Remi still heard no word from Jahari. She figured it was for the best. That way, she can really focus on this wedding. Today she's trying on dresses with Natasha, Naomi, and Jayla. They got lunch first because everyone knows you never shop on an empty stomach.
Remi looked at her plate as she played with her food. Her fork continuously jabbed at the chicken. Natasha grabbed her hand, causing her to drop her fork. "What's going on with you?," Natasha asked.
"I'm just not hungry," odd, since she was pregnant and all.
"Liar." Naomi leaned back and grinned. Jayla eyed them and looked at Remi's expression. Jayla knew.
"I was maybe 6 or 7 when I first learned to ride a bike. I remember I was TERRIFIED of getting hurt. When I finally went on, I got it right. I said 'Oh, I'm good at this'. But during those years after learning I still hurt myself, I bruised, and I fell. Over and over again. But I'm not bad at riding bikes. Im just not fully experienced. Same with...love. I hurt myself and I bruise...but I'm not bad at love." Natasha and Naomi gasped, Jayla's brows slightly raised. Not because she was surprised, but because she was so confident and sure.
"How do you know?" Jayla asked.
"How do I know what?" Remi responded.
"To love. To be...free!"
Natasha laughed loudly and said, "This bitch ain't free. Please!" Natasha and Naomi laughed together. Remi forcefully laughed as Jayla gave her a pitiful look.
Naomi finished laughing, "You know, I always thought it'd be you and Jahari."
"TRUE! I remember when everyone was talking about them. They were like the cutest couple even though they weren't a couple."
Remi rolled her eyes and took a breath, "Don't talk about him."
"Y'all were cute though. What happened?" Naomi and Natasha were instigators. Sometimes Remi wondered why she was even friends with them.
Once they'd finished their lunch they went into the bridal shop across the street. Remi wasn't comfortable trying on the dresses because she feared they wouldn't fit her properly. But the wedding was in two weeks and time was running out. She needed to clear her head. None of the dresses she tried on felt right but in the meantime Natasha and Naomi searched for bridesmaids dresses. Jayla stayed with Remi.
"Can you tie me up?" Remi asked.
"Sure," Jayla got up from her chair and tucked the strings behind her. Remi winced silently as the dress became increasingly snug. She felt stifled, and it reminded her of the high school essay she wrote about Jahari.
She'd said ,"I had become so accustomed to suffocation that I had forgotten what breathing felt like."
"All set," Jayla smiled. Remi inspected her dress in the large mirror beside her. It didn't feel right, and everything seemed to be wrong. With dresses in their hands, Natasha and Naomi dashed in. They gasped and giggled when they saw Remi in her gown.
"I'm not feeling it," Remi breathed.
"I think it's beautiful," Jayla responded. As Remi couldn't help but wonder what Jahari was doing now as she removed her dress. She wished she wasn't in love with him. She wished she could be with Jordan without feeling Jahari in every moment. Remi felt more in love with her memories than the man who was standing in front of her.
Jayla waited for Natasha and Naomi to leave so her and Remi could talk, "Do you love him?...Jordan?" She asked.
"Yes," Remi nodded.
"Are you...in love...with him?"
Remi gulped, "I just want to be loved, Jayla. The right way."
"That's not- that not the same."
"I know that, okay? Just...would you drop it? I'm trying on fucking wedding dresses."
"Sometimes people are more scared of being alone than actually being happy."
Remi stuck up her nose, "I'm happy."
"Okay, fine."
YOU ARE READING
HER WAY
Teen FictionRemi sensed a set of eyes on her. It was the first time she met Jahari, in her Sophomore year of high school. She falls for him, commits herself to him, and is sooner or later deceived by him. It is never "just about sex". They reunite years later a...
