Count Me the Hours

"Tallulah, darling, you look fabulous!" my aunt said, approaching me the next day at Mila's bridal shower.

I smiled and thanked her before engaging in light conversation that included her asking about my job and my love life. I walked off afterwards, pushing my bangs off of my forehead, trying to locate Dree.

I found her at one of the tables, a plate of celery and carrots in front of her. I set my plate down beside hers and slid into the chair.

"There's enough food up there to feed a faimly of twelve for four weeks and all you're eating is celery?" I asked in disbelief, stabbing a grape with my fork.

"I'm eating carrots too," she said in her own defense.

"Seriously though," I started, looking over at her. "Why aren't you eating?"

"Mila said I need to cut back on what I eat," Dree admitted, staring down at her plate.

"You have got to be kidding me." I scoffed, looking over at Mila who was chatting happily with some of our extended family. "Dree, don't listen to her. She has more of a belly than you do. Eat whatever the fuck you want."

Dree blinked and nodded before, snaking her hand over to my side of the table and taking my plate which was piled high with food.

I laughed, standing up to go get another plate of food. I went back through the line getting more of what i had dad before Dree took my plate. I returned to the table to find a glass of champagne at my place and Dree was already taking sips if her own glass.

"Waiters brought them around," she said, reading my questioning expression. I shrugged, setting my plate down and picking up the glass.

We ate in silence for a while, our minds only paying attention to the plates in front of us.

"What are you and Garrett doing tonight?" Dree asked as the waiters cleared our plates.

"Not sure. Why?"

"Stephen and I are going dancing. Do you guys want to come, like a double date kind of thing?" Dree asked, toying with the hem of the table cloth.

"I'll ask him when he texts back," I said, nodding.

"What happened last night when he got home?" she questioned, wiggling her eyebrows over at me.

"He changed, got ready for bed, and kissed me. That's all."

"Ok, sure, that's all. Just like all Stephen and I did when we got home was put on our pjs and said good night." She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

I looked at her in distaste. "I really didn't want to know that, but it's true. He kissed me. And that's all the happened."

"Mhmm," she said, sounding rather ghetto fab.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" Mila asked, coming up behind me.

"Uhm, sure?" I said, slidin my chair out and following her to the less crowded end of the reception hall. "What's up?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "What did you say to John?" she asked before pursing her lips.

"Excuse me?"

"You obviously said something to him. He was fine with me doing all of the planning for the wedding and now he's decided he wants a say in what's going on," she explained, putting every ounce of attitude in her small being into what she was saying.

"What does it even matter? It's his wedding too,"

"No. It's my wedding. I make the decisions," she declared.

I couldn't hold back a laugh. "You're marrying him, so it, by all technical means, it is his wedding too."

"That doesn't mean anything. And since you got me into this whole mess of writing my own vows, you can write them for me."

"You're kidding me, right? You want me to write your vows for when you're going to marry the guy I dated for three years? I think not, that's sick."

"It's your fault I have to do this. You're writing them."

"You seriously, are the most self-centered person I've ever met. Honestly, this isn't all about you. You told Dree to watch her weight!"

"She's letting herself go," Mila said quickly.

"You know what, fuck this. Fuck this entire wedding. I don't need this," I spat at her before turning away from her, storming out of the reception hall. Mila followed me.

"I can't believe I didn't see this before!" she yelled, stopping a few yards away from my car, which I had already reached.

"What have you seen, Mila?" I questioned, not even turning to face her.

"You are completely jealous of me. It kills you that I'm marrying John, that I'm such good friends with Pat and Jared and Kennedy and Garrett! You want my life!"

"First of all, I broke up with John three years ago. I don't want him. And I don't know who you've been talking to, but all of the other guys hate you, just so you know," I shot back at her, laughing quietly.

"Just do me a favor and leave. Just go jump of a cliff or something. All you've done since you got here is mess up my plans!"

"And all you've done since I got here is boss me around, make me run errands, and now I'm supposed to write your fucking vows? I'm your sister, not your slave!" I yelled at her, my temper really starting to fade away into oblidion.

"You're also my maid of honor! You're supposed to do that stuff!"

"Like I said earlier, fuck you and this wedding!"

At that moment, my mother stormed out.

"What the hell is this? The guest of honor and my other daughter storm out, cursing up a storm? Mila, what's going on?"

