2. Sophie
Sophie
“Friendship is a wildly underrated medication.” — Anna Deavere Smith
“ S weet Harry, Ron, and Hermione!” Grace shrieks across the airport as soon as she spots me, startling everyone around. “What happened to your hair?”
“Hi, to you too, bestie. Aw, you missed me? I missed you too,” I coo as I walk up to her and then switch to a whisper-hiss for a more dramatic effect.
“Maybe lead with that and not one of my recent failures?” I push my hip out, planting one hand on it as the other flicks my best friend on her forehead.
Grace swats my hand away and then pulls on a fake, cheery smile. “Hi, bestie! I missed you so much!” The smile drops. “What in the hell happened to your gorgeous hair???”
“C-minus on the effort.” I click my tongue. “And I cut it. ”
“With what? Chopsticks?”
“Har-har, when did you get this funny?”
“Apparently the same day you decided to become a hairstylist.”
“This is not how I imagined our reunion would go.”
“How did you imagine it?” She squints.
“I had two options. Option A was me bursting into uncontrollable tears at the sight of you because my life is a mess, and I still don’t know how I got here.
Option B was us running toward each other, embracing with happy tears like you see in those romantic movies.
I always wanted to reenact that longing scene with a boyfriend, but seeing as there aren’t any in my present or future life, you’d have to do. ”
Grace ponders this for a second. “I don’t like option A.”
“Me either.”
“Do we have to kiss like they do at the end of those scenes?”
“Ew, no. I don’t want your cooties.”
“Phew, okay, ’cause I don’t want yours either. Now let’s take fifteen steps away from each other, then turn and run.”
“On the count of three?”
Grace nods and we start counting together, fifteen steps later we run at each other.
Well, I run. Grace wobbles, holding onto her tiny baby bump and it’s one of the funniest sights I’ve seen in a while.
Midway through, I start laughing and Gracie catches on.
By the time we meet and embrace, there are tears running down both our faces.
But soon enough, the laughter dies down and only tears remain.
Tears that hold too many emotions. Tears that hold both pain and happiness, our failures and achievements. They translate how much we both missed out on in each other’s lives and with each second, the hug grows tighter and tighter.
We became instant friends when she moved to New York at eighteen and ended up at the same college as me.
I’ve never understood the meaning of soul sister until her, and I felt it deep in my core when she suddenly vanished from my life.
I haven’t seen my best friend in almost two years due to an unfortunate asshole in her life at the time.
But truth be told, I feel ashamed for not trying harder to stay in her life and so very proud of her for clawing her way out of that abusive relationship.
God, she’s one of the strongest people I know and now looks better than ever before. Grace has life in her eyes. Not just wild thirst for the ride but actual life, and I want to know how that feels.
“I missed you so much, Gracie Bear,” I whisper into her caramel hair.
“I’m not letting you go back!” she sobs into mine. “You can tell that to your brother. He has no hopes of getting you back in New York.”
I laugh again, alternating it with ugly crying. This is why I needed to come to Loverly Cave. I needed my best friend.
We must look like two idiots, hugging in the middle of the arrivals wing while alternating between crying and laughing but we keep it up until a new voice interrupts us.
“Dear God, Grace, what in the hell happened to your friend’s hair?” Both Grace and I burst out laughing, the tears still fresh on our cheeks.
“Sophie, meet my oldest sister, Joy. She is blunt and has a no bullshit policy.” Grace pulls away, and I take in the stunning brunette with expressive brown eyes and curves for days that are beautifully accentuated by her growing baby bump.
“Joy, meet my best friend, Sophie Levidis. According to her brother, she’s going through an early onset of midlife crisis but in reality, she just needs some color in her life. ”
“I do.” I smile brightly, then wince. “And I might also be going through an early onset of midlife crisis.”
“Don’t worry,” Joy pats my arm. “We have a club for best friends in crisis.”
“You do?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nods. “At least you’re not pregnant from your boss-slash-ex.
So, you have that going for you. Okay, now let’s get moving.
I can’t leave my husband alone for too long.
God knows what he could get himself into without supervision,” Joy says and heads for the exit, leaving me to stare after her, dumbfounded.
“Um, what?” I turn to Grace .
“Long story.” She shakes her head and leads us out.
