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“I know. I hate when good people show up. It’s a pain in my ass.”
I hated it, too. Because they hardly ever stayed.
9
Stella
I wokeup the following morning after a night of unrest. The idea of the upcoming day kept me twisting and turning throughout the early morning. Even worse, I was hoping I could’ve spent the night with Jeff to make it clearer to him, and maybe myself, that this wedding arrangement was nothing more than a contract I was abiding by at the end of the day. Merely a piece of paper to make Kevin’s odd final wish come true.
Sadly, Jeff had a DJ gig that evening, and he turned down the request to attend the ceremony. I couldn’t blame him. I would hate to see him off marrying another woman. Still, I had hoped that by having him there, it would be even clearer how much of an absurd arrangement this was—especially since he was the one who pushed me to go through with it all.
I’m doing this for us. For our future. For our happily ever after.
I kept telling myself that repeatedly to keep me from having a full-blown meltdown.
There was a knock on my door, forcing me to pull myself from my bed. When I opened the door, I saw a friendly face holding a tray with goodies on it. Most importantly—champagne.
“Good morning!” Aaliyah exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear. “I figured the bride-to-be deserved a cocktail to start the day. I know it’s not a real wedding ceremony, but you deserve royal treatment nonetheless.”
“Where have you been my whole life?” I joked. “Come on in.” As she walked in, I noticed another tray on the accent table in the hallway across from my room. “Is that from you, too?” I asked.
“Oh, no. That was there before I arrived.”
I walked over to it and felt my heart skipping a few beats as I looked down to find a plate with blueberry scones sitting on it and a cup of black coffee. Kevin’s exact order. Next to the plate was a folded note. I picked it up and read the words as the strongest organ in my body pounded against my rib cage.
Your something blue for the day.
– The Beast
Oh, Damian.
You hardened hummus, you.
“Is it from Damian?” Aaliyah asked.
“Yes. It’s…” I sighed, feeling tears fill my eyes as I stared down at the scones. “My father and I used to eat blueberry scones together. It’s a long story.”
She smiled and began to make me a mimosa. “I’m listening.”
I told her the story behind the scones and the story of how Damian and I first met. She laughed at the exchange even though I still felt foolish for being so insane that morning.”
“I was wondering why I saw him leaving the house at four in the morning. I’m guessing he was the first in line,” Aaliyah said.
“You were up at four in the morning?”
“Yeah. Couldn’t sleep with the two-hour time change.”
I looked down at the scones, a bit in amazement. “It blows my mind how someone who’s such a jerk can be so sweet.”
“That’s Damian for you.”
“Just seeing those scones makes me want to cry. I know it’s silly, but it does.”
“You lost one of the most important people in your life last week. Feeling emotional isn’t silly at all. Feel whatever comes up. It’s all allowed.”
“Thanks, Aaliyah.”
“Of course.”