"I ask her to do something simple for me and she explodes on me, calling me selfish and self-centered! Then she admits that she's jealous because I'm marrying John," Mila lied shamelessly to our mother.

"Tallulah Mae, how could you say that to her? She is your baby sister!"

"I didn't say any of that bullshit to her!" I yelled. I bit down on my lip, hard. "Fuck both of you."

"Tallulah, watch your mouth!"

"Sis, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry that you're jealous of the fact that I'm marrying John, but it's going to happen," Mila said, pulling the fake appology out of her ass.

"Good, now Tallulah, appologize to your sister," my mother instructed.

On impulse, I took a step forward and slapped my sister across the face.

"I'm sorry you have a hand print on your face and that you're such a selfish bitch," I spat at her in disgust before turning and walking back to my car.

I got in, started the engine and put it into gear, peeling out of the parking lot.

I made good time back to the house where I put all of my things in my suitcases and dragged them down the stairs beofre loading them into the trunk of the rental car.

I returned to the car and got back on the road. My eyes were burning with angry tears and it took all that I had not to drive straight to the airport.

Garrett's car was the only one in the driveway at his house. I parked the car beside his and I knocked on the door very briefly before walking in. I sprinted up the stairs, knowing where he'd be.

When he was me standing in the door way of his bedroom, he paused his Call of Duty game and stood up, dropping the controller to the sofa.

"Hey, I thought you were at the wedding shower," he said, taking a few steps toward me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but as soon as I did, my face crumbled and I started to really cry.

"Hey, what is it, what's wrong?" Garrett asked rather frantically, collecting me in his arms quickly. He guided me to the bed where he pulled me into his lap, keeping his arms around me tightly. "It's okay," he told me quietly, kissing the top of my head.

I sobbed, my face pressed to the skin of his neck and the collar of his shirt as I latched my arms around his neck, leaning against him.

My hair, which I'd spent half an hour curling perfectly, was now a poofy mess after being wind blown in the car. I probably had mascara cascading down my cheeks, staining his collar.

He rubbed his hand over my back soothingly. He gathered the mass of my hair and pulled it off the back of my neck, toying with it a bit as he held me.

"I can't do this, Gare," I said fifteen minutes later when I was finally able to stop crying.

We continued to sit there, me in his lap. His arms stayed tightly around me, sheilding me from the outside world. My face was buried in his neck and when I'd take deep breaths, trying to calm myself, I could smell the spicy scent of his soap.

"What happened, sweetie?" he asked quietly, his lips pressed to my hair.

"At the bridal shower, Mila and I got into it. She said that I'm jealous of her, that I always have been and all this other bullshit. Mom followed us outside and Mila gave me this fake apology and I slapped her across the face. I went back to the house and got all of my stuff and came here," I explained, resting my head on his shoulder.

He sighed, sounding like he was trying to hold back a laugh. "Great job, Tallulah," he teased.

"It's not funny," I grumbled, my eyes filling with tears again. "I don't want to stay here, I want to go home."

"Don't leave me," he whispered, tightening his arms around me.

We remained silent and I slid out of Garrett's arms. As soon as I took a step away from him, he stood up abruptly.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked quickly.

"I hate dresses," I muttered, grabbing one of his t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants out of his dresser. "These are clean, right?"

"They should be," he said with a shrug. He stretched before returning to the bed, laying down.

I stepped into the bathroom to change quickly, gladly shedding the dress and replacing it with the comfort of his clothes.

I glanced in the mirror and realized how bad I actually looked. My eyes were red and swollen, my mascara everywhere. My hair looked wild and messy and I really didn't care. I gathered it all up and tied tied the elastic, which I always kept on my wrist, around the mass of curls.

When I returned to his room, Garrett looked like he was already half asleep. I smiled, climbing into the bed with him.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked quietly, sliding his arm around my waist. I nodded wordlessly and he smiled. "Good."

I smiled and leaned forward enough to press my lips to hisWhen I pulled away he sighed.

"What is it?" I asked quietly, pushing his hair off his forehead.

He frowned and bit his lip. "I want to be with you. Like, dating wise. I've liked you for the longest time, really I have. You're everything I want," he admitted, a blush rising up his neck.

I couldn't hold back a smile and a blush of my own. I slid closer to him, burying my face in his neck.

A while later, I jolted awake and found myself alone in the bed. I yawned, sliding out of the bed and left the bedroom. I found Garrett down stairs in the kitchen searching through the refridgerator.