My new hometown is about an hour away from the airport in Santa Cruz.
And despite Grace already catching me up on all that’s happened in her and her sisters’ lives, like all three of them meeting their soulmates in this new town to which they were all dragged against their will—can’t wait to meet their mom who did that—when we reconnected a few months ago, she does it all over again on the way there while Joy drives us.
She also explains about Joy’s friend, Zoe, and how she escaped to Loverly Cave after her own shit had hit the fan as well.
Apparently, there’s no place like LC to heal, and looking at my friend, I believe it.
Honestly, this town sounds like a dream already and reminds me of my home in Greece.
I don’t remember all that much from those days, but anytime I think about it I feel this warmth inside my chest. I feel comfort and love and family, and those are the exact emotions I’m soaking up from Grace’s recounts—but no words or stories could’ve prepared me for what Loverly Cave actually is.
From the second our car came out of the winding mountain road—which was a marvel all on its own—I can’t keep my mouth from hanging open.
We’re coming from the hill so down below the whole colorful, vibrant town is spread out in front of my eyes like something from the most picturesque postcard I’ve ever seen.
I can feel it vibrate with life and happiness all the way from here and I’m hungry for it. No, not hungry. I’m desperately desperate.
Plastering myself to the window like a little kid with my nose pressed up against the window, I take in the many colorful buildings, the huge arch-like Loverly Cave itself that stands in front of the town from the oceanside, as if guarding it.
I take in the ocean that seems so much different from the one I’m used to seeing in New York, or what I remember from Greece .
This one is almost intimidating with the crushing waves I can see all the way from here. It looks like it could rip you apart, make you reveal all your secrets and then put you back together.
The closer we get to the bottom, the better I can see all the little details about the town. Like the cute welcome sign.
Welcome to Loverly Cave Town, where love is the answer to any question.
Population: three thousand one hundred and ten.
To the cobbled streets, flowers of every color spilling out of the flowerboxes despite it being fall already, and the crazy vines growing over the colorful buildings.
And when I say colorful, I mean it. There are bright pink, yellow, orange, green, red, and all other colors of the rainbow over here.
We pass through what must be the main street, because they have all kinds of cool stores and cafes on it. I spot Sip of Love coffee shop, Fifi’s Goods, Serendipity Groceries, Bagels and Love with Bagels and Balance right next to each other.
When I ask Grace why it’s like that, she says, “Trust me, they are for two vastly different occasions.” Whatever that means.
At the end of the street there is Love and Peace bar that’s brimming with life even though it’s lunchtime. And further down is You Know You Want It tattoo shop that Hope—Grace’s other sister—runs with her husband Alec.
I nearly burst with excitement when I spot the three special cars Grace told me about before. There’s a Love car which is one of those small Smart cars driving around, offering free love advice. There are also Motivation and a Hug car! Isn’t that cool?
We make our way through this small town slowly, because there are so many people walking around you have to be careful not to hit anyone, although I can tell Joy is tempted a few times.
Everyone walks in New York too, but this is vastly different kind of walking. Like night and day.
No one is in a rush. No one is cussing you out if you’re moving slower than they are. No one has their head in their phones. No, people are simply enjoying their day. They are talking to each other. Not to mention, nearly everyone is dressed in something casual and colorful.
It feels like I’m taking a breath of fresh air for the first time in my life, and it almost makes me release how dimmed my own light has become over the years. How much of my color and shine I’ve lost.
I’ve lived in an impersonal box for so long, I didn’t even know there was any other way. I allowed the busyness, the thirst for power, the grayness of the powerful city where only the strongest—like my sister-in-law—survive, to swallow me whole. I allowed it to destroy… me .
“How could you hide this town from me for so long, Gracie Bear?”
My friend gives me a small smile. “I had to make sure you were ready for it.”
“What does that mean?”
“Oh, you’ll see,” she says cryptically, and Joy sighs.
“Dear God, this will never end.”
“What will never end?” I ask, curious what they are talking about.
“Shh, all questions will be answered in due time. For now”—Gracie cringes—“let’s get this hair under control. Not that I don’t love this whole crooked masterpiece, and good for you for taking charge of your life once again, but…did you have to start with your hair?”
“I started with my suits.”