Thank you so much for the love in the last chapter! I had been thinking about that last scene for a while and am so glad to finally have it off my chest. I am even more excited for this chapter. I hope you're ready.
FOUR MONTHS LATER
Cindy's POV
"Where's Sheen?"
Libby exhaled an abnormally deep breath and I could tell she wasn't happy about what she was about to say.
"He and his dad are out getting fireworks for tonight."
Not entirely sure how I should answer, I went into it carefully.
"Is that not okay?"
"It's just… we're still somewhat new to the neighborhood right? I don't want to seem like those young, annoying neighbors that people are going to think are disrespectful. I know Sheen knows what he's doing and all but I can't help but feel like he's going to blow the house up! It's our first major holiday in the house too, so I'd rather avoid any and all trouble."
"Yeah, that all makes sense."
It's not surprising in the slightest that Sheen would want to set off his own fireworks on the Fourth of July, the day which they occur the most. But seeing as he and Libby will be having a couple dozen guests over to their house to celebrate the festivities, she has a point. I suppose that, apart from picking up some last minute things, Libby wanting to take her mind off it is another reason for this grocery shopping trip.
"Hey," I turned to her, softening my voice. "You know he's not going to do anything dangerous. He's not that careless."
"I know," she continued with a small smile. "I don't know why I'm stressing out so much about it. I shouldn't be. And at least Jimmy refused to help him with any... enhancements."
"Heh," I chuckled. "Yeah," I agreed, not sure of what else I could say since I wasn't expecting her to bring up Jimmy.
This will be the first time since Sheen and Libby's housewarming party that I'm going to see him, and, as is every time it's about to happen, I'm not ready for it. It was surprisingly easy to ignore him the last time we were in the same place together. At least until, I no longer could. I couldn't have expected we'd end up where we did, in the... position we did.
When I saw him on my birthday, I at least had the party to try to distract me. But knowing he was going to show up any minute did nothing to relax me. So as a result, my drinking wasn't only because it was my big twenty-first birthday.
But being at Sheen and Libby's house, back in our home state, celebrating the achievement of our now married childhood friends, made seeing him feel... right. Despite embarrassing myself at my birthday, which now and then seems like forever ago, and even though it was awkward at first, it didn't take long to feel completely comfortable with him.
What happened between us in the bathroom felt so casual and natural. Just like the good old days.
It was so easy to give into him. I didn't realize how much I missed him, needed him, until that moment, with his hot breath on my neck and fingers in my hair.
But wasn't the time nor the place, something we were both reminded of when another guest walked in on us. It wasn't anyone we recognized, thank God. But I knew it was better to stop things before it got too out of hand, no matter how much I wanted them to.
"So listen," Libby spoke as she pushed the cart around a corner. "I wanted to ask you this in person because I knew you would ignore it if I messaged you. Did something happen between you and Jimmy at the housewarming party?"
Shit.
"Uhh, umm. What makes you say that?"
"Both of you seemed to randomly disappear after a while and when Sheen and I found Jimmy, he just seemed really… worked up and out of breath. Kind of angry, to be honest."
Oh.
"Did you guys get into an argument or something? Sheen could have sworn he saw you rush out the front door and you did leave without saying good-bye." As much as I wanted to tell her what really happened between Jimmy and I, I didn't think, here, in the middle of the produce section, was the best place to do so.
"Something like that," I lied. "Is there anything else we should get?" I quickly changed the subject knowing that she wouldn't want to talk about Jimmy if we focused on party preparations.
"Umm," she paused, looking down at the items in the cart and likely racking her brain in thought. "I don't think-."
"Libby? Cindy?"
Grabbing our attention, we both turned in the direction of the voice.
"Oh my God, Annie!" It took Libby a couple of seconds to realize it was her and I understood why.
Having not seen her since high school, she looked completely... different.
Gone were the flowy dresses and strappy sandals that reminded me of what I used to wear. In their place were tight jeans and a dark blue sleeveless shoelace tie top that showed cleavage she wouldn't have been comfortable with back then. The same could be said for the amount of eyeliner she was wearing.
The biggest change though, was her hair.
The dark color, that she always claimed was natural, was the same. But instead of her simple long, straight style, she now has an asymmetrical bob with most of her hair to her left side and a shaved part on the right.
Sure enough, as she walked around the basket of apples, she came over to greet us.
"How are you guys?" She approached us with a wide smile, which seemed to be another part that remained unchanged since her teen years. Annie hugged each of us, something I wasn't ready for since I stiffened up when her arms went around me. It wasn't until then that I noticed her cartilage piercing.
"We're doing great," Libby answered for the two of us. "It's so good to see you. Are you home for the summer?"
"Yes. I haven't been back since Christmas break of freshman year so I promised my parents I would come and see them again. But it worked out great because I actually have an internship in Houston as well."
Of course she does.
"I hear things are going well for you too. Jimmy tells me you and Sheen got married and bought a house?" At the mention of Jimmy, I straightened up, paying attention to if she would bring him up again. "That's amazing. Congratulations to you both. I always thought you two would make it."
