Plus 1

by Erica Lee

  I was happy when a genuine smile formed on Vanessa’s lips. “Sounds good. But don’t worry, I won’t hold my breath on that. You have fun with your friend.”

  I couldn’t help but notice the change in her tone as she said the word friend and raised both eyebrows as it left her mouth, but I chose to ignore it.

  When I got over to Jenny, she stared at the card in my hand, but didn’t say anything. Since she wasn’t going to acknowledge it, I decided it was for the best if I didn’t either. I slipped it into my back pocket and we made our way to our hotel room.

  As soon as we were in the room, I threw myself onto my bed. “So, what’s the plan the rest of the day?” I asked Jenny.

  “There’s nothing official planned until tomorrow when we have the bachelorette party. Sunday and Monday are also pretty open aside from the rehearsal dinner. I figured those days would be perfect to get a little more color on that northeast skin of yours.”

  I stuck my tongue out at Jenny as I threw a pillow at her. “Very funny. Are you sure it’s cool if I go to the bachelorette party? I don’t want to intrude.”

  “Of course it’s cool,” Jenny reassured me. “Unless of course you didn’t want to go, you know, if you had something you’d rather do.”

  Even though she was smiling, I noticed a hint of annoyance in Jenny’s voice as she said the last part. I wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that I had gotten Vanessa’s number. Although, I’m not sure why that would bother her. Except I knew that it would have bothered me if it was reversed, even if it shouldn’t have.

  “There’s nothing I’d rather do,” I said with a smile. “I’m never going to turn down extra time with you. I just don’t want to overstep my boundaries since this week is about Allison and Bret.”

  A sincere smile returned to Jenny’s face. “You’re not overstepping any boundaries. Allison specifically told me that she wants you there.”

  “Then I’m definitely in.” I looked at the clock and saw that it was already past 6. “Listen. Not to sound like a total loser, but I’m super tired from traveling. Would you have any interest in ordering room service and renting a movie?”

  Jenny agreed and we spent the rest of the night eating, watching movies, and catching up.

  After breakfast the next day, we got ready and headed down to the beach. The plan was to day drink on the beach and go out for dinner and drinks later that night. When we got down to the beach, the rest of the bridal party was already there. It was comprised of Allison’s younger sister, her cousin, and two friends from college that I found out had lived with Allison and Jenny for their third and fourth years of college.

  After being formally introduced, we started stripping down into our bikinis. As I caught Jenny taking off her shirt out of the corner of my eye it occurred to me that this was the first time I was seeing her in a bathing suit. I couldn’t resist turning toward her to get a better look and, my God, did that girl know how to rock a bikini. The bikini hung just right on her flat stomach and perfect chest and butt.

  As I ran my eyes up and down her body, Jenny turned toward me. She bent her head to bring her eyes down to mine.

  “My eyes are up here,” she said with a cocky smirk, before adding, “And you might want to pick your jaw up off the ground.”

  I could feel my face turning red, but Jenny just laughed and put a hand on my shoulder.

  She then leaned in close to whisper in my ear. “You need to take some lessons from me. I know how to drool over a pretty girl in a bikini without being caught. Unless, of course, you noticed.”

  I took a deep breath as she leaned back and winked at me, trying to gain my composure back. Before I could think of what to say, Jenny grabbed sunscreen out of her bag and held it up.

  “I’ll get your back if you get mine?” She asked.

  I nodded then sat down on the sand behind her and poured sunscreen into my hands. As I spread the sunscreen over Jenny’s back, I couldn’t help but think about how nice it was to feel her skin under my hands. I thought there was no sweeter torture than this until we switched spots and she started applying it on my back. Every spot she touched felt like it was on fire. I sighed to myself and closed my eyes, allowing myself to enjoy this feeling.

  I was interrupted by someone speaking beside me. It was Allison’s cousin, Barbara. “You two are so cute together. How long have you been dating?”

