Double Trouble 2: Twisted Sisters

Chapter Eleven

I made it to Jalissa's apartment in record time. Luckily, I didn't pass any cops in my rush to get there. I rang her bell multiple times while impatiently waiting for her to answer the door. After about a minute, she flung the door open, squealed, and threw herself into my arms. Her glee was infectious, and I jumped around with her as we celebrated, catching the attention of several of her neighbors before we finally stopped, and she pulled me into her place.

I said, "Show me! Now!" She thrust her hand out at me, and sitting on her left-hand ring finger was a gorgeous round 1-carat diamond with a halo of diamond accents set in a 14-karat rose gold band. I said, "Oh my god. I can't believe it. I mean, I am so happy for you, thrilled, but just the other day, you told me you thought it was over!"

A voice behind us said, "Yea, that was kind of my fault. I'll let her tell the story, but it led up to something good." We turned around, and Ashley stood behind us at the door, looking like a GQ model. Her locs had been freshly retwisted and pulled back with the front braided and the rest loose. She was wearing blue jeans with a green button-up. Jalissa said, "Something amazing." She gave Ashley the soppiest look of love I've ever seen on someone's face. I was both disgusted and thrilled for my best friend.

Ashley said, "We are going to tell our family and friends this upcoming weekend. We are having them meet for dinner, of course, you are welcome, but Jalissa said there was no way she couldn't tell her best friend and share the news." I said, "Ashley, I'm so happy for you guys." She smiled and said, "Thanks. I'll let you two get to gossiping and all that good shit." I laughed, and Jalissa ran over and kissed Ashley deeply but briefly before coming back, grabbing my hand, and taking me into the kitchen, where we sat on the benches in the middle on the bar stools. She grabbed two wine glasses and a bottle from the fridge, and I said, "Ok, enough prepping tells me everything!"

She started pouring us glasses and said, "Girl, I am so happy I've been hyper since it happened yesterday. I wanted to tell you as soon as it happened, but Ashley and I have been so wrapped up in each other; as you can imagine, we've been kind of busy since it happened." She blushed prettily, and I already knew that they were celebrating in their own special way.

Then we decided to wait until you finished confronting Clara. I didn't want to distract you from that. I have been dying to tell you all day, and as soon as I thought you would be out of there, I called you. I figured you wouldn't have answered if you were still in there. I'm glad I caught you without interrupting."

I said, "Next time, call me anyway; you are my best friend, and your news is way better than any stupid thing I was doing with Clara, although that went brilliantly. But forget that for now. Tell me how it happened, how did she propose, where were you? I need all the details!"

She said, "Ok, so you know I've been saying she was distant, right, and we've been arguing? So, she came to me on Friday after I left your place and said that she knows that we have been pretty irritable with each other lately and that we should go out to relieve the tension and be together again. I was still pissed but figured, why not? She was genuinely making an effort here in the face of a problem, so I said fine, what are we going to do. She told me to leave that all up to her."

She paused to take a sip of her wine and then continued. "Saturday, we stayed in the house just chilling, cleaning, relaxing. She left the house like once to go grab some groceries; at least, that is what I was told. She wakes me up early on Sunday and says I made an appointment with your hairstylist and nail tech. Go out, get gorgeous, and when you come back, we'll get ready to go; we had to be ready by 5. Mind you know, I'm both suspicious and touched like, yea, we've been fighting a lot, but what is with all of this? It was weird. But I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth."