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An Unlikely Love: Hangovers & Hang-ups

A/N: Aaaaand I’m back.

I’m sorry these chapters are so few and far between. I know I used to be able to churn them out every week or two, but I’ve been going through some stuff (ADHD diagnosis, sickness, that awful breakup, and general depression) so I haven’t been able to write as much as I was last year. I struggled a bit with this chapter, but I think I’ve made it into something passable.

This chapter gives you a look into Michelle and Anna’s relationship, and where Michelle is in life as it relates to her relationship status (or lack thereof). You also get some drunken shenanigans between those two and Amanda (including some drunk texting), and our favorite Italian Footlong coming along for the ride.

Also I know that we’re WAAAAY past the holiday season now, but this is my world and y’all are just living in it. ;)

Crazy thanks to @madpanda75, @thatesqcrush, and @misssirenlove as always - inspiration, kindness, and laughter are things I need in my life right now more than ever, and you three give it in spades. <3<3

Tag list (if I missed you or you want on, message me!): @danahart1 @nikkijmorgan @ele-esposito @dianilaws @mommakat32 @lucifersadvisor @gibbs274 @oliviamariathegirl @evee87 @tropes-and-tales @garturbo @delia26 @neely1177 @jennisdirtyimagines @lostintech0011001 @letty-o@sunnyfortomorrow @literallyprentissstwin @pieceofshittytitty @germansarechill @gnomeras @iwritetoavoidmyproblems @lovebennycolon @getscaredgetdead @meleekabenjamin @bimbadisonnycarisi @rafaelsbarba @lovesomerafipapi @itsfreakingyouth @southern-magnolia @differentshadesofgray @thespianlaura @xemopeachx @esparza-army @rampantmuses

Song: I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston, because it not only sums up where I’m taking the development between Michelle and Sonny but also is the perfect “girls night out” song.

Spotify Soundtrack Here

~*~*~*~

“What time’s your man supposed to be home again?” Michelle asked as she sipped her glass of cabernet while Anna made dinner. They had arrived home only half an hour earlier, after spending the remainder of the afternoon walking up and down the High Line. Michelle had tried once more to convince Anna that she didn’t need to cook, but, like her mother, Anna was stubborn. She also wouldn’t let Michelle help, but that was probably for the best; Michelle had managed to singe her eyebrows more than once while trying to bake. She joked that sometimes she wondered if she really was her parents’ daughter, since she hadn’t inherited either her Italian father or Jewish mother’s cooking skills.

Anna looked over her shoulder and said, “I think probably an hour from now. I haven’t heard otherwise. Usually, if he’s going to be late, he texts me to let me know.”

“Well, that’s considerate. When he’s late, what do you do? Like, do you wait to eat or save it for him or what?”

“Depends on how late he says he thinks he’ll be. If he’s going to be more than a couple hours, I’ll just eat and put the leftovers in the fridge,” she replied. “The good thing about Raf being single for as long as he was is that he’s fairly self-sufficient. I never feel like he expects me to take care of him.”

“Good!” Michelle replied. “you shouldn’t have to. You deserve a grown man. Not whatever most women settle for, these overgrown children who want a mom.”

Anna laughed. “I can guarantee you, there is absolutely no way Raf could ever be described as a manchild.”

Michelle hopped off the stool at the kitchen island and wandered toward the bookcase in the living room. She could tell most of the books belonged to Anna—true crime, some historical biographies, a few that could be considered “beach reading”—but she was more interested in the framed photos that were artfully arranged alongside the books. She had expected most of them to be of Anna and Rafael, but was pleasantly surprised to see that many of them were of their separate lives as well. For instance, one of the bigger frames contained a photo of herself, Anna, and Kim eating ice cream sandwiches in college. Another was of Anna’s parents at their wedding, a beautiful black and white silhouette.

Then, her eyes fell on a third photo, this one of Rafael and the pretty, brown-eyed sergeant who had taken Anna’s statement when she and Michelle had come to the station to report the rape. There was also a little boy in the photo, no more than a year old, and Rafael was awkwardly holding him. The sergeant was wearing a pretty, blue dress, and Rafael a Burberry polo under a cream-colored blazer. It looked like a special occasion, not a work event.

“Hey, Anna, isn’t this that cop I met when I was here last time?” she asked, gesturing to the photo.

Anna looked up from chopping vegetables, squinted at the photo, and nodded. “Oh, yeah, Olivia,” she said. “That’s her and her son, Noah. That was taken the day she formally adopted him. Apparently after the champagne toast, she asked everyone there to hold him to get a photo with each of them. Rafael was…clearly not a baby person.”

Michelle considered the photo for another moment and then asked, “Did those two ever date?”

Anna laughed. “You’re probably the thousandth person to ask that.” She threw all the vegetables into a salad spinner with the spinach she had rinsed. “They never dated. They’re just best friends.”

Michelle raised an eyebrow and ran a finger around the rim of her wine glass. “And it doesn’t weird you out at all?”

“Why should it? They’ve been friends for years. Olivia was the one who encouraged me to go after him. I mean, her and my mom.”

“I don’t know. I guess I just don’t know if I could be that cool with my boyfriend being so close to another woman—especially if said woman is single.”

“That’s only because you haven’t been in a relationship with a trustworthy guy,” Anna said. “When you meet a guy who’s in love with you, you won’t have to worry about him cheating.”

“It’s not the guy I don’t trust,” Michelle replied, returning to her chair. “It’s women.”

Anna wiped her hands on a dishcloth. “Well, Olivia isn’t like most women. I’d place a bet on her being Raf’s best man—or, I guess, best woman.”

“Wow. Not Sonny?”

“I’d highly doubt it,” Anna said, shrugging. “Up until this year, he and Raf were basically only colleagues.”

“So are you going to ask him to be a—would it be a bridesman?”

