Pictures And Some Memories

Forty Three: Daydream Away

I stared at my reflection for God only knows how long, looking over my features a million times as I tried to sus out if the eyeshadow I'd chosen truly matched with my dress or if it clashed. It was a welcome distraction from the storm happening just downstairs.

Larkin only knocked on the door twice – and he was lead away both times. My God, was I lucky to have guys like Erik and Alex as my friends. Unafraid to come to defend my honor, no questions asked.

I swiped on one last coat of lip gloss and fluffed out my hair some more, hoping that it'd stay as wavy and bouncy throughout the night as it did right now. A few moments later, a soft knock rapped on the door and I steeled myself, ready to hear Alex call after Larkin again to urge him away.

But it never came – instead, Zack's voice called through the door, and I practically sprinted over to open it. To say I was relieved when I saw him was an understatement – I pulled him into the office with every fiber of my being  before locking the door behind him, in case Larkin decided he had an opening to speak to me before the event. Inevitably – Larkin wanted to argue about money. It was his favorite activity. And I was not about to worry about that shit so close to our start time. I just couldn't have it.

But then Zack grinned down at me, and my heart leapt, as it always did when I saw him, and I almost forgot about everything in that moment, Larkin included.

I knew that grin though – paired with the mischief in his eyes, I knew he was up to something. "What did you do?" I immediately asked, crossing my arms.

"What do you mean, what did I do? Am I not allowed to just be happy to see you?" he replied, but his expression remained the same.

"You are," I assured him instantly. "But I helped you perfect that little mischievous look of yours back in the day. What did you do? My nerves are already through the roof, Z, I've gotta know."

"Fuck, you know me too well," he sighed, but I could tell he wasn't actually upset about it. "But, I actually didn't do anything. That man child you call your ex took one look at me when I rounded the corner just now and bolted the opposite way. Even pretended he suddenly got a phone call that was uber important," he mocked at the end, slipping into his best frat-boy dude-bro impression.

I laughed out loud, unable to help myself. "How do you always do that?" I asked after I settled again, reaching for him.

"What do you mean?" he smirked, pulling me closer without missing a beat. We'd only been apart a few hours, but damn, in that moment he was like a tall glass of water and I'd been wandering the desert for weeks.

"Make me laugh when I want to have a breakdown," I confessed a second later, my voice shaking and tears welling up as my anxiety began to spike again. "I'm so fucking nervous, Z."

"I know, D," he murmured, his hands moving from my waist to pull me closer to his chest in comfort. "That's why I just made that up."

"God, now I'm really bummed that wasn't real. Although I'd rather witness it than hear about it, if I'm honest," I sighed.

"Me too. He's got a good hiding place, wherever he is..." he muttered, but instantly back tracked when he felt me stiffen with terror at the thought. "Nope, not a good joke, I'm sorry. But, you'll be glad to know that the guys and I have worked out a plan of action for tonight."

"Z, you're not serious," I couldn't help but cry out, pulling away. His face remained solemn and I realized he wasn't kidding. "Oh my God! I should've known. I thought Erik and Alex were kidding about a code word. I jokingly told them papaya! And Alex was talking about jiu jitsu. He's not serious, right? Oh no..."