It Was You

by Kim Hartfield

  “Honestly, at first it was tougher than I ever let you know.” He looked away, then perked up. “Now, though, I’ve put all of that behind me. I’ve pretty much forgotten I ever had a thing for Judi. It’ll be great to have a cool sister-in-law when you two get married.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves now.”

  “And of course I’m a bro,” he continued. “I’m your bro.” He wrapped me in another hug, a rib-crushing one this time.

  I grinned, amazed by my own luck. How was it that I had the world’s best partner, and such an incredible family? “I hope you’ll meet the right girl for you soon, too,” I said. “You’d make an awesome boyfriend – to anyone but my woman.”

  “There’s something else I was going to tell you,” he said, going suddenly serious. “With my new job, I was thinking I’ll get a place of my own. That’ll make it easier to date, among other things. I’m twenty-two now. I think it’s time.”

  “You’re moving?” I asked, more surprised than I rightfully should’ve been. Of course Sam wouldn’t stay in the house with us forever. But as long as I could remember, it’d been me and him – then later Coco, too. “Where are you going to go?”

  “You know my buddies Luke and Calvin, who have the share house downtown? A room just opened up, and I think I’m going to take it at the end of this month.”

  “Wow.” This was all happening so fast. Or maybe I would’ve known earlier if I’d spent more time here this week.

  “Don’t look so petrified,” he laughed. “You’ll still see me – I’ll come home all the time. And you’ll be over at Judi’s, anyway. You’ll probably be moving in with her soon.”

  “That’s true. Just… everything’s changing.”

  “Things change,” he said. “That’s part of life. We can only hope that they change in a good way.”

  “Wise words, little brother. Did you learn them from a video game?”

  He rolled his eyes at me. “Funny, big sis. Really funny.”

  Thirty – Judi

  The doorbell rang, and I threw on a bathrobe and ran downstairs to open it. Ella came behind me, twisted up in a sheet, toga-style. Whoever was at the door had certainly picked an inopportune moment to arrive.

  A strange man stood on the doorstep, a box in his hands. “Flower delivery for Ms. Judi Nichols.”

  I signed for it, shaking my head. Once he was gone, I turned back to Ella. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to do anything for this one-year anniversary. We were going to wait for one year since we got together for good.”

  “I couldn’t resist,” she said, planting a kiss on my cheek. “I thought about where we were this time last year, and I got all mushy inside. Don’t worry, I’ll get you something better for our real anniversary.”

  “You could’ve warned me you were going to do something,” I said. “I didn’t have a chance to get you something, too.”

  “It was a last-minute decision. That’s why I ordered these online rather than going to a flower shop.” She caressed my butt. “You can do something for me some other way.”

  A throb went through my core, and I bit my lip. “You mean like taking you out to dinner?” I teased.

  “Sure.” She rolled her eyes. “Or… something else.”

  We headed into the kitchen. Luckily Chelle was out, so our lack of clothing wasn’t an issue. Chelle had been spending more time at Sabrina’s as Ella spent more time here. We all got along, but it was nice to have our own space.

  Ella was actually planning to move in here within the next couple of months. Once she did, Chelle would probably find a new place with Sabrina. They’d been together a lot longer than we had, so it only made sense.

  “Open it,” Ella told me.

  I took a knife from the block and carefully sliced through the tape. “Odd to deliver flowers in a box, isn’t it?” I murmured to myself as I opened the flaps.

  I’d spoken prophetically. The lilies and freesias inside were wilted, some even browning at the edges. “Odd” was the kindest thing that could be said about these flowers. They were on the brink of death!

  Turning my face away from Ella so she wouldn’t see me cringing, I lifted the vase out of the box. That part was nice, at least. It was a blue-and-white ceramic mosaic, and I could see myself using it for other flowers in the future. Nicer flowers.

  “Whoa, those flowers look like shit,” Ella said. “I should call the company.”

  “No, not at all.” I fingered a petal. “They’re just dry. Once I put some water in here, they’ll perk right up.”

  “You think so?” She frowned at me.

  “Yeah. Honey, I love them. Thank you.” I wrapped her in a hug, and desire coursed through me at the feeling of her soft skin under my hands. I wanted to rip that sheet right off her.

  But she tensed up as she pulled back. “Judi, no one in their right mind would love these flowers. They’re half-dead, for heaven’s sake.”

  “A little, but that’s okay. This was such a nice gesture.”

  Her eyebrows shot up, and she stared at me disbelievingly. “You mean you don’t love them? You lied to make me feel better?”

  I frowned. I hadn’t thought about it like that. I’d said I loved them instinctively, without thinking through what I was doing. She was sitting right here looking at them with me. There was no way she would’ve believed I loved the flowers. “I meant I love that you got them for me,” I said.

  “That wasn’t what you said!” She was clearly thrilled to have caught me in a lie. “You told me you loved the flowers themselves. These dying, wilted, shitty-ass flowers. That was patently untrue.”

