“I'm pissed that you have been strugglin' with this for awhile and you're only now tellin' me what's wrong. Your mental health is important, unload everythin' onto me if it'll make you feel better,” she pressed.
I waved her off. “We can talk soon, I promise... I just want today to go by without thinkin' about all the crap that’s built up in me head. Okay?”
Aideen wasn't happy but she nodded her head anyway.
“Thank you,” I said and gripped onto her hands.
She gave my hand a squeeze then said, “Wait, you're cool with gettin' married still though, right?”
I remained silent and Aideen gasped.
“You aren't?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don't know.”
“Are you gettin' cold feet?”
“No, I'm just sayin' that marriage could be different than datin'. I mean who is to know what could happen? Disney never did a follow up on Cinderella—like, what happened after the shoe fit? Did they get on? Did they get divorced? We'll never know.”
“Keela... are you really worried your future marriage to Alec could go south because you don't know how Cinderella and her lad ended up after they got married?”
Was I?
“I don't know,” I admitted.
“I do. They lived happily ever after, it says so in the end credits of the film.”
I rolled my eyes. “You're a very strange person.”
“Says the woman who just compared a Disney film to her future marriage.”
Oh God, she was right.
I groaned, “Maybe I'm losin' me mind.”
Aideen snorted, “You lost it long ago, sweetheart.”
I sat up and glared at Aideen. “You aren't helpin' me, you know?”
“I was just your shoulder to cry on, I've helped plenty.”
I laughed. “I need your help, not emotionally though. Physically.”
“You mean you didn't call me here to unload on me? Then why did you call me?” she asked.
I was grateful she was changing the topic.
“I need your help to start packin'. We're movin' today and I've done nothin'. Literally nothin',” I groaned. “I was writing so well the past two weeks that I put it off and now it's movin' day and we're aren't movin' ready.”
Aideen blinked her eyes. “You want me to pack?”
Did she listen to a single word I just said?
“Yes, I want you to help me pack!” I stated.
“Pack up your apartment? I thought you needed 'help',” Aideen said whilst using her fingers as air quotes around the word help.
“Why the air quotes?” I asked, bemused.
Aideen huffed and lowered her arms. “Because I thought you meant the alcohol kind of help, especially after what you just told me. I kind of assumed it would be the hard stuff kind of help.”
I stared at my best friend and for the billionth time wondered why I continued our weirder than weird friendship.
“Alcohol kind of help?”
“Yeah.” Aideen grinned. “You know, I help you get drunk.”
I shook my head.
How this fool was employed as an educator to children I would never know.
“It's half ten in the mornin'.”
Aideen shrugged. “It's five o'clock somewhere.”
“There's somethin' wrong with you.”
Aideen groaned. “Don't judge me, term started back on Monday and the kids are drivin' me insane already.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You teach second class kids, they're all cuties.”
Aideen growled, “Those eight year olds can be animals, do you hear me? Animals! I caught two boys forcin' another boy to eat fuckin' glue while givin' him a wedgie yesterday. They're evil, I'm tellin' you.”
I laughed. “Find a career that doesn't involve kids then.”
“No!” Aideen gasped. “The angels outweigh the devil spawn ten to one. Besides, I like imparting wisdom on the next generation.”
Wisdom. Ha.
Those poor kids were destined to jobs as strippers and drug dealers as long as they remained under Aideen's care.
“I know you're thinking something bitchy, so I'm gonna say fuck you before I forget.”
I snorted. “You're the strangest person I know.”
“You pronounced coolest wrong,” Aideen teased.
This girl!
I couldn't help but laugh. “Can you be serious?” I smiled. “I need you.”
Aideen exhaled loudly, “Fine, where do you want me?”
“Face down, arse up.” I smirked.
Aideen burst into laughter and seconds later a bark rang from my bedroom.
“It's nice to hear you too, you fat—”
“Aideen!” I cut her off.
Aideen laughed. “I wasn't goin' to say anythin' bad to him.”
Ha ha. Bullshit.
“Yeah,” I laughed, “and I'm Beyoncé.”
Aideen raised her eyebrow at me. “You don't have the arse to be Beyoncé.”
“Then I'll get some of Bronagh's arse—she has enough to spare.” I grinned.
Aideen cackled at the same time laughter started up outside my apartment door. A few seconds later someone knocked on the door. I got up and opened my door without looking through the peephole.
I knew who it was from the laugh.
“Hey, what're you two doin' here?” I asked and greeted Bronagh and Branna with a hug.
Bronagh fist bumped me and said, “Alec called us and said you needed help with packin' so here we are.”
I leaned against my front door and smiled. “Thank you, you're both brilliant.”
Branna rolled her neck onto her shoulders and said, “We know, now let's get to it.”
Ready to work.
I liked it.
I chuckled and closed my door only to yank it back open when a thud sounded against it and something, or someone, yelped. I widened my eyes when Ryder Slater hunched over in front of me and groaned in pain. He was holding his forehead and hissing. I panicked and placed my hands on his back.
“I'm so sorry, Ry!” I gushed. “Are you okay?”
“He's fine,” Branna stated, waving him off. “He already has a damaged brain, nothin' else will increase his stupidity by much.”
Ryder straightened up to his full height and hissed at his woman, “Bite me.”
Branna snapped her teeth at him making Bronagh and Aideen laugh.
“I'm fine, Keela, thanks for your concern,” he said, glaring in Branna's direction.
Branna wasn't paying him any attention so Ryder strode over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her into the air and she yelped with surprise. Ryder proceeded to spin around in a circle then and Branna screamed.
“I'm sorry,” she squealed. “Stop spinnin' me!”
I was terribly confused as to what was happening so I looked to Bronagh, my face quizzical enough to make her laugh.