"Hey, sis." I see Caleb smiling on the screen.
"Hey, Caleb. How are you?" I ask him on the video call.
"I'm good. The kids are good. Um, everything's going fine. How about you?" He says.
"The kids? Oh, you mean your students?" I laugh, never understanding his words. "I'm fine, too."
"That's good to hear. And mom, dad? They're doing good?" He questions.
"Yes, they are. They miss you." I say.
"Yeah, me too. I wanted to come visit but I've been so busy with the ongoing exams. I have a lot of papers to grade." He sighs. "Anyway, how's your work?"
"It's fine, I guess. Tori lets me bake sometimes, other times I stand at the front, watching people hog the sweets." I joke.
"Man, I'm so jealous of all the yummy stuff you must get to eat. I remember that chocolate strawberry pie of yours, it was so good." He licks his lips.
"I'll definitely save you some the next time we meet." I laugh.
"That might be sooner rather than later." He states.
"What do you mean?" I furrow my eyebrows.
"Well, Susan contacted me through Robert. She changed her number and lost yours. She wanted to get in touch with you. Apparently she's getting hitched and she wants you to be in the wedding. Should I give her your number?" He questions.
"She is? But we've barely spoken in years. Why does she want me in her wedding?" I ask, confused.
"I don't know. I don't talk to Robert often, and this was the first time I spoke to Susan in years." He shrugs. They used to be very close when we were younger, and everyone would joke that they'd get married one day, but Caleb wasn't interested, and now he has a girlfriend, Cara. She's nice but I've only met her twice.
"Who is she getting married to? I didn't even know she was dating somebody." I ask.
"Who knows? Some guy from her work I think." He shrugs.
"Oh. Why don't you give me her number and I'll call her myself?" I tell him.
"Sure, I'll text it to you." He says and I immediately get a notification of the said text. "So, she invited me to the wedding, too. Do you think I should go? Would it be weird?"
"I'm not sure. If she seems fine, then there's no problem in going. And you guys weren't that serious, right? Also we were so young back then." I say.
"Yeah, you're right." He nods. Just then, I hear a doorbell ring through the phone, and he looks away from the screen towards his door. "Uh, so I'll call you later, Beatrice. I've got to go."
"Okay, bye." I smile and we hang up.
I resume the task of cleaning out my closet, which was interrupted by Caleb's video call, thinking about our conversation. Why is Susan getting in touch now after all these years? And why does she want me to be in her wedding? It doesn't make sense. I'll have to call her.
As I put the last few of my shirts away, I get a text notification. It's from Tobias. A smile forms on my face as I pick up my phone to check it. "Why is this day never ending? I'm bored out of my mind in this meeting."
"At least you don't have a million clothes to sort out of your closet." I respond.
"I'll take closet cleaning over this anytime. This presentation is the most monotonous thing I've heard in my life. And I miss you :("
"I miss you, too. We'll see each other tomorrow."
"I know you need day offs but why on a Wednesday? My morning was so sad without you."
"Don't worry. I'll make it up to you tomorrow. ;)"
"I'm counting on you. ;)"
I shake my head and smile at the phone. Tobias has the craziest affect on me. Will it ever go away? I hope not. This feeling makes my stomach flutter. I am so far gone. And now I understand why people act the way they do. I would certainly do some crazy things for Tobias, too.
I sigh and open the text Caleb sent me. Tapping on the number, I dial it, immediately hearing a ring. She picks up after a couple seconds. "Hello?" Susan speaks.
"Hey, Susan. This is Tris. Caleb gave me your new number." I speak into the phone.
"Oh, hey, Beatrice. How have you been?! It's been forever! And yeah, I lost my old phone, and along with it all my contacts." She sounds too cheerful.
"I'm doing good, Susan. Sorry about your phone. Caleb told me you're engaged?" I ask her.
"Yes! Can you believe it? His name is John, and he works with me at the Library. There was a mild flirtation going on for about 5 months before he asked me out. And now it's been a year since our first date. I'm so excited for this wedding!" She laughs.
"Wow, congratulations. He sounds wonderful. I'm so happy for you." I tell her.
"Thank you, Beatrice. So Caleb must have told you this, but I want you to be my bridesmaid. Please say yes! I know we haven't been very close recently but I consider you as one of my closest friends. I would be really grateful if you could be there on my special day." She pleads.
"Oh, thank you for thinking of me, Susan. But when is the wedding?" I ask.
"Oh, I completely forgot to tell you! It's three weeks from now, on the 15th of September, at the Grand Mystic Library. It's the biggest one in the city, and we wanted to do the ceremony somewhere that represented the days when we were falling in love." She explains.
"That's really romantic." I say, contemplating if I should say yes. But how exactly can you say no to being in someone's wedding? "Do I have to wear the matching bridesmaids dresses?"
