In Another Life

“Remind me again,” Raina gasps, dropping the end of the mattress and leaning against the rickety wooden divider that separates my front door from my one-car garage. She winces as the pronged tips of the wrought iron gate digs into her sides. “Remind me again why we’re the ones moving all of Jeanette’s things?”

“Because we’re her best friends,” I reply simply, hanging my head backwards and cursing the sweltering heat that seems to be suffocating all of London. “And she needs our he-e-e-elp,” I stretch out my last word as we start to shuffle indoors once again.

It’s moving day for Jeanette. I have a small “bonus room”, as the realtor so aptly named it, just off of the kitchen that originally was intended as a laundry room. But since I didn’t have a car and I did have a garage, Tad moved the washer and dryer units into the garage and I used my bonus room for storage.

The room itself was tiny. After all, it was only meant to be a laundry room. Jeanette was going to be hard-pressed to fit her bed and her bureau inside. And she seemed to have accumulated a lot of things since she moved to London, that’s for sure.

But now since I was meant to have a roommate, I had cleared out all of my things from storage and arranged them in the tiny crawl space above the garage that I was terrified of—it was small, dark and alive with spiders. (I had refused to even look inside when touring the apartment years ago and I’d made Tad check it out for me.) But I’d conquered my fears and with a hefty stash of bug spray and Raina by my side, we’d fumigated the area and all was well.

Somehow we make it through my kitchen and twist the mattress through the doorframe before we’re able to fling it on the waiting box springs. Raina flops down tiredly onto the bare mattress and I use my knees to center everything on the springs before I join her.

“Amanda said that this was their last haul,” I respond, my eyes fluttering shut. I must be horridly out of shape, because my body aches in ways I hadn’t thought possible and all I’d been doing was moving furniture about. “And I think it’s just clothes and the random odds and ends.”

“Thank god,” She breathes before a comfortable silence drapes itself across the room. The only thing that can be heard is the drone of the cars as they drive past my apartment and the soothing whir of the air-conditioner working into over-drive out in my living room.

My own eyes drift shut and I force my breath to even out as my body slips into a dozing state. My thoughts wander over the past couple of days and I wonder just how time has managed to get away from me so quickly.

With moving Jeanette around, I’ve hardly had two seconds to myself and now that I’m finally slowing down, I can think about the past weekend. I’ve acquired a roommate and simultaneously half-kissed a prince. At the thought of Harry, my heart flutters nervously in my chest. With a half-smile tugging at my lips, I reach up and touch the corner of my mouth lightly, brushing the tips of my fingers against the soft skin there and wondering if he was able to recall that moment with as much intense vividness as I can.

Does he regret it? Is that why he’s not called?

As soon as those thoughts enter my mind, I push them away resolutely. He’s said that he’d call sometime this weekend to figure out all of the details. He hadn’t said when. It’s only Monday now. Perhaps he got caught up in work or something and he’s not yet had a chance to phone me. There are a hundred thousand reasons with as to why he’s not called me. I shouldn’t be worried.

“How do you deal with it?” Raina asks quietly, shattering the silence in the new bedroom.

My eyes flicker open and I turn my head so I can see her profile lying next to me. “Deal with what?” I ask slowly, my forehead wrinkling. “With Jeanette moving in?”

“No,” She stirs, using one elbow to prop herself up so she can look at me. “With… Harry. I mean, doesn’t it freak you out to be alone with-with a prince? I’d be too terrified that I’d say something rude or something.”

“I am,” I admit softly, studying the ceiling intently. “I’m sure he thinks I’m a blundering fool half of the time what with the way I stammer and blush and say the wrong thing.”

“Obviously not,” Raina reminds me of the impending phone call. “Especially if he’s invited you to his charity thing this week. Do you know what it is?” When I shake my head, she continues speaking. “So you’ve no idea what to wear?”

I shake my head, casting up my wardrobe in my head. I was quickly exhausting all of my outfits and my budget couldn’t afford new clothes at the moment. “No, I don’t. I don’t even really know what his charity is—he was supposed to explain all of that when he calls.”

“So he will call?” She asks, lying back down and nudging me lightly with her elbow.