"Thank you. That's really nice of you," Libby spoke. "Yeah, we've been there for a few months. We're still really excited about it." And then, because I know Libby so well, I saw a thought run across her face.
She spoke before I could stop her.
"So, hey, um, what are you doing later?"
"My parents and I are going to visit my grandma in a bit. We're picking up some things for now. Why, what's up?"
"Sheen and I are having a barbecue for the Fourth later. I'd love for you to come if you can."
"Oh, that sounds awesome! I'll try to stop by."
"Great! Do you still have the same number? I'll text you the address."
"Yes, I do." I watched this last bit of their interaction like I would for a ping pong match, and unable to believe what was happening in front of me.
As if on cue, Annie's phone rang and I was surprised yet again at seeing her take it out of her back pocket. "That's my mom. I should get going, but I'll see you guys later!" With another smile, and thankfully not a hug, she walked in another direction.
Once Annie was out of earshot, I turned to Libby and spoke for the first time since we saw our old acquaintance.
"Why did you do that?"
"Do what?" Instead of speaking, I gestured back to where Annie was just standing. "Ah," she let out and I knew she knew what I meant. "Cindy, come on, she's an old friend and we haven't seen her in years. I didn't invite her to the wedding."
"You barely invited anybody to the wedding."
"Not really by choice. You know firsthand how fast everything went. And besides," she added before I could get a word in, "it's my party at my house. I don't need you to approve the guest list."
She said it in a way that meant we were done talking about it, further emphasized by the steps she started taking away from me.
Libby's right, of course. I have zero right to say who she should and shouldn't invite to events at her own house. But I didn't think, even though her parents' house is around here, that we would bump into Annie Park at the grocery store. It's just great timing that she should appear right as we were talking about Jimmy and then go on to mention him herself.
I can't believe how riled up Annie still gets me.
I may not have seen Annie since Jimmy took her to our prom back in high school but she never really escaped my mind. Since she was always so close to Jimmy, physically and figuratively, I knew that wouldn't change once they went to college practically down the street from each other. Jimmy himself has even admitted that they spend time together.
I always wondered, though I don't even want to think about the answer, if Annie had anything to do with Jimmy breaking up with me.
Unlike their housewarming party, I wasn't going to be helping with the preparations. This time around, Sheen and Libby pretty much banned me from arriving any earlier and even asked me to take my time to get there. That, along with the strange way Libby's been acting for the past couple of days, got me really nervous for whatever they, I assume, were planning.
It also, of course, did not help that she asked about Jimmy earlier.
Deciding not to worry about it any more, I got dressed and drove over, not really caring if it was or was not too early for their taste.
There were enough people there that I didn't immediately find Sheen or Libby. Figuring they were both in the backyard and judging by the smell of the grill, I headed in that direction.
Before I could make much progress, Libby rounded the corner and we nearly bumped into each other.
"Cindy, hey!" She sounded as if she didn't know I was coming, like it was a genuine surprise to see me here. "You're early."
WHAT?
"What do you mean? There's people already here."
"I just- I thought you'd come later," I couldn't ignore the fact that she took a glance behind me.
"Well, no," I replied, not knowing what else I could say. "Should I leave and come back then?" I answered bitterly.
"No, of course not," she answered, and I could tell by her tone she felt bad. "It's just that," and suddenly, just after taking another quick glance, she smiled, "I have a surprise for you."
And then of course, my own mood changed.
"Oh! Why didn't you just say so? What is it?"
"Umm, it's probably better if I show you." With that, she reached for my arm and attempted to turn me on my spot. Following her lead, I turned around and noticed two men standing in front of me.
One was Sheen, wearing a dorky Uncle Sam hat and a stars-and-stripes printed apron. And the other, looking so different and yet so unforgettably the same, was Carl.
"Oh my God, Carl!" My mouth dropped in surprise, incredulous to the sight in front of me. In a couple of steps, I was in his arms, giving him a long awaited hug.
"Hi, Cindy!" He returned the embrace just as tightly. "It's so good to see you."
"It's so good to see you too! Welcome home! I- I had no-," at a loss for words, I turned to our hosts, who were both wearing the biggest of smiles. "You weren't getting fireworks," I spoke to Sheen in an accusatory way. "You were picking him up from the airport, weren't you?"
"Oh, there's fireworks," He spoke with a grin, and I knew he wasn't lying about it. "But there's also Carl."
"Why didn't you say anything?!" I directed to my best friend as I shook my head.
"We wanted to surprise you!" Libby exclaimed.
"Did it work?" Carl asked.
"Yes!" I beamed, unable to believe they pulled it off. "Oh, this is so cool! I can't-."
"THERE HE IS!" I, and probably everyone else in the neighborhood, heard Jimmy's voice bellow across the room. "I didn't want to believe it, but damn it, here you are!"
"Did you tell him?!" I heard Libby exclaim over to her husband.
"Babe-," Sheen started to confess.
"I can't believe you told him! It was supposed to be a surprise!" She threw Sheen a look that seemed far too serious for the situation.
By the time I looked back up to Carl, he and Jimmy were embraced in an impossibly tight hug that was, in several ways, the most long awaited one of all.
"It's been way too fucking long." I heard Jimmy say.
