Stars Dancing [Dreams-To-Lovers Romance]

I rounded the corner of my street heading towards the park but bumped into someone I didn't expect. Rhoda, shoulders shuddering, and face contorted with tears.

"Rhoda! Oh my god!" Instinctively, I wrapped her in a side hug. "Is Filly okay? Is someone hurt?"

She shook her head and sucked in a deep breath, calming.

"Filly's fine. With his dad. That's the problem."

She'd said, "His dad" not "Mike" like she usually did when I saw her at the swing sets with her son.

"Wait—Sam, where's the twins? You're alone today?"

"Let's talk about you, Rhoda, then we can talk about me. You wanna go to the coffee shop?"

Shaking her head, she said, "No, I can't sit still. I need to walk."

I let go of her, and we continued down the sidewalk towards the park.

"Mike left last week, which needed to happen. It's been bad for a long time. If anyone ever tells you they want to have a baby to fix their marriage, you tell them that's the worst idea ever."

I'd have no trouble giving that advice. A year spent nannying toddlers meant I knew exactly how much work children were and how tired they made you. Nothing about parenting was about getting; it was all about giving and nurturing someone else who depended on you 100% of the time.

"It's not that Mike's gone. It's Filly," she sobbed. "Mike does it to get at me. It's his weapon. He doesn't even like kids, but he demands equal time with our three-year-old son because he knows it hurts me. All he does is plop Filly in front of a screen. Doesn't play, doesn't read, no interaction at all, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it."

She stopped talking for a while because she was crying too hard to speak. I had no words, so I rested a hand on her shoulder while we walked through the park and towards the swing set.

"Thanks for listening, Sam. You're a good friend to have."

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"I wish I could do more, Rhoda, but we both know it's out of my hands. I can be here for you, though. As someone who cares when everything sucks."

She wiped her face and blew her nose, nodding. "I guess you already know what it's like to go through this. Does your ex have visitation rights for the twins?"

Oh boy, here it was. Truth time.

"Rhoda, it's time you hear what a terrible friend I actually am. I wish things hadn't happened the way they did, and I've regretted it every day since we met, but there's a few things I need to set straight."

She looked at me with puffy, red eyes, brows furrowed. "Whaddaya mean, Sam?"

I inhaled sharply, bracing myself. "I'm a liar."

"Liar?"

I nodded. "I dunno what I was thinking, really, that first day we met. You just assumed that Joey and Mal were my kids, and it seemed easier to let you believe it. Or, maybe I was just ashamed to be a 27-year-old nanny, unsuccessful, never married, with no prospects."

"Oh, Sam! I'm sorry! I had no idea—"

I shook my head, cutting her off. "No, Rhoda, it's me who needs to apologize. You're kind and fun, and I feel stupid all the time, blundering about, awkward around everyone. I didn't think I'd ever see you again, so it was nice to pretend for a few minutes that I was in control of my life instead of being a fucked-up nobody. I'm sorry I deceived you, and I feel horrible that I let it go on so long."

"Every time I saw you, I had to lie, and I hated it, but I didn't know how to tell you the truth. I was never married. The twins are my day job. I didn't lie about being liking girls or about being a writer. I do have a book on Purple Road that's Trending, but it doesn't pay the bills."

"Alright, Sam, so you lied to a total stranger about yourself and two vulnerable kids. Well, I say that's a smart thing to do. Going around telling random people your name, date-of-birth, occupation, kids names, spouse, address, and so on is a recipe for disaster. Sam whatever-your-last-name-is: thank you for deceiving me."

I burst out laughing. Oh gods, this was the most ridiculous conversation.

"So, I'm forgiven, Rhoda?"

"You betcha. Now, I saw a wine store on our way here, and I've never been in, but they do tastings, wanna go check it out?"

I nodded. I had a little money in the bank from HC's project, after all, so a wine and cheese tasting sounded like just the ticket. We wound up having a wonderful time enjoying vintages from all over the 9 Galaxies, every single sip fantastic, and cube after cube of creamy cheese with bread and crackers. Mostly, we laughed and forgot about all the things of life that were taxing for a while.

As we left the shop and parted ways, Rhoda said, "Sam, can I give you my ID? I'd like yours too, but I won't push for personal details."

I handed her my pad, "Put yourself in, and I'll message you."

She smiled, "I hope we can hang out again sometime. This was exactly what I needed, though I didn't know it when I left the house."

"Let's do that Rhoda. I'll be with the kids tomorrow, but I wanna catch up again soon. Feel free to message me when you need a friend." And I added another side hug then turned to go.

"Get yourself a date, Sam! You're a prize!"

"Oh, I've got my eye on the perfect woman, Rhoda!"

But that was just another lie.