Anna chuckled. “You know, I hadn’t thought about that, but I suppose I should. I mean, the man did agree to go wedding dress shopping with us.”

“You know I was only half-serious when I suggested that, right?” Michelle’s jade eyes glittered mischievously. “I didn’t think he’d do it!”

“Like I told you before, he really is that nice.”

Suddenly, they heard the front door slam, which startled Anna so much that she nearly dropped the ribeyes she had just retrieved from the fridge.

“I hope you’re Rafael,” Michelle called, “because we have cops on speed dial!”

He came around the corner, still carrying his briefcase but with his suit coat slung casually over his shoulder. “Believe me,” he said, “if ever there was a day that made me aware of who I am, it was today.” He set his briefcase down and leaned in to kiss Anna hello. Then he turned his attention back to Michelle. “Nice to see you again!”

“Same. I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a long time. And thanks again for letting me stay here.”

“I keep trying to tell her there was absolutely no way we were going to let her stay in a hotel,” Anna said, now seasoning the steaks.

“Absolutely,” he said. “No one should have to suffer the indignity of paying for an insanely marked-up hotel room in New York for New Year’s Eve. That’s just cruel and unusual punishment.”

“What are you doing home so early?” Anna asked, adding quickly, “Not that I’m complaining.”

“I figured that since it’s Michelle’s first night here, I could just bring work home and do it after dinner.”

“I don’t want you to have to work late because of me,” Michelle said.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” he replied. “Ask Anna how many times a week she’s passed out before I even make it to the bedroom.”

Anna laughed. “Not to mention the fact that you’re almost always gone by the time I get up.”

“So when do you actually see each other while conscious?” Michelle asked.

“Usually right now—dinner, I mean,” Anna said. “Or on weekends. The week just tends to be too crazy for both of us.”

Michelle cocked her head, as though trying to process this. Meanwhile, Rafael stretched his neck. “Mi amor,” he said, “I’m going to go change and wash up. Do you need help with anything before I do that?”

Anna shook her head. “I’m fairly certain I’ve got this under control. It’ll be ready in maybe ten minutes. Medium-rare, right?”

“You know me so well.”

He gave her another kiss and went back down the hallway. When he was out of earshot, Michelle looked back at Anna. “‘Mi amor’? Really?”

“What?” Anna asked, refilling their wine glasses.

Michelle leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I thought the Spanish was for the bedroom!”

Anna craned her neck, listening for footsteps. Hearing none, she smiled mischievously. “He knows far dirtier phrases in both English and Spanish, I can assure you.”

Michelle’s eyebrows shot up and she giggled. “Maybe I need to find myself a bilingual man.”

Anna bit her lip, employing her most casual expression. “Maybe you’ll meet one while you’re here.”

Michelle knew when Anna was holding something back. “And what makes you say that?” she asked.

Turning around to check the mashed potatoes—conveniently hiding the smile she couldn’t contain—Anna said, “Oh, well…I just mean it’s going to be festive around here, and especially since we’ll be out and about, maybe you’ll meet some tall, good-looking, intelligent guy with a strong connection to his heritage…”

Michelle was about to respond when Rafael came back into the room, pushing up the sleeves of his burgundy sweater. “Well,” she said appraisingly, “now you look like the Rafael I met!”

He looked down at himself and chuckled. “I guess—yeah, most people meet me in a suit. It probably looks weird when they see me dressed like this.”

“I mean, you rock a suit, don’t get me wrong!” she replied quickly. “When Anna showed me your collection of ties and suspenders—”

His eyebrows lifted and he looked at Anna in shock. “You went into my closet?”

Her cheeks burned. “I—yes, I’m sorry. I just wanted to show—”

At her reaction, he started to laugh. “I’m not mad! I’m just shocked!”

“Why?” Michelle asked, as Anna’s shoulders visibly relaxed.

“Remember at the engagement party, I mentioned that’s where I hid the ring because I knew it was the one place she wouldn’t go anywhere near?” He shook his head. “Now I have to find a new hiding place!”

Anna, now plating dinner, laughed. “I promise you, that was a one-time event. I don’t have enough breadcrumbs to find my way back a second time.”

Soon, they were seated at the table, enjoying their steaks and laughing over a second bottle of wine. “So,” Michelle finally asked, “why do you own so many ties and suspenders?”

“And socks,” Anna added. “Don’t forget socks.”

“Can’t a guy just enjoy mixing patterns?” he replied.

“I mean, yeah,” Michelle said, “but I’m guessing that’s not the answer.”

Rafael smirked. “You know, Anna has a great poker face and you seem entirely too perceptive.”

“Why do you think we’re friends?” Anna asked. “She can see right through me and call me on my bullshit.”

“And Anna knows that anything she tells me won’t be repeated without permission,” Michelle added.

He took a sip of wine. “Wow. Combine the two of you and you could rule the world.”

“Who says we won’t anyway?” Michelle replied. “Now, stop deflecting!”

“It really isn’t that interesting,” he said. “My parents couldn’t really afford a lot of clothes for me when I was a kid. Mom actually made a lot of them herself, sometimes with my abuelita. And neutral colors—”

“Can be used for more types of clothes than bright colors,” Michelle finished. When he gaped at her, she said, “Theater person, remember? I may not make the costumes, but I do know the general theory of designing them.”

“Right,” he said, still a bit taken aback. “Anyway, when I got out of law school and got my job in Brooklyn, I didn’t really go anywhere or do anything, and I lived in a rathole for a couple years. I couldn’t afford more than two suits—one black, one blue, off the rack—but I had to make it look like I had more than that. So, the best way I could think to do that was to start buying what I could afford: accessories.”

“Wow,” Anna, slightly astonished, said to Michelle. “You just learned something I didn’t even know.”

“Really? How is that even possible?”

Rafael shrugged. “I don’t think Anna ever questioned my wardrobe choices.”

