Everything You Want

I woke up curled against someone’s side. At first, I thought it was Norman but I relaxed when I realized it was only Sean. Without even thinking, I rolled to jump out of the bed and immediately regretted it when I heard Sean shifting around.

“Mornin,” he sleepily said, stretching his arms.

“Shit, Sean. Go back to sleep, I didn’t mean to wake you up!” I hissed quietly, tugging the covers up to his chin. He grinned lazily, and pat the bed beside him.

“Come here, you don’t have to get up.”

I plopped down beside him, and he slung an arm across my shoulders.

“What happened last night?” I asked, leaning into him as he chuckled.

“Reedus get you drunk?” asked Sean, before continuing. “I came back from taking Cleo home, and you were passed out already. Norman had moved you onto the bed properly and decided to stay with you until I got home… What happened between you two? I was a little nervous leaving you guys here but Cleo said it’d be best to let you two talk.”

I remained silent as I reflected the previous night’s conversation. Cleo, as always, had been right. It felt good to be able to tell Norman a little of what I’d been thinking. It felt even better to just listen to his voice; he could have talked to me about paint drying, and I still would be entranced.

“She was right… He apologized for everything, and said that he had been looking for pieces of me in all these different girls. Sean, he needs to realize he doesn’t love me like he thinks he does,”

“But he does, Kenz. He does.”

“He doesn’t, and I told him that he never did-“

“You what!” I jumped away slightly at Seans sudden outburst, and bit my lip at the look on his face. “Kenz, you… you’re absolutely killing the man.”

I stared wide eyed up at my cousin, unsure of how to continue the conversation or to argue. Sean softly pulled me back to him in a very big-brother like fashion, and kissed the top of my head. “I know he broke your heart, but you need to realize that you also broke his in ways I’m not sure you could even fathom when you disappeared. Not only that, but he was terrified something had happened to you. You both made mistakes.”

“I told him I forgave him…”

“Good,” grinned Sean, and hopped out of bed. “Get dressed, we’re meeting Reedenstein and my lady for breakfast. We have things to discuss.”

An hour and a half later, after Sean and I had showered and gotten ready, we were walking the streets of New York City. I pulled my long white pea-coat tighter, and buttoned it halfway up as a buffer against the stinging cold wind. I stood behind Sean as we waited for an opportunity to cross, and quickly darted to the next street. We made slight conversation along the way, but mostly stayed in an easy silence.

I couldn’t keep my mind from reliving each moment with Norman- memories from years ago, to texts he had sent from across the ocean, to how it felt being pressed against his body at the club, and to last night. I love you. I always have and I’ll never stop. His words still rang in my ear like a sweet melody, with a heart wrenching twist.

I slipped in to the diner after Sean, letting my fur hood fall from my head. Norman and Cleo were already there, each with a cup of coffee in front of them. Judging by the small mound of creamer and sugar, Cleo was on her first cup and Norman was probably on a third by now. She liked a lot of sugar and cream with a little coffee, and Norman was the exact opposite.

They smiled over to us, and Sean slid in the booth beside Cleo with a quick kiss.

“Goodmorning, love,” he murmured softly, and she couldn’t control the wide grin that spread across her lips.

I slid in beside Norman, whose arm was resting on the back of the booth.

“Mornin, sunshine,” he said lowly, bringing a soft pink tint to my smooth pale skin. “How’d you sleep?”

“Good,” I said, allowing a small peak at him. He smiled nervously back. “You?”

“Good.”

I shifted a little, and sifted through the seemingly endless breakfast choices. His voice dropped significantly as he leaned close to whisper in my ear, “you look lovely, might I add.”

I bit my lip to try and keep the butterflies and smile at bay, casting a glance at him but he was already in his original position, glancing at the menu.

“So, we’re all getting a different order of pancakes and waffles, and we’re just going to pile them on one big ass plate in the center and split them,” Sean said, looking at us like he was a little kid again. His teasing smile landed on me.“Is that alright, princess? Your girlish little model figure will survive.”

Norman chuckled softly from his place leaning against the corner, while Cleo and I were in a fit of giggles.

“Yeah, whatever, Sean. You know I’m down,” I agreed as the waitress arrived.

“Can I get you guys some coffee?”

“Nah, I’m good. I’d love an orange juice, though,” said Sean, smiling eagerly. She nodded, and turned to me.

“Yes, please,” I said softly, and she jotted that down.

“Do you all know what you want?”

