Still the One

XCIV.

Harry and I follow Paul to their impeccably neat, Tiffany-designed living area. I glance around the room, the bright pink bassinet tucked away in the corner. I could hear Paul and Harry in some conversation about some expensive bottle of scotch that Harry sent after Tiffany delivered their child.

‘Hey, Libby you could go right on up. Tiff was just putting Charlotte down for the night.’ Paul calls as he pours himself and Harry a drink into small glass cups, ‘Christopher should be around here somewhere too.’

I nod in response while thanking him and head up the stairs. The large hallway held four different bedrooms, which of course had their own toilet rooms. I turn into the room covered in pale pink and white where Tiffany was sitting in a rocking chair lightly humming to Charlotte.

‘Hi, Lib! I am so happy to see you! I just feel like its been so long since we’ve seen each other. I miss the office.’ Tiffany beams in rush, walking over to wrap an arm around me.

‘I miss you too! How is this little princess?’

‘Char is just a dream. I am so obsessed with her, I cannot help it. I just want to be with her every second of every day.’

‘She is so precious.’ I squeal, ‘I want one.’ The words fall from my mouth before I could even think about it.

‘Uh oh,’ Harry and Paul hover in the doorway with amused smiles. ‘Looks like I’m a little late to the party.’ Harry walks across the room, wrapping an arm around me.

‘Sorry, Harry – I think I may have given your girlfriend baby fever.’ Tiffany laughs as she carefully lays Charlotte down in her bassinet.

‘She’s just so cute. I want to take her home with us.’

‘Feel free to take her for a night.’ Paul suggests taking a sip from his glass, ‘that is if we can pull her away from her mother.’

‘Shut up.’ Tiffany playfully swats her manicured hand against Paul’s arm. ‘How about we grab Christopher and go downstairs for dinner?’

‘Chris, get out here.’ Paul taps on his door while walking past it, ‘time to eat.’

‘Lib, a second.’ Christopher practically snatches me into his room while the others make their way down the stairs. ‘You have to help me.’

‘What’s wrong?’ I wonder, looking at all of the clothes thrown around in his room. ‘Besides the fact that a storm blew through here.’

‘Ha ha. That would be hilarious if I wasn’t completely about to go insane. I don’t know what I’m wearing. Max will be here any minute and I still don’t know how I’m telling my brother and Tiffany.’ Christopher rants falling back on his bed into the pile of clothes, knocking some to the floor in the process.

‘Okay, first off – breathe. Everything is going to be okay. You get dressed and I’ll go down to wait for Max. He already likes you and you already like him, you just have to tell your family. Paul and Tiff are so incredibly nice and I’m sure you’re just freaking out for nothing. They’ll love you of course.’

‘I sure hope so.’

‘Alright, I’ll just be right downstairs if you need anything.’

‘Okay. Thank you again for coming Lib.’

‘No problem, now get it together. Your boyfriend should be here shortly.’

Downstairs, Harry was sitting down at the table with Paul while Tiffany was checking the bread in the oven. Harry eyes me, soundlessly asking if everything is okay. I nod my head, slipping in next to him at the table.

‘It smells amazing in here.’

‘Thank you.’ Tiffany smiles, proud of the dinner she had prepared. ‘Where’s Chris?’

‘He should be down in a minute.’ I answer taking a small sip of wine.

Just then there was a soft knock on the door. Christopher rushes down the stairs to beat his older brother to the door.

‘Got it’ He blurts sliding over to the door and opening it. ‘Right this way.’ I hear Christopher say while the sound of clicking boots tap against the wood flooring. ‘You guys remember Max.’

‘Hey, Max.’ Paul was the first to speak waving while sneaking a spoon full of something on the over, ‘grab a seat.’

‘Hey everyone.’ Max waves slipping in at the table beside Christopher.

During dinner, Tiffany talks about the joys of being a new mother while Paul admires her from his seat. Paul talks with Christopher about his plans after college, which Christopher clearly tensed up at the thought. Tiffany and I briefly talked about what’s been going on at the office since her absence. Harry and Max told a story about some trip a group of them had a few years back. Christopher eyes me from across the table, wondering if know would be a good time to speak up and share his news. I offer him a supportive smile and gesture for him to go ahead.

‘So,’ Christopher starts clearing his throat nervously, ‘there’s something that I want to share with you two.’ He speaks looking directly at Paul and Tiffany.

‘Uh oh,’ Paul laughs setting down his glass, ‘that sounds serious – you’re not dropping out of uni are you?’

‘Not yet.’ Christopher taunts, circling his glass with his finger.

‘What is it Chris?’

‘Well, recently I’ve came to terms with myself and I decided that I wasn’t going to be ashamed of who I am or what I like. During that journey of mine, I met someone who was actually quite unbelievable and patient with me through it all. This person just gave me so much advice and spent literal hours with me on the phone listening to me rant and cry. Now, I’m really happy with said person, more than I thought I could be a few months ago. I want to express that part of my life and share that person with you two so I can fully be myself.’ Christopher speaks in a rush, but nonetheless I was practically beaming in my seat as he spoke. ‘That person is Max, we are together and I just want you both to know that.’

The table goes silent for a few agonizingly long moments. Harry shifts over in his seat, briefly glancing at me. Christopher proudly grabs a hold of Max’s hand and rests it on the table, keeping their fingers intertwined. Tiffany silently stands from her seat, rushing around the table to wrap her arms around Christopher and then Max. I could hear Harry beside me let out a breath of relief.

‘I am so happy for you Chris! You deserve all the love in the world and I am so thankful that you found someone that makes you happy.’ Tiffany nearly squeezes the life out of her brother-in-law.

‘What about you, Paul?’ Christopher wonders anxiously. Suddenly, all eyes were fixated on Paul. I silently pray to myself that this goes well for Christopher because he did deserve to happy with Max, especially the lengths he went to get with him.

‘What do you mean, what about me? I am your big brother, it is my job to protect you and look out for you and take care of you until the day I die. Of course, I look at you the same way I always have. My pesky, always in my stuff, annoying little brother. I’m really happy for you Chris – thank you for sharing this with us. Max, you’re always welcome here.’ Paul follows Tiffany’s footsteps and pats his brother on the back several times.

I pat Harry’s leg under the table, wordlessly celebrating the fact that everything worked out. After sitting around with them for awhile longer, Harry and I say our goodbyes then head back to the house where Bandit waited. While Harry is sitting on the sofa, I take the opportunity to slip upstairs to change.

Harry’s Point of View

So, I’m sitting down on the sofa flipping through the channels knowing I wouldn’t find anything slightly appealing. I swear it feels like I’ve seen it all a solid thousand times. I throw my head back in boredom, wondering where Libby snuck off to.

‘Lib?’ I call out, ‘baby, there’s nothing on TV.’ I complain, stabbing away at the little rubber buttons. ‘Libby?’

‘Yes?’ She speaks in this unfamiliar tone, slowly strutting down the staircase in nothing more than some barely-there lingerie outfit and those heels. God those shoes.

I open my mouth to talk but the words never find their way out. Before I actually knew what was happening, the lights were dim and Libby was standing right in front of me. She tosses her hair to the side, giving me a quick twirl. Libby bends down barely to brush her lips against mine painfully slow. I reach my hands out to grab her by the waist when she pulls away, leaving me wanting more.

‘Not so fast.’ She wags a finger at me, as if she was an owner scolding their puppy for misbehaving, ‘things are going to be a little different. Are you going to follow my rules?’

I nod eagerly, mentally preparing myself for what Libby had in store. Christ be with me.