Her Maid of Honor (gxg)

Lacey

The summer breeze brushed passed the side of my face, tossing my hair around the car hitting the back of the driver's seat as I drove down an unfamiliar road with Jessica's word as my only source of direction. After finally leaving the bridal shop with the perfect dress in hand – and with Jessica's approval no less, – it was only fair that our next stop be one of her own personal choosing. I owed her at least that much for accompanying me to something that was so obviously way out of her comfort zone.

"Turn here," her rusty voice spoke out in a low tone from the passenger seat beside me as she pointed in another direction that was different the one we were currently driving in.

Spotting a smaller street off the main road, I switched on my indicator despite us being the only car around and made the turn onto the deserted street she had gestured to. She slouched back down into her seat as she gazed distractedly through her side of the window that – unlike mine which I had chosen to roll down completely – was only an inch or so from the top.

The setting sun was a beautiful sight to behold as we headed calmly towards it. The fiery descend of colours from the sun into the midnight shades of blue were mesmerizing as I made out a few stars that were spread unevenly across the sky. A series of auto shops and old fashioned diners lined the sides of the street as we continued down the still empty road.

"Here," Jessica sat up, now gesturing to a local owned bar with a flashing neon Budweiser sign hanging just above the door. I looked at her for reassurance that indeed, this was the 'here'  she was referring to, and followed the gaze of her eyes to confirm.

Without making a single remark about the rough-around-the-edges biker feel the place had to it, I simply pulled into the small front parking lot and backed into the spot she had told me to. I guess this was the 'out of comfort zone eye-for-an-eye' I was bound to pay for eventually. She stepped out of the car and walked straight up to the front door like it was the same door to her penthouse suite. I trailed behind her silently, trying to straighten up my stance as if not to appear like a fish out of water amongst the sharks I suspected were just beyond the door.

Holding it open for me, I glanced inside, but somehow, it didn't feel so much like a bar I was looking into, but rather a part of Jessica herself. Cautiously stepping in, every head turned in my direction as I very quickly realized that my white lace dress was a bit too formal for a joint like this.

"It's not much," Jessica's voice resonated somewhere intensely close to my ear, "but it's home," she concluded, her smile, detectable through the brush of hot air against my cheek as she turned to make her way further inside the bar, heading straight towards the bartender with whom she seemed to be very close.

Walking behind her with my head held high, the barkeep looked me up an down before giving Jessica some kind of 'inside grin' that I couldn't quite seem to decode, making my confidence waver ever so slightly before her.

"Frankie," Jessica motioned to me lazily, "Mayfield," then motioned back to the woman behind the bar, "Mayfield, Frankie."

"Lacey," I corrected, stretching out my hand to greet her, "its nice to meet you." She took my hand with greater force than I had anticipated and I shook it back attempting to match it.

"Likewise." The grin on her face never faded as I noted Jessica from the corner of my eye leaning over the counter of the bar in order to reach for something underneath. Pulling out 2 beers, she unscrewed the caps of both, handing one to me.