"No, I promise you won't." She laughs. "Just the colour has to match, and we've picked black! Timeless, classic and elegant. The theme is a pink and black wedding. So John's groomsmen are gonna be wearing pink ties. I initially thought about pink dresses for the girls, too. But it seemed too bright. So the decors will include pink. And you'll have to wear a black dress. It will look really pretty on you!" She tries to convince me.
"Okay, then. It would be my pleasure to be a part of your wedding, Susan." I smile.
"Yes! Thank you! And you can bring a guest, of course. I've already invited Caleb with a plus one." She says. "Also, I almost forgot! God, there's been so much on my mind lately. There's a bridal shower next week for me! My work friend, Lily, who is also my maid-of-honour, arranged it, you have to come!"
"Of course, I'll be there." I say.
"Great! I'll text you the details! I'm so glad we get to do this, Beatrice!" She laughs.
"Me, too. And again, congratulations." I smile at her excitement.
"Thanks! Okay, my wedding planner is calling me. We'll catch up properly next week. Bye!" She says and hangs up.
I look around my closet and put away the last of my shoes, arranging them neatly. Never did I think that I'd be included in Susan's wedding. A part of me is nervous for the whole thing, but I'm also excited. And I get to bring Tobias, so I'm sure it'll be fine. Now I have to find a dress. I'd ask Susan to go with me, but I have a feeling she'll be busy with all the other stuff. When I'm finally done cleaning everything out, I hear the front door open.
"Hey, mom." I greet her, walking down the stairs. She just came back from work.
"Hi, sweetie. What have you been up to?" She smiles.
"Just cleaning out my closet. I spoke to Caleb, he misses you." I tell her.
"Ugh, I miss him, too. So does your father. He needs to visit more often." She says with a small frown, sitting down on the couch. I sit beside her.
"I told him so." I chuckle. "I also spoke to Susan. She's getting married next month."
"Oh, that's wonderful! Are you going to the wedding?" She asks.
"Yes, she asked me to be her bridesmaid." I reply.
"Wow, that's so sweet of her." Mom gushes.
"You know how she is, ever the sweetest person in the room." I shake my head.
"That's true." Mom nods.
"Do you happen to know any good dress shops? I have to get a bridesmaid dress." I ask her.
"Let me think. Oh, the one on Cherry street, what's it called? La Façon! It has really beautiful dresses." She rummages through her purse and hands me a business card with the shop's details on it.
"Okay, I'll check it out after work tomorrow." I hope I find something nice.
"Do you want me to go with you?" She asks.
"No, I'll be fine." I smile. We spend the next few minutes talking about her work, then the phone rings and mom gets busy talking to her friend. And the rest of the day passes by.
The next morning, I wake up early. Thankfully with no dreams lingering in my head. I get ready quickly, wearing a floral wrap dress. I leave my wet hair open, letting it air dry. I say goodbye to my still sleepy parents before heading out, deciding to walk to the bakery. I'm so eager to see Tobias.
When I reach the street, I see him leaning against the door of the bakery, waiting for me. I run to him and he picks me up, wrapping me up in his arms. He smells so good. I bury my face in his neck and stay there. He chuckles, pulling me closer.
"Hey, gorgeous." Tobias whispers.
"Hi." I say, leaning back to look at him. His eyes are shining with happiness as he stares back at me. We kiss, our lips gliding over each other's. His are so soft, and when he brushes his tongue against my bottom lip, I immediately grant him access. He's kissing me like never before, the depth of his emotions pouring out into it. His fingers move down my body, stopping at my lower back, and he pulls me closer, leaving no space between us.
Finally, I pull back, needing to breathe. I rest my forehead against his, smiling. Tobias's fingers play with my hair, moving it away from my face, cupping my cheek and gently rubbing his thumb over it.
"If this is what you do when you miss me, I think I should take day offs more often." I laugh.
"Oh no, you don't have to, I can do this absolutely anytime." He says before crashing his lips on mine again, making the world stop. It's just him and I, nothing else matters. "How long before you have to start work?"
"I have a little over 15 minutes. Why?" I ask.
"Come with me. Let's take a walk." He grabs my hand and leads me away.
We walk slowly down the empty street, it's still early. Tobias keeps looking my way, smiling at me. Taking a few turns every now and then, we come across the lake where we had our first kiss. A big smile immediately turns up my lips.
"What are we doing here?" I ask him.
"I just wanted to show you the sunrise. Look." He turns me, making me face the water, and wraps his arms around me. The sun is halfway up the horizon, creating a beautiful glow in the sky. The calm waters reflect its light. Wow.
"This is amazing, Tobias." I breathe.
"Yes." He lightly kisses my cheek, and I lean back into him. When I turn to look up at him, he's already staring at me. Wind flows past us, making my hair fall in my face. Gently reaching out, Tobias tucks it behind my ear, then he bends down and kisses me. Every moment with him is perfect to me, but the sunrise makes this one even better. I wouldn't mind if all my mornings started out this way.
A/N: Happy reading! Love you guys!