Perfect Symmetry

Summer faded into fall and I embraced the change with open arms. My sweaters came out of hiding, and I folded my shorts away happily. The regular season of hockey started with no hitches, despite rumours of a lockout. The season opener at the United Center against the Vancouver Canucks was a great game, ending with a narrow victory for the Blackhawks after two minutes of overtime.

Jonathan went back to his season-dependent schedule, and we started seeing less of each other, as we expected. It was even more difficult with my own busy schedule, but we made the best of it, using whatever time we had together well.

“You know there are other aspects to a relationship other than sex,” I told Jonathan snarkily as he kissed my neck and pulled at the sleeves on my shirt eagerly.

“But this is the most important aspect,” he argued with an impish smile, pulled my shirt off.

I didn’t put up much of a fight, and I sank back into the couch and closed my eyes.

“You’ve only been gone for three days; why does this feel this good?” I groaned, kissing him deeply.

“Well then after that two week road trip in November I’m expecting amazing things,” Jonathan breathed.

I smiled, and sat up before pulling him off the couch and guiding him to my room quickly. Patrick had figured out our schedule by now, so he spent a lot of his time at Brandon Bollig’s house, especially during the evenings. He usually came home just as Jonathan was leaving, which worked out perfectly for everybody.

Jonathan was just about to pull off my shirt when the front door opened and then closed noisily.

“Jazz, I’m home! Tazer stop fondling my roommate please,” Patrick called out loudly.

Jon groaned impatiently as I sat up on my bed and fixed my hair quickly.

“I don’t see what the big deal is; I mean, he knows we’re sleeping together!” Jonathan growled as I repositioned my shirt to keep my cleavage minimal.

I laughed. “Yes, but I don’t want him to have to see or hear it,” I explained. “Just like I really don’t want to see or hear him having sex. Ever.”

“Then let’s go to my place,” he coaxed.

I glanced at the clock. “I’m meeting Hailey in ten minutes for coffee. She sounded super emotional so I have to be there for her.”

Jon frowned in concern. “Is everything okay?”

I shrugged, and got up from the bed. “That’s what I’m going to find out.”
~

I was ready after a quick refresh of my make-up, I walked out of my bathroom and into the kitchen, where Jonathan and Patrick were already sitting, sipping beers at the counter.

“Hi roomie,” Pat greeted me with a grin.

“Hey! How was that date last night with that one girl..” I scrunched up my nose trying to remember her name.

“Bethany,” he supplied. “And she was dull. But great in the sack,” he winked.

I rolled my eyes. “How lovely. Anyway, I’m off to meet Hailey so I’ll see you boys for dinner perhaps.”

“What do you mean perhaps? Does that mean I have to cook?” Patrick asked worriedly.

I pursed my lips. “Well actually, since you asked, that is exactly what that means, Pat. Good luck and I’ll see you later.”

I left the two of them standing stupidly in my kitchen and walked the few blocks over to Hailey’s usual coffee spot. It was a stark contrast to mine. My favourite coffee shop was nestled in between a bookshop and a florist, creating the best smell in the entire world. It was smaller than the average Starbucks and had a cozier, warmer feel to it. The coffee was by no means legendary, but it was better than the usual coffee giants. It had a small, inconspicuous sign so if someone wasn’t paying attention, they could walk right past it and never notice until one day when they happened to look up at the store fronts.

Hailey’s coffee place was a bustling Peet’s Coffee shop on a busy corner. There was constant pedestrian traffic by the windows and the sign was big and prominent. It was large and spacious, but always seemed to be full no matter what the time of day.

I opened the door and found it mercifully quiet for once. I realized that I had never visited a coffee shop at six in the evening before. Other people seemed to not drink coffee this late either, because there was a rare lull in the shop.

I spotted Hailey sitting at a corner table, talking on her phone quietly. I waved at her cheerfully and made my way over. As I approached her table, she smiled back.

“Mom, mom I’m going to have to call you later. Jazz just got here. Yes, I promise. As soon as I get home. I know. Thank you. I love you.” With that, she hung up and placed her phone on the table absently.