Anna gave him a Cheshire grin. “Maybe not to your face…”

He reached over and gently pinched her side. “Very funny, mami.”

She squealed and swatted his hand. “Hey, your wardrobe choices are part of what attracted me to you!”

“Oh, it wasn’t just my charming personality and sense of humor?” he asked, grinning back at her.

“Oh my God, please don’t make me gag,” Michelle said from behind her wine glass.

“Sorry, sorry,” Anna said, still laughing as Rafael tried to squeeze her side again. He finally threw up his hands in surrender.

“Okay,” he said, “what else did you two do today?”

“Well, after we took a trip to the Saks in your closet,” Michelle said, “I asked Anna to take me up to Fordham.”

Anna glanced at Rafael, hoping he would play along and pretend he didn’t know that. “Oh, really? How’d you like it?” he asked innocently. Anna let out a nearly silent breath of relief.

“It was very cool. The campus is surprisingly green, even with the snow.”

Anna saw an opening. “In fact, we ran into Sonny while we were there—he was coming out of the dorms, actually.”

Rafael, of course, already knew this, but played along. “Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Liv sent him there today about a case.”

Anna sighed. “Yeah, I figured. Michelle and I were actually just talking today about how there haven’t been any assaults on that campus since they built those dorms.”

“We were thinking it was because the law school was right there,” Michelle added.

Rafael sighed. “If only that’s all it took.” A few silent moments passed, and then he cleared his throat. “So, what did Sonny have to say?”

“Oh, nothing, really. We made plans, though,” Anna said. “We’re going out with Amanda tomorrow night, but Sunday, we’re getting brunch with him.”

“Yeah, and then we’re going—” Michelle began, but Anna glared at her. “What?”

“I second that ‘what?’” Rafael added, cocking an eyebrow. “What am I missing?”

Anna wasn’t sure herself why she was being secretive. It wasn’t as though he wasn’t expecting her to look for wedding dresses eventually. They had been engaged for more than half a year—it was probably weirder for her not to have looked yet. She suddenly felt very silly.

“We’re…going to look at wedding gowns,” she finally said, in one hurried breath. Michelle looked satisfied and Rafael’s eyes flickered with something that looked like a combination of amused and contented.

“And Sonny agreed to this?” he asked.

“Well, Michelle didn’t give him the option! She just sort of…said it like it was already decided.”

Rafael grinned, remembering what he had said to Sonny before they parted ways that day. Maybe Sonny had taken it to heart. He refilled Anna’s wine glass. “So, you’re going to go shopping on Sunday. Where are you and Rollins going tomorrow?”

“I don’t know if we’ve decided yet.”

“Well, knowing her, you’ll end up at some cowboy bar,” he said.

“Anywhere you recommend?” Michelle asked.

He snorted. “I guarantee you that Rollins’ suggestions would be far more appropriate for a girls’ night.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on! Don’t try to convince me you’re some stuffy attorney. You forget we hung out in a mountain lodge themed bar? And I know you had fun there!”

For a second, Rafael thought she was referring to the illicit sex he and Anna had there (which came to be known by the two of them as The Bigfoot Adventure). But as much as Anna liked to talk him up to her friends, even drop hints about how he satisfied her, he knew she guarded their sex life closely. He wondered sometimes whether that had anything to do with her history but didn’t feel the need to ask.

“Well,” he finally said, “there is one place, over in the East Village.”

“When were you in the East Village without me?” Anna asked.

“I wasn’t,” he replied, “but Carmen was talking about it with one of the other assistants. I think it’s called Death & Company?”

Michelle giggled. “How cheerful!”

“No, no,” Anna said, holding up a hand. “I’ve heard of it! But supposedly it’s hard to get into. There’s a list or something.”

He grinned and leaned back in his chair, casually sipping what was left of his wine. “I’m just going to make the observation that you’ll be with an NYPD detective.”

Anna let out a dramatic gasp. “Why, A.D.A. Rafael Barba! Surely you aren’t suggesting Amanda use her badge to get us past the list!”

He shrugged and looked at her with wide, innocent eyes. “I would never advocate such a shameless abuse of power. Again, I’m merely making an observation.”

And as Michelle watched Rafael and Anna tease each other again, she thought, You’re not the only one, pal.

***

“Hey! Come on in!” Anna exclaimed as Amanda stepped through the front door.

“Hope I’m not too early,” she replied, dusting snow off of her coat. “I thought it would take longer to get a cab than it did. Where’s—”

Michelle appeared from the makeshift guest room. “Right here! Nice to finally meet you! Anna’s told me tons.”

Amanda chuckled and glanced at Anna. “I hope she didn’t tell you too much. Don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me right away!”

Michelle shook her head. “Only good, and PG-13 rated, things.”

“Something tells me that this evening is gonna move into R-rated territory real quick,” Rafael said, coming down the hallway from the kitchen.

“Counselor!” Amanda said. “How are you? Big plans for the evening?”

“Oh, yeah,” he replied, putting an arm around Anna’s waist. “Beer, strippers, the whole bachelor experience.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s just going to be a bunch of paperwork for me, punctuated with occasional snack breaks.”

“What a thrilling Saturday night,” she replied, and then looked at Anna. “You really want to be a lawyer?”

“Yeah, paperwork and all. Besides, it’s my goal to someday be able to sanction John Buchanan.”

Michelle’s brow furrowed. “Who?”

The others let out simultaneous groans. “Come in,” Amanda said. “We’ll explain in the cab.”

Rafael helped Anna into her coat and kissed her on the cheek. “Have fun and be safe.”

Amanda turned back to him. “Did you forget who she’s going to be out with?”

“Oh, right,” he replied. “I amend my statement, then: be good.”