  “I mean…” Heat rose to my cheeks. She’d caught me in a lie. Me, the one who’d made a massive fuss about honesty. The one who’d once thrown out our entire relationship over a lie.

  “You said they’d perk up once you put water in them,” she said gloatingly. “Do you really believe that, or was that another little white lie?”

  I fiddled with the belt of my bathrobe. “Maybe another little white lie,” I mumbled.

  “So you mean people lie sometimes?” she asked. “Even Ms. Honesty Police herself?”

  I huffed, unwilling to answer the question. “How long have you been waiting to catch me in a lie?”

  “I wasn’t, but now that it’s happened, I’m loving it.” She nudged me in the ribs. “Just think, ever since we got back together, I’ve been completely truthful about everything. You, on the other hand – for all I know, you’ve been lying left, right, and center.”

  “I haven’t!” My blush spread to my neck. I could even see my chest going pink. “This is the first lie, I swear. I just didn’t think about what I was saying.”

  “You know I’m only teasing you, right?” She put her arm around me, and I leaned my head on her shoulder. “The ‘no lies ever’ policy is a bit over-the-top.”

  “Okay, I can admit that,” I said. “Sometimes they just slip out.”

  “And I’ll be right here to call you on it when they do.” She smirked at me. “No more lies, small or big. Ever, until one or the other of us dies.”

  “That’s fine,” I said. “You can punish me if you catch me lying.” I squeezed her knee, then trailed my fingernails up her bare thigh.

  “Hmm… that sounds fair.” Her eyes glittered.

  I got up and turned on the tap, putting some water in the vase. “By the way, have I mentioned you look terrible when you only wear a sheet?” Coming back, I flicked at the spot where the sheet covered her breasts. “Totally unsexy. It’s a real turn-off.”

  She raised her eyebrows at me. “I think you’re lying again.”

  “And what if I am?” I asked, sliding my hand under the sheet, grazing my palm over her nipple.

  “You said I could punish you?” she asked. “I think this deserves a spanking.”

  She leaned in to press a long, deep kiss against my lips… and then we went upstairs.

  Epilogue – Ella

  “W
elcome, everyone,” I said. “The first meeting for the fifth annual Fronton Pride Festival’s planning committee will now come to order!”

  The people around me quieted down. The room was packed. We’d moved from the library’s boardroom to the great hall a couple of years ago, which was annoying because we had to set up rows of chairs before every meeting. Still, the effort was worth it to have this amount of people involved in the festival.

  Pride had gotten bigger every year since its inception. Last June, it’d been a two-day event including a parade, a trans pride rally, and a queer women’s dance party. I never would’ve imagined something like this happening in a city of two hundred thousand.

  Todd had headed the committee every year until now. He’d moved out of town with his husband, and he’d asked me to run for chair. Although I’d been hesitant, everyone else had encouraged me to run, and I’d finally agreed. And since no one else had run, I’d ended up taking over.

  It was all pretty intimidating for a quiet librarian who wasn’t used to public speaking. But I’d do my best, and with Judi to support me, I was confident that I’d do okay.

  Judi had rushed to get here on time after work. She’d taken a job as a library tech at one of the other Fronton branches, and she was taking part-time online courses toward her master’s in library science. She’d be done soon, and my secret hope was that she’d get a job at my location so I could spend all of my days with her.

  “A little history for those who might be new,” I said, raising my voice louder than I usually spoke. “The first Fronton Pride festival happened five years ago, organized by a group of twelve dedicated volunteers. I was one of them, and volunteering with the festival was the best decision I’ve ever made. Mostly because that was where I met my wife, Judi.” I put my hand on her shoulder.

  A chorus of “awws” went through the room.

  “If it weren’t for Pride, I might’ve ended up her sister-in-law instead,” I said. “But that’s a story for another time. My point is that Pride can be rewarding in more ways than one. The festival planning committee is not a singles club… but you never know when you’ll meet someone. At the very least, you’re bound to make some great new friends.”

  I noticed some of the younger people shifting in their seats and looking around the room, most likely scanning for potential dates. A few of the older people looked around, too.

  “Over the next eight months, we’ll be doing a lot of hard work,” I said. “We’ll be raising funds, signing up entertainment, getting the word out, and more. If you love Pride and you want to be part of making it happen, you’re in the right place. If you have ideas to make Pride even better, or if there’s a new event you’ve always wished we’d put on, this committee is for you.”

  I glanced at my notes. There was a lot to get through in the next hour. By the end of this meeting, I hoped to have our volunteers broken into subcommittees and for them to have a general idea of what they’d be doing for the rest of the year.

  From the front row, Ian gave me an encouraging nod. He had his arm around his new boyfriend. I’d only met the guy few times, but he seemed calm and stable – perfect to balance out Ian’s frenetic energy. They had to be pretty serious if they were going to be volunteering together.

  The meeting went smoothly, and a few people stopped to talk to me afterwards, telling me how excited they were to help out. Finally, the last of them were gone, and I turned toward Judi. “Ready to go?”