I pulled up a chair. “Hey, you didn’t have to hang up on your mom for me. I can wait.”

“No no,” Hailey insisted. “I’ll call her later. Sit down!”

“You already got me a cappuccino?” I asked in surprise as I took a seat willingly.

“Well I got here kind of early and you always order the same thing so I thought I’d take a gamble,” Hailey teased.

I frowned. “I do not always get the same thing.”

“You’ve been ordering cappuccinos for as long as I’ve known you, sweetie. Now come on, take a sip and let’s talk,” she said briskly.

I lifted the mug to my lips and took a tentative sip. Hailey did the same, waggling her eyebrows at me as she did.

“What are you doing, weirdo?” I asked with a chuckle.

She rolled her eyes and folded her hands in front of her.

“Isn’t this table nice?” Hailey commented, running her hand back and forth along the width of the table.

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Uh, sure?”

Hailey sighed in frustration before taking her right hand and shoving it close to my face. It took my eyes a few seconds to focus on the giant rock on her ring finger.

“Hailey...is that what I think it is?” I gulped.

She nodded, her eyes bright. “Brent asked me to marry him. I’m engaged!”

My mouth went dry and I squealed, leaping out of my seat to embrace her. She laughed and I kissed her cheek happily.

“Hailey this is fantastic!” I cheered. Then several thoughts crossed my mind and before I could stop myself, I was blurting out, “how far along are you?”

Hailey froze. “Who told you? It must have been Brent, fuck it. I knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut.”

I gasped. “You mean you really are pregnant? That was supposed to be a joke!”

“You need to learn how to phrase a joke, Jazz. Because that did not sound like a fucking joke to me!” Hailey accused. She was smiling, and tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. “I’m just about two months gone,” she whispered. “I told Brent last week, and he proposed this morning.”

“Two months, wow!” I whispered, hugging her again. “It’ll have to be a quick wedding.”

“December first,” Hailey continued. “It’ll be small. But you’ll be there of course, which means Jonathan. And Duncan will be there too. Oh god the whole bloody team is going to want to come!”

I sat her back down and ordered her another lemonade and we sat there, talking about the exciting new life she was starting and the new life growing inside of her.
~

“She’s pregnant?” Jon and Patrick both repeated stupidly when I told them the news.

I nodded with a grin. “There is a fetus growing inside of her uterus!”

Both boys cringed. “Gross,” Pat groaned.

“If the miracle of life disgusts you, why don’t you tell your mother that?” I retorted coolly.

Jonathan rubbed his temple. “I can’t believe Seabs is going to be a dad. It had better be a boy, for everyone’s sake.”

“You don’t think Brent could handle a girl?” I asked curiously.

“No, I know Brent can’t handle a girl,” he assured me with a smile.

I rolled my eyes. “Well whichever it is, it’s going to be hard work.”

“You think they’re up for it?” Pat asked, wide-eyed.

I shrugged. “I think they’re going to have to be.”

Both of them looked shocked, as if realizing for the first time that sex could actually lead to a baby, which meant a whole lot of responsibilities. Patrick looked like he was having a mild heart attack, and Jonathan was looking at his toes very intensely.

“Just remember to do your part to be safe,” I was speaking to Patrick mostly, but my eyes were on my fingernails.

“I have it covered,” Jonathan blurted, obviously thinking I was referring to him.

“Pun intended,” Pat added with a sly grin.
~

“So is this a wedding shower of a baby shower?” Jonathan asked curiously as we walked briskly to the outdoor flower market just a few blocks away from Hailey and Brent’s apartment. We were just a tad bit late, and I glanced at my watch briefly.

“Wedding shower,” I snapped. “No one really officially knows she’s pregnant. You haven’t been telling people, have you?”

Jonathan looked sheepish. “I haven’t, but I can’t speak for Kaner.”

I groaned. “Text him now. I told you guys weeks ago; God knows how many people know today.”

Jonathan pulled out his phone and I saw his fingers moving rapidly as he fired off a text. It was only a few seconds before there was a reply.

