Just for Tonight (2021 Watty's Winner)

Chapter Three

Present Day

Two Days Later

Scarlett laughed and shook her head at Maeve's story as she twisted the door to her apartment. They had just finished their shift at the bakery and it was mid-afternoon. Two boys she recently hired replaced them to work until around ten at night. Maeve was telling her all about how her girlfriend, Bree, had made this Italian dinner for them the other night. Apparently, Bree tried to make homemade meatballs for the first time. They had not only fallen apart into bits, but they were severely overcooked. But Maeve ate every single bite of food, not wanting her girlfriend to be upset.

"Best trick I have? Put them in the pan, make them brown, then put them in the oven and cook them in there. They always fall apart on me whenever I only do the pan," Scarlett advised, pushing her door open. "Meatballs aren't my strong suit, but that usually works well for me."

"I haven't even gotten to the worst part yet," Maeve said, eyes wide. "All of a sudden, Bree tripped, right?"

"Was she hurt?"

Maeve waved her hand, shaking her head. "No, but it looked like she was going down to one knee and I nearly shit myself right then and there."

Scarlett gaped at her, eyes wide. "Oh, my god, what? So, she-"

"She didn't propose, she just tripped," Maeve assured her, flashing her friend her ring-less hand, "but like, it made me think, right? I nearly freaked out when I thought she was proposing, does that mean I wouldn't want her to propose? Should I just end things?"

"No! Are you insane? No, I love Bree, she's the absolute sweetest!" Scarlett said with pleading eyes. She threw her coat onto her couch, hanging the apartment keys to the hook behind the door. "You guys have been dating for two years, don't end things. You freaked out because you're twenty-four and not ready for marriage."

"Oh, you're so right," Maeve said, plopping onto the couch. "I mean, she went home for the weekend. Not because of my reaction! Just because she missed her parents, I think."

Scarlett sat next to her friend on the couch, tucking her legs under each other comfortably. "I say to stay with her. Unless you just don't feel that way about her anymore, but by the way you talk about her, it sounds like you really love her."

"I do!" she said, nodding.

Scarlett smiled gently. "Then maybe talk to her about your future together, make a plan. If you don't want to get married for a few years, just tell her. She might not be thinking about it either, but it's probably a good time to have that conversation."

"Hello!" June greeted them happily. Her blonde hair was pin-straight and was cut just above her shoulders. She cut it a few months after graduation, thinking it was a perfect segue for a new chapter in her life. In Scarlett's opinion, she did it because she was having a bit of a crisis trying to figure out her life, but it looked beautiful either way. June wasn't sure if she wanted to continue to work at her family's Korean restaurant, but she loved to cook and did an amazing job managing the restaurant. For now, she decided to stay, unsure of what other options she had.

June and Scarlett moved in together nearly as soon as they graduated. They both needed places to stay in the city and found a small, overpriced apartment. They had little space and not much privacy but they made it work. They decorated it to feel homey and it was their sanctuary. Their apartment was expensive but it was a perfect location for them. It was close to Scarlett's bakery and was only a few subway stops away from June's family restaurant. Maeve and Bree lived a bit away but it was an easy commute.

"I'm on FaceTime with Aster, wanna say hi?"

Neither of the girls had to answer, they just ran to stand next to June. Scarlett felt relief wash over her at the broad smile on Aster's face through the camera. Their friend was waving wildly, walking through a city. Aster went to medical school in Boston after they graduated. She got accepted into one of the best programs in the city and moved there. She would visit the girls when she could but it was difficult with her time demanding program. She looked a bit tired on FaceTime, but other than that she was glowing.

"Hello, Dr. Carson," Scarlett greeted formally.

Aster laughed giddily. "Hi, guys! How are you?"

"I thought Bree was gonna propose last night, and nearly ran for the hills but she didn't! So, that's definitely good! How are you?" Maeve said and their friend shook her head through the phone, clearly amused.

"Well, I am just so happy for you Maeve," she joked, "but I'm good! Med-school is tiring as ever but I love it. Sort of losing my mind but, hey, that's life right?"

"You're the one who chose to do more school after school," Maeve teased.

"Fair, very fair," Aster said, nodding a bit as she continued to make her way through the city. "I'm on my way back to my place and it's been a pretty long day, so I have to run, but I'll call you guys this weekend! I found this wicked cool singer that I wanna show you guys, I'll text you his name."

The girls said their goodbyes and June ended the call. Scarlett turned to her friends with furrowed eyebrows. "Did she just say 'wicked'?"

"Well," Maeve started, walking away from the girls and towards the kitchen, "I'm wicked hungry, I could make us some dinner? I can run to the store and get some ingredients."

Maeve, surprisingly enough, was an amazing cook. She rarely cooked because she preferred others doing things for her, but when she wanted to, she could be quite the chief. June and Scarlett typically alternated who cooked dinner each night, figuring it was easier than having both girls in the kitchen at the same time. However, sometimes, Maeve decided to cook for them when her girlfriend was going out of town. It was a Friday night and miraculously, none of the girls had work tomorrow. They decided to have a girls' night- meaning wine, movies, and popcorn.

A few hours and a chicken piccata meal later, the girls had decided on a movie to watch. They sat close to each other on the couch in their sweatpants, blankets thrown messily on each other and wine glasses in hand. Each girl had their own bowl of popcorn on their laps, having had too many arguments about popcorn hogging in the past. They had just started the comedy movie after forty-five minutes of going through various trailers when June's phone dinged. Maeve threw a piece of popcorn at her in protest before quickly picking it up and putting the popcorn in her mouth, not wanting to waste a piece.

"Oh, Aster texted me the name of that singer," June interrupted the movie, narrowing her eyes at her phone, "his name is Nate Cameron."

Scarlett tilted her head, throwing some popcorn into her mouth. "Hm, never heard of him."