My Calamity

Patrick was not going to kiss me.

Patrick was not asking me out on a date.

There was nothing going on between Patrick and me.

The words of reassurance calmed me down enough to defend myself against my mother and sister's accusations of what Patrick and I were doing in the house alone, but they did nothing to soothe me to sleep that night.

I feared I'd look like a zombie for the wedding but that didn't help me get to sleep either, so I hoped I'd look bad enough for my mom to grant me lenience and not take me.

But at eleven in the morning she was in my room, when I'd finally fallen into a partially asleep state, talking about the wedding. I couldn't decipher her sentences, but her incessant nudging on my side was annoying enough to get me to acknowledge her.

"Far too early to get ready for wedding," I mumbled, almost incoherently.

"Were you not listening to anything I just told you? The wedding was called off."

That caught my attention.

"Are you serious?" I sat up, and rubbed at my eyes, though I hadn't been asleep long enough to collect sleep in my eyes. "I knew they wouldn't last, but wow, I expected them to actually go through with the marriage."

"They're not breaking up," mom snapped. "The wedding's being postponed. The weather reports say heavy rain tonight, and Sara doesn't want to take a chance."

"Well that's what she gets for wanting a beachside wedding."

"Alright, I'm leaving. You're moody, I can see that. Take some Midol."

My mouth fell open. "It isn't my time of the month!"

Mom shrugged as she backed out of my room. "Then why don't you go back to sleep and wake up on the other side of the bed?" Mom pulled open my bedroom door.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to work till four then I'm meeting Jeanine at the Country Club." Mom tried to leave again.

"Wait!" I called after her, making her stop and look back at me. "Jeanine, which Jeanine?"

"You know, Patrick's mother, Jeanine. You met her a few weeks ago at the country club," she answered easily.

"That was Patrick's mother? You hang out with Patrick's mother?"

"You hang out with Patrick."

"No, I don't. Like I said, his sister offered a ride and I invited them inside, and then his sister left. Patrick and I do not hang out."

Mom sighed. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's about time you get yourself a boyfriend, and Patrick is a lovely boy. Not like that Jackson Ryder kid. Now he is trouble."

"For the last time, Patrick and I equal not happening. And the only reason I had Jackson over last year was because we had a project. God! Go to work!"

Mom laughed. "I'll see you later tonight."

I watched her leave before climbing out of my bed, and slamming my bedroom door behind her. I was going to get some sleep, darn it.

☼

I was asleep for maybe three more hours when I was awoken by the doorbell. Now, I had a thing about answering phones because I hated having to deal with people that work for my mom. The same went for the door and a good portion of the time it was somebody for my mom. So I decided I'd let Adele deal with it.

The third time the doorbell rang, I realized, with great agitation that it was Saturday and the housemaid was off on the weekends so that meant I had the pleasure of meeting this no doubt aggravated person.

Sighing, I climbed out of bed and crossed the room to my bathroom where I quickly brushed my teeth and the knots out of my hair before descending the stairs on the fourth ring.

I pulled the front door open. "Yes?"

"I was beginning to think no one was home."

The sun outside my house was blinding, and it cast a glare on Patrick's beautiful face that had me squinting. "Patrick? What are you doing here?" To say I was shocked just wouldn't cover it up.

Patrick smiled this easy-going grin, making my heart pick up. "Are you busy? Like now?"

"No, but—"

"Great, we're going to the beach then."

"I just woke up."

Patrick pushed past me into the house. 'I can wait."

God damn you, Patrick O'Connell.