Ring Tanya

You set Natasha’s phone back on the counter without saying a word and walk to where your own sits by the keys. The house is still quiet. Natasha hasn’t moved from the bedroom. You step outside onto the small porch, close the door softly behind you, and dial Tanya’s number from memory.

She answers on the third ring, voice warm and familiar in the way it has always been between you. The two of you have always gotten along like siblings, the easy kind of closeness that never needed forcing.

“Hey,” she says. “Everything all right? It’s late.”

You keep your voice low and even.

“I need to talk to you. In person. Can we meet tomorrow?”

There’s a short pause on the line. You hear the soft background noise of her place, then the quieter sound of Amy’s voice asking who it is. Tanya answers her first, telling her it’s you, before coming back.

“Of course. Amy’s home but she won’t mind if we need privacy. Or we can go somewhere else. What’s going on?”

“I’d rather say it face to face,” you tell her. “Coffee. Somewhere quiet. Just us.”

Tanya doesn’t push. The long-term ease between you holds.

“All right. Ten o’clock at the place near the park. The one with the outdoor tables. I’ll be there.”

You end the call and stand for a moment in the cool night air, the weight of the messages still sitting heavy in your chest. Inside the house Natasha remains on the sofa, unaware that the next conversation has already been arranged. Tomorrow you will sit across from Tanya, the sister who has always treated you like family, and find out exactly how deep this particular secret runs.