Will You Catch Me Baby?

Not even ten minutes later the fire crotch came walking into the kitchen, kissing Hannah on the cheek before taking a seat across the table, as Hannah put down a plate of pancakes in front of him, “Thanks, hon.” Wow, this guy just knew how to rub me the wrong way. And it was only eight in the morning. Maybe that was how it was done back home for him, the woman doing all these things for the man, but not where I grew up. It wasn’t the way I was raised, Hannah either, so it was quite odd to see Hannah run at his every whim. I didn’t like it, it wasn’t the girl I knew, hell she never ran to help me. She just looked at me as if I were crazy, and would come up with some smart remark and scoff at me. Who knows, they say love can change you, maybe she was actually in love with the creep sitting across the table from me. All I knew was before long she would be in love with me, the guy she knows like the back of her hand.

I set down my fork after having shoved a mouthful of pancakes into my mouth, chewing as Hannah took a seat next to Caleb, “How tell me love birds, how’d you two meet?” Truth was, I could really care less about how they met, or how long they dated, or how he purposed, unlike everyone from last night who was just dying to hear all the details. I had my own agenda, which meant I had to pretend I was actually interested.

Hannah looked over at Caleb who smiled at her, nodding as if he was giving her permission to speak, “Well, you know the band I was managing?” She chuckled, “Well, Caleb is one of the guitarists of Forever the Sickest Kids.”

“Oh really?” I asked, “So tell me how’d it all happen?” I inquired flashing a smile before taking a drink of my milk.

“Well basically Caleb and I got really close touring together. He sort of helped me get used to touring and being on the road constantly. He slowly became my best friend on tour, my run to man, and from there things sort of took off. He asked me out to dinner after a show one night, and from then on we were inseparable,” she told me as she clinged onto Caleb’s arm looking at him lovingly as he returned the stare before leaning down and laying a brief kiss on her. I made a face at the sight before my eyes, it made my stomach tighten. It’s sort of slightly uncomfortable to just watch people kiss. But besides that, it was comforting to know that my best friend had fallen in love with my replacement on tour. No wonder she never called or text me in the beginning, she basically had Alex Gaskarth number two walking around with her all the time. I had been replaced, mentally and physically, and I did not like the feeling at all.

“And one night, just a couple weeks ago, right?” she asked for clarification in Caleb, all he did was nod his head, “It was during the final song of their set when they all stopped singing, saying that Caleb had something to do really quick. I stood from the side of the stage clearly not knowing what was going to happen when Caleb started talking about me on stage, calling me out to join him. At first I was reluctant, and nervous and confused. But finally I walked out, and he got down on one knee and asked me what I was doing for the rest of my life. It was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” she gushed.
“I bet,” I agreed before chugging down the rest of my milk.

“So I thought it was only right from Caleb to come home with me. So he could meet you, my family and friends. I mean we only have like three weeks before the big day,” she commented entwining her fingers with his.

I just about sprayed the remaining milk out of my mouth and onto the two when I had heard three weeks, slightly coughing trying to get the milk to go down the right pipe, “Three weeks? Why so soon?”

Here is when Caleb finally spoke up, “We figured why wait? When you know you’re in love, you know, right Hannah banana?” She could only nod her head excitedly, and that was just another stab at my heart. Here this complete stranger was, in my home, with the love of my life, calling her my pet name. Not cool, ginger, not cool.

[--]

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Hannah asked as she grabbed the keys off he mantel, Caleb waiting for her at the door.

“I’m sure Hannah, I’ll hear how it went when you come home okay?” I told her from the couch, flipping through the channels casually. Really? Did she honestly think that I wanted to ride along for the ride with them as they went over to Hannah’s family’s house for dinner, where they would later share the big news of the engagement. I’d rather not. I know I needed to prove that I was the supportive best friend here, but that was definitely something I could not handle. Plus I had already invited the guys over to keep me company, no longer wanting to be alone with the two love birds.

“If you’re sure,” she told me before going to the side of Caleb, “I’ll see you when we get home.”

“Bye, have fun!” I told them as Hannah waved one last time as she shut the door behind her.

Within the hour, my three best friends sat around the table with me, kicking back beers and trying to think of a way to steal Hannah away from the carrot top she had brought home. I drank the last of my beer setting down the can as Rian started us on our topic of the night, “So what ideas do you have?”

I shrugged, I really hadn’t thought of an actual idea. I just thought I could steal her away, “I have no idea man.”

“Well this is a great start,” Zack muttered, as I grabbed my empty can and chucked it at his head.

“Maybe you just need to make her see how crazy this whole thing is,” Jack threw out, I turned my attention towards him, “Show her how out of no where this is. Show her how much she doesn’t know him. Hell, show her how much this guy is just like you.”

“He has a point,” Rian concurred.

“Why have a fake Alex Gaskarth when you can have the real thing?” Zack asked, trying to redeem himself from his comment earlier in conversation.

“But show her you’re going to be there for her. Don’t bash on what she’s doing, but make her realize maybe it’s not what really needs to be done. That maybe, Caleb is not the guy for her. That you are,” Jack explained some more, for once the words that came out of my dearest best friend’s mouth actually made sense.

Step two: Be supportive, but show her the real deal is better than any sort of imitation.