“I’ll tell you,” I said. “But you have to listen. Not just to the parts that make you proud.”
Clare wiped her cheeks. “I will.”We stood there, sister to sister, in a hallway that connected the glitter of the wedding to the unseen work that kept it running.
Daniel appeared at the end of the corridor, polite enough to stop and wait, giving us space without disappearing. Clare looked at him like he was both an apology and a mirror.
“He’s really kind,” she said quietly.
“He is,” I agreed.
Clare swallowed. “Did you know he was going to do that? The seating thing?”
I smiled faintly. “He doesn’t like bullies,” I said. “And he doesn’t like watching me shrink.”
Clare let out a shaky laugh. “I’ve watched you shrink for years.”
“I let you,” I said, because that was also true.
From the tent, music swelled again, a familiar song people sang along to. Daniel stepped closer. “Mind if I steal Sophia for a dance?” he asked Clare, his tone light.
Clare nodded. “Please,” she said, voice thick. “And… thank you.”
On the dance floor, Daniel pulled me close. His hand at my back was steady, warm, grounding.
“You did good back there,” he murmured.
“I didn’t do anything,” I said.