Bet On It | H. Styles

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Six Years Ago

Summer was crunching down to its final days. The final days before the friends would depart to different areas of the world. Four months was a long time to not see your best friends.

Not only was Wendy stressed about the idea of not having Patty by her side at all times– even though she was only a few hours away upstate, Wendy was swamped with work about selling this house and managing to find a place of her own. She also had to figure out the situation revolving around Jenny and Diana because this job was almost their lifeline, and for this news to be sprung upon them that they were out of said job is heartbreaking. Diana had a family to care for and Jenny had bills up the wazoo. They both insisted that Wendy not spend her funds on them, because she had a life of her own to take care of, but Wendy was a stubborn one. After plenty of arguments they all agreed on Wendy sending them a check at the end of each month. At least it was something.

It would be especially hard for Wendy not to see Jenny and Diana again, but they promised to make regular calls and visits. Diana was like Wendy's mother and Jenny was close to being her best friend (behind Patty of course). It wouldn't be easy changing their daily schedules like this, but they would have to make do.

The only good that Wendy got from these ending weeks was that she wouldn't be alone in the city. Kenny would be attending NYU which is just a little Southeast of FIT. Provided Wendy with the little bit of comfort that she needed.

The night he showed up at Wendy's house after Harry dropped her off, exactly a week prior, they talked most of the night, about anything and everything really. No matter how many times they find themselves talking, they always find new things to talk about. But that night, that night was different.

It was around midnight, they were sitting around the backyard deck, a nice fire before them, the sound of the filter in the pool humming in the night air, the distant sound of crickets and cicada's fill their ears, the crackle of the fire emits as their laughter dies down.

There was a moment of silence as they basked in the nighttime glory when Kenny spoke up, almost too nervously.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

The question fell from his lips, and Wendy was beyond shocked. Why was she always so shocked nowadays?

Did she want to be his girlfriend?

Of course she wanted to. She wanted to be his girlfriend ever since the beach. She knew she wanted him. She just had something with him that she had with no one else, and it was amazing. But there was that infamous pit in her stomach that emerged as soon as the words fell from his lips. The one that gave her that horrible feeling the night of her family's death.

Her brain said yes, but her heart said no. But she wanted to be selfish for once. Let something be hers. Finally get to enjoy being happy. A feeling she's lived without for a long time. Wendy realized she hasn't been genuinely happy in a while, even before the horrid month of July.

So she said, "Yes."

Immediately after the words left her mouth the pit grew deeper, and her demon and angel forms appeared on her shoulders, telling her all the rights and wrongs of her decision. But she disregarded everything, only wanting to pay attention to the feeling of happiness. Because she was genuinely happy about this, no matter how wrong it felt.

In awe of the news, the two shared a few rounds of newly-official boyfriend-girlfriend sex. Very intimate sex in the pool. This would be the only time she was grateful she didn't have family around to witness this.

Wendy couldn't be happier.

But a week could change a lot, Wendy knew that firsthand.

Wendy was packing up the house with the help of Jenny, Diana and Kenny. There was a lot to tend to. After eighteen years of living in this house Wendy never took in account just how much there was around her. But there was a lot.