Chapter 2
She would never admit it if you ask her directly, but Charlotte can acknowledge to at least herself that her initial response might have been a little dramatic.
Being her best friend’s maid of honor is a huge token of appreciation—not because of what it practically entails, but because of how much it means to Gabi herself.
Gabi, who sends her Riley’s number a few days after the engagement party, strongly advising to give her a call so they can start planning.
Gabi, who is now officially going to pay for Charlotte's therapy and her pacemaker.
'I’ll send you a to-do list so you know what’s expected of you,' Gabi texts her when Charlotte responds to Riley’s number with an emoji wearing a cowboy hat. She’d meant to click the clown one, but she’s sure it conveys the message all the same.
'I hope you know what you’re asking,' she replies.
'Yes. I do.'
For the next couple of weeks Charlotte does what she does best: procrastinate.
What doesn’t help, is that the wedding isn’t going to take place for another six months.
It also doesn’t help that she apparently has to initiate the call, nor that she doesn’t feel particularly excited about the amount of work she has to put in.
It does help when Gabi starts threatening to give her address to the local Jehovah’s Witness community if she doesn’t get to work soon.
When Charlotte finally calls Riley, it’s a Sunday night and she’s in the bath. If Riley pisses her off, she figures, she’s already in the right place to relax. That, or she could always throw her phone in the water.
Against the whole world’s expectations, the conversation doesn’t immediately go completely off the rails.
It seems... civil, almost. They discuss how ridiculous it is that their friends just dumped these duties on them, even if Riley appears to be looking forward to some of them.
Charlotte goes through Gabi’s to-do list, as Riley hums and comments on a few items. It doesn’t take long for Charlotte to figure out that Lou means as much to Riley as Gabi does to her.
They discuss the bachelorette parties (“Why two? We could just hire one stripper and be done!” “And face their wrath until our dying days?”) and decide it’s easier if both women take responsibility for their own friend’s party. They would attend both and figure out the rehearsal from there.
Nearing the end of the phone call, Charlotte feels a sense of relief about their conversation not having ended in a national tragedy. She rubs her temple as Riley wraps up, and promptly drops her arm into the water with an audible splash.
“...so for the most part, it will just, uhm… Are you… Charlotte, are you taking a bath?” Riley stammers distractedly. Charlotte squeezes her eyes shut, realizing her mistake, and silently curses herself. She is not going to give Riley any mental images to have her way with.
“None of your business.” She sits up, proud of her thoughtful and eloquent response, but it only causes more splashing. Riley’s shy giggle completely throws her off balance.
“Is the idea of talking to me that exciting?”
Here we go, Charlotte thinks.
“On the contrary.”
“Or have you started practicing for when we’re going to share a hot tub?”
“Like I said, none of your fucking— wait, hot tub? What hot tub?”
“The one at the hotel. Where… where the wedding is,” Riley says, now carefully picking her words.
“Riley, I am so scared to ask you this,” Charlotte says, pinching the bridge of her nose, the lingering in Riley’s voice not lost on her. “But what hotel? Where is the wedding?”
She swears she hears Riley audibly gulp before she squeaks: “Mexico?”
Which is, not coincidentally, the exact same word Charlotte screeches when she barges into Gabi’s pharmacy the next day. Gabi barely acknowledges her, calmly screwing the lid on a bottle only using her index finger and thumb.
“You spoke to Riley, then?” She rests her elbows on the counter and looks up at her friend, who in that moment feels and probably looks comically similar to the character Hades from the movie Hercules.
“You forgot to tell me the wedding I’m supposed to plan is going to be in goddamn Mexico? Did you think that was a minor detail? Or were you going to publicly announce it again, like—”
“We decided last week. Charlie, why are you being so explosive? I thought it’d be nice for you to have an excuse to take a few days off, chill out at the beach, bask in the sun—”
“Don’t Charlie me,” Charlotte sneers. “Some of us have a job—”
“You run your own practice—”
“And how am I supposed to plan everything when I don’t know—”
“You don’t have to do this alone, remember?”
“And maybe that’s the issue, on top of everything you’re making me do this with her—”
“Riley speaks Spanish, that seems convenient enough for—”
“Why did she know and I didn’t?”
During the silence that follows, Charlotte crosses her arms.
