• S I X M O N T H S L A T E R •
The moment I step off the aerobridge, I feel a tingling sensation of excitement course through me as I realize that this is almost like a two-month vacation.
Sure, I'll be attending some meetings, visiting potential clients and running little errands for Ray, but at the end of the day, the fact that I'm getting to spend time with some of my college friends, especially when one of them is getting married is thrilling.
If someone told me four years ago that the sarcastic, pithy, impatient girl that I met in college would be the first one of my friends to get married, I would have laughed in their faces, but here I am, standing at the Whitfield Hills International Airport, on my way to spend two months with her before she ties the knot.
The last time I was in this country was six months ago, when I visited Eastport; Whitfield Hills is only a few hours away from there.
I am still completely amazed that my parents let me come here all by myself.
As I make my way towards the immigration counter, there are butterflies in my stomach with all the excitement.
I pull out my phone, connect to the airport's open WiFi and call my parents.
"So, you've reached safely?" my Dad's voice comes down the line.
"Mmhmm," I reply, "I just landed. I'm in the line at immigration."
"Flight landed five minutes early," my Dad tells me, like I hadn't been on the plane, myself.
I have to laugh, because I can completely picture my Dad, seated in the living room, in his chair, glasses on his nose, going through the FlightStats app, religiously, to make sure that my plane didn't mysteriously disappear from the sky.
"Yeah, the pilot said that there were tailwinds," I inform him.
"Is the line long?"
My Dad manages to ask the most mundane questions.
I nod, even though he can't see me. "A bit."
"Hold on, Mom wants to speak to you."
"Okay."
"Hi, darling. Where are you?" she asks.
I can hear my father tell her that I'm in line at immigration.
"Have you called your friend?" she questions.
I perch my bag on top of my suitcase and push it forward as the line moves. "No, I called you first. I'll call Ray right after. She said she'll come to pick me up."
I can almost hear my Mom's eye roll when she tells me, "I will never understand why you call that girl Ray when that's nowhere close to her name."
"We call her that because she's such a ray of sunshine," I tell my Mom for the umpteenth time.
My mother sighs. "I can hear the sarcasm, gem."
"I'll let you know when I get to her place, okay?" I tell her.
"You're staying with her the whole time, right?" my mother asks me and I've just about lost count how many times she's asked me that.
I pull my passport out from my bag. "I was actually thinking of sleeping on the street just outside her house for a few days."
My mother makes a sound of disapproval. "Alright, gem. Be safe."
After I hang up, I text Aubrey that I've arrived safely, before finally calling Ray.
"Al!" she yells at me, through the phone.
Apparently, Aurora is much too difficult a name for most people to say on a regular basis, so since my initials are A.L., many of my friends call me Al.
Ray, whose real name is Jenna, got her name because she was so disagreeable about some things that we just had to call her a ray of sunshine.
In fact, of the three of us who were good friends in college, Isabella is the only one we called something close to her name: Isa.
"Hey, Ray," I tell her.
Despite my perfectly socially acceptable decibel, Ray continues to shout at me through the phone. "Are you here yet?"
"No, Ray, I'm risking my life to call you from the plane."
"Ha ha. Did you collect your bags? Am I going to have to bust through the glass doors and pick you up at baggage claim?"
"I would advise against it," I tell her, diplomatically, "How about you just pull up to the pick up zone and I'll meet you out there?"
"You're no fun, Al."
"Just trying to save you from having to spend your wedding money to replace an airport glass door."
Ray tuts. "Julie is going to love you."
"Just like her fiancée does," I remind her.
"Get your ass out here, Lexington, or I'm coming in."
With that warmhearted threat, she hangs up.
When I finally get step out of the airport, into the cool late afternoon breeze of Whitfield Hills, enjoying the first time I've been here, my reverie is shattered by Ray's slamming of her car door as she practically stomps over to me.
