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Chapter One
Brooklyn
A loud ring interrupted my sleep, but I closed my eyes and ignored it, rolling over in bed and pulling my covers on top of my head. I wasn’t ready to wake up yet and I had time off from work, so I intended to at least sleep in. But the loud ringing didn’t stop, and I groaned.
“Go away already! It’s too damn early…”
Finally, the ringing stopped. I was just about to settle back in, when I heard a door slam open, and a loud voice called out.
“Chief! Hey, chief! You better not still be in bed or I will beat your ass black and blue!”
At the sound of the voice, I could only wake up. Pushing myself so I was sitting up in bed, I rubbed my eyes and yawned. A moment later, my bedroom door was opening, and my friend, Nora, stepped inside. She had a heavy scowl on her face as she stood there with arms on her hips.
“Brooklyn! Don’t be lazy today of all days! If I’d known you would be like this, I would have made you stay with me! I’ve been waiting for an hour already.”
I narrowed my eyes at her and grumbled, “Noisy. This is why I didn’t want to stay with you in the first place, okay? You’re so damn annoying when you’re excited. What time is it?”
“It’s almost eight in the morning,” Nora said with a huff, folding her arms over her chest.
My eyes widened. “Wait, really?” I looked around the room, then saw my cell on the nightstand to the right. I picked it up, and sure enough, it was eight minutes to eight. “What do you mean you’ve been waiting on me for an hour? Just how early did you even wake up…?”
The soft, fluffy bed was calling to me, but seeing Nora standing there eyeing me like she was ready to toss me out of it, I reluctantly got up. I pushed off the sheets and slid my legs off the side, standing up and wobbling over to the bathroom. I was staying in my friend’s apartment for free, much to the annoyance of Nora who wanted me to stay with her.
“We’ve got our appointment at nine thirty, Brooklyn. We absolutely can't be late, okay? Do you know how difficult it was to even get that appointment?”
I shot a dark look at her over my shoulder. “It’s not like it’s that far, Nora. And besides, there’s nothing wrong with you going ahead and calling me to come after. You don’t actually need me to hold your hand…”
“Of course, I do. Why else would I have had you come here? Because we’re friends?”
Her face was full of derision, but I just rolled my eyes and didn’t take her seriously.
Nora was my best friend, and even in the six years since I’d left New York, that status hadn't changed. We were used to talking to each other, so I knew no matter what was still my best friends. Even with the distance between us, we’d visited and talked often, but this was my first time back in New York since I left, and it was because Nora was getting married.
I knew she was dating, but when I heard her boyfriend proposed, I was surprised, seeing as they´d only dated for three months, and here I was, a couple months after the proposal, Nora’s appointed chief bridesmaid.
I was with him. The one whose name I try not to say out loud for years, part of me was envious when Nora said that she’d only been dating a few months before she got the magic ring.
As I walked into the bathroom and stripped to have a quick shower, my thoughts went back to six years ago. Back when Nora and I graduated, and I was the happiest woman in the world…only, it didn’t last.
Quickly finishing up with the shower, I grabbed a towel to wrap around my hair, and the other around my body, leaving the bathroom and leaving those thoughts behind as well.
It’s all in the past, I tried to tell myself. It was just being back in New York that was making my thoughts of the past stronger.
In the bedroom, Nora had made herself at home on the bed. She also had an outfit laid out for me, which meant she’d gone through my things. I looked at the dress she’d picked for me, and frowned.
“There’s no way I’m wearing a dress that short,” I said, eyeing her maxi dress clad body pointedly. “New York is far too cold for that.”
“If you weren’t planning on wearing it, then why did you even bring it?” she retorted.
“I packed that for special occasions, not for going out with you to pick your wedding dress. I have some jeans, I’ll just put on a pair.”
She pursed her lips, but didn’t say anything as she watched me put the dress back in my suitcase and pulled out a pair of jeans, a white top, and a leather jacket. I stared at her until she sighed and got off the bed to leave me to get dressed.
“What are you being so shy for? I’ve already seen all there is to see,” she complained.
“It’s been six years, what if something’s changed, huh?” I challenged. “I could have gotten a piercing or a tattoo or something.”
Nora paused and looked back at me. “Really?”
She looked curiously, but I pushed her out of the bedroom. Like hell I would do something so crazy. Not only was I very afraid of physical pain, even with all the emotional pain I left New York with, it was never enough to do something so reckless, no matter how drunk I got.
I dressed up quickly and met Nora in the living room. I wanted to go to the kitchen and whip up something to eat, but she just grabbed me and impatiently dragged me outside.
“ Nora, I haven’t eaten anything,” I whined.
“Doesn’t matter, we can get something on the way.”
Her voice was a mix of anxiety and eagerness. So, I let her do as she pleased and smiled secretly behind her back.
The real reason I wasn’t staying with Nora, was because I knew she would need some time to herself. She was excited to be getting married, but she was just as equally anxious, which was why I’d had to take a couple weeks off work and come be with her as she finished the preparations for her hasty wedding. If I stayed with her, she’d keep me awake all night talking her anxiety and excitement out, and we wouldn’t get anything done.
There was also how she kept waking up too early and expecting me to follow her everywhere. It was my first time off from work in a while, yet looking after an overly excited Nora took more out of me than my job did.
We did stop by somewhere to have some coffee and muffins, then headed to the bridal store
to look at wedding dresses. We were a bit early for the appointment, but since the store didn’t have any prior appointments, it wasn’t a problem. The attendant that met us led us to some seats that were situated around one of the platforms where women stood on display with their dresses, and handed us a portfolio.
“Since you didn’t make any special arrangements before,” the attendant explained. “Please look over these dresses and let me know which style works for you. We have these all on hand, though we might need to adjust the size for you…”