“Ah, there it is,” Gabi nods in understanding. “So that’s the real issue?”
Charlotte exhales like a riled up bull. “I just don’t like surprises.”
Gabi stands up and walks to the little coffee counter in the employees-only corner, placing two cups under the machine and pressing a button.
“It wasn’t meant to be a surprise, Charlotte,” she says over the loud noise of the coffee machine.
“I told you: we decided last week, and Lou simply got to talk to Riley before I got to talk to you. That’s it. ”
Charlotte looks at her incredulously, but thaws out when Gabi hands her a steaming cup. “I’d like for you to keep me in the loop next time,” she murmurs to her coffee.
She hates this feeling; when other people know something she doesn’t. And to go through that kind of embarrassment while Riley is on the other side of the phone, is not something she wants to experience again. It makes her feel… stupid. Out of control. Powerless.
She sips her coffee and makes a face. “I keep forgetting the chemical waste you serve your team as a sorry excuse for—”
“Charlotte, listen,” Gabi sighs, leaning back against the counter.
“Because we’re only having this conversation once.
” She lifts a finger for emphasis. “I meant every word when I said I’d love for you to be my maid of honor, and I was convinced that would be something you’re interested in too.
You’ve been nagging me about my future wedding long before I met Lou.
But if you’re not up for it, for whatever reason…
This is the emergency exit. You don’t have to do it, just tell me now and I’ll pick someone else, no questions asked. ”
Pressing her lips together, Charlotte eyes up her friend.
She realizes what Gabi is doing: she can feel the unspoken apology for putting her on the spot at the engagement party.
For dropping such a big responsibility on her without consultation.
And now she’s giving her an out, which Charlotte greatly appreciates and considers, but in all Gabi’s vulnerability she also recognizes a silent plea: this is something she’s dreamt of sharing with her.
So, after a long moment of silence, Charlotte sighs. “You better motherfucking brace yourself for your bachelorette party.”
And Gabi beams.
But after a few days of brooding, Charlotte curses her own big mouth.
She has no idea what she should plan for Gabi’s big night out.
Every Top 10 fun bachelorette party ideas!
-article Google provides, makes her want to scoop her eyes out, and when she pictures herself guiding Gabi into a high tea with her eyes covered while shouting ‘surprise!’, she isn’t sure if she wants to cry or vomit.
For a couple of weeks, she tries to ignore the voice in her head saying there’s someone she could call and discuss this with; someone who happens to be in a very similar situation.
She’s convinced that if her phone had free will, it would open Riley's contact information every time she unlocks the screen. Which is why she doesn’t call her, because she’s a grown woman who is able to come up with something simple and mundane and fun—she’s fun, right?
—and she doesn’t need anybody else, most certainly not Riley.
She calls Riley, and after surviving the initial bath-themed innuendos, they agree to meet up at a coffee shop in town the next day.
When Charlotte spends a little longer than usual picking her outfit, settling on a burgundy button-up that coincidentally beautifully contrasts her blue eyes, she convinces herself it’s the most comfortable item in her closet.
When Charlotte arrives, Riley is already there. She’s wearing a tweed jacket, one earbud in, typing away on a laptop in front of her. When she notices Charlotte, her face lights up and she plucks the earbud out. “Hey, Charlie! Do you mind if I call you that?”
Charlotte forces one corner of her mouth up. “Yes, I do. Have you ordered yet?” she asks, motioning at the otherwise empty table.
Riley chuckles, but quickly realizes Charlotte is being serious when she doesn’t return the laugh.
“Oh. Uhm…” She shakes her head. “No, I was gonna wait for you. What’ll you have?
Sit, please, and I’ll get it,” she says while getting up, and Charlotte decides she doesn’t like how chipper she sounds.
“No, I’ll get it,” she hears herself say, not entirely sure why. It’s definitely not about control, she’s just... attentive like that. Riley is here because Charlotte needs her help anyway.
“Oh, okay,” Riley nods slowly, taking Charlotte’s conflicted expression in. “That’s very kind of you, Charlotte.” Charlotte chooses to ignore the drop in her voice when she says her name.
As Riley slides back into her seat, Charlotte unwraps her scarf and their eyes lock onto each other.
“So? What will it be?” Charlotte says impatiently, leaning her hands on the back of her chair. “I’m capable of many things; mind reading is not one of them.”