Seven Days

The Los Angeles airport was alive with the ebb and flow of people. I looked out over the crowds of people coming and going, slightly sick with anxiety. It’s been a little over a year since I moved back to Texas and I swore to myself the next time I came back to LA, I’d be a completely different person.

For the most part, I had changed. My hair was a lighter shade of brown, I’d lost a few extra pounds, and I wore an engagement band on my left ring finger. But there was still a small part of me that was the same; anxious, sometimes depressed, sometimes too happy for words. That last bit came mostly from Adam, my fiancé. He makes me unbelievably giddy, most of the time.

If I was being truthful to myself, his drinking bothered me. I don’t like how he acts when he’s intoxicated. But the good comes with the bad, and man he’s good. He’s a pediatrician with his own practice in Austin, where we live. Why was I back in LA? Mikayla and Jared are finally tying the knot and I’m a bridesmaid. It seems like everyone in my life is married or getting married. Jensen, Mikayla, me...

I felt a pang in my chest as I thought about Jensen for the first time in months. When I had first moved back to Austin, I had dreams about him. Memories for the most part, then nightmares about him dying and nobody telling me. It wasn’t until I got into therapy that I finally realized I was just missing him, and the nightmares were just my imagination running wild. If he had gotten hurt, I would surely know. His family were still very good friends of mine, and someone would have told me. Anyway, that ship had sailed, there’s no reason to hold on to something that hurts. I was probably going to see him at the wedding festivities, but it was no reason to fall apart. Or so I told myself.

“Anjilika?” I turned to see the bouncy blonde that was Mikayla. She squealed and embraced me tightly. “Oh, how are you? Let me see that rock!”

I smiled and held out my left hand sporting a 1930’s-esque diamond engagement ring. She let out a low whistle and grabbed my hand in hers, pulling it closer to her face to get a better look. The square cut diamond was set in between two vertical rectangles, followed by three leaves fanning out on each side. It was made of platinum and listed as a 1.29 carat ring, though inside of the rectangles and leaves, there was a total of ten 0.2 carat diamonds.

“Wow.” She gasped. “You certainly do like bling.”

“I actually really don’t, but I love this ring. It’s from the thirties.”

“That’s awesome! When is your big day?” She asked, letting go of my hand.

“We haven’t decided yet. We’re thinking sometime in May.”

”Around your birthday?” I smiled and shrugged at her question.

“Maybe.” She grinned at me and looked down at the suitcase at my feet.

“Got everything?” I nodded. “Good. Let’s go!” I grabbed my bag, secured my purse on my shoulder, and followed her lead out of the airport.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me staying at your house? I can get a hotel room.” I insisted for the thousandth time as we neared her sedan.

“Don’t you dare! You’re my best friend, of course I want you to stay with us.” I smiled at her as she hit the unlock button and popped the trunk.

“Thanks, hon. So Jared’s sister is the maid of honor?” I questioned as I put my bag in the trunk.

“Yeah. I would have made you the maid of honor, but since you just had to move back to Texas, I didn’t want you to have to do all that from there.” She joked and I laughed.

“Sorry.”

“No you’re not. You love that man like no other.” She grinned at me.

“Yeah, but it’s damn good to be back.”

“It’s good to have you back.”