Susie slumped down in the massage chair.

Susie, her mother, her aunt and Amanda had only been at the nail salon for 20 minutes and Calvin's name had already been mentioned 23 times.

She counted.

Susie was getting really sick of telling her mother that not only was there nothing going on with Calvin, but that he also was not an extremely handsome and charming young man.

And no one had even touched her nails yet.

She sighed and ignored her aunt's question about being in the woods with Calvin and straightened up as the manicurist finally got to her chair, ending the seemingly never-ending Calvin conversation.

After a relaxing mani-pedi and a move over to the hand and feet dryers, Susie turned to Amanda with a smile.

"So, how far along are you?"

"Fourteen weeks," Amanda said sighing happily. "I'm just so excited Susie."

"I can tell," Susie felt herself smiling.

"Big things are happening Suz, and it's so much fun!"

"Do you like being pregnant? Is it really painful or weird or-"

"SUSIE!" Mrs. Derkins scolded from the other side of the salon.

"What?" Susie asked innocently. "It's different for everyone so I wanted to ask someone in the family that will tell me honestly so if I ever have kids I'm prepared."

"I think you meant to say when you have kids with Calvin you want to be prepared," Amanda said slyly.

"Not you too," Susie sulked down further in her chair. "He seems to have the same idea."

"He does?!" Amanda asked excitedly and Susie hated herself a little bit for letting that slip.

"Of course he does, but Calvin's always been delusional so that's nothing new," Susie reasoned. "But it'll never happen."

"You don't know that Suz the two of you definitely have something going on and-"

"There's nothing going on!" Susie cut her off angrily, alerting everyone in the nail salon to her outburst. She lowered her voice, "Can't we talk about anything other than him?"

"Why does it make you so angry?" Amanda asked her quietly.

"Because!" Susie said as quietly as she could manage through her anger. "Because as soon as your wedding is over, I'm leaving and going back to the East Coast. I have a job and a life and it isn't here."

"You're right," Amanda said delicately. "But maybe you could be happier with him. I would bet all the money in the world he'd move wherever you wanted him to."

"I don't even like him Amanda, can we drop it?" Susie asked crossly, attempting to pick up a magazine.

"I like being pregnant, by the way," Amanda started, trying to defuse Susie's tension. "It's easy for me."

"Good, I'm glad," Susie smiled at her, softening immediately as they began to talk about her pregnancy.

The rest of their day went without Calvin's name being mentioned and Susie's sour mood soon turned cheerful again. She really did miss seeing her family, and was grateful she was able to take the time off.

She felt bad for getting so irritated with her family and especially her mother, for she knew her mother not only liked Calvin but also truly believed it would keep Susie in the Midwest forever

Susie knew her mother had been lonely since her father left her, and it couldn't have been easy when her only daughter moved across the country. But daughters are supposed to get annoyed with their moms, especially overbearing ones, weren't they?

I'll never be an overbearing mother, she thought as she followed Amanda to her room to change for the bridal party get together. She shook her head of those weird thoughts, as she didn't really care for any of them.

She blamed herself and her thoughts as she looked in the mirror an hour later for being off of her game. She shook her head fiercely at her reflection and the incredibly short and tight dress Amanda had picked out for her to wear tonight.

Calvin would never, ever be able to ignore her in this.


"So you didn't kiss her in the treehouse?"

Calvin sighed irritated.

"No, I was about to try but her mom call-"

"All I'm hearing is that you chickened out."

Calvin ran a hand through his hair and turned to face his bed where Hobbes laid across it, spread out, looking at him disapprovingly.

"I didn't chicken out-"

"Wasn't that part of your plan, to kiss her in a place you knew she'd be nostalgic and actually enjoying your company for once?" Hobbes asked him as he inspected his nails.

"Hey, she likes spending time with me!" Calvin argued with a look.

"Sure, who doesn't like spending time with someone who forces them to do so?" Hobbes grew bored with his nails and began petting his fur.

"Okay, I get it, you're still angry with me for locking you in the closet for a few years," Hobbes snorted and Calvin suppressed a groan. "Okay, more than a few years, but please Hobbes I really need your help!"

Hobbes ignored him, continuing to pet his fur.

"Please Hobbes," Calvin begged him, getting on his knees clasping his hands together. "This is really important to me, and you told me you'd help but it isn't working!"

Hobbes continued his silence as Calvin got up and started pacing.

"She loved seeing the treehouse but she kept making jokes at my expense and then she brushed me off. Brushed me off! Can you believe that! Maybe she really doesn't like me and I'm going to be hopelessly in love with her alone forever," Calvin sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.

"You certainly are dramatic, aren't you?" Hobbes asked indifferently. He smirked when Calvin groaned into his hands. "And foolish."

"Now you're directly insulting me?" Calvin lifted his head. He sounded so pathetic; Hobbes decided he should really help him this time, after all, it had been his mother's idea to put Hobbes in the closet.

"You are foolish if you actually think she's brushing you off," Hobbes explained finally looking Calvin in the eye.

"You think she's faking it?" Calvin perked up.

"Of course she is, it's Susie. She's always tried to ignore you and it's never worked, why would it now?" Hobbes matter-of-factly stated.

"I haven't seen her in eight years maybe she's completely changed and built up a Calvin-tolerance."

"As if anyone could ever build up that high of a tolerance," Hobbes laughed and Calvin smirked.

"You're right, of course you are, you always are; so what, you think she's figured out my plan?"

"I highly doubt that, as you yourself haven't even figured out a plan," Hobbes retorted.

"So then what are we going to do, let her keep brushing me off?" Calvin questioned. "Because that doesn't work for me."

"You aren't going to let her keep ignoring you," Hobbes stated slowly, "You're going to make it impossible for her to ignore you."

Calvin and Hobbes stared at each other as slow grins spread out to take over each of their faces.

"It's perfect! It'll definitely work!" Calvin jumped up excitedly and threw himself on top of Hobbes to hug him. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Get off me!" Hobbes screamed into Calvin's chest. "It's not fair you're bigger than me now!"

Calvin released him and gave him a sheepish grin.

"I have to leave or I'm going to be late. How do I look?"

"Ridiculous."

"Hobbes."

"You look great lover boy, honestly," Hobbes gave him a smile.

"Thanks Hobbes," Calvin gave him a lopsided grin and put on his coat. "Big things are going to happen tonight Hobbes, I can feel it."

"Oh can you?" Hobbes mocked. Calvin gave him a fake look of anger as he moved to leave.

"This new plan is absolutely going to work," Calvin said with a smirk.

"If it doesn't," Hobbes grinned mischievously, "I can always marry her instead."