“Tell me again why I call you my best friend?”
“Every gal needs a witty BFF. You lucked out and have two.” She flops onto my bed, hair splayed across the comforter.
Darcy snorts, “Don’t bring me into this. I’m witty, but I’m not loud.”
Cami tries to shrug but she doesn’t have any traction on the fabric. I laugh, she’s ridiculous but I wouldn’t have her any other way. She’s loud, brash, and a hot mess on the best of days. She always has my back and isn’t scared to defend those she loves.
“So,” Cami calls out. “What do you need us to do? Give me directions.”
Darcy sits on the end of the bed and I crawl onto the space between them. “Not much right now. Caroline helped me with the decorations earlier this week. We have dress fittings in a few hours, but we’re free until then.”
“Let’s go watch a movie or somethings.” Cami says. “I’ve been holed up in the library all week studying for exams. I need something to calm my mind.”
We file out of the room and make ourselves comfortable on the couch. At least until I remember that I still need to start the movie. Instead, I grab the remote and scroll through what’s playing on the TV. It’s definitely lazy, but I’m okay with that. This week has been hectic and I only want a few moments of peace. I don’t want to worry about school, work, or burn the hell out of myself with the hot glue gun. They really should put warnings on those things for adults. It’s just not safe.
I’ve zoned out while flipping through the options, and the sound of Cami’s voice breaking the silence makes me jump. “Look, a Harry Potter marathon. I haven’t watched that in ages.”
I press select, and toss the remote on the table, flinching at the loud thump it makes. I take a moment to listen. Trying to determine if the noise woke Layla up. Luckily, I don’t hear anything coming from her room. I grab the baby monitor from the end table and turn it on so I can hear here if she does wake.
The fourth movie has just finished, and we’re getting settled to watch the next one. This is what I need. A little of relaxation before shit gets real and I have to decorate the church and decide on hair and make up for us girls.
It doesn’t take long for my eyes to drift shut with the sounds of Harry defending what is right in the background.
“Mama,” a tiny voice pulls me from my sleep. I almost drop the baby monitor in my rush to get up. Except her voice didn’t come from the monitor. She’s standing against the coffee table waving the remote in her hand.
I glance to my left and right. Cami and Darcy are asleep. I guess the stresses of finals took its toll on all of us. “What are you doing in here? How did you get out of your crib?” I’m not sure why I bother asking. It’s not like she’s going to tell me.
“I brought her in here,” Mom says from the entry way. “I woke her up when I got home so maybe she’ll sleep for you tonight.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I point to my friends beside me. “I think we all fell asleep watching movies.”
“It’s okay. I’m happy to help.” She smirks at me. “It seems like the only way I can is if I take it upon myself. You really need to learn to ask for help when you need it.”
“I know, I know.” I stand to grab Layla and swoop her into my arms. “How’s my baby girl doing? You see your aunts over there sleeping?” Her tiny hands grip my shirt sleeves tighter as I twirl her around. “I think you should wake them up.”
Setting her down, I turn back toward Mom. “What time is it?”
“Almost five.”
“Shi-, I mean crap. We’ve got to go. Our fittings are in an hour.” I start shaking Cami and Darcy awake. “Can you watch Layla while we go?”
“Sure thing.”
“Guys, wake up. We need to head to the dress shop. We almost slept through our appointment.”
“Let’s go then,” Cami mumbles. “But tonight, we are going to bed at a decent hour. I need sleep something fierce.”
“You got it.” We rush out the door to my car. I really hope this fitting goes better than the last. I don’t know if I can handle disappointment today.
Four
Reaf
It’s beena few days since I’ve gotten to spend time with Tonya and I feel like I’m going through withdrawals. We’ve both been busy. Between work and studying for our midterms, there hasn’t been a free moment to ourselves. When you think about it, it’s a little ridiculous since we live twenty minutes from each other.
Will it always feel this way? Even when we live together? I can’t imagine not missing her, but what if some of that infatuation dies when we’re married. These are not thoughts I need to have while I’m under a truck, changing the oil. I need to be aware of my surroundings, and I’m not going to be able to do that if my thoughts keep heading in the direction of what ifs. I love her and that’s all the matters. We’ll work through any issues we encounter.
I turn around at the sound of my name, almost running into the tire. See, this is what I mean by I need to be paying attention to my job. But that doesn’t even matter because the person who called my name is the one, I’m going to make my wife in exactly one week.