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“I don’t know, man. If they do, I haven’t met mine yet,” he says with a sigh. As far as I know he’s not actively looking for a girlfriend. He has a lot of reservations about sharing everything about himself–especially the type of things you should share with a significant other. Can’t say I blame him. It’s a tough line to walk. “Butifthey do,” he adds, “Maci is without a doubt yours.” A knot twists in my stomach at her name. God, I desperately need that to be true.
Tipping my phone in circles on the table, I think about how she is halfway across the world on the other side of a text. “The question is if I’m hers.”
“I don’t think the world would be cruel enough to not make soulmates align.”
Tossing his thought around in my head, I open my message app and scroll until I get to Maci’s name. I tried to leave her alone while she was on her trip, but fuck, it was hard. The last text in our thread was from a few weeks ago when I was pathetically begging her to give me a chance–to give us a chance.
“She texted me about a similar thought when she left Costa Rica.” This new information pulls my attention from my phone back to him.
“She did? I mean, you are her favorite.” I chuckle thinking about how many times Maci has told me how much she likes Marcus.
“Yeah.” He smirks as he takes a sip of coffee. “What are you going to do?”
“Buy a brand new Land Rover like you did, and pretend I don’t have problems.” I laugh.
“Says the guy who’s been making three dollars an hour for the past year and a half,” he quips.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll get a job soon. I just can’t focus on anything until I know where I stand with Maci. She’s all I think about.”
“When is she coming home?”
“Is it desperate to ask her?”
Marcus stares back at me like I’m an idiot. Before I can respond, he stands, collects his papers and walks out of the kitchen, leaving me with only my phone and my thoughts. Maybe I can manage to not sound so desperate this time.
Me:I just got back to Oregon. I need to see you. Please tell me I can see you when you get home–that we can talk?
Or not. There’s no denying I’m obsessed with her. I put my phone face down on the table in an attempt not to fixate, but to my surprise it dings almost immediately. I flip it over so quickly it nearly slips from my hand.
Maci:Of course we can. I’m actually about to board my flight home for Avery’s wedding.
My stomach drops and my heart races. She’ll be here. Tomorrow.
MACK
ThedayMacicomeshome
“Perfect. Thank you,” Avery says, approaching me as I dump the bag of ice into the cooler on her back porch. As I stand, I scan the backyard, taking inventory of everything else we need to get ready before the rehearsal in a few hours. “Everything else is all set. You’re released from your brotherly duties for now.” My sister grins at me, but I can’t manage to return the gesture. My anxiety about this entire day is consuming me.
“Everything will be okay,” she says cautiously, reading my mind with a dissolving smile.
My eyes meet her equally green ones. “Okay.” I don’t know what else to say.
“Here’s the plan.” Avery’s hands forcefully land on each of my shoulders.
I chuckle. “Aren’t we going over the plan in rehearsal?”
“Well, yeah. But we need a plan for that.” Her enthusiasm fades slightly, and I immediately know what she means.
“We do? Have you talked to her?” I ask hesitantly, my heart sinking.
She shakes her head slowly as her hands fall from my shoulders. “No. I mean, I have. But I don’t know the answer to your real question. She won’t tell me. She said she wants to talk to both of you first.”
“That’s what Lexy said too,” I say with a sigh. I have no clue what the hell is going to happen when I see her. I don’t even know how much hope I have–it changes by the second it seems. I watch Avery’s eyes fill with concern as they scan my face. I rip my hat off my head, running my fingers through my hair in a nervous habit before adjusting it backward on my head again. “Okay, what’s the plan?” Whatever happens, I don’t want it to take away from Avery’s big day if I can help it.
“The plan is… whatever happens, all emotions about it get out of our systems today or at least put on pause tomorrow.”
“I’m not going to ruin your wedding day over this.” I hope the declaration comes across more certain than it feels.
