” Grace said. 

“I just--need some more time,” Katie said, holding her stomach, which had started flipping again when Jack was talking.

Grace noticed. “Listen, this is obviously eating you up. It reminds me of this one time I tried dating two guys in one night, one on the north side, one south side--they didn’t know about each other, obviously--and I was so stressed trying to get from one to the other on time that I twisted my ankle jumping into the street for a cab.”

Katie just stared at her friend.

“My point is: lying about relationships can hurt you,” Grace continued. I had to have south side guy carry me around for weeks after!”

“Noted,” Katie said, “But Grace...there’s one more part of the story I haven’t told you yet.”

“There’s more?” Grace said, incredulously. “Girl, I think we need a change of scenery.”

Grace poked her head out of the bathroom door, confirming the coast was clear. She took Katie’s hand and led her to the kitchen, grabbing her abandoned glass of champagne, and downing it in one gulp.

“Ok. I’m ready.” Grace steeled herself for whatever was coming next.