It's Really Happening

Abby laughed as she unlocked my apartment door. “I knew you being responsible was a front,” she mocked. I stopped dancing around and singing “The Take Over, The Break’s Over” to our ball of puppy fuzz and frowned. “You love him as much as I do.”

“Look at this little face!” I cried, scratching his head. “What’s not to love?”

“So he’s yours?” Josh asked, still confused about the whole things, as we walked in. “Hey, guys.” Nobody had moved, so far as I could tell, since we left. Jack was still asleep on the floor, mouth hanging open, which left the perfect opportunity to let the puppy off the leash and let him run right to him.

He whined when his face started getting licked again. “I thought you were getting rid of it!” Jack sat up, making a face at his attacker.

“I changed my mind,” I informed him, stepping over blankets, pillows, and the coffee table. “I’ve always wanted a dog and Dex is just too cute.” I sat myself down next to Zack and tugged him in for a kiss, which ended in an amusingly pleasant smack.

Amusing because Abby went, “Ew. Get a room.” and Zack was momentarily stunned. “You make fun of me for being gross all the time.”

“I know.” I beamed at her. “Which is why it’s okay. Payback.”

“Moving along,” Alex said, rolling his eyes from the floor, “Dex?”

“Dexter!” Abby said happily. “Hooray!”

Rian laughed and shook his head. “Only you would name your puppy after a murdering sociopath, Eris,” he said.

I pointed at Abby. “It was her idea! If I named him, it’d be Machiavelli or something.”

“You do give everything weird names,” Zack agreed.

“I can’t help being awesome,” I argued loftily. Then my serious demeanor went right out the window because Dexter was trying to chew on Alex’s hat. “Aww!”

“So what’s the story here?” Josh asked, watching the other guys play with Dexter. “When did you get a puppy?”

“This morning?” Abby smiled hopefully. He chuckled.

I shook my head. “Long story short, your fiancé has no impulse control and Alexander can’t say no to anything cute.” I glared at him.

“That’s not true,” he protested. “I say no to Jack all the time.”

The room erupted in laughter, though we just as suddenly shushed each other since my roommates were probably still sleeping. We were all entertained by playing with and watching Dexter explore my living room, except for Jack who was still more than a little salty about his wake-up call. So muttering about the “dumb dog” he got up and shuffled into my kitchen.

After a moment, he came back out and stared at me blankly. “You have no food in your place,” he informed me grimly.

“Course not,” I replied simply, smiling. “If I did, you slackers would eat it all.” Zack gave me a surprised look and laughed. I heard my name being called quietly from down the hall and stood up. “Hold that thought.”

I skipped down the hall and slid to a stop in front of Mandy’s door, open a crack. “What is up, my reclusive med-school friend?”

“Who are all those people?” she asked, poking her head out into the hall.

“Just some friends,” I replied, glancing back down the hallway. “My friend Abby, her fiancé. My boyfriend, his bandmates.”

“They can’t stay here again.” My eyebrows rose. So long as we stayed out of her way, Mandy usually didn’t mind my having people over. “They make noise and they stay up late and they smell.”

I laughed. “Well apart from that last one, I do all those things.” I shrugged. “But if you want them out, okay. They’re cramping my living space anyway.” I started back down the hall and she started to close her door, but I stopped. “Except the blonde one. He’ll be showing up sometimes.”

“Breakfast,” Rian said when I came back. “We’re hungry and you don’t have food.”

I shrugged. “Kay, but first you’re putting away all these blankets and shit.”

“Why?” Alex asked, looking up from tying his shoes. “You’re kicking us out?”

“No, my roommate is,” I corrected, nudging Jack with my foot repeatedly to make him get up. “That way I have no remorse!”

“Even me?” Abby asked, holding Dexter up next to her face and pouting. Dex whined, squirming to get down.

I laughed, rolling up the sleeping bag Zack had used. “No, you get to stay. You don’t smell.” Which caused a bunch of protests that they didn’t smell. And Abby and I called them all liars. “You’re also somewhat of an exception,” I said, slipping my arms around Zack.

He smiled. “Somewhat?” he repeated.

“Well, you still have to get a hotel. But you get to come over whenever you want.” I kissed him lightly on the lips and smiled. “Or when I want.”

“So… all the time?”

“Makes it sound like there’s little point in leaving, huh?” I beamed, making Zack laugh. But sadly before I got another kiss, Jack asked where the hell they were supposed to put everything, which reminded me that we were in my living room with six other people. All of whom would mock us relentlessly for being quote “an adorable couple.”