Amanda grabbed Anna by the warm and waved goodbye to Rafael. “Love you,” Anna called over her shoulder. But before he could reply, she was gone in a whirlwind of blonde hair and leather boots.

As it turned out, Amanda didn’t have to flash her badge to get them into Death & Company. As soon as the doorman saw a group of pretty, single women coming, he let them in almost immediately. After they stepped through the imposing, wooden doors and past a dark curtain, they understood the bar’s name; the dark interior was lit only by antique chandeliers and candles. Their heels clicked on the hardwood floor as they walked toward a table in the back.

“Okay, I’ll give it to the counselor. This is pretty cool,” Amanda said as she opened the drink menu. “How did he say he found this place again?”

“He said Carmen was talking about it,” Anna said. “We should have invited her!”

“It’s not too late!” Michelle replied. “I bet she has all sorts of fun stories about pre-Anna Rafael.”

“She ought to. She’s been with him since before he came over from Brooklyn,” Amanda said. “From what I know, he was…even less fun than when we met him.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, when he was in Brooklyn, he kind of wanted to prove himself—you know, just out of law school—and so he was kind of…” Amanda looked like she was trying to think of a polite way to finish her thought.

“A total ass?” Anna suggested. Michelle and Amanda both gaped at her. “What? He’ll be the first one to admit it.”

“Really?” Amanda asked.

Anna nodded, looking through the drink menu. “There’s a reason the assistants call him The Bear.”

If they’d had drinks, Amanda would have inhaled hers. “Excuse me, the what?”

Through her laughter, Anna said, “The assistants think he doesn’t know, but right after he went back to work after”—she hesitated, realizing Michelle didn’t know about the suspension—“our trip to L.A., he saw some email to Carmen from one of the other assistants. They had asked whether The Bear was back in the woods. It wasn’t hard for him to figure out.”

Amanda was cackling. “Oh my God. He had to have been furious!”

“Nah,” Anna replied, passing the drink menu to Michelle once she’d decided on a cocktail for herself.

“Really?” Michelle asked, flipping through the book. “I’m surprised.”

“Well, for one thing, he was super relaxed from the trip,” Anna explained. “And for another, he found out the day after we had some really good—”

She stopped herself, but Amanda and Michelle both raised their eyebrows and looked at her expectantly. “Some really good what?” Amanda asked, as if she didn’t know.

Pretending not to hear as her cheeks burned, Anna looked over their heads toward the bar. “I’m going to get the first round. Who wants what?”

Once she’d taken their drink orders and disappeared into the swell of people crowding around the bar, Amanda turned toward Michelle. “So, you enjoying the city so far?”

“Definitely,” Michelle replied. “I’m just happy that Anna and I are seeing each other more than once in a year. It’s so weird not to see her more than that, after seeing her every day for years.”

“I know what you mean. It’s the same way with my old partner. Saw him every day for years, and then he up and moves to California—of all places, right?—and I haven’t seen him since.”

“That’s too bad,” Michelle said. “Maybe you and Anna could take another vacation together and go visit him?”

Amanda chuckled. “Heard about our little Nashville excursion, did you?”

“Oh, yeah. She told me you guys made an impromptu spring break trip down there. She’s always been sort of impulsive that way, so it didn’t really shock me.”

That phrasing, Amanda realized, meant that Anna had never told Michelle about the argument she and Rafael had that had spurred the trip in the first place. Of course, that didn’t necessarily mean anything—no need to tell your friends about every fight you have with your significant other—but that fight had been bad enough to make her want to take a week away from him. So, Amanda found it slightly odd that Michelle didn’t know about it. But all she said was, “Yeah, well, my boss is always telling me I have too much vacation time racked up, so I figured, why not use some of it?”

“Was Rafael annoyed that she just took off like that?”

Amanda cocked her head. “How do you mean?”

Michelle turned and looked around. Anna was still trying to push her way up to the bar. Turning back to Amanda, she said, “I guess I’m just wondering—I mean, when I met him, they were on vacation, so he was obviously a lot more relaxed than he probably usually is. And it’s not that I think he’s a bad guy or something. But is it—I mean, is he—he seems too good to be true.”

Amanda smiled. “You just don’t know him like we do.” But seeing Michelle’s face fall into concern, she added, “I mean, he’s not perfect. But I’m guessing you have some specific concern?”

“It’s just…you know why I was here the last time. What Anna has been through, no one should have to go through. And she hasn’t really been in a lot of relationships to begin with. You know him better than I do.”

“Are you asking me if he’s good for her?”

Hearing it put that way, Michelle realized that it sounded like she was accusing him of being fake, and that wasn’t exactly what she meant. Sighing, she said, “I’m sorry, no. I know he is. It’s just—I’m skeptical by nature, I guess.”

Amanda nodded. “I understand, believe me. I don’t do relationships, and I don’t really trust most people. Hazard of my job, probably. But I told this to Anna early on—he looks at her in a way I’ve never seen him look at anyone else. They have their arguments, I’m sure. I mean, they’re human. But he’s different with her.”

“Different with who?” Anna asked, suddenly returning with three drinks clutched precariously in her hands.

“Oh, I was just telling Michelle about what a softie Fin turns into when I bring Jesse to the precinct,” Amanda said quickly, as Michelle breathed a sigh of relief.

“You know, come to think of it, I haven’t seen Fin with her!” Anna said. “Didn’t he recently gain a grandson?”

“He did!” Amanda said. “Cutest little thing.”

“Maybe being around Jesse got him ready for grandfatherhood!”

“Oh, God, don’t ever let him hear you call him a grandpa,” Amanda said. “I did that as a joke once and got an earful.”

Anna and Michelle both laughed, and Anna raised her glass. “Ladies, happy early New Year!”

“Cheers,” Michelle said. “To auld acquaintances being forgot—”

“Along with most of this evening!” Amanda finished, as they clinked glasses.

***

Three cocktails and one round of shots (sent by a group of men who were almost certainly lawyers) later, and Anna, Michelle, and Amanda had maintained a steady buzz throughout the night. They had alternated the drinks with water so that none of them became too inebriated. After all, Anna pointed out, they may not have been driving, but they still had to tell the cab driver how to get home.

“All right, Anna,” Michelle said, holding her glass precariously by the rim. “Time to spill.”

“Speaking of spilling,” Anna said, “put down that glass before you’re wearing that drink.”

Michelle looked at the glass as if she hadn’t realized she was holding it. She set it down and folded her arms on the table. “Fine. Now. Spill.”

“Spill what?” Anna asked, although she suspected she already knew where this was going.

“Oh, God, do I even want to be here for this?” Amanda asked.

“Oh, come on. What are girls’ nights for if not gossiping about boys?”

Anna shook her head. “Nuh-uh. No way. For one thing, Amanda still has to work with him!”

“Hey, I can just pretend not to have heard. Remember, I was a gambler once. You think you have a good poker face?”

“You’re not helping!” Anna said through gritted teeth. She turned back to Michelle. “I am nowhere near drunk enough to talk about my sex life!”

“You had no problem talking about it in college!”

“Well, that was when I was sleeping with the guy who held the door at Swingers, not the grown-ass attorney I’m going to marry!”

“All the more reason to talk about it now!” Michelle said. “You’re finally sleeping with someone worth discussing!”

“She has a point,” Amanda interjected, and Anna glared at her. “What? It’s true.”

“What happened to not wanting to hear about all his weird kinks? Isn’t that what you said when we were in Nashville?”

“Hey, I didn’t say you needed to talk about everything y’all do. But I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t a little curious myself.”

“Damn, you really are from the south, aren’t you?” Michelle said.

“Comes out more when I’ve had a couple. Or, I guess, more than a couple,” Amanda said, looking at the empty glasses on the table. “But Anna saw the full Southern Belle come out when we were in Tennessee.”

“Yep,” Anna said, glad for the distraction. “I really want to go back down there, though. Hopefully under better circumstances.”

Michelle raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

Anna realized just then that she had never mentioned to Michelle the reason she and Amanda went to Nashville in the first place. “Oh, yeah, that’s right, sorry. Amanda and I went after Raf and I had a fight.”

“Oh, really?” Michelle said, trying to sound disinterested. “Must have been some fight if you had to leave town.”

“It honestly was one of the most idiotic fights we could have had. It was a stress fight, really.”

“They fought over pens,” Amanda said. Michelle stared at Anna for a moment, the words hanging in the air. Then, for a reason she couldn’t really articulate, she burst out laughing. That, in turn, made Anna and Amanda start laughing, too.

“How did you end up making up?” Michelle finally asked, wiping tears from her eyes.

Anna hesitated, but the drinks had done their work and lowered her inhibition. She looked around, as if checking to make sure no one they knew had magically appeared in the bar, and then said, “Fine. But if you ever tell him—or anyone else—what I’m telling you, I will forego my law license to commit murder.”

The other two nodded and leaned in eagerly. “Okay, out with it!” Michelle said.

Anna took a deep breath. “Two hours. Four times. Once on the bedroom floor. And,” she finished, “if you look at the wall behind our headboard, you will see a quarter-sized chip in the thankfully white wall.”

At that, both Amanda and Michelle’s eyes widened, and Michelle nearly knocked over the water glasses with how quickly her hand flew to her mouth.

“Are you serious?” Amanda asked.

All Anna could do was nod and grin. She sipped her drink casually, as though she hadn’t just implied that she and the strait-laced A.D.A. had mind-blowing sex that was so passionate that the headboard hit the wall.

“Jesus,” Michelle said. “Does he have a brother?”

And that was when Anna saw an opening. “No…but Sonny is sort of like his brother by this point.”

This time it was Michelle’s turn to blush. Amanda gave Anna a knowing look and smiled at Michelle. “Ooh, you got a thing for my partner?”

“No!” Michelle said, a little too emphatically. She caught Anna’s eyes, though, and asked, “And who cares if I do? It’s not like I can do anything about it.”

Anna knew exactly how to handle this. “No,” she said. “You just won’t.”

Amanda saw what Anna was doing and decided to play along. “Yeah, why can’t you do something about it?”

“Because he lives here and I live in California, so what would be the point?”

“You’re making excuses,” Anna said. Then, in a sing-song voice, she added, “You think he’s gorrrrgeous, you want to kiiiiiss him!”

Amanda laughed and said, “Do we need to pass him a note in class? ‘Do you like Michelle? Check yes or no.’”

“Okay! Yes!” Michelle finally yelled. “I think he’s cute, okay? But seriously, you don’t even know if he’s into me!”

Grinning, Anna said, “Text him.”

“What do you mean, text him?”

“Just what I said. Text him. I dare you.”

“What would I even say?”

Amanda hopped off her stool and walked around the table to stand next to Anna. “Come here,” she said, and grabbed Michelle’s hand. “Let’s take a picture and you can send that to him. Conversation starter. You still have his number from the party, right?”

Michelle nodded. “Yeah, but—”

“But what?” Anna asked. “If he’s not into it, you can play it off like we’re being tipsy idiots.”

Michelle realized she was out of excuses, so she decided to just go with it. “Fine,” she said, and handed her phone to Amanda. They stood in a group and took the best selfie they could in the dim lighting.

Amanda handed the phone back to Michelle. “Okay, send it.” When Michelle looked hesitant, she added, “Come on. Anna told me you were almost shameless! Do we need to double-dog dare you?”

Michelle’s expression changed and she straightened her back as she regained her nerve. “Never let it be said that Michelle Leah Caruso turned down a dare.” She furiously typed out a message on her phone and hit send.