  It took me a moment to realize she was talking to Jenny and I. I hesitated, unsure what to say, and Jenny dropped her hands from my back down to her sides. Allison reached over and put her hands over Jenny’s ears.

  “Shhh Barb. We don’t say the word date in front of Jenny. It gives her hives,” she joked. She then leaned closer to Barbara and not-so-quietly whispered, “Aren’t they adorable though?”

  “Rory and I are just friends. We met at a wedding about a year ago,” Jenny finally said, smiling over at me.

  “A year and two months to be exact,” I added.

  Allison and her cousin shared a knowing look, but didn’t say anything else and the rest of the day luckily went by without any awkward encounters.

  When it was time to finally go out, most of the girls had a pretty strong buzz going. I decided I wasn’t going to drink anything because I wanted to be able to help out if anyone became too drunk. Jenny had a few drinks, but had also decided to stay in the right frame of mind. That was not the case with Allison’s sister, Erin, who had just turned 21 a few weeks earlier and was excited that one of her first times legally drinking was being spent in Miami beach. Only an hour into our time at the first bar, she was already swaying and slurring her words.

  “I’m here boyssssss,” she shouted as she twirled herself in a circle and just barely kept her footing.

  Allison, who was also pretty toasted glared at her sister. “I swear if you ruin this night, I am going to kill you. You need to grow the hell up.”

  Erin just smiled, unaware of just how serious her sister was. “I don't need to grow up. I’m just going to drink more drinks and meet some boys. I’m also going to…” She stopped suddenly and stared at the ceiling, then turned toward the group with a panicked look in her eyes. “I’m also going to be sick.”

  I grabbed ahold of her arms to steady her and turned toward Allison, who looked like she was either going to blow her top or start to cry. “I’m going to walk your sister outside to get some fresh air. Don’t worry. I can handle it. You just have a good time.”

  Before leaving, I ordered another round of shots for the group, after extensively reassuring the bartender that Erin, who was now resting her head on my shoulder, wouldn’t be getting one of them. We then carefully made our way out of the bar and onto the street. We walked for awhile until we ended up on the beach.

  Erin took a deep breath. “I think I’m feeling better,” she slurred. “We can go back to the bar now. The boyssss are waiting.”

  Before I could respond, her face turned a different shade and she bent over and started puking. I decided it was for the best if I got her back to the hotel before she got arrested for public intoxication. I had to imagine that’s not what Allison’s parents would want to deal with on top of making sure their other daughter’s wedding went smoothly.

  As we started walking toward the hotel, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Jenny, figuring she wouldn’t be able to hear much in the bar. A minute later, she was calling me.

  “Do you need me to meet you guys back there?” she asked, with a hint of concern in her voice.

  “Of course not,” I reassured her. “This is your best friend’s bachelorette party. You should be there. I’ll make sure Erin is ok. It’s nothing water and tylenol can’t fix.”

  “Ok..” she said hesitantly. “If you insist. Thank you so much for doing this Rory. You really didn’t have to.”

  “I know. I want to.” And I really did. Honestly, I would do anything for Jenny and the people she cares about. That’s how much she meant to me.

  When we got back t
o the hotel, I asked Erin what room she was staying in and her eyes went wide. “I’m sharing a room with my parents. I can’t go back there. They’ll kill me.”

  I just laughed and shook my head. “You’re ok kid. We’ll go back to my hotel room.”

  As soon as we were in the room, Erin started puking again. Luckily, she was able to make it to the toilet this time. I grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair back as she continued to hug the toilet. She stayed this way for a few more minutes before lifting her head to look at me.

  “I think I’m really done this time,” she announced.

  I gave her another few minutes just to be on the safe side then asked if she was able to change on her own. She gave me a thumbs up so I tossed her a pair of shorts and a T-shirt of mine, then shut the door to the bathroom. A minute later Erin emerged and laid down in my bed.

  I pointed to the bottle of water and Tylenol I had sat on the nightstand for her. “Take that medicine and make sure you drink the whole bottle of water before passing out.”

