Pride & Precedents (The Park Brothers #2)

24. Camila

Chapter twenty-four

Camila

" C ongratulations, grad!!" some drunk guy slurs into my ear as he hugs me around the shoulders and motions for the bartender to get me yet another shot of whiskey. I down it, wincing from the burn, and the bar cheers around me. Rory and Gabe insisted I wear my cap and gown to Bronx Alehouse for the free drinks, even though they've also been buying me a steady stream of Midori sours and tequila sunrises. I haven't been this drunk since…ever.

"You doing OK, sis?" asks Gabe, taking one of the shots in front of me.

I moan weakly in response, trying to slow down the room's violent spinning. All the faces around me are a blur. Rory eyes me with concern and tries to get the bartender's attention. He gives her a nod to order, still pouring someone else's pint.

"Hey, man. Can we get my sis some fries or something? She's not looking too hot." He looks me up and down before nodding and moving on to another customer. I make a cradle of my arms and rest my head against the bar. Rory rubs my back soothingly.

"Thank God," I moan, my voice barely audible above the noise of the bar. "I was worried you were going to get me another drink."

She smirks, but doesn't stop rubbing my back.

"I'm not a murderer. Gabe and I just wanted to make sure you had a great time."

Gabe pulls a face after taking a sip of my Midori sour. With all the shots, it's practically untouched.

"Ugh! That shit tastes like a melted snow cone!" He wipes his mouth with his sleeve.

"Uh, no one told you to drink that, Gabe," Rory laughs through her hand. He scoffs and takes another gulp from the green cocktail.

"I thought you said you didn't like it," I mutter, caught in an alcohol-induced vortex. Deep breaths. I will not vomit in public. Gabe just shrugs.

"Eh, free is free."

Rory and I both roll our eyes at him, but I slam mine shut halfway through, since it made "the spins" worse.

On the surface, this past week has been a celebration leading up to my graduation from law school. Instead of getting up at the butt crack of dawn for work, I got to sleep 'til ten, study until dinner, and then take myself to the girliest rom-coms playing in theaters. I gorged myself on popcorn and Jujyfruits, grabbed a scoop of ice cream (usually cookies n' cream), and then headed home for more studying until I fell asleep.

On Wednesday, I met Rory for a walk along the Highline. She told me about her job, and how she's crushing on the director. He's a genius , she said. I tried not to chime in with my freshly bitter feelings about workplace romances. She's smarter than me, anyway; she probably won't make my mistakes.

Then, on Friday, Rory surprised me with a graduation dinner at Jean-Georges, courtesy of her first check from A24. We had our pinkies out the whole meal, and she did her best not to giggle too loud when I gagged after tasting oysters for the first time. Why people pay market price for something with the consistency of a loogie, I'll never know. The rest of the food was amazing, though.

Then today, Gabe handed me a beautiful bouquet of roses, tulips, and sunflowers as soon as the graduation ceremony was over. I tried not to tear up at all the love my younger siblings were giving me this week, but it was impossible. We'd gone through so much since Mom died, and now I'm done with law school, Rory's a legit Hollywood Assistant Director and soon-to-be producer, and Gabe finished Fordham last year. He's still not sure what he wants to do, but he's got options. We're all OK.

Underneath all the love and celebrations, though, was a dull ache in my chest and a persistent sadness. Henry. God, what a bonehead move to fuck my boss. Jeremy in the mailroom, I could've handled. He was cute and doting, and there was never going to be anything serious between us. Dating him would've been like eating cotton candy: sweet until it faded into nothing.

Even before our first kiss, I knew Henry was going to be major. Substantial and meaningful, like my great grandmother's pernil recipe.

And incredibly filling . Every night this week, I've thought about him before grabbing my vibrator to distract myself from re-reading his texts.

Henry

Henry: You really just walked out? No discussion, no nothing?

Henry: I wasn't saying our thing isn't special. I'm just not ready to go public yet. Not with everything that's going on.

Henry: Shit. I don't mean I want to keep you a secret. I'm not ashamed to be seen with you or anything like that.

Henry: This isn't coming out right over text. Let's talk about this like adults.

Henry: Please

He called a few times too, but I never answered. I was too hurt. Naomi may have kissed him first, but he kissed her back. She's the one he'll tell the partners about, not me. Guys like him always end up with women like Naomi. I was fooling myself to think otherwise.

A plate of hot, golden fries magically appears in front of me and I muster up a smile for my sister.

"You're the best, Rory. I don't think this is going to save me from the world's worst hangover, though."

I take a fry and munch it, letting the salty goodness numb my feelings a little further. How many more plates of these will it take to forget Henry completely?

Gabe nudges me in the ribs from his seat beside me.

"What gives, Mila? I know you're drunk, but Rory and I can both tell there's something else going on."

"There's nothing," I lie. "I'm just worn out from school and studying." I pull them both into a drunken hug, wobbling a bit on my feet. "Thank you both for making my graduation week so awesome."

Gabe chucks me under the chin and helps lower me back to the barstool. He grabs a handful of fries as payment.

"Compared to everything you've done for us, this is nothing," he says. Rory squeezes my arm. Her usual sarcastic expression is now serious.

