Forever yours

why, just why?

*Luisa*

Mick was beaming all over his face when I entered the pit and I knew why.

It had been an open secret that he didn't get along very well with his teammate from last year. And Mick actually got along with everyone. That his former colleague had been dismissed from the team had put him on a high and he didn't even try to hide that.

"Well, did you find a dress?" he asked as he hugged me.

Immediately everything inside me contracted. I had thought I was free of these questions here. Hopefully it was the only question he would ask me, because I didn't want him to maybe notice how much this topic was bugging me too. Gina definitely already suspected something, but hadn't voiced it before I left, but I knew my sister well enough. I'd seen it in the look on her face.

Maybe she had texted Mick too?

I shook my head "It wasn't the right thing yet.", I replied and smiled at him after the hug.

"Well maybe next time I'll just come along. And Max. We'll be fine then. If you women are going alone...", he laughed as I swatted at him.

"Idiot!", I laughed and pulled him into another tighter hug "I'm just glad to be here now."

"Takes a lot of effort to plan a wedding like this, huh?".

I just nodded. I didn't want to talk about it, because really, I didn't have to plan much at all. Ben had organized a wedding planner to take care of most things. All I had to do, so to speak, was show up in a dress on the wedding day. But even that stressed me out.

And it was increasingly stressing me out.

"I can tell it's not your favorite topic right now. I'm sorry you're stressing so much.", he looked at me sympathetically, then started beaming "But I have great news."

"Always out with it.", I smiled gratefully for the change of subject.

"My new teammate is set and should be here any minute."

"Oh really? Cool! Who is it?"

"An old friend of yours! K...", but that's as far as he got, because a "Hey Mick, hey Luisa.", interrupted us and made me freeze.

I knew he was standing behind me. I could smell his perfume. Immediately every little hair on my body stood up. No one had such a blatant effect on me as he had for years.

"Hey Kevin." beamed Mick.

The two of them knew each other. Of course they did. Because even if Kevin had not been particularly popular at home, I had been friends with him. And so Kevin and  Mick had already met a few times.

He hit it off with Kevin, while I stood rooted to the spot. I couldn't process that he was standing behind me right now. Why right now?

His hand stroked my back, then he spun me around and spread his arms "Doesn't an old friend get a hug?" he smirked.

At pretending to be just friends, we had both always been excellent.

"Yes, of course you do. Good to see you.", I hugged him as briefly as I could, even though I would have preferred to just fall against him right now.

I had missed him so much.

"It's good to see you too. I guess we'll be seeing more of each other now?" he asked, I nodded.

"But I'll leave you guys alone for now so you can get to know each other better. Mick I'll see you for dinner?", I asked addressing my brother who nodded in irritation before I disappeared.