Our Broken Skies ✔️

Chapter 3

"You should have called before! I would have gotten things together Ro!" Becca said, frantically looking around the house for a blanket.

"Bec, calm down. I'll just sleep on the couch, I'll go buy a blanket tomorrow," I told her.

"No, you are one of my best friends, and I don't let best friends sleep on the couch!" Becca said, rummaging through a closet. "Ah ha!" Becca held up an air mattress.

I followed her to another empty room where she began to unpack the air mattress. The room smelled musty and there was a lot of dust. "Becca, do you live here alone?"

"Yep, got the whole place to myself," she said, hooking the plug into the wall. The air filling sound started, it was loud and sounded like a vacuum.

"Matt moved out?" I yelled over the sound. The last time I saw her, her brother lived down the hall.

"Yeah, he moved in with his girlfriend!" Becca shouted.

"Really? When?"

"A year ago!" She answered.

"Oh." So she's been living in this lonely house for a year. I mean, I've been living alone, but I have my sorrows to keep me company.

Bec turned off the air pump, "How does it feel?" I sat on it slowly.

"Feels great, thanks Bec," I answered.

"Eh, it was nothing," she said, winking. She bounced onto the mattress next to me. "So, whatcha in town for? You haven't been in Portland in what seven years?"

I sighed, "Yeah. You know how I work for Mary right?"

"Yeah, the wedding planning thing," she answered.

"So, we had a new client, who said she wanted her wedding here in Portland, and Mary-"

"Wait. Let me guess, she didn't tell you. Instead the bride told you and when you went hysterical and asked Mary 'bout it, she said it would give you a new perspective coming here?" Becca said. "Right?"

I nodded, "Exactly. And it definitely has." I stood up and stretched my arms.

"Coffee?" Becca asked, stand up as well.

"You ready my mind." I followed Bec into the kitchen. The kitchen was lined with white cabinets. There was a sink under the window, a refrigerator on the very right and an oven and microwave next to that.

Bec opened one of the cupboards and brought out a red coffeemaker. She poured in a French roast mix and turned it on. She turned towards me and put her back against the counter. "Wait, I just realized, who's wedding is this?"

"Um, that's where it becomes the greatest wedding ever. It's this girl named Amy and-"

"Wait hold it, Amy? Dude, she invited me to that, no invitation though, they didn't have enough time."

"Time? Talk about not enough time! I have until the end of the month to get this wedding done. I don't know anyone here. Who's good at lights, who to call for the dress-"

"I'll help," Becca offers.

I smile, "You mean it?"

Bec hands me a mug filled with coffee, "Absolutely, but only if you tell me who the groom is, and how hot he is."

I put my arm around Rebecca's shoulders. "So imagine this..." This is how my fantasy.

My hair, braided up in a bun. Lavender lace, falling down my back. I never wanted a traditional wedding. My dress would be a darker shade of lavender, and it cut off just below my knees. We would definitely have it outdoors, in June, the same day as our Senior Dance. I would walk into the sound of a piano and violin duet, preferably Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso by Saint-Saens. I'd look through the lace covering my face at him. My husband-to-be, the ring he bought back in senior year secured around my neck with a silver chain. His eyes would go wide, them he'd smile and hold his hand out to me. I would remember this moment forever.

I blink back tears, "But it's not my moment, it's hers. She took the biggest part of my fantasy."

Becca gasped, and shook her head. "No way."

"She was there alone at the office back in San-Francisco, I didn't know- sniff- I was at the airport, just getting off the plane. Amy was asking me if I had a place to stay, um, and I was going to say yes. Then before I could answer, she ran straight into the arms of some guy." I smiled, "He had shaggy brown hair, the kind you can't help but run your hands through. And a black shirt that cut off at his muscles, muscles which pick you up and twirl you around when you're sad. I recognized him, though I couldn't put a finger on who he was. Then, he looked up at me, and I got lost in those gorgeous emerald eyes." I looked down at my coffee mug. "When he realized it was me, he asked if I was real." Tears slipped down my cheeks. "And I said I was as real as the sky." I looked up at Becca, "And Becca, he said the sky wasn't real. He said it wasn't real."

"The sky?" Becca asked.

I sighed, "'Within these stars I pledge my love, and on this night I gift you this ring,'" I recited. "'And under our skies, I want you to be mine.' He said that to me, at the Senior Dance."

"Honey..." Becca started.

"I know, I should move past it. Plans change," I whispered.

"Oh Rose. It'll be alright, everything will get better. You just haven't met the right person yet." Becca took my now empty mug, "Why don't you take a hot shower and get some sleep you've had a long day." I smiled at her and left for the bathroom.

I locked the door behind me and stripped off all my clothes. I untied my hair and shook my head, my braid coming apart and flying all over my face. I turned on the shower, letting the steam fill the room. I stepped into the shower, the boiling water burning my skin, but I didn't care. I fell onto my knees, sobs racking my body. My wet hair falling all over my face. The water from the faucet combining with my tears. All my scars came ripping loose, bleeding into my tears.

When I finally turned off the shower, my eyes were puffy and red, but I felt better. I quickly put my pajamas on, the humid California air was still colder than it felt inside the shower. I looked down at my necklace. Even though he moved on, the necklace is one thing I will never part with. I secured the silver chain around my neck, the ring dangling on the front of my shirt.

The lights in the kitchen were off, and the only light in the hallways were that of my room and Becca's room.

"No, no it's not like that," I heard Bec says. "It was a long time ago Amy-"

I shut my room door behind me and padded over to my bed. Amy. Sure, I guess I'm happy for her, but at the same time, I hate her for ruining my fantasies where Jackson and I are together forever. Is it possible to love and hate someone at the same? If it is, do I feel that way about Jackson?

I lay down on the mattress, it bending under my weight. I slowly settled my head onto the pillow and pulled the blanket up to my waist. After a few minutes, I fell into a restless sleep.