  Erin quickly drank the water as I grabbed a trash can and sat it by her bed. “Just Incase,” I said with a wink.

  Before I could turn away, Erin grabbed my hand. “You’re so nice. And you’re so so pretty. Are you suuuuuure Jenny isn’t your girlfriend?”

  I laughed and squeezed her hand. “Yes. I’m sure.”

  “But why not?” She pressed. “Jenny is terrific.”

  I sighed. “You’re right about that. Jenny is the most fantastic person I’ve ever met. She’s truly special. But neither of us is into relationships, so we’re strictly friends.”

  “Have you guys at least had some hot sex?”

  I shook my head at her question, knowing she wouldn’t be this nosy if she’s was sober. “No we haven’t.”

  Erin looked sincerely shocked. “But why not? Are you not sexually attracted to Jenny?”

  I laughed again. “I think I would have to be either blind or straight to not be sexually attracted to Jenny.”

  “Then what are you waiting for? This is your chance. You should totally get it in this trip.” Erin winked after her statement.

  “I would never do that,” I said seriously. “I respect Jenny way too much for that. I wouldn’t ever want to make her feel like just another hook up. She’s so much more than that.”

  Erin shut her eyes and I thought she had passed out until she started talking again a few minutes later. “It’s too bad Jenny can’t be your exception. You know, that person that makes you change your thoughts on relationships. Jenny has been like a big sister to me since her and Allison got close in high school. She deserves to have someone amazing like you. She deserves so much happiness, especially after all the crap that she went through.”

  I wanted to push Erin to elaborate on what she was sayings. What was all the crap Jenny had gone through? Was that the reason she was so against relationships? Before I could ask anything, I heard a snore come from Erin’s direction. I sighed. It was probably for the best anyway. Jenny should be the one to tell me about her past, not anyone else.

  As if she knew I was talking about her, Jenny walked through the door just at that moment. She looked over at my bed that was holding a now snoring Erin.

  “How is she?” She asked.

  “She’s fine. She’s officially emptied out all of the contents of her stomach. She might have a bit of a headache tomorrow, but hopefully that’s as bad as it gets.” I walked over to give Jenny a hug then added, “How was the rest of your night?”

  “It was good. We had a lot of fun and Allison didn’t get hung up on her sister thanks to you. Although it did end with the other half of this sister duo puking all over the bathroom of her hotel room.”

  I cringed. “Oh yuck. That’s not going to be fun to wake up to tomorrow.”

  “The hangover might not be, but the bathroom is nice and clean thanks to yours truly,” Jenny informed me with a cocky grin.

  “Well, aren’t you just the #1 bachelorette party mom there is?” I joked as I pulled myself closer to Jenny.

  “I’d say I’m number two,” she said smiling at me. “You beat me tonight. But don’t get to stuck on it. I’m still the number one wedding attendee.”

  “So you say,” I quipped, returning her cocky grin. “But were you the one who was invited to a wedding the first time she met the bride and groom? Oh wait. No. That was me.”

  Jenny raised an eyebrow at me as if to say two can play at this game. “Have you forgotten about my DJ invite?”

  Shoot. She had me there. “Touché. We’ll call it a draw for now. But it won’t stay that way for long.”

  Jenny laughed then let out a long yawn before looking between her empty bed and my bed that Erin was currently occupying.

  “I’ll just sleep on the couch,” I said, reading her thoughts.

  “Nonsense. You’ve done enough tonight. You deserve to get a good night’s sleep. You take my bed and I’ll bunk with drunkie over here. It wouldn’t be the first time we squeezed into a bed together and most of the time we have a third person joining us.”

  I quirked my mouth into a half smile. “You know, if I didn’t understand the context of that statement, I’d think you were quite the dirty bird. But then again, I have a feeling you have uttered a phrase similar to that under different circumstances.”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Jenny asked while raising a seductive eyebrow at me. “You can fantasize about that while sleeping in my bed tonight.”