"What are you standing around for?" she asks, wrapping her arms around my neck and giving me the squeeze of my life, "Get your ass in the car and let's get this party started."
"Ray," I laugh, "I've just been on a seven-hour flight. I really just want to shower."
"By party, I mean the party we're planning at home. The wedding planning party. My mother absolutely refused to let me take you out today."
As she ushers me towards her car, I laugh. "Remind me to thank her."
"My Mom has been telling me that she cannot wait for you to come because you seem to be able to talk some sense into me," Ray grumbles, "She's only met you once and I swear she likes you more than she likes me, but not as much as she likes Julie."
I get into the passenger's seat and nod in approval. "I think that's exactly how the ranking should go."
Ray slides on her sunglasses and smiles at me. "I'm so glad you're here, you freak. It's going to be a fun two months. Oh, and Julie sends her apologies. She's out of town for some work and she will be back in two days, so you can meet her then."
"I am excited to meet her," I tell Ray, "I know for a fact that I'm going to love her because she has you so whipped."
"Shut up," Ray says, defensively.
"Oh, please," I snort, "Your social media is solely her and your cat. That's it. I'm not even exaggerating. There isn't even a picture of your Mom."
"My Mom doesn't want to show her face on social media and I oblige."
"So, who's going to be at this dinner today?" I ask her, as we pull on to the highway.
Ray hurls some select words at the person who cuts in front of her before she answers me, "Isa and her new boyfriend, Marco," she starts.
"Ooh, I saw a picture of his that she had posted. So much cheekbone."
"So much. You'll never believe their story, but I'm sure Isa will fill you in on that. Then there's Rosalie, my wedding planner and one of the best people I know, her husband, Aiden. Scarlett, one of our new friends, who is just wonderful, and her boyfriend, Ace, but I genuinely would never associate Ace with the word boyfriend," she lists off, "Other than that, there's my brother."
I laugh. "So, we finally get to meet your top-secret brother."
Ray was always so annoyed whenever people asked her about her brother in college. We've never seen him, with the exception of Isa, who grew up with them.
The only thing that I know about him is that his name seems to be Eli and he's two years older than us.
None of the three of us were nosy in each other's family business and I think that's what really cemented our friendship; the fact that we were all similar in what we shared. We know a lot of things about each other, but not a lot of detail about our families. The only time we've met each other's families was during graduation, which Ray's brother couldn't attend because of his own college exams.
It was hilarious to Isa and I whenever someone would try to get something about her brother out of Ray.
I told her once that maybe if she let them see her brother, they might get off her case, but she just rolled her eyes and said, 'Eli really doesn't need his ego inflated'.
"My brother is not top secret and I would have never cared if you met him. You're normal. You, I can stand, but the others," she shivers, "The thought of having anyone of the people in our college as my sister-in-law makes me want to drive myself off the Waterfront dock and into the water with my windows up."
"Ray," I say, teasingly, looking over at her, "Is your brother hot?"
Ray makes many dry heaving noises, right up until the road rage kicks in and she's yelling at someone else.
"You and my sister seem to have learned to drive at the same place," I tell her.
Practically growling at the other motorists, she tells me, "Yeah, well, that's because everyone else drives like they never learnt to drive. Excuse me, jackass, who did you have to blow to get your license?"
I snort and shake my head at Ray and her colourful language.
"So, tell me about your wedding," I urge, my tone still teasing, "Is it going to be a ten-minute affair in shorts and flip-flops?"
As we come to a traffic light, Ray looks over at me, lowers her sunglasses and glares. "I don't even know why I invited you. All you're going to do is tease me. Ugh. My friends are going to love you and it's despicable."
"Shouldn't you be glad that all your friends are going to get along?" I sing.
Ray grumbles.
I laugh, looking around at the scenery that we're passing. "So, Julie ousted you from your own house, huh?"