I don’t know what Abby found adorable about two people who could probably independently find employment as bouncers at strip clubs, but hey, adorable is not my forte. Jack and Rian just called us disgusting.

So we went out for breakfast (or lunch since burgers were ordered) at a café in the marina where we could sit outside and not have to tie Dexter up far away. After that, we wandered around the city some more; I don’t think the guys got to see San Francisco much when they passed through, and they had a native to show them all the good shit natives know.

The guys picked a hotel within walking distance of my apartment and I had to ditch everyone there to run back to my place so I wasn’t late for work. I probably didn’t do a great job—I know I cut myself once or twice—because my mind was on other things. The thrill of hanging out with everyone. Finally getting a puppy. Seeing my boyfriend. Abby and Josh getting married. The stupid stories everyone had filled me in on.

…The wedding. I hadn’t been to a wedding since I was a kid, and mostly it was for friends of my parents. So two of my good friends tying the knot… I almost couldn’t wrap my head around it. People got boring when they got married, but I couldn’t see Abby or Josh getting boring.

I remember the first time I’d met Josh. After months of Abby talking about this boy who, despite them dancing around each other for-fucking-ever, had finally asked her out, I decided I was too impatient for her to introduce us. His band was conveniently on tour at the time, so I bought myself a ticket to the nearest show.

I did, however, tell Abby I was going to do some espionage and possibly accost her boyfriend. She processed this information and decided to tell Jimmie and Dave and Matt and Mike and not Josh I was coming. I never did well meeting people, but musicians at least I had some ground with.

Friends’ boyfriends… were different. And Josh was… well, special, in a weird, awkward, flippy-hair-bouncing-around-the-stage sort of way. After their show, I found the others, introduced myself, and skirted around actually talking to Josh. I watched him talk to fans, convince and beg people to buy merch, and sneak away to get drinks. But the one thing I noticed was that when I caught his eye and waved, he kept looking back over people’s heads.

Then Jimmie dragged me over to talk to him finally (after he bought me a drink) and we stood around awkwardly for a few minutes before I mentioned I was Abby’s friend. I don’t remember exactly what we talked about after that, but I think I threatened to break his legs if he hurt her.

But he bought me a beer afterwards, so I guess I didn’t make too bad of an impression.

As I mopped up the kitchen after closing, I wondered about all the planning and work that went into a wedding. I laughed to myself, knowing that Josh and Abby probably hadn’t decided anything, and then smiled amiably at the pair of waitresses who stopped to stare at me.

Whatever, the majority of people I met thought I was loony anyway.

The next morning I called the hotel and asked for Josh Withenshaw’s room. I hoped, as they put me on hold, that he didn’t use a fake name and they believed I was his sister. No reason they wouldn’t; they had as good an idea as I did if Josh had a sister.

“Hello?” Abby’s voice came through the receiver quietly, and the knot in my stomach loosened.

“Morning, Abigail,” I greeted cheerfully, sipping my tea. “How’re you?”

“…I don’t like your insinuating tone.”

I grinned widely. “Well, I had a good night. But probably not as good as yours.”

“…Shut up, Eris,” she laughed. Grumbling sounded in the background. “It’s Eris, she’s being a butt.”

I laughed and went to put my mug in the dishwasher. “I love you too, Abby.”

“Why didn’t you call my cellphone?” she asked.

“Because this is more fun, bothering you and waking up your boyfriend. Listen, I’ve got class this morning, but do you wanna meet me for lunch, be all girly, and talk about wedding nonsense?”

There was a pause, in which I went in search of my shoes. “You’re really into this stuff, aren’t you?” Abby scoffed. “And here I thought you had no feminity.”

I pinned my phone to my ear with my shoulder and tugged on my shoe. “So I’m wrong in assuming you and your waifish beau have done jack shit in planning this thing?” I retorted innocently.

Another pause. “I kind of hate you when you’re right,” Abby told me. Then she laughed. “And Josh hates you too.”

“You’ll both get over it. I’ll meet you at my place at one?”

“Nah, I’ll be over there in a few minutes. I wanna see what you do when you’re supposed to be paying attention in class.”

I shrugged. “Play solitaire, mostly. See you in a bit, love.”

Abby met me in the lobby—there were a lot of stairs up to my apartment— and we took the light-rail through the city to school. I didn’t want to take her on a tour (it would have bored her anyway) so I just pointed out buildings as we passed on the way to the creative arts building, where I spent nearly all my time.