Amanda and Anna looked at each other conspiratorially. Where Michelle was concerned, Sonny was more flustered than either of them had ever seen him. And, although she was no matchmaker, Amanda thought that Michelle would be good for him. She was funny and daring and just the right amount of sarcastic. She would balance him.

Eventually, Michelle set down her phone, looking satisfied with herself. “So, what did you say?” Anna asked.

“Nothing,” said Michelle.

“Oh, hell no,” Anna nearly yelled. “I spilled about my sex life, so you need to—”

“No, seriously,” Michelle replied. “I sent it without a message. I want to see what he says.”

“Ooh, now that’s good,” Amanda replied. “Kinda like we do in interrogation—just let ‘em talk and see if they’ll give you anything.”

Michelle laughed. “Hopefully he doesn’t see it quite that way.”

Suddenly, her phone buzzed and rattled on the table. For a second, no one moved. Then, Anna said to Michelle, “Are you gonna answer it, or do I need to?”

Michelle looked over at the bar, wondering if she should order another shot before checking the message. But, knowing her limits and wanting to stay moderately coherent, she decided against it. She picked up her phone and opened the text.

You all look great, it read. Gonna be too hung over for brunch tomorrow?

Michelle repeated the text back to Anna and Amanda. “Oh man,” Amanda said. “I almost forgot, y’all are having brunch with him tomorrow! Any idea where you’re going?”

Anna almost said no, but then had a better idea. “Trust me?” she asked Michelle.

“Haven’t I always?”

“Good,” Anna said, and snatched the phone away. She typed out a message—relying on autocorrect a bit more than she usually would—and handed the phone back to Michelle.

“What’d you say?” Amanda asked. Anna just grinned.

Michelle checked the message and groaned. “Oh, God. Seriously?”

Amanda looked from Anna to Michelle. “Again, what did that text say?” In response, Michelle slid the phone across the table. Amanda almost cackled when she read the message: I think you should bring brunch to us. Pancakes sound good.

“I can’t believe you wrote that!” Michelle said to Anna, although she was almost laughing as she said it. “He’s going to think I’m a nutcase!”

“Oh, no, you don’t know Carisi,” said Amanda, leaning back slightly as she pushed the phone back toward Michelle. “He won’t even think twice about it. I guarantee you, he’ll be at the door tomorrow morning with pancake ingredients in a paper grocery bag.”

Michelle looked at Anna, as if expecting her to disagree, but Anna just shrugged and said, “She’s not wrong.”

“Yeah, all right,” Michelle said, clearly unconvinced. Then, she got up and grabbed her wallet. “Another round?”

“Sure,” both Anna and Amanda said.

“Same as last time?”

They both nodded and Michelle took off. Amanda made sure she was out of earshot and then said to Anna, “Boy, I never thought I’d meet anyone as cynical as me.”

Anna sighed. “Yeah, she’s always been that way. Even in college.”

“Why?”

“I think mostly she’s just really independent. She doesn’t like the idea of relying on anyone, especially a man. Sometimes, I think it’s gotten worse since…”

She didn’t have to finish the statement; Amanda knew what she meant. “You think Carisi’s aware that she likes him?”

“Please. Sonny’s so nervous around her, I don’t think he’s had the ability to even consider that possibility.”

Amanda laughed. “I would love to see that.”

“Well, I’ll try to get some covert photos tomorrow. At the very least, there’ll be plenty of photos at the dress shop.”

“Even better,” Amanda said. “I need those photos.”

“Of the dresses?”

Amanda looked a bit sheepish. “Well, yeah, of course…but also of Carisi helping you pick them out.”

“Well, it’s not like he’s going to be trying them on himself!” Anna said, laughing.

“I know that, but if you could get him to put a veil on at some point,” Amanda replied, downing the last of her drink, “you will never have to get me another birthday or Christmas gift for the rest of my life.”

***

“Well, good morning,” Anna said as Michelle came down the hallway and into the kitchen. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Michelle said. “Nothing a good, strong cup of coffee won’t fix.” She gestured toward the coffee pot, but before she could get there, Anna was already handing her a steaming mug.

“Heard you open your door,” Anna said, noting the look of surprise on Michelle’s face. “By the way, love those.”

Michelle glanced down at her “Hanu-cat” pajamas and grinned. “Yeah, some crazy bitch gave them to me as a Hanukkah gift. She obviously gets me.”

Anna returned the smile. “And clearly has excellent taste.”

“Well, I mean, she picked me for her maid of honor, so yeah, obviously,” Michelle replied, taking a large sip of coffee. She then realized that it was almost nine-thirty in the morning, and yet Rafael was nowhere to be seen. “Hey, where’s—”

“Raf’s still asleep,” Anna said, knowing what Michelle was about to ask. “It’s Sunday. He’ll probably stumble in here soon, grumbling about having slept in too late.”

Michelle laughed. “This is a weekly thing?”

“Oh yeah,” Anna replied, with an ever-so-slight roll of her eyes. “Every Sunday. I let him sleep through his alarm, because he works these ridiculous hours during the week, and I want him to get at least a little rest. And then, he gets up at ten or so and complains under his breath—sometimes in Spanglish—that I shouldn’t have let him sleep, he’s got so much work to do, yadda yadda, blah blah. Then he has his coffee and he’s fine.”

Michelle looked over her shoulder and back. “And what does he spend the rest of his Sundays doing?”

Anna shrugged. “Working, mostly. Once in a while, I can get him to go for a late afternoon walk or something.”

They sat in silence for a minute, drinking their coffee and watching the sunlight streaming through the window, until Michelle said, “Anna, can I ask you something?”

“You want the purple one,” Anna replied. It was an inside joke between them; anytime either of them asked whether they could ask the other a question, the response would be a totally random answer.

“Nah, the purple one’s overpriced,” Michelle said, but her expression remained serious.

