Fifteen Years

by Allison Rios

  Chapter 15

  Saturday, October 3

  Rae sat on the edge of Brooke’s bed as her girlfriends bounced around the room. The women had the same energy they’d had fifteen years before, and the entire atmosphere felt precisely the same as prom day had. Somehow, even though they saw most of their classmates around town every week, the reunion sent them into a state of excited frenzy.

  Rae's knees buckled at the thought of being with her old crowd. She couldn’t deny the apprehension over her belief that every person in that room would look at her with disdain. The Preston family was loved throughout town and how she’d treated James had undoubtedly reached the edges of every gossip circle shortly after their breakup. One thing Rae had learned from years of growing up in a small town is that time might pass, but stories become legends that people never forget.

  She admired the beauty of each of her friends as the women fought for mirror time or kissed the boo-boo of a child who’d entered the room looking for comfort. The women she had grown up with, who decided during their teenage years that being over thirty meant the end of the world, were now the very structured adults and demanding mothers they’d dreaded becoming. Not only that, but they embraced each day of their lives as they made room for both the old and the new. The last time they’d been together primping like this had been the day before everyone left for college when the entire group was going to be hanging out for a pool party.

  “I need some mirror time!” Ava shouted.

  “You’re gorgeous as you are,” Brooke replied. “I need it more than you so move over.”

  “Nice try. You’re not taking my space,” Ava replied.

  “Quit pushing!” Rae yelled. She steadied her hand to attempt again to apply her lipstick.

  “I don’t even know why you put that on,” Nella said. “In an hour it will be all over your face after you plaster your lips all over

  Aaron.”

  “Aaron is a gentleman,” Rae said. She smirked at her friends. The lipstick wasn’t for her summer boyfriend Aaron anyway; it was for James. He loved that color, and she wanted to remind him one last time what he’d be missing as he disappeared to the next phase of his life.

  Yes, she’d broken up with James and not the other way around. But it had all been so she wouldn’t be the first one hurt. It made no sense to anyone but her, and it was easier to understand than him eventually loving someone else.

  The pool was already filled with friends as they descended the stairs to the gorgeous patio at Nella’s house. The faces of her closest group of friends – most of which she’d known since birth – lit up beneath the twinkling garland strung around the yard. Especially his.

  She immediately noticed James playing basketball at one end of the pool. His long, lean, tan torso had only grown stronger from hours spent working outside all summer. Her first inclination was to jump in the water and race over to him to wrap her arms around the body she’d become so familiar with over time.

  The only reason she stopped was Aaron’s voice catching in her ear as he called out her name.

  By then, she imagined James must have been thinking something similar because he’d begun to wade over towards her edge of the pool. His smile faded as she felt Aaron’s lips tickle her neck and she looked away to avoid the sting of James’ grimace.

  “You look beautiful,” Aaron said. Rae couldn’t even look him in the eyes. He was a fantastic guy. Aaron had never been anything but kind, honest and patient with her. Though she repeatedly told herself she loved him and wanted to be with him, the truth lingered just beneath the surface. He was a tool to forget James; a way to sever any remaining ties to the man she felt would be abandoning her by leaving.

  Before she could muster another thought, Nella pushed Rae into the pool, and someone yelled “battle,” which signaled for everyone to find a partner for a dunking competition. Aaron peeled his shirt off and jumped in next to Rae and then hoisted her up onto his shoulders.

  Nella teamed up with Micah, Ava found James, and everyone else partnered up.

  She felt his hands on her legs immediately and knew without looking that James had come for her first. Aaron laughed as the men tried to knock each other off balance, though James worked particularly hard to push Rae over, too.

  Rae and Aaron toppled over into the deep end. Once she came up from beneath the surface, she sent a glare towards James, who hadn’t even noticed Ava had shifted on his shoulders to the next person. He had watched Rae intently since the moment she had first shown up. Aaron pulled himself out of the pool to find a towel and flip the burgers while Rae swam over to the side. She fought the tears but ultimately lost. She didn’t know why the waterfall threatened to expose her true feelings, but she promised not to let it.

  Once James and Ava had been conquered by another duo, James made his way over to Rae.

  “Rae?”

  She ignored him and began to wade away when he gently grabbed her arm.

  “Ow! Let go!” Her scowl warned him to stay away, although he hadn’t actually hurt her.

  “Rae, what’s wrong?”

  He followed her out of the pool and into the house. No one else noticed they disappeared.

  “What is wrong with you Rae?”

  “Wrong with me? You’re the one who just pushed me over!”

  “It was a game, Rae! That’s how it’s played. People. Shoulders.

  Push. Splash.”

  “There’s plenty of other people playing that you could have gone after.”

  “But they aren’t the ones I want to be close to, Rae. You are.” The frustration brewed just beneath the surface. “What am I supposed to do, ignore you? Because let me tell you, it’s not easy to do when your tongue is basically down his throat every time I look at you.”

