Beatiful Strangers

3

After a minute of consideration, Drew takes Jesse's extended hand

"Drew." he says

I release a breath I wasn't aware I was holding

"I've heard so much about you." he adds and I swear I almost have a heart attack

Of course he's heard so much about Jesse. I was really drunk and we hadn't started dating then so I thought fuck it (well I didn't think, the alcohol did the thinking for me) so I unloaded on him and he was really understanding so I told him more. I told him stuff I hadn't told anyone ever and stuff I had been too afraid to admit to myself.

Jesse wasn't my first love in that sort of cheesy way, and I started off hating Jesse because he was a jackass and he was way too blunt and insensitive for my liking. I don't know where in those less than three months my feelings switched and then when we finally kissed it felt like something straight out of the movies. There were butterflies in my tummy and I felt lightheaded and all I could think about for days was the feeling of his lips on mine.

And then things got complicated. For the life of me I still don't see why Heaven was so against I and Jesse. I try to picture what I and Jesse would have been now if his bestfriend didn't secretly have feelings for him. He felt so right; WE felt right.

But that's besides the point.

What was I thinking about again?

Oh yes. Drew and how I spent our first hour-or-so together drunk and dwelling on a sort of failed relationship with the guy he was just shaking hands with and how I told him I still felt there was something between I and Jesse. Even when it didn't lead to anything romantic I felt like there was definitely something there.

But I was drunk, and drunk people feel anything (or assume  they felt things that they obviously didn't)

And I'm with Drew now and I love Drew and I'm content in my relationship and there's no need for what ifs.

I can't believe I told Drew all of that and a lot more though.

About Jesse.

And about my feelings for Jesse.

The Jesse that he's currently telling how he's heard so much about him.

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! 

"Sooooo" I say loudly trying desperately to change the conversation

"How's Luke? I haven't heard anything about him since I got here."

I beg my sister with my eyes to take the hint and say something that'll take the attention from Jesse

"Wellllll I didn't want to say this now. I was supposed to say it at dinner once everyone got here. But mom and dad know they had to give their blessings sooo"

Once she says the bit about giving their blessings, my eyes automatically go to her left hand.

"Oh my God!!!" I exclaim because  I'm so excited for my sister

I was only looking for a distraction I didn't actually expect something this huge.

This is the best news

"When did it happen?! You didn't tell me!!!"

"Some time last week." she says sheepishly

I gasp dramatically "You bitch."

"I was going to tell you but then you said you were coming this week anyway and then it became this huge thing and you all planned to come back for thanksgiving weekend so I just thought I'd say it in person and surprise you guys."

"I'll forgive you if you make me your maid of honor at the wedding."

"Paris!!" Heaven yells shyly

"We only just got engaged. We aren't going to have the wedding for a while."

Then she gets tears in her eyes  "But of course you're going to be my maid of honor."

I get tears in my eyes too because this is the sweetest thing to ever happen.

I'm a huge believer in true love and soul mates and I'm just so happy my sister has found her person.

It's really beautiful when two people meet and decide they want to spend their entire existence together until oblivion and long after.

I've spent almost all my life looking to find someone whose heart is beating in the same pattern as mine and whose soul is flowing on the same wave length as mine, a person who felt like home.

I thought I found it with Jesse but I guess we know how that turned out.

Now every single guy I've been with after Jesse I just can't seem to feel what I'm looking for including Drew. But I want to believe I'm not seeing it cause I'm looking too hard.

It's really great though that Heaven gets to feel one of the best feelings in the world. She deserves it and I'm so happy for her.

Love is definitely something everyone should get to feel at least once in a lifetime

I hug her with tears still in my eyes.

There's something I've actually meant to ask

"How come Jesse hasn't said anything? Don't tell me he found out before I did."

I turn to look at Jesse and immediately regret drawing the attention back to him.

He's literally boring holes into Drew's back.

"Oh yeah." he says coming back to reality

"Congratulations Heaven." he says a bit distracted

"I'm so proud of you. You're going to be the first one of us to get hitched and we aren't even 30 yet."

"Wow Holden. How sweet I'm so flattered to be the first of us to get proposed to. But if you and Gina get engaged now you could probably get married before us."

Wait who is Gina and how come I haven't heard of her?

I have a look on my face that clearly says everything I'm not letting myself think and before I can help it Drew looks my way. I quickly look away and hope he didn't notice the look

"It's Jenny Heaven don't be like that. You're getting her name wrong on purpose. And fat chance of that happening."

Oh ok. I know Jenny.

"Holden!! Since when did you become that guy."

"I haven't become any guy. I'm just saying I don't see myself getting married to her. She's sweet but I just don't see it happening; and she knows this and she's ok with it."

"I still feel a bit bad for her. Don't you feel you're just wasting her time?" Heaven says trying to be the voice of reasoning

"I'm sure you felt bad for Kyle too." Jesse teases

Kyle was Heaven's first and only fling and after two months he suddenly decided that flings weren't his thing and we all know it's because Heaven was always trying to make things between them real and he had a commitment phobia.

So Heaven was in a fling without fully understanding that she was in a fling.

But that was a while back and we can laugh about it now

"I'm uninviting you to my bridal shower." she says with a glare

"Sure you are."

Once they start to go on like this, they never stop.

Eventually the banter stops though and they start talking wedding stuff.

They've completely isolated me from the conversation and now I'm left with Drew who hasn't said a word since he told Jesse how much he heard about him.

Great.

That was a good distraction but obviously not good enough cause Drew gives me the 'we need to talk' look once Heaven and Jesse are preoccupied with talking about the engagement.

Oh boy. Here we go.