Sleeping With a Friend

Chapter Twenty-Nine

To say I was ecstatic about the recent happenings in my life was an understatement. I had successfully moved out of my dingy apartment, gotten the promotion I had only dreamed of. And yet when I sit here and think about it, about all the success I could have and everything I worked so hard for, I still feel like there is something missing. 'Project Me' was doing so well I didn't even want to admit it to myself.

This second guessing all came from a simple flower bouquet I found on my doorstep. I couldn't remember sending out an "I moved!" paper or calling anyone to let them know. The weird thing was they were my favorite flowers. The only person who had ever sent me flowers was Michael, and I was on his list of people to send flowers to. I know Sophie wouldn't send them to me, the only thing she was worried about was her wedding that was coming up within a few weeks.

I approached my front door step with ease, not wanting to make my new neighbors think I was scared of something as silly as some flowers. The orange of the Peruvian Lilies brightened by the arrangement of greens and whites. I quickly glanced around me, making sure I wasn't being watching, or worse, pranked. When they said curiosity killed the cat, they really meant curiosity made the cat suffer. And I was the cat.

There was a note folded in half and sticking out of the beautiful mess, my fingers trembling as I picked it up. It read: I heard about your promotion. Congratulations. If anyone deserves it, it's you.That's it? No name signed afterwards.

I hurried inside with the flowers, shuffling past the small pile of boxes in my entry way that still needed attended to, but they would have to wait. I sat them on the kitchen counter, tapping my fingertips along the marble. One after the other, creating this clicking sound that reminded me of horses running on a track.

The thought of a secret admirer was breaking me on the inside like I was having a minor break down. I don't remember making that much of an impression on someone to get this in return. Well, I shouldn't be worried, right? If anything it was probably the people at work who all pitched in and bought them. But, then again, how would they know that the lilies are my favorite?

~~~

At work the next day I paced slowly into my office, knowing that if the culprit behind the flowers was in fact at work, then they would come up to me and ask if I liked them. Hours went by and no one said anything. No one had brought it up, telling me that the one behind it wasn't at work.

I could always ask Sophie, I wouldn't believe she could think to send me them in her crunch time before the wedding, I was so convinced it wasn't her that maybe it actually was.

"Hey girl, sorry we haven't hung out. I've been so busy with the wedding!" She answered, sounding so happy. We've of course kept in touch, texting, phone calls here and there, but the last time I actually saw her was that night she dropped me off after her wedding shower.

"It's alright. I know your life's crazy right now, but I have a question." I shoved a piece of popcorn in my mouth as I got ready to watch reruns of Scandal on Netflix. No matter how many times I watched it, it never got old. Each time I would discover something even more shocking about it then the last.

"Shoot. Oh and no I'm not telling you the lineup." The lineup was the way the bridesmaids and groomsmen walked into the church before the bride and groom. The reason she's telling me this is because, as her maid of honor, I'll have to walk down the aisle with Luke's best man. Who she has yet to tell me who it is.

"No, I'm not calling about that." I laughed, "I got a vase of flowers yesterday and the note wasn't signed by anyone."

"Oh, your life's a mystery novel now?" She cackled, "Well what did the note say?" I could hear her inner Nancy Drew coming out. I read her the note that hadn't moved from my person since I got it—it sort of gave me motivation, like I was the real Nancy Drew, uncovering the glorious mystery. "Oooh, who do you think it was?" She said in reply to it.

"Well, I know it wasn't you." I could officially cross her off the list.

"Damn right it wasn't me. Flowers are such a throwback. I would have gone for more of a jewelry gift."

"Of course you would. I think flowers are nice though." Jewelry is nice, but flowers hold such a bigger meaning behind them. Especially the type of flower it is, and the note, well the note is the story behind them and gives them much more of a purpose then just looking nice.

"But they don't last forever. Jewelry can last so much longer. I wonder who it could have been!" She and I both.

"Me too. I know it wasn't Michael..."

"Yeah, Michael's been out and about with his ex. I think they're getting back together." I should have known she has the insight into all of Luke's friend's lives.

"That didn't take long." It was hard for me to swallow it. Michael already moving on? In a way I guess I already did. We each have our own way of moving on from things like that, at first I thought it was important to find a rebound guy but now I know it's more important to find the support within yourself.

"What do you expect Y/N? He was only your rebound, remember?" How could I not remember? It was her idea in the first place.

"I know, it's just weird." I quickly pushed away the thought of Michael and everything that happened between us, this wasn't about him. But I would leave it to Sophie to get my mind off of it.

"Don't think about him. Think about the fact that I'm getting married in three weeks and need to go for my final dress fitting! You're coming tomorrow right?" She asked. I imagined her with a planner laid out in front of her, pen in one hand highlighter in the other, planning out the next few weeks of her life strategically.

"Yeah," I laughed at the thought I conjured up, "I'll be there. Ten-thirty right?"

"Yep. Alright well if that's all you wanted to talk about, I should probably get going. I have a cake decorating appointment in a little bit. Good luck finding out who sent you those flowers." She hung up and I could still hear the smirk in her voice playing back after the line went dead.

Olivia Pope appeared on the screen and before I got lost in the world she lived in I realized I would need all the luck in the world.