  I laughed as I crawled into bed, but the truth was, as I laid there surrounded by Jenny’s scent, I was fantasizing about her. It wasn’t the type of fantasy I would ever expect to have though. I was fantasizing about what it would feel like to have her cuddled up beside me in bed. I’m not going to lie, I loved sharing a good cuddle session with whatever girl I was dating, but cuddling had never made me feel as hot and bothered as just the thought of cuddling with Jenny. I let her scent overtake me and smiled as I drifted off to sleep.

  The days leading up to the wedding were pretty relaxing and the rehearsal dinner had run very smoothly. On New Year’s Eve, which was the day of the wedding, I woke up early to set out on a mission. Jenny had spent the previous night with Allison and the other bridesmaids. They had asked me to also stay in the suite with them, but I declined as I didn’t want to intrude on their time. I quickly got dressed and went out to find a good donut shop and a grocery store.

  Two hours later, I dropped off donuts and mimosas in the girls’ suite and donuts and beer in the boys’ suite. I also informed both groups that I had sandwiches being delivered mid afternoon. I always heard it was important to make sure the bride and groom ate on their wedding day and thought it was especially important since their ceremony didn’t start until 6:00 so dinner wouldn’t be until after 8. I spent most of the day hanging out with the guys since they were much more relaxed, but did stop by the girl’s room every so often so I could check if Jenny needed anything.

  When the time for the wedding came around, I headed down to the beach where the ceremony spot had been set up and took a seat in the back. Since the sun had already started to set, there were a bunch of pretty lights set up surrounding the area. I thought about how much money Allison’s parents must have spent on this wedding and then found my mind wandering to what kind of wedding I would want, that is if I was ever going to have one. I figured I would want my wedding to be as me (and of course my wife) as possible. While money would be no object, I wasn’t interested in anything lavish. Correction, I wasn’t interested in anything at all. Why was my mind even going there?

  My thoughts were interrupted by the processional music beginning. When Jenny walked down the aisle, I felt my heart skip a beat just like the first time I had met her. She looked exquisite. The bridesmaids dresses were a green color that reminded me of the one she wore to our cousins’ wedding and she had her hair done up in a loose bun with just a few pieces hanging out. I was so distracted watching Jenny that I almost missed Allison walking d
own the aisle. The ceremony went by in a flash and I honestly couldn’t tell you anything that happened because I couldn’t take my eyes off of Jenny.

  I waited at the end of the beach for the wedding party to get pictures and smiled at Jenny as she walked over toward me. When she was close, I took her hand and twirled her in a circle.

  “I can’t lie Miss Hanson. You look absolutely breathtaking,” I told Jenny sincerely.

  “You don’t look so bad yourself Miss Montgomery,” Jenny said with a wink.

  We walked back to the hotel where the reception was being held and helped ourselves to some drinks and hors d'oeuvres, then found our table where Jenny introduced me to two more of her friends from college. She then slipped away to join the rest of the wedding party before introductions started.

  “So, how long have you and Jenny been dating?” The one girl, whose name I had just learned was Karen, asked. She was a short petite blonde which was a funny contrast to her boyfriend, Paul, who looked like he was some sort of body builder.

  I smiled at her question but wondered if people would ever stop assuming that Jenny and I were together. “We’re not dating,” I informed her. “We’re just good friends.”

  Her other friend, Lisa, leaned closer to us. “That makes more sense. I was going to ask you your secret. You know, how you managed to tame her. I don’t think that girl will ever be tamed.”

  Her husband, Tom, laughed beside her. “I still remember when I met her, the first time I visited this one at school. She was such a fireball and so confident. I felt like everyone on campus already knew her.”

  “That’s because they all wanted to date her,” Karen chimed in. “Even all of the guys were trying to get with her, even though she was very outspoken about the fact that she was gay.”

  “You can’t blame them for thinking they had a chance though. That girl would flirt with anyone and everyone,” Lisa added and everyone nodded in agreement.