I wipe the sweat on my forehead with the back of my hand. It's always come as a surprise to me how sources of light actually emit heat. I turn off the desk lamp, but now it's too dark to see anything. As I am contemplating whether to continue the intricate process of peeling off the skin from my grapes with the lamp on or off, I hear footsteps coming up the stairs.
A knock. "Come in."
"Grace is here. You gotta meet her, and I mean right now."
"Who's Grace?"
Colt's shoulders slump noticeably and he makes a mock dismayed face. "Uh, my fiancee, remember?"
"Oh, shit. Cut me some slack, I've never even met the person." I toss the remaining grapes from the bowl into my mouth.
"Yeah, so make sure you look presentable." He is about to close the door when he pops his head in again, saying, "Brush your teeth, Ryan, I can smell the coffee in your breath from way over here."
"Yeah, yeah." I grab a new shirt in the wardrobe.
Colt is already waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. His expression upon seeing me is what I can only describe as comical.
"Why are you wearing a dress shirt?" he says next to my ear while simultaneously dragging me into the dining room.
Before I can ask him why he is wearing a plain black T-shirt, Grace is already in my line of vision. She and my mom are in the middle of a hilarious conversation over a serving of pancakes. Everyone is in their casual Mondays.
It's plain to see why everyone's gaze finally lands and stays on me in my ridiculous getup. "Oh," I manage.
Grace does her best not to let me make even more of an ass of myself, getting up and giving me a hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Ryan."
"I... I thought we were going out to have dinner with your family," I say to her, dumbfounded. My stupid response is met with the laughter of every person in the house.
"You've really done it this time, Ryan," Colt says in the midst of all his laughing and smacks me hard on the back.
Well, that was one hell of a first impression.
The next morning Colt told me to take Grace around town since this is her first time in Idaho.
"There's really not much Hailey can boast about," I say.
"She's from Minnesota, the small town view is not something she encounters everyday. I'm sure you can surprise her. Besides, you're my best man. Might as well get to know the bride a little better."
"I don't see why we can't converse inside the house."
"Look, you haven't gone out of the house for three days, alright? You need to get out. Get some fresh air, for God's sake. You'll rot that brain of yours."
I take Grace around Hailey as instructed, and after a while we enter a deli on the corner of the street, which is where my mom used to buy bagels for me and Colt when we were kids.
"They have the most amazing bagels, I swear."
Grace is the youngest of four siblings, the only one of the four who is a girl. She's now working as a photographer for a budding modeling agency.
"So how are you, Ryan? Colt tells me you've just graduated college. What are your plans for the future?"
"Plans?" Good question. "I'm not sure. I'm not really thinking about plans right now."
