Jariana is my life. So excited for my tumblr.
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Ariana was about to follow when the phone rang, so she treaded back to the kitchen. She was pretty sure that she had seen a cordless in there. She quickly grabbed it from its base on the wall.
"Hello," Ariana said into the line, she hadn't recognized the number on the caller i.d. Of course she wouldn't, she was somewhere in the future, and everyone probably had different numbers by now.
"Hey Ari!" the voice on the other line stated.
"Dianna!" Ariana screamed in excitement. "It's so good to hear from you!"
"Ari, we talk on the phone like every day," Dianna laughed. "You're having one of your happy mood swings today, aren't ya?"
"Oh shut up," Ariana laughed. "So what's going on? Tell me, tell me!"
"I just wanted to let you know that we'll be...hold on, Ari," Dianna said and Ariana could have sworn that she heard Luke's loud annoying voice in the background. "Sorry, I just wanted to let you know that....Would you stop! Fine then! Ari, Luke wants to talk to you."
"Luke?" Ariana questioned, that was a shocker.
"Hi Airy," Luke said.
It was indeed Luke Brooks, what were Dianna and Luke doing together....Noooo! No way! They couldn't be together, could they? This was starting to get weird. "Luke," Ariana said. "You know I hate when you call me that."
"I know," Ariana just knew that he was smirking at her on the other end of the phone. "How ya doing sweetheart?"
Sweetheart? That word was coming out of Luke's mouth in reference to her? This was beyond weird, they were officially entering the twilight zone. Luke and Ariana were close, with a ton of bickering on the side, but they never became 'sweetheart' friend close. "Ok," Ariana replied before cautiously asking her next question. "How are you guys?"
"We're great," Luke replied. "Except this one here likes to keep me up all night," he laughed and Ariana could hear Dianna properly scolding him in the background. "I meant with her snoring, she has a really bad cold. You girls sure do have dirty minds."
Now that was the Luke that Ariana remembered. "Put Di back on the phone you dork," Ariana replied.
"Hey," Dianna replied. "Sorry, he left now, don't worry. So we're coming in tomorrow morning and don't even think about coming to pick us up from the airport."
"Di," Ariana protested, what was it with their guests not wanting rides from the airport? She definitely would have taken them up on the opportunity, she still wasn't a cab person.
"Nope, we'll take a cab, you guys have so much going on we don't want to impose even more. No buts Ariana Brooks. So how are you feeling?"
"I'm good actually, today was a long day but I survived or rather am still surviving. I guess the day's not over yet."
"Good sweetie, just don't over do it, Ari, especially with the party coming up."
"Right the party," What party? Ariana thought, she had no idea about a party (she still had no idea about a lot of things).
"I want that bun in your oven nice and toasty before he comes out."
"Wow," Ariana laughed. "You have definitely been hanging out with Luke too long."
"I know he's starting to rub off on me, but oh well. I love him."
Whoa...there was love involved...since when? "Aww, Di, you're going to make me go all mushy."
"Oh no, not that."
"Mommy," Ariana heard Caitlin call her from the entryway. It appeared that she was holding a damaged ornament.
"Back to Mommy duty," Dianna laughed. "Give the girls a kiss for me and we'll see you tomorrow."
"Will do, and Dianna, I can't wait to see you," Ariana was smiling from ear to ear now. Her best friend was coming, her parents were already here and she was beginning to feel like she was at home, like she belonged.
"Me too, me too."
"Bye sweetie."
"Bye."
"I'll be right there Caitlin," Ariana told her daughter who nodded and took off to the family room once again.
Ariana hung up the phone and couldn't help but laugh. Luke and Dianna together again... who would have thunk it. It was like world war III when the two of them broke up right before college. Although it was an amicable breakup, things turned upside down when Dianna ended up attending Georgetown University last minute. She did a short summer session at Yale and realized that it was just too far away from home. So she was put on GU waiting list and eventually got in. Luke was living it up big-time, thinking he was the big man on campus. Ariana and Dianna actually ended up rooming together when Ariana's first roommate transferred schools. Luke and Dianna were only ever cordial to each other in passing on campus, each leading separate lives. They became a little friendlier to each other as the years passed by and Luke eventually matured.
After college Jai came back and began to play for the Washington Wizards. Luke was injured badly during college and wasn't able to play pro ball although that was his dream. Instead he settled for local coaching positions and lived vicariously through his brother. Dianna immediately started graduate school for drama and Ariana took a little portion of her trust fund and started a local theater company with Frankie. Frankie, Ariana smiled at the thought of her brother, she hoped that he was still around in this life. She still had a lot of searching to do, she just hoped there was time to do it all. Actually, Ariana's last memory before waking up was of Frankie and Dianna looking over her. They were working at the theater and Dianna had pitched a hand. Their first show was coming up and they were stressed to the max. She barely had time for Nathan...oh my god Nathan, was her boyfriend. She...she was cheating on Nathan...kind of, sort of but oddly enough she wasn't too bothered by that fact.
