by Lena Nicole
IT’S BEEN a month since Ali came home from the vet. I asked Pierce if he was okay with keeping her at his place. I still feel like somehow it was my fault she got poisoned. Pierce suggests I take her every now and then when I go over to his place to visit her, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. If something else happened to her, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
Colin and I are going out to eat tonight. I’m really looking forward to it. We have had a couple bumps in the road, but I think we are doing the best we can with our situation. We are going to our favorite spot to get some Mexican. I hear a knock at the door and check the peep hole before opening it. I know it’s Colin since he always knocks, but with recent events, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I open the door and Colin looks great. He is wearing jeans with a button up shirt. Simple and sexy.
“Hey, ready to go?” he asks.
“Yup, just let me set the alarm,” I tell him, walking to the key pad.
The car drive over to the restaurant is quiet. Colin was pissed when he found out about what has been happening.
“Hey, Addy. I didn’t know you were going to be running this morning. We could have planned to run together. You normally run way earlier than this,” Colin says as we bump into each other on the beach.
“Yeah, I had to change my schedule a little bit,” I tell him, biting my lip. I’m a little nervous to have this conversation, since he has no idea what’s been going on. Pierce got angry when he found out what was going on and I know Colin will feel the same way.
“Why? Did your work schedule change?” he questions.
“No, work schedule is still the same, just other things that have been a little troubling,” I say avoiding eye contact hoping he won’t read too much into it.
“What other things, Addison?” he asks, his tone being firmer this time.
“Well, I didn’t want to worry anyone, which is why I didn’t say anything, but after Ali got poisoned in my condo…” he cuts me off immediately.
“Wait, what?! Ali got poisoned? In your condo?! When did this happen?”
“A couple of days ago.”
“I have a feeling you’re holding back and not telling me everything. So please tell me what is going on. Are you in danger?” he asks with a clenched jaw.
“I don’t really know where to start, Colin,” I tell him.
“How about the beginning.” His face is reddened and he throws his hands in the air.
“Okay, well, I started getting blocked calls on my cell phone. At first, I thought it was the wrong number, but then they started to be more frequent. Then, Morgan and I were having a girl’s night when my power went out. We tried to fix it, but we couldn’t get it back on, so Morgan called Jeremy.” I see Colin flinch a little and I know he is upset that I didn’t call him for help. “So, Jeremy came over and couldn’t find anything wrong with the breaker box either. He went outside to check the main fuse box and the wires were cut.” I pause, wringing my hands nervously, trying to figure out what’s running through Colin’s head.
“Is that all?” he asks with his eyes boring into me.
“No. I was out with Pierce and when we got home he thought something was off. He noticed my door had been tampered with. When he checked out the inside, that’s when we saw my condo torn upside down and Ali laying on the floor, unconscious.” I stop talking and Colin is pacing back and forth with his hands balled into fists. Yup, he’s definitely pissed.
“Shit, Addison! Why didn’t you tell me any of this was going on?” he shouts out.
“I didn’t want anyone to worry if they didn’t have to,” I say, slumping my shoulders forward. “The cops thought it was just kids messing around when my power got cut, but then the thing with my condo and Ali happened and I realized that it isn’t just kids messing around anymore.”
“So, let me get this straight. Someone is fucking with you, and you felt that no one needed to know. Well, other than Pierce, I should say.”
“That’s not fair. I didn’t tell Pierce either. The only reason he found out was because it happened when I was out with him,” I say, standing up straight.
“I love you, but you can be so selfish at times and only think about yourself. Did you ever think that whoever is doing this is seriously sick in the head and won’t stop at you? What if they decided you aren’t good enough and decide to go after Colby, or even Morgan? Did you ever think about that? I mean, shit, sounds to me like someone is stalking you. I deal with cases like these all the time, and sometimes see the worst outcome develop from them.”
I shake my head no because I haven’t even considered that as a possibility. I can feel warm tears start to run down my cheek at the realization that Colin is right. I should have been upfront with everyone from day one, and not just a select few.
Colin reaches his hand under my eyes and wipes the fallen tears away.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you or make you cry. I just want you safe, that’s all.” He places a soft kiss on my lips and takes a hold of my hand and starts to walk with me down the beach.
When we arrive at the restaurant, we are seated at our usual table. We both take no time to order since we always get the same thing when we are here.
“I still can’t believe Damon finally asked Colby to marry him. And I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” I tell him, playfully hitting him in the arm.
“Yeah, I know he had his phobias about marriage, especially with everything going on with his parents, but Colby is perfect for him and I think he finally realized it. You should have seen him freaking out before they left for the cottage. It was hysterical. And be honest, if I told you, would you have been able to keep that secret from Colby?” He is eyeing me skeptically, waiting for my answer.
“No, probably not,” I say, laughing as Colin joins in.
“Seriously though, it’s cute he was nervous. It shows just how much he loves her,” I say, smiling at him.
“Did Colby ask you to be her maid of honor?”
“Yeah, are you Damon’s best man?” I ask in return.
