Sequel: I'm All Yours Somehow ›
Status: Finished. :')
Count Me the Hours
PREFACE.
The sound of my Blackberry vibrating on the table frightened me, making me jump. It vibrated again three seconds later and I sighed, putting down my spoon down to reach for it. Looking at the Caller ID, my nose crinkled and I pressed ignore.
I picked up my spoon again, going back to my soup. I sifted on the vinyl seat of the diner, the bare skin of my thighs sticking slightly.
Twenty minutes later, I found myself sitting on the subway, heading home. I pushed my hair out of my eyes, picturing my bed. I searched through my bag for my notepad and looked over the notes I'd taken that day at work. I had two pieces due in Friday, but all I could think about was sleeping.
When I walked into my tiny apartment, nearing eleven o'clock, I was greeted by my answering machine, blinking the number seven.
“They finally stopped called twenty minutes ago,” my roommate, Sarah, said, sitting on the couch, her laptop in her lap.
“Mila called my cell awhile ago. I sent her to voice mail,” I told her, kicking off my heels and dropping my bag on the counter.
“Maybe you should call them. Your mom said it was really important,” she suggested, shrugging.
“Who knows, maybe Dad's in jail again,” I said with a scoff. I pressed the delete button on the answering machine, not even bothering to listen to the messages. I located my phone and dialed my sister's number.
“Lu!” she answered excitedly, without a hello. I hate when people do that.
“Hi, Mila,” I responded awkwardly.
“So, guess what!” she exclaimed.
“What?” I asked bluntly.
“I'm getting married!” she yelled into the phone loudly. I held it away from me and it still left my ears ringing.
I was so shocked, I couldn't even respond.
“It's amazing, isn't it!” Mila laughed excitedly.
“Yeah,” I was able to choke out.
“I know, right!” She paused before continuing. “Okay, so the wedding is three weeks from Saturday. We need you here ASAP for the engagement party, the bridal shower, dress fittings, and all of that good stuff. By the way, you're my maid of honor. We've already found you a dress, it's gorgeous. It'll make you look skinny!”
“Wait, Mila, I'm not going to the wedding. I have a job,” I said, stopping her.
“Lu, I need you there! C'mon, just because things won't be about you for once doesn't mean you can blow it off. I'm your baby sister! And besides, all you do is write for work anyways. You can do that anywhere.”
“You don't need me there. And how are you getting married? I didn't even know you were dating anyone.”
“Well, it was a short courtship,” she said was a bit of a nervous laugh. “We've been friends for a long time though.”
“How long did you guys date, Mila?” I asked, dropping into an arm chair. I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on.
“Three weeks,” she finally admited. I let out a laugh. “Come on, Lu, can't you just do this for me. I need you to be my maid of honor!”
“You really must be desperate if you're asking me to do this,” I said with a scoff.
“I really am, so please, do this for me,” she begged.
Wow, I didn't know she could sound that sincere.
I let out a sigh of defeat. “Fine, fine. I'll be there. I'll be your freaking mid of honor. Now, will you please tell me who is going to be my brother-in-law in four weeks?”
“You can't be mad, okay?”
“I won't be mad, just tell me who the poor bastard is.”
“It's John,” she said quietly.
I could have exploded. Hell, I wanted to. If possible, I wold have reached through the phone and strangled her. I would have choked her with her own bottle blonde hair. I wanted to smother her with one of her Louis Vuitton purses and stab her with one of her patent leather stilettos.
She was marrying my high school boyfriend. Of course she was.
“You said you wouldn't be mad!” she interjected after a minute of silence.
“I'm not mad,” I lied, “I'm just surprised.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I'm gonna go. Can you make it here by Friday?”
“I'd have–“
“Great, see you then!”she said, hanging up.
I looked over at Sarah, trying to resist the strong urge to hurl my phone against the wall.
“How's the family?” she asked, not even looking up from her laptop.
“My little sister is getting married. She's twenty years old and is getting married to my ex boyfriend of three years. They've been dating for three weeks and the wedding is in three. I'm the maid of honor because she has no other friends that she hasn't screwed over.” I paused, taking a deep breath. “Oh my god, I belong on Jerry Springer.”