"Earth to Ariana" Jai waved a hand in front of his wife.
"Huh what?" Ariana blinked and looked to a confused Jai.
"Where were you honey?"
"Just thinking too hard I guess," Ariana cracked a smile.
"Ok well don't hurt yourself," Jai chuckled. "Ooo cookies. Who was on the phone?"
"It was Dianna and Luke too," Ariana replied.
"Oh," Jai responded as he grabbed the uneaten gingerbread cookies off the kitchen table.
"They're coming in tomorrow morning," Ariana replied. "Give me a cookie too."
"Yes, ma'am," Jai chuckled as he grabbed an extra cookie for his wife. "What time should I pick them up from the airport?" he asked as he handed Ariana her cookie. "They never gave us their flight information."
"We are not allowed to pick them up from the airport, Di's orders," Ariana bit down. "Mmm yum."
"Uh huh," Jai was certainly digging his cookie, too. "I certainly won't go against Dianna's rules."
"It was kind of weird talking to them," Ariana admitted to Jai.
"How come? Are you and Dianna fighting?"
"No. It's just them on the phone, it's just still so weird to me that they're a couple again," Ariana replied.
"Yeah, I was definitely shocked when we found out, I was so not expecting it, but I guess that's what happened after they both moved out to Berkeley. Isn't it kind of ironic that Di and Luke both ended up working at Berkeley a few years after I left." Jai replied.
"Sure honey," Ariana humored him, she had no idea that Luke and Dianna were both out in California, let alone working at Berkeley. She couldn't believe that Dianna had left her.
"And it's not like they were like us, with all of the sexual tension."
"Sexual tension?" Ariana giggled, Jai always made her feel better whether he knew it or not.
"Face it, you were always hot for my bod," Jai said before finishing the last of his cookie.
"In your dreams," Ariana laughed.
"Definitely," Jai grinned. "And they most definitely have all come true."
"You're such a girl Brooks," Ariana smirked, ignoring Jai's feigned hurt expression. "There must definitely was something in the water at Langley."
"Definitely," Jai nodded.
Later that night, the Brooks family plus two the elder Buteras headed out to eat. No one was in the mood to cook, they'd all had a long day. They went to one of Joan's favorite restaurants, one that she always went to every time she visited from Paris. After a great dinner, the family retreated back to the house for a nice evening inside.
"Go back Grandpa!" Caitlin laughed as she watched her grandfather move several colors. Caitlin, Kenzie, and Edward were playing Candyland in front of the Christmas tree, Jai and Ariana were snuggling on the couch while Joan sat in a chair knitting (a skill Ariana had no idea her mother even possessed) a blanket for the baby and briefly glancing up at the movie that was playing.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Jai nudged Ariana, who was snuggled safely in his arms as they watched the holiday movie on cable. She had been awfully quiet for a long time now which was so unusual for Ariana.
"Hmm," Ariana sniffled, she had drifted away from the movie after it first started. Her thoughts about this life and her 'old' one were driving her crazy. Everything was just so overwhelming and it wearing her out big time. It was almost more than she could take, she definitely needed answers and some reassurance that everything was going to be okay.
"Are you crying?" Jai asked, he couldn't see her face, since her head was buried into his chest.
"No," she responded quickly as she sniffled once again.
"Are you drooling then? Because my shirt is a little wet," he laughed, trying to lighten the mood, he wasn't sure if she was upset or not.
"Sorry," she replied as she sat up slowly, pulling away from Jai.
"Where are you going? I was just kidding," Jai pulled her closer. "Besides that's where you fit. What's the matter baby? Are you alright?"
Ariana nodded against his chest. "I'm...I'm just..."
"What is it baby?" Jai planted a kiss on the top of her head. "You can tell me anything, you know that."
"I'm happy, so unbelievably happy, more than I've ever been in my entire life. And I'm just scared that I'm going to wake up and it will all be a dream."
"This is definitely not a dream, it's the real deal. Our family, our love, its real and its not going anywhere. You and me, we're in it for the long haul. I'm not going anywhere, I love you."
"I love you," Ariana smiled through her remaining tears. "And you're right, I'm just being silly. This day has just been kind of crazy, my mom's right I'm definitely a big ball of hormones today."
"No, you're perfect," Jai was about to kiss her head again when Ariana pulled herself up again.
"You're so good to me Jai Brooks," Ariana cupped his face in her hands. "Thank you so much for loving me," she whispered before leaning into kiss him, to show him how much he really meant to her, how much she really loved him.
It was at that moment that Caitlin decided to look up. She scrunched up her face at her parents kissing, did they always have to do that? She was about to let her presence be known when her grandmother bent down in front of her and placed a finger on her lips, shushing her. Joan smiled back at her daughter and son in law. She had heard their conversation, not that she had been eavesdropping, but they were somewhat close to her. She loved that her daughter was happy, that Jai and the girls made her so happy. All that she ever wanted for her little girl was for her to be so happy and loved. And she was.