Ray shakes her head. "The audacity, am I right? She told me that we're going to live apart for the two months before the wedding. She's at our place because her parents live out of town, so they're in our house with her now. And she exiled me back to my parents' house."
There are practically fumes coming off the top of her head.
"Really enjoying it, aren't you?" I tease.
"It'll be fun, she said. It'll make being married special she said."
I badly disguise my cough. "Whipped."
Ray groans. "You're making me wish I installed a passenger seat eject button in my car."
Managing not to commit homicide, Ray takes me to the Kingsley home, which is a magnificent house perched on a quaint street.
"Leave your bags," Ray tells me as we step out of the vehicle. "Frank will get those, won't you, Frank?"
She smiles at the tall man standing near the car, waiting.
"Of course, Miss Kingsley."
"Frank, this is my friend, Aurora Lexington, but we call her Al," she says, looping her arm through mine.
"Very nice to meet you, Miss Lexington," Frank nods.
"Nice to meet you, too, Frank," I nod back, "Thanks for taking care of my bags."
"My pleasure."
Ray drags me in the direction of the house, waving to Frank. "Keep it frosty, Frank."
"Only in the summer, Miss Kingley," he replies.
I laugh as we step into the house through the garage door. "I can't believe the people who work in your house are so used to your shenanigans that they have responses."
"Frank is a sweetheart," she tells me, as we step into a hardwood floored corridor, "Wait."
She and I stop.
She listens. "Mom's in the dining room, I think," she tells me, "Let's go there and say hello, and then, you can go upstairs, shower and maybe take a quick nap before everyone gets here and we start the real fun."
"You know I don't nap," I tell her, as she leads me down the corridor towards the dining room.
"You're a freak and you should definitely nap after your flight," she tells me.
As we walk down the corridor, she gives me a small tour of the house. "Behind us is the entry hall, and this is the living room and this is the den," she stops and makes me look at her, "Do not go into the living room or the den," she tells me.
"Why?" I ask.
She makes a disgusted face. "There are photographs of me in those places that I would rather delay you seeing as much as possible."
"And all the other photographs are okay?" I question, as she turns me and begins to walk me in towards our right.
"Those are the only rooms where my Mom allows photographs. She hates clutter."
"Your Mom and my Mom could be best friends," I say.
Ray gives me one of her genuine smiles. "Like daughter, like mother. Speaking of, I'll be here with you the whole two months and so will my Mom. My brother stays here some days and at his own place closer to his work other days, so he'll be in an out." We step towards the dining room, "Mother!"
"Jenna, you really don't need to shout," says a matronly voice, just like my Mom's.
As Ray leads me into the dining room, I see her mother, seated at the table looking through what seem to be invitations.
She smiles the moment she sees me.
"Aurora! How nice to see you," Mrs. Kingsley tells me, standing and walking over to us.
"It's nice to see you, too, Mrs. Kingsley," I grin back, returning her hug.
She sighs, looking at the both of us. "Finally, someone who might be able to talk sense into Jenna."
"Dammit, Mom, she's been here two seconds."
* * *
When the heat-seeking missile in the form of my friend, Isabella, or Isa for short, strikes me, I am harmlessly sitting at Ray's dining table, drooling over the pictures of the bridesmaids' dresses.
"Al, you weirdo, I have missed you!"
"Isnicetoseeoohooh," is the most eloquently I can tell Isa that I'm happy to see her, since she's tackled me to the ground and wrapped her hands around me in a vice-like grip.
Slowly, she releases me and we both lay there, panting on the hardwood floor.
"You took your time getting here," she chastises me.
"I don't live three seconds away," I retort, "I had to actually buy a plane ticket."
"It's the first time you did that," Isa makes a face at me.
"Well, did either of you try to visit me in Andrusia?" I raise an eyebrow at her.
Isa narrows her eyes and then, smiles. "Truce, babe?"
"Truce, babe."
She and I help each other to our feet and I stand to see two new people in the room with Isa, Ray and I.