I nod again, even though she can’t see me. “He said he would and I’m not about to call him up myself and bother him or whatever.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” She sighs, a lengthy pause following her words. “I do not envy you.”

With a small, secretive smile to myself, I haul myself up into a sitting position. I can hear familiar voices just outside. “Get on up, lazy bones. We have more things to move!”

I leave the room on the tail of her theatrical moan and just as I walk into the living room from the kitchen, the front door opens and Amanda’s blonde hair is just visible behind a stack of boxes.

“We’re here!” She calls out and then peers around her load and begins to laugh. “Oh sorry, didn’t see you there.”

I take the boxes from her and smile. “It’s okay. How much is left out there?”

“Just her clothes,” She replies as Jeanette enters the apartment with hangers draped over her arms. “It shouldn’t take long to bring it all in. We’ve brought dinner home, too.”

I deposit the boxes in the kitchen, just outside the door of Jeanette’s new room, and turn. “What did you bring? I’m starving.”

“I had a craving for meat,” Jeanette announces, dropping her clothes on her mattress and making a beeline for the refrigerator. “And now I want something to drink—something non-alcoholic,” She amends her sentence upon seeing my distraught face.

I realize that my concern is a bit pointless. If Jeanette scrapes together the money for this abortion, it won’t matter much to the child if she drinks or not. But still, I harbor the secret wish that my friend’ll change her mind and place the baby up for adoption or something. At least the baby can have a relatively healthy life while it’s still safe inside.

“That’s it,” Raina dumps the last box to the floor and judging by the rattle, it’s full of shoes. “I’m famished, what’s for dinner?”

Amanda appears in the kitchen doorway with a plastic bag in her grasp. “Sandwiches from Subway,” She deposits them on the counter and then sneaks a sly glance at me. “I hope that this food is fit for a future princess.”

I frown and then aim a well-placed kick in her direction, which she easily dodges, as I grab a bag. “It’s fine. My taste buds are still the same as they were last week. They’ve not changed.”

“Oh, so they’ve not become aristocratic at all? You don’t suddenly harbor secret cravings for caviar and champagne?” Amanda teases, handing a sandwich to Raina and then to Jeanette.

Jeanette laughs as she begins to unwrap her food. “No ‘Manda, that’d be me with the cravings.”

“Speaking of,” Raina pipes up as she unwraps her food and takes an enormous bite. “Have you had any weird cravings?”

Jeanette has a seat next to me and then shrugs, looking thoughtful. “No, not really. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d kill for a chocolate milkshake, but that’s normal when I’m PMSing.”

“While we’re on the subject of…” Amanda’s gaze drops down to Jeanette’s stomach, which is currently hidden behind the counter. “That, how much money do you have saved up?”

“Nearly 100 quid,” She replies quietly, her face falling. “But I’ll need to pay Amy the last month of rent, which will wipe me out completely and I’ll have to start saving up all over again.”

“How much is rent?” Amanda scrunches her nose up and pulls a piece of scrap paper towards her and grabs a pen. She begins to write down sums. “A month, I mean.”

“£175,” Jeanette replies, looking quite pained at the thought of all that money. “I need about 65 more quid to completely pay her off.”

I make a face when she’s not looking, feeling so completely helpless. All of these numbers mean that my friend’s in need of over £500. The amount of that sum is staggering to me—to all of us, I’d presume. I really don’t think any of us have ever dropped that large of a sum of money on anything in our entire lives.

“Jeanette,” I begin quietly, having a small idea about how she’ll react to my suggestion. “You know we’re always willing to give you a bit of money to help you out. It’d be better than borrowing from anyone else and having them breathe down your neck all the time, that’s all.” I hold my hands up in a truce as I see the outraged look on her face.

My friend’s shoulders slump and she sighs. “I hate borrowing money, but it’s looking like that’s what I’m going to have to do in the end. There’s no way on earth that I’ll ever be able to get that much money together. And with the new term coming up and tuition…” She trails off at the end, but we all finish her sentence in our heads. “Just give me a few more weeks, okay? That’s a last resort.”

“You’re running out of time,” Amanda reminds her gently. “Pretty soon you’ll be so far along that even a private clinic won’t help you.”