“That's fucked up,” Sarah said, blinking once.
“Thanks for pointing that out.” I draped one arm over my eyes and gave her a thumbs up.
I picked up my spoon again, going back to my soup. I sifted on the vinyl seat of the diner, the bare skin of my thighs sticking slightly.
Twenty minutes later, I found myself sitting on the subway, heading home. I pushed my hair out of my eyes, picturing my bed. I searched through my bag for my notepad and looked over the notes I'd taken that day at work. I had two pieces due in Friday, but all I could think about was sleeping.
When I walked into my tiny apartment, nearing eleven o'clock, I was greeted by my answering machine, blinking the number seven.
“They finally stopped called twenty minutes ago,” my roommate, Sarah, said, sitting on the couch, her laptop in her lap.
“Mila called my cell awhile ago. I sent her to voice mail,” I told her, kicking off my heels and dropping my bag on the counter.
“Maybe you should call them. Your mom said it was really important,” she suggested, shrugging.
“Who knows, maybe Dad's in jail again,” I said with a scoff. I pressed the delete button on the answering machine, not even bothering to listen to the messages. I located my phone and dialed my sister's number.
“Lu!” she answered excitedly, without a hello. I hate when people do that.
“Hi, Mila,” I responded awkwardly.
“So, guess what!” she exclaimed.
“What?” I asked bluntly.
“I'm getting married!” she yelled into the phone loudly. I held it away from me and it still left my ears ringing.
I was so shocked, I couldn't even respond.
“It's amazing, isn't it!” Mila laughed excitedly.
“Yeah,” I was able to choke out.
“I know, right!” She paused before continuing. “Okay, so the wedding is three weeks from Saturday. We need you here ASAP for the engagement party, the bridal shower, dress fittings, and all of that good stuff. By the way, you're my maid of honor. We've already found you a dress, it's gorgeous. It'll make you look skinny!”
“Wait, Mila, I'm not going to the wedding. I have a job,” I said, stopping her.
“Lu, I need you there! C'mon, just because things won't be about you for once doesn't mean you can blow it off. I'm your baby sister! And besides, all you do is write for work anyways. You can do that anywhere.”
“You don't need me there. And how are you getting married? I didn't even know you were dating anyone.”
“Well, it was a short courtship,” she said was a bit of a nervous laugh. “We've been friends for a long time though.”
“How long did you guys date, Mila?” I asked, dropping into an arm chair. I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on.
“Three weeks,” she finally admited. I let out a laugh. “Come on, Lu, can't you just do this for me. I need you to be my maid of honor!”
“You really must be desperate if you're asking me to do this,” I said with a scoff.
“I really am, so please, do this for me,” she begged.
Wow, I didn't know she could sound that sincere.
I let out a sigh of defeat. “Fine, fine. I'll be there. I'll be your freaking mid of honor. Now, will you please tell me who is going to be my brother-in-law in four weeks?”
“You can't be mad, okay?”
“I won't be mad, just tell me who the poor bastard is.”
“It's John,” she said quietly.
I could have exploded. Hell, I wanted to. If possible, I wold have reached through the phone and strangled her. I would have choked her with her own bottle blonde hair. I wanted to smother her with one of her Louis Vuitton purses and stab her with one of her patent leather stilettos.
She was marrying my high school boyfriend. Of course she was.
“You said you wouldn't be mad!” she interjected after a minute of silence.
“I'm not mad,” I lied, “I'm just surprised.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I'm gonna go. Can you make it here by Friday?”
“I'd have–“
“Great, see you then!”she said, hanging up.
I looked over at Sarah, trying to resist the strong urge to hurl my phone against the wall.
“How's the family?” she asked, not even looking up from her laptop.
“My little sister is getting married. She's twenty years old and is getting married to my ex boyfriend of three years. They've been dating for three weeks and the wedding is in three. I'm the maid of honor because she has no other friends that she hasn't screwed over.” I paused, taking a deep breath. “Oh my god, I belong on Jerry Springer.”
“That's fucked up,” Sarah said, blinking once.
“Thanks for pointing that out.” I draped one arm over my eyes and gave her a thumbs up.