  “About time you finished chatting!” she said, audibly exasperated. “We’re going to be late for the rehearsal dinner.”

  “No, we won’t.” I looked at my watch. Yes, we were.

  Judi rolled her eyes. “Don’t come crying to me if we miss the entire dinner. Sam’s your brother, not mine.”

  “We’ll make it… if we go sixty miles an hour.”

  We sped our way to the banquet hall where the wedding rehearsal was taking place. Sam and his wife-to-be, Kelly, had been kind enough to delay the rehearsal until after our meeting, and I felt terrible that we were going to make them even later.

  Even so, I was overjoyed when I set my eyes on Sam. In his suit and tie, he looked like a real man, not the little boy I still often thought of him as. He was twenty-six now, and he’d been working at his “grown-up job” for around five years.

  That was where he’d met Kelly. Even after so long, I still remembered the day he’d told us about her like it was yesterday.

  “There’s a girl at my job,” he said, sitting in the back yard with me, Judi, Mom, and Coco. “We’ve been flirting a little. I think I’m going to ask her out.”

  “Not this again,” Mom said. “Don’t you remember what happened last time?”

  “Sure, I remember I found Ella the love of her life.” Sam laughed. “This time, the girl’s perfect for me.”

  “What makes you so sure?” I asked.

  “She’s really sweet and fun, and really pretty too. We make each other laugh. She even likes sports! And she’s smart – but not too smart.” He shot a glance at Judi.

  “She sounds perfect for you,” Judi said mildly.

  “And you’re not going to do anything stupid with this one?” Coco asked snarkily.

  “Of course not,” Sam said. “That’s why I’m telling all of you – my four favorite women in my life. So that you can help.”

  “No!” we all groaned at once.

  “Didn’t you learn your lesson last time?” I added. “If you want to win a girl over, you need to be yourself, with no help.”

  “It’s not going to be like last time,” Sam said. “No one’s going to be pretending to be me. I just mean you can give me some advice.”

  The four of us shot doubtful looks at one another.

  “Some basic, innocent advice,” Sam said. “Like if I should take her to Red Lobster or a steakhouse.”

  “I guess we can help,” I said. “But none of us is telling you what to say. No phone calls while you’re on your date.”

  “I’m way past all of that,” he said. “I only needed that kind of help because Judi was all wrong for me. Kelly’s not like that at all. She’s the one for me, I swear.”

  I hadn’t believed him for a second back then – and yet here we were, getting ready for their wedding.

  I gave Sam a huge hug, then bestowed one on Kelly. “Sorry we’re late. The Pride meeting took a little extra time. There were a bunch of people who wanted to talk to me.”

  “Not a problem,” Kelly said. “We were just waiting for you before we get started. We can’t have a rehearsal dinner without one of the bridesmaids, after all.” She took Judi by the arm, leading her toward the hall.

  I’d worried at first that she’d have an issue with Judi once she knew about Sam’s prior “relationship” with her. But Sam had chosen a good woman. Kelly was as sweet and kind as Sam had said from the start, and she’d gotten along with both me and Judi since day one. She had never made an issue of Sam and Judi’s one date, and to show that she was truly okay with it, she’d picked Judi as a bridesmaid.

  I’d been a tiny bit hurt she hadn’t picked me, until she’d pulled me aside and explained her reasoning. Their plan was for me to be Sam’s best woman. Coco was a “groomsgirl,” and the rest of the wedding party was made up of friends of theirs.

  I took Sam’s arm as we headed inside. “You found yourself a wonderful woman,” I said.

  “And kept her around, with your help.”

  I shook my head. I’d hardly given Sam any advice about Kelly, aside from the obvious things like “ask her about herself” and “bring her chocolate every once in a while.” I was no relationship expert. I didn’t know how to seduce women or even how to keep them in my life. Finding Judi had been a miracle, a once-in-a-lifetime event, and I gave her the credit for the fact that our relationship was still going strong.

  “Anyway, we’re even,” I said. “I might not have kept Judi if it weren’t for you.”

  “Oh, please. You two were meant to be
together.” He patted my arm as we reached the door. “Hey, you’re not going to talk about the Judi thing during your best woman speech, are you?”

  “I’m not making any promises.”

  We arrived at the head of the table, and I brushed Mom’s arm affectionately before sitting down beside her. On the other side of the table, Judi and Kelly were engaged in animated conversation. It warmed my heart to see how close my wife had gotten with my soon-to-be sister-in-law. We were all a happy family now, and I could hardly imagine how things could possibly get any better.

  Sam clinked a fork against his glass, bringing everyone’s attention to him. The rehearsal was about to begin.

  I tried to focus on what he was saying, but all I could think about was that he was right. Judi and I were meant to be together.

  It was her. It had always been her – from day one, from before I’d even met her.

  She was the sun to my moon, the yin to my yang. She made me whole, and she’d made me a better person.

  I locked eyes with her from across the table. “I love you,” I mouthed.

  She put her hand to her heart. “Love you forever,” she whispered.

  *

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