Chapter 27 Once Upon a Wedding Invitation
Once Upon a Wedding Invitation
Days go by, and just like that, another library Friday comes.
Throughout these days, our way of perceiving friendship was shown.
From him being just a bit nicer to me, to me not doing that rude gesture to him every time he and the motorbike passed by.
I mean, he still makes a lot of noise just to annoy me, but I’ve learned to deal with it.
Being his friend now has its highlights.
Miss Patty said that we’re now standable, which apparently we weren’t before.
I don’t really think she believes we’re dating, but she’s not telling anyone, so that’s good.
But me being friends with Jake is not the only thing that has been going through my mind these past few days.
Allison and I barely see each other lately, each of us busy with our own things.
Let’s just call them that since mine is fake and hers is not labeled.
I thought about having a girls’ night. Me, Allison, Aunt Daisy, Emily, Lindsey, Alana, Paige, and Miss Patty.
Of course, this crowd is only for dinner.
After, Allison and I would go to our room and just talk, see a movie, I don’t know, something.
The guys, Jake, Riden, Dad, Joey, Blake, Brandon, and apparently Mr. Jones — Jake said that he wanted to return the favor — are doing something too.
I spend the day in the library, inviting Miss Patty, teasing Jake, organizing books, basically my routine every day, and when our shift is over, before I can go help Miss Patty get up, the door to the library bursts open.
“Shall I present to you the wedding invitations!” A deep voice, which I recognize as Patrick’s, announces.
I open my eyes quickly, and I sprint to him, to hug him.
“I’m so happy for you two!” I exclaim.
“Me too.” He dreamily says.
I get off him and look at his face. He’s smiling like he is in his own personal version of heaven.
“Oh, you love her so much, you dork.” I joke.
“I don’t care that you called me a dork, because it is true. I completely love her.” He says, beaming.
I playfully hit his arm.
“Could you stop making my expectations any higher? I mean, I already have to deal with my books and movies…”
“Why have those when you have the real thing right here?” Jake asks, coming closer and extending a hand to Patrick. “Jake West, the boy you used to babysit and had higher respect for than to hand in the wedding invitations to the girl who bit him first.” Patrick rolls his eyes and speaks to Jake.
“Ah, of course, how could I forget the boy who forgot his prank but very real rat in my car while I was doing a two-hour trip?”
“Details.” Jake dismisses the issues with his hand and then hugs Patrick while looking attentively at the wedding invitation. “Besides, the reward paid off.” He grins like a dimwit, and the trauma comes back.
“I was scared of rats coming out of the toilet for five years!”
“Your parents didn’t really pay me enough to deal with you two.”
I shrug, agreeing. I would never wish anyone to babysit us together.
“But look at the bright side!” Jake places his arm around Patrick’s shoulders. “You met your bride-to-be because of babysitting us together!”
“Now that I think of it, it’s kind of your fault. Our parents warned you we were biters and pushers.” I cut in.
“Yes, it is. But I would put up all of your fights all over again for her.”
“Excuse me, I’m going over there to vomit.” Jake says, pointing to the wooden door containing the library’s restroom. I exhale and turn to him.
“You’re never getting a girl with that attitude.”
“Oh, but Madekins, I got you.” He winks at me, and I make a repulsed face. He trapped me, because he knows I can’t deny the fact that we are together in front of Patrick.
“You know what I meant.” I say, glaring.
“I’m not sure I do.” He teases.
“Then you’re an idiot.”
“Are you seeing this? My girlfriend bullies me.” Jake says, turning to Patrick.
“I’m going, but for the record, Linda definitely owes me.” Patrick tells us, ignoring Jake’s comment and observing the two of us.
“Owes you what?” I question with a not-so-friendly voice, turning from Jake to him.
“This is the part where you run.” Jake whispers to Patrick.
“Uh… You see… When you two were younger, I thought that hate would turn to love eventually…”
Ah, yes, did I mention Patrick is my type of people? We both were and are hopeless romantics. He would always watch romcoms with me, while Linda was playing Nerfs with Jake. Our parents never realized that they needed to trade babysitters.
“But Linda said it was impossible, so we made a bet.” He continues, crossing his arms.
“What? You bet on us?” I frown. “That’s the worst bet ever.”
“Apparently, it isn’t, and I’m twenty bucks richer.” Patrick says goodbye, leaves, and I direct my gaze to the invite in my hand.
“Why are you such a nerd?” Jake asks, while I look googly-eyed at the invitations.
“Just thinking about the wedding.” I simply respond, but while my answer is simple, my head is definitely not simple. I’m not imagining Linda’s wedding. I’m imagining mine.
The local church and all the seats are decorated with lilies and white ribbons while someone is playing a soft piano ballad.
I’m wearing a white dress that looks straight out of a Disney movie, and my feet are very comfortable, because I’m wearing wide platform high heels, but still modest, which I later would trade into sneakers, which would make my Aunt Lori have a panic attack.
My dad is beside me, smiling and almost crying.
I see a lot of familiar faces at the place, and for the first time, I look ahead of me. In front there is- No. It can’t be…
“Brown?”
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong with your face?”
“I’m fine, West.” I respond dryly.
The person I imagined at the end of the church was not at all supposed to be there.
Why did I even imagine that person? Never in a million years would they be in my wedding.
It’s just absolutely lunatic to think about it.
But at the same time scares me, because if it is on my mind and in my wedding, it means I care about that person, and I can’t have that. I just can’t.
“Oh, what a sweet boy, Patrick.” Miss Patty intervenes for the first time since Patrick handed her her invitation. “And I did pray for him and Linda, just so you two know, because no one should ever fall in love while dealing with you two. It’s contradictory.”
“Oh, Grandma, but we’re so in love.” Jake places an arm around me, and I roll my eyes.
“I can’t deny that.” She eyes us beneath her lenses, and I push him away.
“Let’s go, wise woman.”
She gets up slowly from the chair and searches my arm to steady herself.
“Jake, are you going with us?” Miss Patty asks.
“Oh no, Grandma. I still have to go to the supermarket to get food for the boys.” He says with a sweet and soft voice. Miss Patty’s endearing smile goes from me to him. She looks at both of us and then looks at the floor, smiling.
“You do that, Jake.” She sighs, content.
“What are you guys eating?” I break my focus on Miss Patty and land my gaze on Jake.
“Oh, you know, meat. Man stuff.” He deepens his voice jokingly. “Oh, and I can’t forget the extra beers for Blake and Brandon.” He smirks in my direction, and I glare at him.
“Don’t you dare.”
He chuckles, grabs his motorcycle’s helmet, and gets out.
“Our ladies’ night officially begins!” Miss Patty exclaims. “I may be old, but I do love that song.” Then she starts mumbling Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper, making me smile.