Both of them are brunettes with blue eyes. One of them is shorter, with lighter hair and an easy smile. The other is taller, with darker hair, bold red lips and an air of confidence that could send almost anyone running.
"Al, these are our friends, Rosalie," Ray gestures to the shorter one, "Who is also the best wedding planner this century has seen and this," she gestures to the one who looks like the more mischievous of the two, "Is Scarlett, one of our best friends. Guys, this is one of our best friends from college, Aurora."
Rosalie waves her hi to me from the other side of the table as she sets down a handful of binders and sighs. "It's nice to meet you, Aurora. I think we've heard a lot about this Al."
I tell her that I've heard a lot about her, too.
Scarlett walks around the table, over to me, smiling, warmly. "Aurora?" she asks and I nod. "Can I hug you?"
I nod, again.
Scarlett puts down her bag and pulls me into a tight hug for a few moments. Her eyes are gleaming when she looks at me. "My favourite Disney Princess is Sleeping Beauty and I've never met an Aurora in my life," she tells me, beaming, "You're the best thing."
I giggle, almost nervously, because here is this gorgeous girl telling me that I'm wonderful, like her favourite Disney Princess.
"Stop," I tell her, shaking my head, "Call me Al. I don't really remember the last time anyone called me Aurora."
"You can call me Sky," she tells me.
Ray asks, "Where are the boys?"
"We made them ride alone because they were being tiresome," Rosalie says, pulling out a chair and descending into it.
"They're right behind us," Scarlett says, the moment there is a sound of a door closing and multiple male voices echo down the corridor into the dining room.
Ray looks over at me. "Brace yourself, Al. This is the worst of us."
I roll my eyes at her.
The first two men to enter the dining room are both wearing suits. One of them has brown hair and hazel eyes. His eyes immediately look around the room and he smiles when he sees Rosalie.
The other has hair that is so dark that it looks black and the brightest green eyes I've ever seen. I see Scarlett make a face at him and he shakes his head at her in return.
"Al, this is Aiden, Rosalie's husband, and Ace, Scarlett's – whatever," Ray introduces, "Boys, this is my good friend, Aurora. You can call her Al."
Ace's eyes flicker over to Scarlett when he hears my names and she puts an arm around me, nodding. "I found a real live one," she tells him, making me laugh.
Both the men exchange pleasantries with me.
The next man who enters the room is speaking to someone who is still standing in the hall. "We'll just go down the aisle in a golf cart, man, that's all I'm saying," he says, and then, turns to face the room, "So, have we ordered the food already?"
"Marco, if you and my brother drive a golf cart down Julie's aisle and make a mess of it, I will personally hand you both over to Isa for murder," Ray warns.
I can't help, but cough out, "Whipped."
Marco's head turns to me as everyone else tries to stamp down their smiles. He leans against the backrest of one of the chairs, grinning. "Who's the new girl who speaks the whole truth and nothing, but the truth?"
"Marco, this is our friend," Isa says to him.
I look at Marco and I can immediately place that he's the one from Isa's pictures.
Marco smiles at me. "You must be Al. I've heard much about you," he says, waving to me.
"And you're Marco," I nod, "I can't say that Isa has deigned to speak much of you."
Marco's eyes flicker over to Isa. "Yeah, she's not too fond of me. Keeps threatening to murder me."
"We're missing one," Rosalie says, looking around the room.
Marco jabs his thumb towards the corridor, "Eli's just stopped by to say hi to Frank."
"Frank has been greeted."
The voice is oddly familiar, but I can't seem to place exactly where I've heard it before.
It's deep and calming.
Footsteps echo down the hall, towards the us and the final person steps into the room.
My breath catches.
"Aurora?"
Were you expecting that?
That, folks, is the end of Part I - Knowing.
Stay tuned for Part II.
Don't forget to let me know what you think.
I hope you enjoyed!
Much love!