"I second that and then some. Thanks to you, we're all successful adults." She jerks her head in Gabe's direction. "Well, most of us." Gabe flips her off with a smile.

"But seriously, a thousand fancy dinners and flowers wouldn't be enough to make up for all you've done for us since Mom died. Now that we're all grown and done with school, you can become the kick-ass lawyer you were always meant to be."

Gabe wipes at his eyes and raises his glass.

"Here here!"

The surrounding bar patrons raise their drinks in solidarity.

I am dead. Clearly, ten shots and countless cocktails led to acute alcohol poisoning, and now I am in hell. There is no other explanation for the horrific symphony of blades and car horns in my head, and the vile taste of roadkill in my mouth. Yuck . I gingerly lift my head to see the time on my bedside clock and the symphony intensifies.

"Oh, ow!" I moan, before falling back onto my pillow. That hurt too. A hand with three brown pills appears above my face.

"Here," Rory demands, giving her hand a little shake. "Take this ibuprofen. You'll need it if you're going to function today."

I groan in protest, but manage to prop myself up to take the pills. Luckily, Rory's also got a full glass of water. I gulp it down like I've been wandering the Sahara for weeks.

"Mmm. Thank you, sis." I put the empty glass down and carefully scoot myself up until I'm all the way against the headboard. "Now, why do I have to function today?"

My sister looks at me like I'm crazy and waves her arm around my apartment.

"First, we're going to clean up this pigsty. I mean, damn , sis. I have never seen your place look this bad."

I smile sheepishly and fiddle with the edge of my comforter.

"And then?"

"And then," she continues, lowering her voice when I flinch in pain, "you're going to tell me what really has you moping around here like the Phantom of the Opera."

A laugh bubbles free from my parched lips. That glass of water barely scratched the surface.

"That is ridiculous, Rory. I told you, I'm just worn out from finishing the semester. Hell, from finishing my whole degree ."

She sits down next to me on the bed and pats my hand like someone would pat the head of a small dog.

"Yes, I remember the bullshit you told us before, big sis. I was hoping to get the truth out of you last night, but instead, you demanded pancakes before promptly falling asleep in the Uber." She pokes me in the leg. "So spill."

I sigh heavily.

"Things with Henry got…complicated." I slouch down further into my sheets. Maybe if I burrow deep enough, she'll leave me alone. Without warning, the covers are yanked off, and I'm sitting fully dressed in yesterday's clothes.

"Go on, then. What happened?" Rory never was one to let things go.

"Well, we hooked up a few times. You know that part. Then he started helping me study for the bar. And then the last time he came over, one thing led to another and—"

"And you bumped uglies?!" Rory interrupts, her voice full of glee. I can't help but giggle.

"Yes, we had sex. And it was," I sigh dreamily. "…It was really fucking good . He even stayed over, and we spent the next day together, walking all over the city."

"That sounds like something straight out of the movies. So what happened?" Rory asked.

"His ex happened," I mutter. "She kept throwing herself at him and then she kissed him!" Rory gasps and I feel validated. You're damn right.

"Henry said it didn't mean anything, and maybe that's true, but when I said we should come clean about what we're doing so we definitely don't get in trouble, he said we should wait until we know it's 'worth it'. He's worried about losing me as a paralegal!"

I struggle not to choke on the last words. Rory frowns and pulls me into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, Mila. You're worth the risk, and if I ever see him again, I promise to castrate him." I smile, doing my best to ignore the cacophony still assaulting my head.

She smooths my hair, tucking loose strands behind my ear. Mom used to do that, and the memory has tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Did you try telling him how you feel?" she asks quietly. "Maybe he just needs to know you're all in before he takes the plunge." I shake my head.

"No. I left. Turned in my leave of absence form that same day."

Rory sits thoughtfully, still stroking my hair, before continuing.

"I definitely don't agree with what he said, but don't you think you should talk to him? You worked together for years, then you finally made it personal. There are bound to be a few hiccups while you figure out the new dynamic."

Maybe she has a point. But even still…

"It wouldn't work out, anyway. If not Naomi, it will be some other woman like that. I've been his paralegal for years, sis, and he never noticed me like that. I'm not some CEO or some high-powered lawyer."

" Not yet ," Rory insists, and I could kiss her. She might be the spokeswoman for tough love, but she's also my biggest cheerleader.

I tighten the hug until she starts to pull out of my grasp. Even with me, Rory's always had a limit on how "touchy feely" she's willing to get. I don't take it personally.

"Thanks, Ror. Maybe I will be some day. But me and Henry?" I fall back against the headboard and immediately regret it when my head starts pounding again. "I don't think that's going to happen. Let's just forget it, OK?" I drag myself off the bed and towards the kitchen. "C'mon. I'll make us some coffee so we can tackle this mess."

Rory follows me down the hall, grumbling.

"Like I said. This sounds exactly like a movie. When y'all get back together, don't forget that 'Aurora' makes a lovely name for a baby."

I throw a dish towel at her and grab the coffee beans from out of the fridge. As she picks up the remote to put on some cleaning music, my mouth tugs into a hopeful smile.