Anna leaned over and rested her elbows on the counter. “What’s up?”

Michelle bit her lip and then said, “Are you—I mean, not that Rafael—”

“Just say it,” Anna said.

“It’s not that I think you’re not happy with Rafael. In fact, I know you’re happy with him. But I mean…relationships in general. Are you happy in a relationship?”

“How do you mean?”

Sighing, Michelle said, “I mean, don’t you miss…I don’t know, being on your own? Like having your own space, your own life?”

“I do have my own life,” Anna said. “Were you not present last night when I was out with you and Amanda, having far too many drinks?”

“I didn’t mean it like that. I guess it’s just hard because…”

“Because what?”

Choosing her words a bit more carefully this time, Michelle said, “I only just got used to Kim being married with a kid. It’s not like I expected you to stay single forever, especially not once you met Rafael. The second time, I mean.”

Anna furrowed her brow. “I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming.”

“I guess it feels like everyone’s suddenly a grown-up and I still feel like we’re all still in college. Or at least like I’m still in college and everyone else is an adult.”

Anna’s eyes darkened with concern. “How long have you been feeling this way?”

Michelle looked away. “Ever since you guys visited.”

“What?” Anna said, shocked. “‘Shel, I’m sorry if we made you feel awkward or—”

“Relax,” Michelle said. “It’s nothing anyone did or didn’t do. It’s just…everyone else seems to have moved on, and you’re all doing these adult things. Meanwhile, I’m still working at the same theatre, living in the same apartment…I feel like I should be doing what everyone else seems to be doing.”

“Which is what? Getting married and having kids?”

Michelle shrugged and stared into her coffee, hoping to find some answers in the darkness. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Well, do you want those things?”

As she twisted a strand of curls, Michelle said, “I don’t know. Sometimes, I think I do. But then, I try to imagine myself having them, and I’m not sure I ever will.”

Anna refilled their mugs and, after handing Michelle hers, asked, “Why not?”

“It’s not like I can just snap my fingers and have a man ready to marry me,” Michelle replied. “Much as I hate admitting it, I’m not in college anymore. And let’s face it—in my line of work, most of the men I meet are decidedly not interested in women.”

Anna leaned forward and put her hand on Michelle’s forearm. “If you want marriage and kids, there’s no reason you can’t have them. But you have to put yourself out there and get them. They’re not just going to fall into your lap.”

Michelle scoffed. “Easy for you to say. You have a guy who I swear would jump in front of a bus for you. Not even to save your life, just if you asked him to.”

Anna couldn’t help laughing. “Yeah, but it’s not like getting him was easy. I had to make the first move, remember?”

Michelle opened her mouth, as if she were going to respond, but before she could, there was a knock at the door. She raised a questioning eyebrow at Anna, whose lips spread into a smile as she went off to answer it. Michelle could hear muffled voices, and then two sets of footsteps walking back toward the kitchen. But she wasn’t at all prepared for the person trailing behind Anna, clutching two paper grocery bags in his arms.

“Look who showed up for brunch!” Anna said, taking one of the bags from Sonny, who grinned.

“Yeah, well, I know we said we’d go out, and I know it’s kinda early, but who am I to turn down a request for pancakes?”

Michelle gaped at him, and saw Anna barely containing her laughter. “I—good morning,” she managed to get out.

Sonny looked her up and down. “Like your pajamas.”

It was only at that moment that Michelle realized she hadn’t so much as brushed her teeth yet. This was the second time that she’d run into Sonny looking anything but her best. “Oh, God, um—”

As entertaining as it was to watch her normally confident, sassy friend flail, Anna said, “‘Shel, I’d go get in the shower now if I were you. Once Raf wakes up, he’s going to spend forever in there.”

Michelle looked at her gratefully and hopped off the stool, practically running for the hallway. Meanwhile, Sonny looked back at Anna quizzically. “Something I said?”

Anna shook her head. “Nah. She’s just a little tired after last night. I’m sure after a shower, she’ll feel better.”

He began unloading the grocery bags onto the counter. “You guys have fun last night?”

Anna pulled her hair into ponytail and pulled the kitchen utensils, mixing bowls, and frying pans out for him. “We did. Maybe a little too much. Have you heard from Amanda?”

He smirked. “Yeah, I stopped in the squad this morning to pick up my wallet. Left it in the desk drawer last night. She looked…”

He didn’t finish his sentence and Anna laughed. “She had a couple more than we did.”

Sonny started putting together the pancake batter and Anna decided that would be a good time to check on Michelle. She excused herself and headed for the bathroom. Knocking on the closed door, she said, “Michelle? You okay?”

“Get in here!” came a hiss from the other side of the door. When Anna opened it, she found Michelle looking uncharacteristically frazzled. She had changed out of her pajamas but wasn’t any more put together than that. She was flushed and looked slightly ill.

“What the hell?” Anna said.

Michelle nodded toward the door and Anna shut it behind her. “Why is he here?”

“Well,” Anna said, “maybe because you asked him to make pancakes?”

“No, you asked him to make pancakes!” Michelle said as she tried in vain to pin her curls up. “I had nothing to do with that!”

Anna grabbed a bobby pin out of Michelle’s hand and started gathering sections of curls up to look something like a messy bun. “Okay, that’s fair.”

“So what are we going to do about it?”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? We’re going to have pancakes—which, I assure you, will be delicious—and then we’re going to go dress shopping. Wasn’t that the plan?”

“Yeah, but the plan was to have brunch. Out. At a restaurant. After I had time to wash last night off.”

Grinning, Anna said, “What’s going on with you? Is there some reason you’re so concerned with how he sees you? Because last night, you didn’t even want to make a move!”

“Yeah, well, that plan became moot when he showed up,” Michelle replied, examining Anna’s work. “And stop smiling!”

