Page 99 of Hannah.
Astrid:13:30 @ the Kendrew Café. See you there.
I can’t stop smiling after that. I’m going to get my answers, and Astrid and I can patch up our friendship. As soon as the professor calls for the end of the class, I pack up my things and hurry out of the room and back to my dorm, depositing my things and touching up my appearance.
Then, after checking the time on my phone and hurrying, I manage to beat Astrid to the cafe and grab us a table. I’m nervous, ridiculously so, but also looking forward to seeing Astrid. She shows up only moments later, her phone in her hand and a grin on her face.
“Hey,” she greets, dropping her handbag onto the chair next to her and sliding into the seat across from me. She folds her hands in her lap and smiles brightly. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Of course. I’m so happy you texted,” I reply, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. “I felt terrible about what happened yesterday.”
“Why would you feel terrible?” She cocks her head to the side, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder like sunshine. “It was me that was acting foolish. I’m sorry, Hannah. About everything.”
“It’s okay,” I assure her. “So what's this big news you have?”
“Oh!” She laughs, a tinkling sound, and lifts one of her hands from her lap. She spreads her fingers wide on the table, then holds her hand up.
A giant, sparkly diamond winks at me. At first, the huge significance of what she’s showing me doesn’t compute.
“What—”
“I’m engaged,” she announces, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You’re getting married?!” My own voice is louder than I intended, and a few of the people at the tables around us turn to stare. I don’t care. Astrid is engaged. She has a ring, a gorgeous one, and unless her parents have arranged something in the last three days, there’s only one person it could be from.
My heart drops to the floor, as heavy as a lead balloon. The ground falls out from under me, and my world is spiraling. It’s all I can do to clench my hands on the edge of the table and hold on.
“Yes,” she says, her eyes sparkling. “Isn't it exciting?”
I’m having trouble catching my breath. “Who…?” The word comes out raspy.
“Don’t be silly.” She leans forward, bringing the glittering, sparkling rock that has shattered everything inside of me closer still. “To Johan, of course.”
There are a million thoughts running through my mind, and yet none of them are clear. One is louder than the others, and that is a single word: no.
No. No. No.
This is not happening. This can’t happen.
But as Astrid keeps talking, going on and on about how Johan proposed and about their future and what they are going to do, I realize that it already has.
He’s gone.
And he’s left me behind.
“He proposed yesterday evening!” she gushes while I’m nearly catatonic. “He planned a dinner with both our families at his home estate, and when dinner was over, the staff brought out champagne instead of dessert. And this—” she wiggles her ring finger, the diamond catching the light, “was in the bottom of my glass!”
“Oh.”
“Yes, it was so romantic, Hannah. He finally dropped all this casual fling nonsense and came to his senses.”
“Right,” I mutter, my tongue feeling numb and too big for my mouth.
Astrid is oblivious to how I’m feeling and the horrible struggle I’m experiencing, caught up in her own happy, bubbly world. She reaches down into her handbag and pulls out a stack of parchment papers in all different colors, most of them trending towards yellows and neutrals. “Here, you have such a good eye for beautiful things. I thought you could help me pick out the color for the invitations.”
I frown. “The invitations?”
“For the engagement party, of course.”
I nod, forcing a smile. “Of course.”