So Kiss Me Goodbye

Sunday afternoon dawned and I found myself lazily flipping channels.

I stayed at Will's for an hour after we woke up until he had to meet with the label.

Shelby was attempting to teach Ryan to make grilled cheese since he was still here.

Along with them I had Natalie keeping me company; it was another one of those lazy Sunday's.

We had done this several times in the past year I had known her when Shelby introduced us, having met her at work.

My disappointment in cable TV was forgotten as my phone rang.

"You've reached Jessica from Erotica Services, what's your pleasure?" I yawned.

"Is Lilly there?" A feminine voice asked laughing.

"One moment while I transfer your call." I sighed, leaving Nicole to flip channels while I hummed the on hold music.

"Tiger Lilly here, want me to take you to Neverland?"

"Take Will, I've got my own TAI boy for that."

I laughed, forsaking the TV. "Hey Jamie, what's up?"

She sighed. "I've been ditched; Mike's busy with the other boys, Travie disappeared, and I need girl time."

"Do you want to come over? I've got Shelby, Natalie, and Ryan here, they're girls."

"Hey!" Ryan laughed.

"Kidding." I yelled back, turning to the phone. "Wanna make cookies and dish about our boys?"

"Sounds good, I'll bring over a couple movies and we'll dish."

I gave her the address and threw the phone on the opposite couch carelessly.

"Hey Shelb's, Natalie, Jamie's coming over in a couple minutes."

Shelby sighed. "Alright I guess you'll have to put some pants on Ryan."

"What?! I thought we agreed no kitchen sex!" Natalie announced.

Ryan sighed. "Fine."

I would've made my mom so disappointed at the moment.

I had company coming over and the apartment wasn't spotless.

She would've had a heart attack seeing our pile of dirty laundry and the numerous scattered magazine pieces from work on the table.

That one random thought made me homesick.

Nearly four years in the city and I was now feeling it.

Chicago was my home, I had been telling myself that this entire time.

And yet, Chicago wasn't Charleston...

"Lilly? Earth to Lilly, Jamie's on her way up." Natalie waved in my face.

"Right, thanks."

Within minutes Jamie was walking through the door.

"Hey everyone, I brought the classics. You cannot live in Illinois and not watch The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueler's Day Off, and Sixteen Candles."

"Oh Saint Jamie you're my new hero." Shelby exclaimed, running to hug her.

"Well now I just feel unimportant." Ryan pouted.

"If you want we can give you a make-over; I have the prettiest eyeshadow that would bring out your eyes."

He shook his head. "Nah, I've got to go find Brendon anyway. He comes to Chicago at least once a month and can never find his way out of O'Hare."

"Okay." I replied, hugging him and whispering in his ear. "Thanks for making Shelby smile like an idiot ]to the point where it's almost annoying."

Ryan nodded smiling, saying a few words to Shelby before giving her a kiss and leaving.

"Yay, the man's gone, now we can gossip." Jamie exclaimed.

"And make cookies." I added.

"And watch movies." Natalie added with mine.

"And stop talking and do it." Shelby stated bluntly.

With that we set to work making a vat of cookies.

In between slinging dough, we talked.

"So you and Mike have been going out how long?"

Jamie smiled. "It'll be a year next month."

"Aw that's so sweet." Shelby smiled.

"What about you and Ryan? Anything happen last night you'd like to fess up to?" I asked, taking the opportunity.

She blushed. "We didn't get that far, but yes, something did happen."

All three of us raised our eyebrows.

"He, uh, kinda asked me out."

"Oh, Shelby's getting some action."

We laughed, crashing on the couch, The Breakfast Club flickering on the screen.

After an afternoons worth of cookies made, we watched movies till it was dark.

While transferring to Garden State, a staple of my own collection, Jamie's phone began to ring.

"Hey sweetie, is the meeting over?"

Mike.

Whatever conversation they were having made Jamie's face fall.

"Oh okay, I'm coming over. Yeah, I'll pass it along, bye."

Closing her phone she turned to me.

"I've got to go but Mike told me to tell you Will's on his way over."

She then turned to Natalie and Shelby. "And since nobody can pick up their phones to tell you, Panic! just got in town and they're with Patrick right now, apparently they want both of you to stop by."

They all nodded and in no time I was left in an empty apartment trying to figure out what the hell was going on.