"Aww, I missed you too, Jim." They patted each other on the back as the broke apart and we could all easily see how happy they were. And then, looking around at the five of us, seeing how much we all have changed, in more ways than one, and realizing how long it's been since our group was together, made me feel more nostalgic than ever.
"Do I sense a group hug?" Sheen spoke, looking around at all of us. Without another word, we all gathered together and joined in a much anticipated embrace.
"Hey you." Libby startled me as she came into the living room several hours later.
"Hey," I shook my head as I replied back and placed my coke can on the coffee table in front of me. "Do you need any help cleaning up?" By now, it was well after midnight and everyone, except for Jimmy, Carl, and I, have left.
"Nah, I'll just have Sheen do it," she shrugged. "So what's up?" She took a seat on the other end of the couch.
"No, nothing. Nothing's up."
"You seem pretty deep in thought over nothing." Libby's always been able to call me out on my lies. I took another sip of coke before speaking.
"Annie showed up."
"Cindy-."
"All I'm saying is she practically only spoke to Jimmy the whole time."
"She got here after you did and everything was a little nuts after we brought Carl out. But she did talk to Sheen and I for a bit. She even brought over a bottle of wine."
Well, isn't that sweet?
"That's nice of her," I spoke honestly, though I knew it was better not to say anything else.
"Cindy, you and Jimmy have been broken up for about a year. Don't you think that if there were some chance she were into him, she would have done something by now?"
"That doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings. It just means she's too scared or shy to act on them."
"Trust me Cindy," she answered forcibly. "She doesn't like him as anything more than a friend."
"But how can you really know that?"
With a big exhale of breath, which I've noticed she does before telling me something important, she spoke again. "Look, I don't think I should be the one telling you this, but you clearly won't get it any other way."
"Tell me what?" She hesitated before she spoke.
"Annie doesn't like Jimmy because... you and I are more her... type."
"Well, what the hell does that me- oh!" Libby nodded and gave a small smile, likely because she knew I understood. "OH!," my eyes widened. "I guess that explains the haircut."
"Cindy!" she scolded.
"I'm just kidding. Really. But wow, okay." I nodded, trying to process the updates. "So I don't have anything to worry about," I spoke without question.
"No. She's very much not interested."
"Noted," I discreetly hid my small smile as I brought the can up to my lips for another drink. Deciding to change topics, I spoke again. "So are you guys all done with the repairs?"
"Umm, not really. We retiled the bathroom upstairs and got a new door. But we're holding off on other things for now."
"Oh, okay."
"Yeah, we umm, we decided we're going to wait until after the baby comes."
A pause.
"Wait, what?" Libby's smile grew. "Oh my God, Libby," I spoke as I straightened up from the couch. "Are you... pregnant?"
"Yes!" And she couldn't have sounded more elated.
"Oh my God!" I all but jumped across the couch to embrace her, an enormous smile on my face. "Are you serious? Oh my God!" I felt the tears pricking my eyes as I pulled away.
"Yes, yes I am!" She nodded while wiping her eyes.
"Libby, this is amazing! I'm so happy for you guys."
"Thank you. I-I still can't believe it!"
"How far along are you?"
"About twelve weeks. It all just happened really quick and- oh God, I'm so happy! I'm going to be a mom!"
"And you're going to be the best one ever," I said as I reached out to squeeze her hand. "Does Sheen know?" which considering he's her husband, is a stupid question, but I was too excited to think coherently.
"Yes, of course he knows!" She said with a laugh and must have understood why I even asked. "That's why I yelled at him for telling Jimmy about Carl. Because if he told him that, how do I know he didn't say anything about the baby?"
"Right, that makes sense," and now the angry look she gave him at that time seemed appropriate. "So who else knows?"
"Just our parents and now you. I wanted you to be the first person we weren't immediately related to to know."
"Oh Libby," I placed a hand on my heart. "I'm so honored."
"You're my best friend in the world Cindy," she reached out to hold my other hand. "I absolutely could not wait to tell you." We exchanged a smile before she spoke again. "Which reminds me." With that, she got up and walked around the back of the couch, heading to the door leading to their patio. Wanting to see what she was going to do, I followed.
"Hey, babe!" She called out for Sheen once she opened the door.
Sheen, who was drunkenly throwing a football around with Jimmy and Carl in the backyard, looked over to Libby. "Yeah, Libbylicious?" He stumbled over a couple of steps to get closer.
"I just told Cindy so you're good to go."
"Well, fucking finally. Boys!" he turned to face them and stretched his arms out wide, preparing for his big announcement.
Jimmy and Carl, who appeared to be tackling each other over the football, (but then again, neither of them were ever really athletes) stood at attention. Still, Sheen didn't say anything, probably holding the silence for dramatic effect.
"I'm going to be a dad!"
At that, Jimmy and Carl erupted in cheers and I knew, and hopefully Libby did too, that Sheen hadn't said a word about their impending parenthood prior to this moment. It was as much of a shock for them as it was for me.
I'll honestly never forget the sight of all of us, cheering and hugging each other for the surprises, changes, and additions to come.
What was your favorite, or maybe most unexpected surprise? Please review!