We sat through my first two classes, and she probably paid slightly more attention than I did, which was next to none seeing as we were reviewing for a test and watching a video. But she did enjoy my third class, which wasn’t so much a class as help the Broadcasting majors in the studio for the college radio station time.

Then I gracefully blew off people who wanted to study in order to go to eat sushi with Abby and do things I could actually use in real life. Though, really, I had zero intention of becoming a wedding planner.

“So,” I said as we sat on my living room floor with chopsticks. We’d swung by the grocery store on the way home and not only bought lunch, but also food for the house and necessaries for Dexter, who was happy for the puppy chow. I wasn’t lying about the guys eating my food.

“So,” she replied, chewing. I pursed my lips in thought for a minute before climbing to my feet and retrieving a blank notebook and a pen. I pulled the Sharpie from my pocket and scrawled WEDDING SHIT across the front. “Classy. Do you always have a Sharpie?”

I stared at her blankly. “… Why wouldn’t I?” I asked curiously. Abby laughed, shaking her head. “Whatever! Let’s start with basics. When?”

Now it was her turn to look blank. “Uh…”

“…okay. How about where?”

“…the West Coast?”

I shut my eyes and sighed. “Abby…”

“I know, I know!” she groaned, throwing down her chopsticks and making Dexter yip. I scratched him behind the ears until he trotted over to his new bed and flopped down. “It’s just… I don’t care right now! I’m still excited about the idea and don’t want to think about specifics right now.”

I couldn’t help laughing. “Okay, okay,” I reasoned, beginning to write. “How about the guest list? That’s pretty theoretical, right?”

Abby nodded prompted. “Well, there’s my parents… his parents… siblings, aunts and uncles…” I scribbled all these down dutifully. “…You have really neat handwriting.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m surprised you can see it from there.”

“Are you calling me blind?”

“Yes. Now who else?”

Abby was quiet for a long time as she sat across from me, thinking. I waited, staring at her until she sighed. “…I’ll call Josh,” she muttered, pulling out her phone. I snorted as she scrolled down to his number. Abby set it on speaker and put her phone on the table between us. “I can tell you, we’re not inviting every band they’ve ever toured with.”

“The bar bill would be astronomical,” I observed wonderingly as the line rang.

“Hey, baby,” Josh greeted in that I’m-talking-to-my-girlfriend tone that always makes me gag.

“Don’t make that face at me, Weston,” Abby rebuked as I made choking and retching noises.

“…Is that Eris? Am I on speaker?”

“Hello, Joshua,” I said with a grin, “And yes, you are. We’re being advantageous in terms of your nuptial devising.”

“Huh?” Josh grunted in confusion. I beamed wider and Abby rolled her eyes.

Abby leaned onto the table. “We’re doing wedding planning,” she translated.

“Oh. Well, why didn’t you just say so?” Abby glared at me when I laughed. “So… what do you need me for?”

“Josh, whom do you want to invite?” I asked quickly before she could begin to get angry. I wanted to say, Come on, dude, use your damn brain and at least pretend you care.

“Um…family?” I put down my pen and smacked my forehead.

“You are so helpful,” Abby laughed.

“Well, I don’t know!” Then in the background we heard, “You’re inviting us, dude!”

I raised an eyebrow across the table. “We are now in a dual conference call,” I announced as the guys started shouting out people to invite. I wasn’t sure who Abby and Josh were agreeing with, so I just wrote down everyone.

Only, the guys tended to go off on tangents, so we went from the guest list to exotic locations to ideas for reception entertainment. And naturally, each other was more ridiculous than the last.

“Dude!” Jack yelled at one point. “You should get an elephant!” Abby and I cocked our heads at each other during the laughter. “Seriously! It’s like scenery, only you can ride it and feed it peanuts and shit!”

“Jack, they’re not renting an elephant for their wedding,” I stated reasonably, having abandoned writing around the time Alex suggested cage dancers.

“…But I like elephants…” Josh said with a sad whine.

“Don’t encourage him!” Abby argued.

I shut my notebook and leaned onto my fist. “Well, this is getting nowhere. At least we have a few months…” I sat up straight. “…Right?”

“Yeah,” Josh laughed. “I mean, we have a tour coming up, so we should probably wait until after… right, baby?”

Abby shrugged, and I slid my hand over my face. “This is going to take forever, isn’t this?” I predicted.

“Yes, yes it is,” Zack answered.