“Yes, we want a fuck-ton of pancakes on one big plate and then some smaller plates,” decleared Sean, handing her all of our menus. “Strawberry, blueberry, chocolate chip.”

“And some fruit crepes,” I added, and she grinned at me.

“Those are my favorite,” she said, before ducking into the kitchen.

I slipped out of my coat, and folded it onto the cushion beside me. Normans hand ever so slightly brushed my shoulder, and there was a slight flutter in my stomach at the contact. Almost involuntarily, I moved closer to him. Cleo caught my gaze with a small, knowing smile. Sean or Norman had evidently told her about last night.

“So what exactly do we have to discuss?” I asked, eying the couple in front of me.

“Well,” began Sean, pausing briefly as the waitress returned with his orange juice and my coffee. “Cleo and I have been talking a lot lately, and more so when we found out you were going to be in town…”

“About our wedding,” she grinned, and I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was going. “And, well, Kenz, we’ve been friends so long…”

“And,Reedus is practically my brother, I mean we’ll be family soon enough…”

I glanced over at Norman, who looked as embarrassed as I felt at Seans added statement. Sean and Cleo were practically beaming now, though.

“Well, we have something we’d like to ask you guys,” she said, fidgeting with her napkin slightly. I poured a second cup of hazelnut cream into my coffee, stirring it around to mix with the two packs of sugar.

“Reedus,” said Sean, looking intently at Norman. “I would like to formally ask you to be my Best Man.”

A slow smile drug across Normans face. He clapped hands with Sean, doing their weird little bromance handshake.

“I’d be honored, brother.”

“I was hoping you would say that,” said Sean, and then Cleo spoke up beside him.

“And, well, Kenz,” her words bubbled with excitement, and my eyes widened slightly. “Would you possibly pretty please be my Maid of Honor?”

I knew my reaction was similar to Normans, but instead of a handshake we both slid out of the booth. I hugged her tightly, nodding my head quickly.

“Of fucking course! I mean, gosh, like Norman said, I’d be fucking honored,” I exclaimed, and in that moment I don’t think I’d ever seen Sean or Cleo more happy in their life. I plopped back down beside Norman, my mind reeling so much I didn’t even notice how close the two of us were sitting. I knew Sean would ask Norman to be his best man, but I had never imagined Cleo would ask me to be her Maid of Honor. She had two other sisters, for fucks sakes. Then again, they’d never been very close at all.

“Do you guys have an idea for the wedding date?” I asked, taking a long sip of the hot liquid.

It warmed my body almost instantly. I loved Starbucks, especially whatever drink it was that Norman had brought me the other day, but there was something about diner coffee that was utterly unbeatable.

“Well, we have an idea.” Sean sat back in the booth, tossing his arm around Cleos small shoulders and pulling her into his chest. “But we also wanted to check and see when you two would be free.”

“Are you kidding me?” I laughed, giving a small shake of my head. “I’ll schedule everything around it. That’s important.”

Norman nodded from beside me. “Yeah, exactly. I’ll tell the producers to get over it, they’ll understand. You guys pick the date you want, we’ll work our schedules around it.”

Cleo and Sean glanced at each other, each with a small smile on their face.

"So, it's nice to have you two back as a team again," mused Sean, speaking mostly to Norman. Cleo and I rolled our eyes, ignorng his statement entirely.

“Well, I was really thinking next April,” she said, and then blushed slightly. “But knowing my luck it’ll rain, because I want an outside wedding.”

“Then we’d dance,” I giggled, and she nodded enthusiastically. The boys rolled their eyes.

“Like that one time downtown!”

She was referencing to a day where we literally skipped and danced through the streets of Manhattan. It was completely pouring down rain, and we both were in extremely nice dresses. Norman and Sean were acting like normal adults, walking under awnings and avoiding getting soaked. But not Cleo and I; we danced through the storm until they pulled us back for fear we’d get ourselves sick.

“I’d rather my bride not get pneumonia on our wedding day,” chuckled Sean, but Cleo shrugged.

“It would be a killer story to tell everyone, though.”

“But in all seriousness, guys, you just tell us when,” I said, smiling as our mountain of pancakes arrived along with my smaller plate of crepes.

“Thank you,” said Cleo, smiling brilliantly at the waitress. She waved us off, and disappeared.

We each took a small plate, and proceeded to fill them with. I grabbed one of each.

“I think April would be a good month, and we agreed on the date of the thirteenth,” said Sean through a mouthful. I giggled slightly as syrup ran down his chin. Norman grinned beside me, but neither of us was going to say anything.

“Sounds good to me.”