His life was in these boxes, his past, who he really was. Packed and locked away. It was almost tragic, that he had to keep this hidden. I found a few framed photographs with him and two little girls who had to be his nieces, and I gathered them into my arms before going back out into the living room.
Lucah didn’t comment as I placed the pictures on the coffee table and then went back and got some more of his stuff and put it out. I went into the third room and found even more stuff and put that out.
When I was done, all three doors were open and his apartment actually looked like a home. I went to the kitchen and put my arms around him from behind.
“You’re not going to comment on my redecorating?” I said as he stirred some spaghetti sauce so it didn’t burn.
“I haven’t lived in an apartment with my things all out in four years. It’s . . . it’s going to take some getting used to. But it’s nice to see my pretty girls again. Now we just need to put some pictures of you around.” Ugh, I didn’t. I wasn’t that fond of pictures of myself. But if he would be in them with me, that would be okay.
“No nude shots, okay?”
“Oh, I have some of those already,” he said, pouring the sauce over the pasta and stirring it together.
“Shut up, you do not.” I smacked him and he turned around and gave me a smile.
“Maybe I do and maybe I don’t.” I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t want any naked pictures of me to exist. I pinched his butt, and he just kept smiling.
“Asshole,” I said as he carried the spaghetti over to the coffee table which was now cluttered with photographs and other things. I’d also brought out his guitar and propped it against the wall. I was hoping for a performance later. That would be the only thing that would make this night better.
Thirty-Six
“What do you think?” Sloane said as she adjusted the skirt of my dress.
I was officially wearing the most beautiful dress in the history of dresses. Eat your heart out, Scarlet O’Hara. That bitch had nothing on this.
The fabric was black with almost a flower pattern on it that you could only see when you got up close. I swiveled my hips back and forth and listened as the dress swished and moved like a bell.
“Is it possible for me to wear this every single day for the rest of my life? Because I’d love for that to happen.” I would clean in this dress. I would sleep in this dress. “I’m never taking it off.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure Lucah is going to want to take it off you. And it’s going to get pretty funky if you don’t wash it.” She played with the skirt again and I spun all the way around. I wasn’t wearing a tiara, but it didn’t matter. I felt like a princess. Where were the woodland creatures to help me with all my chores?
“Okay, now that you’re set, wanna see my dress?” She wiggled her eyebrows and I had been afraid of this.
“Okay, so we have to talk about that. I know I said I was going to take you as my date, but that was before Lucah got done, and now he’s not going to be able to go, so that means Marisol and Chloe are out as well.” I’d been trying to think of a solution to that, but I didn’t have one and the event was next week.
“So basically you’re telling me that you’re going to invite your boyfriend and bail on me,” she said as I stepped away from the mirror.
“No! No, I’m not saying that. I’m just trying to figure out how I can still get all of you in. So. I’m going to ask Dad if I can just invite all of you. Sure, it’s probably going to piss people off, but I don’t give a shit. I want all of you there.” Sloane beamed and hugged me, being careful not to smush the dress. It was going to get smushed when I danced, but I wanted to keep it perfect until then.
“You are awesome! Okay, let me just put my dress on and then you can tell me how fabulous I look.” She dashed into her changing room and came out a few minutes later wearing a dress that was even better than the drawing she’d shown me. The cutouts were more daring, and plunging, but there was black sheer material that covered her (sort of) so she didn’t look like she was wearing anything too revealing. The rest of the fabric was silk and white with large black tropical flowers printed on it. She spun slowly and I got a look at the back.
“You’re gorgeous and you know it, Sloane. You don’t need me to tell you that.” Sloane wasn’t vain. She was just confident and she was gorgeous. Anyone who said different was jealous or lying or both.
She came and stood in front of the mirror with me.
“I love you,” I said. “And thank you for being the best friend I could ever ask for.” She put her arm around me and gave me a hug.
“I love you too, bitch.” She stuck her tongue out at me in the mirror and I did the same.
Once we were back into our other clothes, I told her about Lucah’s plan.
“So it’s up to you, whatever you want to do.” I knew she could afford the apartment and had been talking about maybe getting one for a while now, but we liked living with each other so much that neither of us wanted to make a move.
“If I move down the hall, do I get to keep my key and come in whenever I want?” she said with an expression that I really didn’t like.
“Within reason, Sloane. I don’t want to be in the middle of having hot sex and look up and see you standing there. We’re close, but we’re not that close.” Sloane made a face.
“I love you, but that is not something I would want to witness, thank you very much. I was just thinking of sneaking in early in the morning and gluing all your furniture to the ceiling, or hiding your shoes, but you took it totally dirty, you perv.” Oh, like she hadn’t thought about that.