“They just want to help, Erica.” Alexa tried to sweet talk her way over into my cubicle, past the guys.
“I know, but I want it to be perfect, Alexa.” I turned around to look at everyone who stood around me. These people were my family and friends that I wanted there at my wedding, and here I was, trying to push them away.
“We know you do. That’s why we want to help,” Lilly spoke up and she moved toward me, taking one of my hands in hers. “Just tell us what you need, what you don’t, and we’ll make it happen.”
“I feel like this is a repeat of your wedding.” I laughed at Lilly, thinking about how we had set everything up for her just like I was wanting to do for Chase.
“Trust me.” She looked from me back at our friends. “It’s nothing like that wedding. This wedding will be simple. It will be all you, wherever you want it, in whatever dress you want, and with the man you’ve always wanted.”
“Erica.” It was Greg who stepped toward me this time. “I might have secretly planned mine and Lilly’s second wedding, but it will be nothing like yours and Chase’s, and I’ll tell you why.”
Greg got down on his knees and looked me in the eyes.
“You aren’t down on your knees begging for forgiveness, or trying to deceive Chase into marrying you.” Greg chuckled and I laughed a little at the shenanigans Lilly and Greg went through to get here today, happily married. “You and Chase want to get married. Chase has already proposed, so what’s the harm in a quick wedding that you know you both will love, because don’t doubt for one second that if this were him we would be doing the exact same.”
“Except, your wedding would probably be tomorrow.” Jack added and all of us burst into laughter. It was true. If it were up to Chase, we would probably get married tomorrow, but I think he knew I wanted to do something special, just for us.
“I’m thinking in a few weeks, so still just as crazy.” I shook my head, thinking of all the things I would need to get done by then, plus all the work I had to do.
“That’s what we are here for,” Max spoke up and had an arm around Alexa. They were all there as a pact and I knew I was going to have to have every single one of them here with me in order to get this all done in the time frame I wanted to. I didn’t want to kill myself over this, but I also knew realistically that I would be able to accomplish this in just a few weeks.
“It’s settled!” Alexa clapped her hands together again in excitement. “We’re planning a wedding!”
Chase
I pulled up to Jack’s apartment not long after leaving my parents’ house. If how tonight went was any indication of how every night from now on would go, I probably wasn’t bringing Erica around my parents anymore. I had finally told my father about publishing my own book of poetry and he all but threw me out of the house, and I only say that because I walked out before he could.
My father had tolerated my writing as a hobby and when I got the job at The Ink Well, he stood by it only because I wasn’t doing the writing, and was a fourth of the business. He considered it a wise investment in my future, but never expected for me to last this long. He brought up me coming to one of his next meetings to learn the ins and outs of the political world and had even set up for me to shadow the current Mayor of Atlanta for a week.
I declined faster than I probably should have, in order to not start a fight, but I wasn’t giving in to my father. I loved to write and wanted nothing to do with politics. I’m pretty sure I only brought up the poetry book because I wanted to piss him off even more and I know I did more damage than I anticipated.
The deep crimson color my father’s face turned spoke more than any words could. I pushed away from the desk he had me sitting in front of, walked out, and never looked back. I didn’t even turn around when my mother yelled my name. I called Jack when I reached my car to let him know I needed to let off a little steam, since Erica was with Lilly and Alexa for a girls’ night, which was code for pizza and movies. I definitely needed a guys’ night tonight. Booze and any action or horror film we could find.
“What the hell happened now?” Jack asked when he opened the door. Greg was already there, so Max shouldn’t have been far behind me.
“Don’t ask.”
“Trouble in paradise?” Greg winked at me and smirked.
“Shut it.”
“Don’t be a dick, Chase.” Max walked into the apartment before Jack could close it behind me.
“It’s my father.”
“What now?” Jack handed me a beer with his question and I made my way to the couch where Greg was sitting. Soon it was all of us in a circle, and I wondered if this was how the girls were right now, huddled together, gossiping.
“I told him about the poetry book I want to publish.” The guys had known about this idea for a while now, but I had never taken the next step to do anything about it. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was too scared, or because I wanted Erica to be a part of it, more than she already was.
The book was filled with poems about our life together, our journey to where we got to, but something still felt off about it, maybe because our journey wasn’t quite over with.
“I’m assuming he didn’t like that,” Max said.
“You would assume correct.” I took a swig of my beer and held it in my hand. My eyes focused on the lip of the bottle, remembering the argument we had gotten into. How my father had told me he had given me everything, so why couldn’t I just give him this legacy of following his footsteps. I thought back to the day he’d met Erica and how my father had seemed different. I thought things were changing with us, but I was completely wrong.
“You haven’t talked about that book in a few years.” Greg added.
“I thought it was ready, but I’ve been adding new poems at least every few months, or reworking the old ones to fit the story better.”
