That Last Little Spark

We were fully exhausted by the time our day was over. Kelsey and I were back in my apartment, watching TV and contemplating on whether or not to crack open a bottle of wine.

For the 15,000th time today, I scrolled through my phone to the picture of me in the wedding dress.

"Do you want that framed or something?" Kelsey rolled her eyes at me and turned up the TV.

"What? I was texting!" I shook my head.

"Liar!" she sang.

"I am not!" I replied.

"Oh come off it, Jess. You've been looking at that picture all night. Obviously you love it." she giggled. "I wonder what Bam thought." she added.

"He probably had a stroke and then called me to make sure that I wasn't buying that. I didn't send anything with the picture." I laughed.

"Have you even talked to him since he left?" she asked.

"No." I sighed, looking down at my nails. The dark green polish on them was chipping off.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Get real, Kelsey. There's no way that Bam and I have a chance of lasting. I'll be surprised if he shows up to the wedding. I mean it's great that I got to see him, the real him, for one night. It was amazing to kiss him one last time...but it feels like I barely know him anymore. I don't know what he does for a living, I don't know who else he knows...who's to say that he didn't leave a girl behind when he came up here? What if I'm just his city girl on the side?" I asked, looking out the window into the night.

"If he knows what's good for him, you'll be his city girl and his only girl." Kelsey pounded her fist into the palm of her other hand.

I shrugged, not being able to come up with an answer for her empty threat.

"You should invite him, and him alone, back up here to spend the weekend with you. Show him you're better than any girl he could find in West Chester." she suggested.

"But I'm sure any girl in West Chester is closer to him than I am." I shook my head and went back to watching the TV.

"Damn it, Jess!" she slammed her hand down on the glass coffee table so hard that I flinched. She was sittting ramrod straight, glaring at me in disbelief and shock.

"What?" I replied just as coldly.

"Are you really going to let him go that easy?" she asked. "Did you not see him stare at you the night we went to dinner? The man is head over heels in love with you and you're pushing him away because he lives in the state right below you? I mean, I know long distance love is a shot in the dark but you could at least try before you put yourself down and come up with excuses as to why you aren't good enough for him or why it's never going to work." she fired back. To tell the truth, her speech had me leaning away in awe.

I've seen Kelsey mad, angry, and furious, but seeing Kelsey right now was like watching The Exorcist. Her eyes were hard, no trace of humor, and angry red spots blossomed on her cheeks. She sat like she was about to lunge at me if I said another word, and her words hit me like a semi truck.

It was stupid of me, but watching Kelsey yell at me like this was interesting, and it amused me in the strangest way. Against my better judgement, I cracked a tiny smile and I thought she was going to go through the roof.

Instead, she shot to her feet and breezed past me.

"Where are you going?" I turned around.

"You know, you really are perfect for Bam: you're both afraid to fall in love with someone and you both don't listen when someone else talks! If you won't listen to me about this, you're on your own. Goodnight." she huffed, stepping out into the hallway and slamming the door behind her.