  “That’s not true!” Rae said. She hated lying. It was true. And intentional. Admitting that to herself brought instant embarrassment and shame.

  “What do you want me to do? Should I ignore you? When I do that, you seem to work harder to show me just how happy you are.”

  “I do not.”

  He pulled her into a kiss without skipping a beat. She wanted to push him away but the comfort of his arms around her melted any resolve she had to do so. When he finally let go, her knees trembled beneath her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just … I don’t know.”

  He left her standing in the kitchen and returned to the party as she contemplated every decision she’d ever made.

  “How come you’re not jumping around here, putting on makeup?” Nella asked.

  “I’m away from the big city on vacation. Doesn’t that mean I can take a break from the usual ruckus of daily life?”

  “Ruckus, yes. Makeup, no. We’re not teenagers anymore, Rae!”

  “So much for beauty on the inside and the outside,” Rae laughed.

  Nella rolled her eyes and headed back into the bathroom to style her hair, though she abandoned the task when she saw Rae quietly slip out of the room amidst the chaos.

  “Looking for something?” Nella asked.

  “Strength? Dignity? An escape?”

  “Don’t try and run out. We know every place there is to hide in this town. You won’t be hard to find.”

  “I imagine,” Rae said with a smile. “About the other night.”

  “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,

  Rae. Whatever it is, you can tell me when you’re ready.”

  Nella always knew what to say. Rae hadn’t found the courage to discuss what Nella had seen her do with her wine at the bonfire. Life had handed Rae a massive blow before she’d come back to Jessup, and she hadn’t found the right words to tell her friends why drinking couldn’t be part of her life at the moment.

  “Just tell me one thing. Is it James?”

  Rae just returned her stare because saying either yes or no would be a lie. It both was and wasn’t about him, and there was no way to explain that.

  “I promise, I
will talk about it while I’m here,” Rae said. “I’m not ready right now. I’m still trying to absorb it all myself.”

  Nella wrapped her friend in an embrace, and Rae let the scent of Nella’s shampoo ease her spirit. Somehow, the scents of home brought a calm over her. Arm in arm, they found their way back to the room.

  Rae took a moment to observe each of her friends. They’d always been fantastic as a group, yet the individuality of each woman is what made the group strong. Ava’s brilliant smile, Nella’s fierce attitude, and Brooke’s honesty forged an unstoppable bond that time and life hadn’t been able to break.

  Rae wondered what she had brought to the group, other than drama. She hoped that amongst the memories her classmates and friends had of her were a few of the carefree and happy girl she had been; the girl who giggled at the slightest hint of a joke and loved her friends with unbridled passion.

  “You ready?” Brooke asked as she turned back to the mirror for one final application of blush.

  “I’m ready,” said Rae.

  “Let me at least comb that mop,” Nella said. She plopped down on the bright pink comforter armed with a hairbrush and hairspray. Before Rae could speak, Nella took the brush to Rae’s dark brown locks, which promptly shifted on Rae’s head. The other girls thankfully hadn’t noticed, since they were too absorbed in prep to be fully aware of their surroundings. Rae’s skull was coated with a light misting of the dark brown hair she’d once had, with a few patches filled in more than others. She quickly shifted the wig back into place and pulled Nella’s hands down into hers.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” Nella whispered in exasperation.

  “It’s okay,” Rae said. “We’ll talk later. I don’t want to ruin tonight for everyone, okay?”

  Chapter 16

  Saturday, October 3

  Leaves drifted to the earth and speckled the sky as they danced their way to the ground, painting a beautiful scene on top of the sunset. Micah parked the truck in front of the boutique, a safe venture since he knew Nella would be at home getting ready. The last thing he needed was her barking at him about what he was wearing or why he wasn’t with the boys.

  He strolled past the doors of the boutique he frequented much more than he’d like to admit. Whenever he went there, he made excuses about why he happened to stop in. It was obvious to anyone around them, but he tried to justify it nonetheless.

  Not many people fluttered along the streets as the evening closed in, and even less so since so many would be gathered for the reunion that night. Though each class planned it specifically for their year, the reunions were more of an open invite to everyone in town, since age didn’t seem to matter to most folks.

  As Micah neared the florist, Hank Barber stepped out through the doors with a small, plastic container in his hands.

  “Evening, Mr. Barber,” Micah said as he nodded in Hank’s direction.

  “Evening Micah,” Hank replied.

  “Buying flowers on another day than Tuesday?” Micah smiled at the man whose routine had become well-known around town.

  “It’s a special day today,” Hank replied.

  “And what might that be?”

  “My beautiful wife Nora and I decided to start dating at our five-year reunion sixty-two years ago. Every year when reunion time rolls around, I buy her some extra flowers to celebrate the occasion.”