"Hey," I said quietly, tightening my ponytail.

"Hey," he repeated, smiling at me. "Dree called and said something about going dancing with her and Stephen?"

"Yeah, she mentioned it at the shower. We don't have to go if you don't want to," I shrugged, sliding into one of the seats at the island.

"We can go. In fact, Dree's on her way right now to pick you up," Garrett explained, standing between my legs.

"For what?" I asked as his fingers laced through mine.

"She said something about getting you ready for tonight, I don't know."

"Oh, god, why did you agree to that?" I groaned, rolling my eyes.

"She said she was going to make you look babelicious," he joked, smiling. Before I could respond, he leaned in and kissed me. We kissed three times before he pulled away at the sound of a door opening before slamming shut.

"There is another person in the house! Put clothes on!" Dree yelled before walking into the kitchen, removing her sun glasses. "Oh, hey."

"Was that really necessary?" I hissed at her, sliding out of the chair.

"Well, you never know. Trust me, there have been about a dozen instances where I really wish people had announced themselves upon their arrival," she said with a bit of a laugh. I grimaced in distaste before she grabbed my arm. "Time to go."

"Wait, I need to get shoes and my phone and my other stuff," I protested, standing my ground.

"Well, hurry up," she said with a sigh, releasing my arm.

I ran quickly up the stairs and straight to Garrett's room. As I was fastening the straps of my sandals, Garrett entered the room, sliding his arms around my waist tightly.

"I stalled her a bit I think," he told me, brushing his lips over mine.

"I don't even want to know how you managed that," I teased with a laugh, kissing him fully. We kissed until Dree yelled up the stairs to hurry up.

"I'll see you in a few hours, babe," Garrett said, kissing me a final time. I smiled, running out of the room.

Dree and Stephen's apartment wasn't far from Garrett's house, only a ten minute drive. As soon as we arrived, she ordered me to get a shower, instructing me on which shampoo, conditioner, and soap to use.

After my shower, I dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top that Dree had handed me and she blow dried my hair before spending the next half an hour straightening every piece of hair.

I straightened my hair often, but with my straightener that I'd bought at Target. Dree's straightener though cost in the neighborhood of two hundred dollars. My hair was completely sleek and I had to admit, it looked pretty damn good.

"These are a bit big on me, so they'll be perfect on you," Dree said, pulling a pair of jeans out of her drawers and handing them to me. We walked over to her closet and she flipped through a bit before selelcting a tank top for me to wear. She opened he lingerie drawer and pulled out a bra and handed it to me. "For support," she claimed.

I returned to the bathroom and changed, making sure not to mess up my hair. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Dree was outside waiting.

"Dayum," she said when I stepped out. "You're keeping all of that, I hope you realize."

I started to protest when I caught my reflection in the mirror. The jeans fit perfectly and the tank top rested in all the right places. I looked really damn good.

"Here," she said, handing my a pair of gold sandals and a set of earrings.

She spent the next twenty minutes getting my make up to be flawless and by the end, I looked totally different.

"I'm pretty sure, put together, this outfit costs as much as my rent," I commented, toying with the ends of my hair, which was much longer now.

"Either way, Garrett is going to do bad things to you tonight," Dree teased, nudging me with her elbow. Even under the foundation, one could easily see my blush. I tried to think of a response, but failed.

Stephen appeared in the door way, knocking on the door jam. "Damn girl, if I wasn't already in bed with this slice, those clothes would be ripped to shreads," he commented, much to my horror. Even Dree didn't look too pleased with that. "What, too much?" Stephen asked,
raising an eyebrow.

"A little," Dree muttered, pursing her lips. Stephen laughed it off and disappeared again. "Garrett's on his way," she told me, looking at her phone.

"Are you going to get ready?" I asked, looking her over.

"I'm just going to change and do something with my hair. I've already got my man, so I don't have to worry about getting fancied up," she said with a shrug. I smiled, still fiddling with my hair.

When Garrett arrived, Dree handed me a blanket. "He's not allowed to see you until we get to the club," she explained. I scoffed, but wrapped the blanket around myself.

"This is kind of ridiculous," I muttered as Dree and I slid into the backseat of Garrett's car while Stephen sat shotgun. Garrett looked back at me through the rear view mirror and I could see the corners of his mouth upturn.

"Where am I going?" Garrett asked, pulling out of the driveway. Dree gave him directions and we were on our way.