Violet
“Coffee is liquid love in a cup.”
Last night was a lot of fun. Everett and my sisters got along, and his brother Henry was so fun as well. Right now, the smell of vanilla and brown butter fills the kitchen as I slide another tray of cookies into the oven.
Normally, baking settles my mind. Measuring, mixing, timing, it’s predictable. Safe.
Tonight, my brain refuses to cooperate. Because every time I close my eyes, I see Everett.
The bar was loud, crowded, full of laughter and music, but somehow, whenever I looked at him, I felt like the rest of the room faded away. Like we were standing in our own quiet pocket of space.
Which is ridiculous. We were tipsy, teasing each other like we had been friends for years. And that’s the problem. It was easy. Too easy.
Everett is funny without trying to be. Confident, but not cocky. The kind of man who listens when people talk, and actually seems interested in what they are saying.
Watching him joke around with Henry last night, laughing with my sisters, it felt natural.
Comfortable.
And that alone makes my chest tighten.
Because the last man who made things feel easy ended up tearing my confidence apart piece by piece.
Ryan started sweet, too. Flowers. Coffee. Lunch dropped off at school when we were both buried in assignments.
He used to look at me like I was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Then slowly the comments started. And even now, years later, sometimes when I look in the mirror, I still hear his voice. Does that ever go away?
I shake the thought away and check the oven. Not tonight, tonight is girls’ night.
And girls’ night means snacks, wine, and early 2000s rom-com movies.
Right on cue, there’s a knock at my door.
“Door’s open!” I yell.
Lily steps inside first. Rose and Daphne follow behind her, carrying so many grocery bags it’s as if they are preparing for a natural disaster.
“Please tell me you baked something,” Rose says, closing the door.
“Please tell me you didn’t buy the entire snack aisle again,” I say back. “And of course I baked. I made fresh sourdough bread and brown butter chocolate chip cookies.”
Rose drops three bags onto my kitchen table. “I panicked, everything looked so good.”
Daphne pulls out items one by one.
“Birthday cake popcorn,” she reads aloud.
Rose nods proudly.
“White chocolate pretzels and three kinds of chips,” Daphne adds.
“I like options,” Rose declares.
“Oh my god, what is that delicious smell?” Lily asks.
“Brown butter chocolate chip cookies,” I say.
“I’m so happy my sister loves to bake,” Rose says, as she scoops a piece of dough and eats it.
“If I get salmonella, at least I’ll die happy,” she says, making her way to the couch.
Daphne laughs and sits beside Rose.
As Lily leans against the counter, I notice her giving me a look, like she wants to talk about something, and I am pretty sure I know what it is.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she says.
“Lily.”
“I saw something at the bar, a spark, and I am waiting for the perfect moment to bring it up, so I guess that moment is now,” Lili says.
I groan. “Can we at least wait till the cookies are done and I’ve had some wine before the interrogation?”
Roses gasps dramatically. “Interrogation? Violet, we are supportive sisters!”
“Supportive sisters who watched you slow dance with the hottest man in the bar,” Daphne adds.
“You’re supposed to be the quiet one,” I say, pointing the wooden spoon at her.
Daphne laughs.
The oven timer dings, and I pull the tray out, placing it on the oven to let the cookies cool.
“So, are we going to watch a movie tonight or are you all just going to keep asking me questions?” I ask.
“Oh, we will get to the movies,” Rose says. “But we still have questions.”
Lily picks up a cookie and blows on it.
“So, did you have fun last night?” Lily asks.
I lean back against the counter.
The bar. The music. Everett’s hand resting on my waist while we danced. The way he looked at me like I was the only woman in the room.
“Yeah, I did,” I admit quietly.
“That’s awesome!” Rose says, smiling.
“Yeah, but it was easy, almost too easy,” I say, looking at Lily.
Lily’s expression softens, like she knows it’s not the time to tease me.
“And that scares you?” she asks.
I nod. “I don’t know if I am ready to trust another man again.”
The room goes quiet for a second.
“You don’t have to trust him yet. Trust is earned,” Lily says.
“Then what do I do?” I ask.
“Just see what happens. One step at a time. Try not to think too far ahead and live in the moment. I know that can be hard for you since you always need to have everything planned, but life doesn’t always work like that,” Lily explains.
“Keep flirting, though, that’s the fun part. Don’t forget to have fun,” Rose says.
I smile and let out a quiet laugh.
Maybe they are right. Maybe not every story ends the same way. I do always have everything planned, I need to let things happen. Whatever is meant to be will be.
My phone buzzes on the counter, right beside where Lily is standing. She looks down and lets out a big smile. Picking up my phone and handing it to me, she says, “It’s Everett.”
Unlocking my phone there’s a text from him.
Everett:
Is this the superstar who was singing at the bar last night?
I chuckle.
Me:
It is, but she’s unavailable at the moment. She is busy with the rest of the singing group.
Everett:
Is there a time when she is available to hang out? We have a fundraiser to plan, and I’d also like to get her autograph.
Me:
She is free Monday or Tuesday afternoon.
Everett:
Can you book me in on Monday afternoon.
Me:
I’ll schedule you in. She’ll come to the theater with coffee.
Everett:
Have a great night, Violet, see you Monday.
Me:
You too, see you then.
I look up after putting my phone down to see my sisters staring at me and waiting for me to fill them in.
“Well?” Rose asks. “Your smile is all the way up to your ears, so fill us in!”
“We’re meeting up on Monday to do some work for the fundraiser,” I divulge.
My sisters, being as dramatic as they are, erupt into cheers. And I don’t stop them, because I am trying to take Lily’s advice and take it one step at a time. To live in the moment. And in this moment, I am happy.