Landslide

Bonus Chapter: Meeting Aqueela (Part 2)

Bonus Chapter: Meeting Aqueela (Part 2)

Three years later...

Sarah's POV:

"I'm nearly done, Em," I tell her as I curl the last few strands of her red hair. "And then I'll show you the finished look."

"Thank you for all the effort, Sar," Em says to me from out of the blue.

I shake my head. "No, thank you for being the best friend I could have ever asked for."

Emma smiles for the hundredth time today. "My brother is so lucky to have found you."

I grin. "I'd like to think I'm lucky too."

It's cheesy but Landon really has changed my life.

"Or unlucky, depending on how you view it," she jokes, not meaning it. I know she adores her brother and looks up to him.

I laugh at her words but when she doesn't say anything more, I step around to see her. She has that distant look in her green eyes again. "Emma," I say her name softly, "I'm sorry." I place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry that he can't be here today."

She fans her face as her eyes begin to mist up with tears. "Don't make me cry, Sarah. I don't want to smudge my make-up. Gina will kill me."

"He'd be so proud of you," I assure her, fully believing it. "And it may feel like he's not here but he is and he's going to be watching and sharing in every moment today and hereafter."

Emma places a hand over mine, grateful. "Thank you, Sarah."

For her sake, I decide to change the subject. "So, Grey mentioned something about an old friend of all of yours returning today? What's that about?"

"Oh, Aqueela?" she asks me and I nod. "She used to date JT," she explains. "I think you met him once or twice?"

I immediately remember the name. He was the blue-eyed boy with the friendly smile.

"I met him once before he left," I answer her. "He was really kind to me."

Em smiles in acknowledgement. "He's always been that way."

A dainty blonde suddenly comes to mind. "Aqueela was the girl he had on his phone, wasn't she?"

Em nods. "Most likely."

I think back on our discussion all those years ago. He didn't want to talk about his screen saver, he didn't want to talk about her. "She hurt him...didn't she?"

"She did...but, and it pains me to admit this, I guess he's not totally innocent," she answers me after first thinking about it for a couple of seconds. "It's probably more accurate to say that they hurt each other," she clarifies.

"And you're okay with her coming today?" I question. As far as I know, Emma extended an invite her way, last-minute.

"She can only brighten the atmosphere, if I'm being completely honest," Emma tells me, surprising me – I figured that she wouldn't want Aqueela at her wedding if she hurt a friend of hers. "She's a little crazy but she attracts fun and radiates happiness."

I smile warmly at my friend. "She sounds nice."

"My future husband would agree with you," she says with a light laugh. "He's always been fond of her."

"That's..." I stumble over my words, "Xavier doesn't seem to take to people easily."

"Everyone takes to Aqueela," she replies back in a matter-of-fact way. "You'll see what I mean soon enough."