October to October

{Chapter Fifteen}

   Joan beeped the horn as she drove away, and Lauren waved from the porch of her house. Smiling; Lauren let herself into the house, and her phone rang as she ran up the stairs to her room. She threw herself down on her bed, and she lazily fished her phone out of her bag. It was Jake. She was glad he was calling since she had been worried about him last night although she had to admit she'd forgotten all about him at some point. She hoped he wasn't too angry at her. She said she was sorry in three different text messages.

  "Hey you," Lauren said. "I tried calling you several times yesterday, and I texted you."

  "... Yeah, I saw. I just didn't feel like talking," he said after a moment.

  "Why not?" She playfully asked.

  "Well, my girlfriend left to have dinner with her friends even though we had just made plans for dinner ourselves," he said. "Did you just forget that we made plans right before I went to help the bands set up? You were the one who made them! You asked me if I wanted to have dinner, and I said sure."

 With a sinking feeling; Lauren remembered. "Oh God, I forgot. I got busy with the booth, and it just slipped my mind. I'm so sorry Jake."

  "You didn't even say goodbye to me when you left!"

  "I'm really, really sorry. I was so busy yesterday, and I've been so busy this week with the party. I've been losing my mind!"

 "I know we've both had a lot on our plates, but it really hurts that apparently I'm not important enough for you to remember. We made plans. Like clear plans and you just blow me off for a group of people you don't even know!"

  "Those people are my friends, and I said I was sorry twice now," Lauren said; feeling stung at the anger in his voice. "You are important, and you know it. I just forgot. I'm human. I forget things."

  "Yeah, well..."

  "Well what?" She asked as his sentence trailed off.

  "It's nothing. It just... it hurt my feelings."

  His voice trailed off again.

 "And again, I'm sorry," Lauren said sincerely. "I didn't do it to hurt your feelings. I just spaced asking you."

  "Okay."

  "... Okay?"

  "Okay," he said after a moment. "It's fine. It's over. So you're coming to the party?"

  "Uh, yeah," she said with a slightly nervous laugh. "It's my sister's engagement party that I helped plan so I'm thinking yes."

  "Do you want me to pick you up?"

  "No, I'm going with my parents," Lauren said without thinking.

  "Alright."

  "No, we can go together," Lauren said quickly. "How about you pick me up at five thirty? I'm looking forward to seeing you in a suit. You always look so cute all dressed up."

 "I wear a suit every Sunday." 

 "I know, and I love it," she said.

 "Yeah sure..." He said, but he sounded happier.

  "I love you," she said; hating the desperation in her voice.

  "I love you too," he said. "I'm really sorry for getting so angry."

  "No, I'd be ticked too," she said with a bit of a laugh. "I'm the one who is sorry. I'm such a scatterbrain these days."

  "Let's just forget it," he said. "I'll pick you up at five thirty, and I'll be wearing my super adorable suit."