“God,” Jeanette groans, burying her face in her hands. “I know. This is awful.”

Raina silently reaches out and rubs Jeanette’s shoulder comfortingly. “We’re all here for you.”

“Let’s not talk about this tonight,” Amanda pushes her papers away resolutely. “We’re here to help you get settled in,” She address Jeanette with a wide smile and then she turns to me. “And pry you of more details about a certain ginger boy toy.”

“He is not my boy toy!” I insist, my cheeks flaming up. But my voice betrays me and cracks embarrassingly as I drop my friends’ eyes hurriedly. “He’s not,” I repeat, though I know I don’t sound nearly convincing enough.

“Oh right, and he’s just going to invite you to his charity event where he’ll be the center of attention and all eyes will be on you. No big deal,” Amanda teases, her eyes flashing merrily.

This time, I do kick her under the table and smile innocently as she shrieks her complaint. I fold my legs up under me neatly, because I know that she’ll attempt to kick me back, and then my smile widens once I realize that she is kicking in my general direction and missing my limbs entirely.

“Do you have any honey mustard?” Jeanette asks, peeling apart her sandwich and flicking off the thinly sliced onions with a look of disgust on her face. “Or any hot sauce?”

I pause, my sandwich frozen halfway to my mouth. I make a face as I think. “I have no idea. I might, but you’ll have to look through the take-away containers to find it if I do.”

“Are you sure it’s not some snooty high-brand dipping sauce that we’ve never heard of?” She teases me, pushing away from the table and using the counter to stand upright. And then she moves for the refrigerator, ignoring my cries of protest.

As she bends over and begins to rummage through the shelves, I can’t help but be drawn to the small bulge that resides over top the waistband of her sweats. And then the startling realization that that’s the baby pops into my mind. I mean, of course I knew that having a baby meant gaining weight and slowing down and whatnot. I do have four younger siblings after all. But I didn’t really put the pieces together until now.

My best friend is pregnant. There’s a baby in there and her body is starting to show that fact to the world around her. That’s a terrifying thought.

“Hello?” Jeanette sounds exasperated and I realize that it’s because she’s been saying my name repeatedly for the past couple of minutes. “Bryn, the royal phone line is ringing.”

“What are you going on about? Oh,” I drop my sandwich onto the paper wrap it came in and move to wipe my mouth. “Pick it up!” I make a move with my hands and struggle to swallow my food. “It’s probably Mum. She’s coming to London to—”

“It says Harry,” Jeanette replies, a huge smile lighting up her face.

Immediately, Amanda and Raina’s conversation stops and all of our heads swivel to the phone in Jeanette’s hand. And then everyone moves at once. I leap forward, nearly knocking over my chair in my haste to get to my mobile. Amanda is just behind me, screeching something about how she wants to speak with him, as well.

I snatch the mobile out of my friend’s hand and take off for my bedroom, bursting out into the living room and jumping up onto the sofa. I use the cushion springs as a launching pad and leap over the back of the couch before I sprint into my bedroom and slam the door shut behind me. Just as I do up the lock, I hear Amanda and Jeanette banging on the door and calling for me to open up.

I hurry into the bathroom and shut the door to drown out their voices before I hit the answer button. “H-hello?” I’m a bit out of breath and I struggle to sound calm as I repeat myself. “Hello?”

“Hello,” Harry is laughing on his end and I’m relieved that he doesn’t sound more creeped out by my breathless greeting. “Are you alright?”

I nod, even though he can’t see me. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just rushing to grab my phone. It was in my bedroom and I was in the kitchen.” I facepalm myself as I realize that he has no idea what the layout of my house is like. “Uhm, how are you?”

“I’m doing really well, thanks. I’m sorry about not calling you earlier, I’ve been really busy,” He does sound truly apologetic and it makes me smile.

I wave my hand flippantly and sit down on the side of my bathtub. “It’s okay. I know you’re busy. But I-I’m glad you did eventually,” I say shyly, feeling my cheeks heat up in an intense blush.