“Sorry! I’m sorry. Just get changed and come back out before Raf wakes up. Trust me when I say that you do not want to see him when he first wakes up.”

“Five minutes,” Michelle said. “Just give me five minutes.”

Closing the door behind her, Anna went back into the kitchen, where Sonny had just finished mixing the pancake batter. “Everything okay?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah, she’s just trying to finish everything she needs to do before Raf gets up.”

“I take it he takes a while in there in the morning?”

Anna laughed incredulously. “Have you seen him? He takes a longer shower than I do, and I have to shave half my body!”

“I mean, I probably shouldn’t talk,” Sonny said, gesturing to his hair, which was, as usual, gelled perfectly into place. “It’s not like I’m exactly low-maintenance.”

“Sonny, until you have a more expensive hair dryer than I do, you are not considered high maintenance.”

“Okay, I’m feeling slightly more human now,” Michelle said, reappearing from the hallway just as Sonny began pouring the batter into a hot pan. “Wow, that smells amazing!”

“Thanks. I’ve spent years perfecting the art of pancake making.”

“Do I want to know why?” Anna asked.

“Hey, when ya have five nieces, you learn a few things. If you want one in the shape of a dinosaur, I can do that, too.”

Michelle grinned. “Can you cook anything besides pancakes?”

Sonny’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Are you kidding?” He looked at Anna. “She’s kidding, right?”

“Sounded like more of another dare to me,” Anna said, ignoring the side-eye Michelle was giving her.

“Oh yeah?” Sonny replied, flipping the pancakes over. “Well, while you’re here this week, maybe I can show you exactly how good I am in the kitchen.”

Michelle, who only moments before had been acting like a scared teenage girl, suddenly seemed to remember her ability to talk to Sonny as she had at the engagement party. “Well, maybe let’s just start with brunch. Who knows how these pancakes are going to turn out, after all?” She gave him a smug smile and he returned it with one of his own.

“As long as I don’t get distracted and burn ‘em, you won’t have any complaints, trust me.”

Before Michelle could respond, they all heard a door open down the hall. Anna immediately hopped off her chair and made her way to the coffee maker to start a fresh pot. When she saw the look on Michelle’s face—one that said she hoped Anna hadn’t been turned into a subservient pseudo-Stepford wife—she smiled. “He’s going to be super out of it. This is the latest he’s slept in weeks. Best to give him the virgin cup—it always seems to wake him up faster. I think it’s a placebo effect, but hey, whatever works.”

“Fine,” Michelle said, “but you get the virgin pancake.”

Anna giggled and Sonny said, “That sounds like some pretentious band name. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, presenting The Virgin Pancakes.’”

“With opening act The Bloody Marys?” Michelle suggested.

“I think the more appropriate name would be The Slutty Marys,” Sonny replied.

Anna watched the two of them with delighted interest until, finally, Rafael emerged from the bathroom. Wearing Harvard sweatpants and a zip-up hoodie, he looked right at Sonny. “Did I miss something? Were you here all night?” he asked.

Michelle’s cheeks turned pink and Anna could have throttled him. Just when Michelle had begun to relax, he had to go and say that. But since she couldn’t tell him to shut up, Anna settled for shooting him a look and handing him his coffee. “I told you he’d be out of it,” she said to Michelle, hoping to do some damage control.

“I’m not out of it. I’m confused. There’s a difference,” he said. “Why are you”—he looked at Sonny again—“in our kitchen making pancakes on a Sunday morning?”

“Because she”—he pointed the spatula at Michelle—“asked me to.”

Michelle held up her hands. “I’m gonna blame it on the alcohol. Turns out I can’t hold my absinthe as well as I can tequila.”

“Counselor, you want some?” Sonny asked.

Rafael leaned against the sofa and sipped his coffee casually. “Well…if you’re making them anyway…”

Sonny suppressed a grin. “Hey, Anna, you wanna grab some plates?”

“Sure. Do you want me to grab the—”

“Maple syrup?” He reached down and pulled a leaf-shaped glass bottle from the bag of ingredients.

“Wow,” Michelle said, taking it from him. “From Canada or Vermont?”

“Canada,” he said. “It’s worth the import fee.”

“You ever been to Toronto?”

“Toronto? No. Why? Should I?”

“It’s amazing. It’s like New York City, but cleaner.”

“Nowhere’s like New York,” he shot back as he divided the pancakes between the four plates. She poured a small amount of syrup over her share.

“Well, how can you say that when you’ve never been?”

“Well, maybe someday I’ll get up there.”

“When you go, let me know. I’ll tell you all the best places to eat,” she said.

Anna and Rafael watched this exchange, having taken their plates to the table. He leaned over and whispered, “Chances he takes the hint?”

Anna elbowed him. “Shh! They’re like deer—stay quiet or you’ll scare them off!”

After they all finished eating, Anna asked what Rafael’s plans for the day were. “I was going to finish drafting a motion to suppress and a couple other things. But…”

“But what?”

“I could probably rearrange my schedule if you want me to go along,” he said, thinking a double-date of sorts would be less awkward for Michelle and Sonny. But Michelle shook her head emphatically.

“No way,” she said. “You’re not allowed to see the dress yet! You know that!”

“Oh, come on, you don’t believe in that superstition, do you?” he replied, scoffing.

Before Michelle could answer, Sonny cut in. “It’s not about superstition. It’s about the first look.”

Rafael furrowed his brow. “Sorry?”

Sonny couldn’t believe he had to explain this. “The first look. You know, when the groom first sees the bride when he’s up at the altar.”

“Oh,” Rafael said, and Anna noticed he sounded slightly dismayed. “Well, then I guess I’ll steer clear of Kleinfeld’s.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” she laughed. “Like I could afford that.”

“And speaking of affording things,” Michelle said, grabbing Anna by the arm, “are you ready to go? We need to discuss bridesmaids’ dresses on our way!”

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