“Yup, looks like we will be dates for the wedding,” he says wiggling his eyebrows at me.
I let out a laugh and say, “I guess so.” I try to wiggle mine back like he did, but to no avail and fail miserably, causing Colin to laugh just as our food comes out.
As we eat, we joke around, having a great time and even dance a little. I notice Colin has picked up a few new dance moves and I’m impressed with the things he’s learned. I’m not sure where or when he learned them, but the way his body flows with them is downright sexy. I grab a hold of his hand whenever I have the chance, which is strange, because in the past, it was usually him reaching for mine to make contact. I have been paying extra attention to him tonight, and it seems like I am the one making all the effort. All the kisses and hand holding are initiated by me. Although I’m curious about the sudden change, I’m not going to question him on it, at least not right now. The night has been perfect and I don’t want to spoil it by over thinking things. Tonight we will drink, dance and laugh, just like old times.
GETTING A bottle of water from my refrigerator, I think about my date with Addison last night. I had a nice time with her. We were comfortable with each other and everything felt fairly relaxed. I had a feeling she was making an extra effort to make physical contact with me, though. I’m not opposed to touching her, but something just felt ‘off’ about it. It’s hard to explain, but things felt more friendly than romantic. Maybe that’s how we need to start things. We need to build a strong friendship before getting back to where we left off before the accident.
I’m about to sit down on my couch when there’s a knock on my door. Walking to the door, I already know who it is before I open it.
“Hey, Charlotte. Come on in,” I say as I step aside to let her in.
“I brought gifts,” she says as she holds up a couple of coffees and a bag with what I’m assuming to be bagels.
“That’s great, thanks
.” I take the drinks from her hands and lead her to the living room where I set everything down on the coffee table. Just recently, Charlotte and I have been bringing each other coffee once a weekend. The whole thing started when I’d bribe her with coffee and bagels to get her to do me favors that usually involved Addison. Ever since then, we’ve switched up who brought coffee to whom. The last couple of weeks, however, we’ve been so buried with work that we started bringing it to each other’s house so that we could work in a more relaxed setting.
Opening up her briefcase, Charlotte digs out a few files and lays them on the table.
“I thought we could start by looking over the Smith deposition and see if there were any holes in the story,” she says as she starts sifting through some papers.
I stare at her for a moment in confusion and say, “Uh, we finished that last week, remember?”
She stops flipping through the deposition and looks up at me. “Oh, yeah. I must have forgotten. Unfortunately, the only files I brought relate to that case. I guess I should have brought over something from a different case.” Her cheeks are slightly red, like she’s embarrassed by her mistake, which I find interesting. It’s not like her to get embarrassed, especially over a simple mistake like this. After a few seconds, she quickly stands, “Uh, okay…” she stammers out. “I guess I’ll go then, since we have nothing to work on.” She starts to shove everything back in her bag and is about to leave when I stop her.
“Well, since you’re here, why don’t you hang out for a few? We can just relax and talk about something other than work for a change,” I say.
She visibly relaxes and settles back in her seat. “Sure, I’ll stay for a bit.” Picking up her coffee, she takes a sip and sits down on the couch.
We hang out for about an hour, talking and enjoying each other’s company. I learn that she’s going to go home next weekend to visit her family. Apparently, her brother has a new girlfriend that he’s going to introduce to everyone. Charlotte has seen pictures of her and from what I gather, she doesn’t think her parents are going to be real approving.
“Well, what’s wrong with her?” I ask.
“Nothing. She seems very nice and smart, but her appearance is going to throw my parents for a loop, that’s for sure. Remember how I’ve told you my parents are very conservative?” I nod before she continues, “Well, this girl is anything but conservative. She has dark purple hair, tattoos, and piercings. I can’t wait to see the look on my parents’ faces.” She has a mischievous look on her face as she says this.
“So you like getting a rise out of your parents? Is that why you look happy about this?”
“Oh, no. That’s not it at all. I get along great with my parents for the most part, I’m just happy my brother has met someone that he not only wants to introduce us to, but that he doesn’t give a shit what people think of her.”
“Is approval from your parents something you and your brother strive for?”
“On some things, yes. On others, no.” My curiosity is getting the best of me and I’m about to ask her what sort of things she would seek approval on when she continues, “It would be nice if my parents liked a boyfriend I brought home, but they aren’t the deciding factor. Ultimately, it’s my life and I have to live with the guy. While I would take their opinion under advisement, I wouldn’t dump a guy just because my parents weren’t approving. If you love someone, everyone else’s opinion shouldn’t matter,” she says the last part with a shrug.
I nod and continue to look at her as she takes a sip of her coffee. She’s right. If you care about someone, it shouldn’t matter what the rest of the world thinks. Those few sentences showed me a different, determined, independent side to Charlotte. A side I’d like to see more of.
Shortly after, Charlotte announces that she’s going to head out. Just as she’s about to walk out the door, I see Jeremy walk up. I look at him over Charlotte’s shoulder and notice he has a smug expression on his face. You’d think he caught me and Charlotte in a compromising position by the way he’s looking at me. I’m half attempted to roll my eyes, but Charlotte is looking at me and I don’t want to draw attention to Jeremy’s dumbassness.