He laughs quietly again. “I’m glad too. I’ve been finalizing all of the details of the charity event and it’s been so hectic. Did you know I’ve had to approve the stupidest of things? Like today, I approved the fold of napkins and the mints planned for the tables. You probably had no idea that the life of a prince was so glamorous.”

“Well,” I smile to myself, biting down on my lower lip. “I’m sure the life of a prince planning a huge charity event is very glamorous. I mean, it’s not every day that one approves napkins and sweets for the masses.”

“I don’t know what princes you’re talking about, but I do it frequently,” He jokes, working hard to suppress his laughter. “It’s pretty much all I’m qualified to do.”

“Well if I ever have any napkin-folding problems or questions about dinner mints, than I’ll be sure to call you,” I propose quietly, staring down at the floor as I try to contain the smile on my face.

There’s a bit of a pause in our conversation before he speaks again. “So I was just calling about the charity event this week, it’s on Wednesday and I know it’s a bit short notice, but—”

“That’s okay,” I say immediately and then wince at how overly eager I must sound. “I-I’m on summer holiday now, so no plans really. I’m pretty much free whenever,” And then I wince again. Really, it’s like I’m trying to sound desperate and pathetic to him.

“Great,” Harry says happily. “It’s nothing really special. It’s dinner and there are some speeches and the London Theatre Group will be performing. I’ll have to make a speech, of course, but then I’m free for the rest of the evening.”

“That sounds really lovely,” I smile and dig my toes into the shag of the carpet on my bathroom floor. “I—uh, well… at Wimbledon, I-I really enjoyed the time I spent with you, but there are photographs—”

“Damn, are there?” He exhales heavily. “And here I’d thought I’d done a good job at avoiding the press. Does that bother you?”

I take a moment to answer, weighing all of the options out in my head. Truthfully, having my picture taken and then scattered across the Internet just because I was standing with Harry is a bit unnerving. But it certainly isn’t enough to deter me from seeing him again.

“Because if it does,” He’s rushing through his words and he sounds nervous and apologetic all at once. “Then you don’t have to come on Wedn—”

“No,” I interrupt him and then flush at my rudeness. “It’s just the idea that people want my picture is a bit unnerving—I mean, I’m certainly not very interesting or anything—but I’m okay with it so far. There’ve been no death threats shoved under my door, so I’m good.” I pray that he catches on to the joking tone in my voice.

Luckily for me, he does and I breathe a sigh of relief when he teases me right back. “So once you start to get death threats in the post, I’ll be sure to sever all ties with you, yeah?”

“That sounds reasonable to me,” I fire back, smiling to myself happily. “Just so we both know that we have an expiration date.”

“What are we, a chunk of meat?” Harry bursts out laughing and I can’t help but join him.

“No,” I laugh. “That’s not what I meant!”

There’s a voice in the background and I hear Harry reply before he turns his attention back to me. “I hate to cut our conversation short, but I have to go. Apparently I am needed. I’ll send a car ‘round to pick you up on Wednesday then, shall I?”

“Uh,” I blink, unaccustomed to the transportation offer. “I guess so. Do you need my address?”

“No, I have it,” He replies cheerfully. “I’ll make sure the car’s there by five.”

“Okay,” I nod my head, standing up and shifting from one foot to the other. “It was really lovely speaking with you, Harry.” I catch sight of myself in the mirror over my sink and I pull a face at myself. Honestly, could I sound any more awkward and school girlish?

“It was,” He agrees quietly. “I’ll see you Wednesday night then, Bryn.”

I nod yet again. “Okay, sounds good. Bye, Harry.”

He says goodbye and then disconnects. I stand still on the carpet and look at myself closely in the bathroom mirror. My cheeks are flushed and my hair’s a wreck, but my eyes are sparkling excitedly.

Just then, there’s an almighty bang and I turn in time to see my bathroom door get wrenched open. Both Amanda and Jeanette are standing in the doorway, their faces eager with anticipation until their gaze lands on the silent mobile in my grasp.

“What? It’s over already?” Amanda sounds disappointed as she sinks down onto my bed. “What did he want? What did he say?”

“We’re going out Wednesday evening,” I answer, smiling shyly to myself as I look at my group of friends. “He’s sending a car around about 5 o’clock and we’re going to dinner for his charity.”