  “That’s really sweet,” Micah replied. A moment he thought he’d long forgotten popped into memory, and he pushed it aside for the time being to engage Mr. Barber. “How many people were in your graduating class, sir?”

  “We had seventeen. Eleven boys and six girls to be exact.”

  “Including Nora?”

  “Including Nora,” Hank replied.

  “But you two didn’t date during school?”

  “No,” he laughed. “Both of us were too stubborn for whatever reason. We dated other people. Some were all wrong for us, and some probably would have made a decent spouse, but we sent them off with an excuse as to why it wouldn’t work. Neither of us would admit we were crazy about the other.”

  Micah gave him a good look up and down. He found himself slightly unnerved that Hank’s story seemed to be directed right at him. Now, he had questions of his own that would give him more of a how-to on a decision he’d made earlier that day.

  “What made you change your mind?”

  “Well, I saw her at that reunion. She’d always been the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. She wasn’t perfect physically – none of us are – but she was perfect to me. Did you ever have someone walk into a room and just feel better because they did?”

  Micah hesitated. A very private person, he was hesitant to give away too much personal information. “I guess.”

  “There is no guessing, son. You’d know if it happened. And it happened every time Nora walked into a room where I stood. It was like a calm and a storm all wrapped into one and raging inside me when I looked at her. Sometimes I wanted to scream at her for being so stubborn and sometimes I wanted to hug her for the same damn reason.”

  “So how’d you tell her?”

  “I brought a corsage and told her since we hadn’t gone to prom in high school, I would like to dance with her right there. I swear she thought about slugging me for a second for embarrassing her in front of her friends, but she nodded her approval and let me slip the pink carnation and baby’s breath on her wrist. We danced more than once that night, even when the music stopped. I would never tell my kids this but the moment she took my hand in hers was the absolute best moment of my life. Your children being born, weddings, birthdays – they are all amazing moments, but none can top the exact moment you know in your heart that all of those other moments will become possible.”

  Micah could see the tears that had formed in Hank’s eyes.

  “What are you here for, Micah?”

  “Flowers.”

  “Obviously, young man,” Hank said, laughing. “Well, if it helps, Nora likes –”

  “White roses,” Micah said, cutting Hank off. Both men smiled at the utterance of a long-known secret. “Nella likes white roses.”

  “And lucky for you, young man, there are plenty in stock today. You have yourself a memorable night. Maybe next year we’ll have reason to celebrate this day together.”

  “Maybe.” Micah grinned and escaped into the air conditioned store, a welcome respite from the nervous sweat he’d been trying to hide.

  He picked out a dozen roses, which the florist arranged in a beautiful bouquet. Micah hurriedly rushed them back to his truck before anyone could see. He tucked the arrangement behind the seats where the guys wouldn’t mangle them and shifted into gear.

  After picking up the crew, the men pulled up to the bar for dinner. Reed stopped mumbling about always having to sit in the middle and instead sniffed the air.

  “Why’s it smell like flowers in here?”

  “Maybe I’m trying to cover up your cheap cologne,” Micah replied, leaning heavily on sarcasm.

  “You making it four counties now, Micah?”

  As the passenger door of the truck closed, the men spotted the ladies.

  “Nella, you got a second?” Micah called out. James and Rae were too focused on each other to hear him, but Reed gave him a thumbs up, and Micah answered him with another digit.

  Nella sighed and walked towards him. He’d always known how good-looking she was yet at the moment, he really noticed how stunning she had become over the years. Pulling himself back to the present, he reached into the truck.

  “I have something for you.”

  “What is it?”

  He pulled out the bouquet and shoved it at her like an awkward teenager.

  “What’s this for?” She raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes. In her experience, kind gestures usually equated to demanded reciprocation.

  “Remember prom?

  “Micah, hurry up!” James yelled. The boys, eager for the last big dance of their high school caree
r, had forgotten to get the girls flowers. They spent the afternoon scouring neighboring counties for corsages, all of which had been sold out due to dances. Their expedition made them run late for picking up their dates. When they jumped out of the truck across from the grocery store, they nearly bumped into Hank Barber on his way out of the florist.

  “Sorry, Mr. Barber!” James said.

  “Why the rush boys?”

  “We’re running late for prom. Been looking all over for flowers because we stupidly forgot to order them.”

  “Well, I would be happy to give you this one, but I only have one,” Hank said as he reached into the container and pulled out a delicate corsage with pink carnations. “But if one of you can use it, I’d be happy to share.”

  “James has the real date. Mine’s just due to lack of options,”

  Micah said. “He can have it.”

  “Are you sure?” James asked.

  Hank handed him the package and smiled. “Yes,” he said. “Nora still has her bouquet from this week and knowing these flowers are going to the next generation of lovebirds will make her smile.”

  James thanked Hank again, and the boys took off towards the store, where they had planned to meet the girls.

  “Where have you been?” Rae asked as she wrapped her arms around James. She squealed when he lifted her up in the air.