I watch Charlotte get in her car as I stand outside next to Jeremy. Glancing over, he still has the same smirk on his face. “Ever heard of a phone?” I ask him.
“Why? Was I interrupting something?” he asks as he nudges me with his elbow.
Shaking my head, I turn and walk back into the house with Jeremy following me.
“You know we’re just friends,” I say to him.
“Uh-huh, if you say so,” he replies with his arms crossed over his chest, smug smile still in place.
Deciding to ignore him, I walk to the couch and take a seat. As usual, Jeremy sits in the chair next to me.
“If there’s nothing going on with you and Charlotte, then how are things with you and Addison?” he asks, leaning back in the chair with one leg crossed over the other at the ankle.
“We’re good. Friendly, but good.”
“What do you mean by ‘friendly?”
“I don’t know, I just think it feels more like we’re friends than a couple that’s dating. But maybe that’s what we need, to build that foundation to establish a strong relationship.” Not to mention, I’m still trying to get passed the hurt of the year we spent apart. But I don’t tell Jeremy that.
“Or, maybe you guys are better off just being friends. Have you thought about that?”
“Come on, you know how long I’ve wanted to be with her. How much I wished that her memory would come back so that we could be together again,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. Thinking about this constantly is wearing on me. Having Charlotte here was a nice break from it all, but then Jeremy walks in and reminds me literally seconds after she leaves.
Jeremy uncrosses his legs and leans forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “I know you’ve wanted this for a while, but is it what you want now?” He has a sympathetic look in his eye and I know he’s not trying to be a dick, he’s simply trying to help.
“That’s funny because Charlotte actually asked me the same thing not too long ago.” I stare down at the ground, lost in thought. Again, I can’t answer that question. Do I really want to be with her now? Or have I convinced myself it’s what I want because I had been wishing for it for so long?
Standing, Jeremy pats me on the back before walking to the kitchen. Over his shoulder, he says, “Maybe Charlotte and I are on to something.”
I TOOK off work today to go shopping with the girls. Morgan and I are sitting in the waiting area, waiting for Colby to arrive so we can pick out bridesmaid dresses today. She said we could have free reign over what dress we choose, as long as the color isn’t red. Colby walks in with a million dollar smile on her face. You can clearly see she is over the moon about this wedding and I don’t blame her. I felt the same way.
“So, tell me about the groom?” She’s smiling so brightly that her happiness is rubbing off on me.
“His name is Pierce Whitmore. We’ve known each other for about a year. I met him on the beach when I was struggling through a hard time in my life. He was very supportive and helped me through it. He’s so caring and understanding and strives to push me to do new things. I couldn’t imagine my life without him.”
“Where’d you guys get engaged?”
“He took me to New York and got us a horse and carriage ride. We took it to Central Park and as soon as we got out, he dropped to one knee. I’ve never been so surprised in my life. I honestly never saw it coming.” I glance down at my ring and smile at the memory.
“How sweet! Now for the fun part: what do you envision yourself to look like on the day of your wedding?”
“I want to feel like a princess, but not look like one. I don’t want something super puffy or with too much going on. I haven’t tried any dresses on yet, but I know I don’t want a big ball gown. However, my mother insisted I try some of those on, so I will just to make her
happy.”
“Okay, no problem. I’ll pull a couple of those as well as other styles. Are you looking for a form fitted dress or more A-line?”
“As long as I can move and breathe in it, I’m open to try it on.”
I remember sitting there while looking for dresses, wondering if I ever did that for my wedding with Colin. I now know I didn’t and it makes me a little sad. I don’t even know what kind of dress I would have picked out for our wedding and I might never know. I break myself of my thoughts, as I don’t want to ruin any part of Colby’s celebration. Even if I am feeling melancholy, I’m not going to bring down her day.
“So ladies,” Colby says as she claps her hands together, “Are we ready to try on some dresses or what?”
“Ready whenever you are,” I say looking at Morgan.
Colby gives her name at the counter to check us in for our appointment. A moment later a petite, brunette walks out.
“Hello, ladies, my name is Hanna. I’ll be helping you guys today with whatever you need.”
We all shake hands and say our hellos.
“So who is the bride to be?” she asks looking between the three of us.
“That would be me,” Colby says holding her hand up to show off her ring. I let out a small laugh at my best friend. She will flaunt that ring any chance she can get. I don’t blame her, it’s beautiful.
“Oh, how lovely,” Hanna says admiring her ring. “My appointment book says we’re bridesmaid dress shopping. I see you have a separate appointment to try on gowns, but are there any you want to try on while you are here today?”
“Not today. I wanted today to be about my bridesmaids. I have a separate appointment for that,” she answers, smiling at us.
“Sounds great. Can I get you ladies some champagne?” she asks.
“That would be marvelous,” Morgan answers for all of us.
“Hanna, do you think the girls can have a look around and see if there is anything that strikes their eyes? I would like them to be able to pick out their own dress,” Colby says.