“He says he hasn’t told anyone, but he’s discussed it with Keith because he apparently also knows,” Jonathan reported happily, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

I nodded in satisfaction, and then turned my head back to the rows and rows of flowers ahead of me. I had a very specific task in mind.

“Okay Jonathan. We are looking for light pink and white roses, okay? And then potentially some lavender too, because it smells so amazing. But I love lilacs too. Okay axe the roses. Let’s do lilacs and lavender. See, it’s even alliterative. It’s meant to be...Jonathan, are you even listening?” I looked at him impatiently.

He laughed and put his arm on my waist, drawing me close. My dress was a deep purple and very light and airy. It was mid-October and slightly chilly so I was wearing a light bronze colored coat on top, but at that moment I felt warmer than I had felt in a long time.

“Did I tell you that I think you look great today,” he asked softly, kissing my cheek.

I blushed. “Just today? Why I ought to slap you, young man,” I teased.

Jonathan chuckled. “Well you always look lovely but today…you just have a particular aura about you.”

“Since when do you use hippie words like ‘aura’?” I queried with a smile, my forehead grazing his jawline.

“It’s not a hippie word, it’s just a word!” Jonathan replied indignantly.

I kissed him briefly and then pushed him towards the lavender with a giggle.

“You get the lavender and I’ll get the lilacs and we’ll meet somewhere in the middle, okay?” I told him as I rushed over to the section of blooming purples.

It took me a while to sort out which flower was which, but I soon realized that the lilacs were slightly over-priced, and a lot of the buds hadn’t quite bloomed yet. I told myself this was fine, since now Hailey would be able to keep the plants in her home for longer now. I delicately picked up four bunches of lilacs and placed them into my basket. My eyes drifted to my watch again before scanning the area, looking for Jonathan.

I couldn’t see him and was about to go looking when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and there was Jonathan, holding up four of the most pristine lavender bouquets I had ever seen.

“You took longer than me,” he said gleefully. “Does this mean I win?”

I smiled cheekily. “Sure does. You get the pleasure of organising and designing them in their vases. Could you go grab a bigger basket for me? The flowers are getting all squashed in here.”

He nodded obligingly and wandered off in search of a shopping cart. I took the opportunity to go and smell the jasmine and the roses, two of the most beautiful natural scents on earth. I was bending to smell a magenta rose when I heard somebody walk up next to me.

“Jasmina?” the deep, British voice pierced my lung and the rose scent that I had just breathed in came rushing out all too quickly.

I looked up and I could feel my jaw drop. “Paul?”

He looked the same as I remembered. It had been about four years since I had seen those bright blue eyes. They were a tad duller now, and I could see laugh lines in his forehead where his eyes crinkled when he laughed, but his jaw was strong and his hair was still dark, and from a quick appraisal I determined that his body was still muscular and lean.

“Well isn’t this just a trip down memory lane?” he remarked with a smile. “I ran into Mr. Craig, the dean of admissions at Loyola just a few minutes ago.”

“What a coincidence,” I bit back my sarcasm with difficulty. I was having trouble focusing on the conversation. My mind was thinking a million thoughts a second.

He must have been in his late thirties now, but one wouldn’t have thought it from his face...and body. His accent still had me swooning. I remembered being entranced by that voice in classes. He was a professor in my Greek hiistory class and I adored listening to his lectures almost as I loved participating in class discussion. He seemed so young then; just thirty-two. That was still more than ten years older than I had been, but Paul was so youthful. I knew he had dated other students before, but once his class was over I couldn’t help myself.

His charms were infinite and I thought I was having this whirlwind romance with him. He led a class excursion to Greece one summer and I spent three weeks falling in love with him. We dated for almost a year, for most of senior year. Then he got a job as head of a department at NYU and I followed him like a puppy to the Big Apple. But I clearly never meant to him what he meant to me.

I went home to San Jose and worked for a few months while I applied to business schools in Chicago. It took me months to get over Paul. My friends thought I was nuts. And now here he was, standing in front of me with a smile on his face and flowers in his hand. It seemed rather poetic somehow.