โWhat are you doing to those poor ๏ฌowers?โ Allysa asks from behind me.
I clamp another silver washer closed and slide it down the stem. โSteampunk.โ
We both stand back and admire the bouquet. At least . . . Iย hopeย sheโs looking at it with admiration. It turned out better than I thought it would. I used ๏ฌorist dip dye to turn some white roses a deep purple. Then I decorated the stems with different steampunk elements, like tiny metal washers and gears, and even super-glued a small clock to the brown leather strap thatโs holding the bouquet together.
โSteampunk?โ
โItโs a trend. Kind of a subgenre of ๏ฌction, but itโs catching on in other areas. Art. Music.โ I turn around and smile, holding up the bouquet. โAnd now . . .ย ๏ฌowers.โ
Allysa takes the ๏ฌowers from me and holds them up in front of her. โTheyโre so . . . weird. I love them so much.โ She hugs them. โCan I have them?โ
I pull them away from her. โNo, theyโre our grand opening display. Not for sale.โ I take the ๏ฌowers from her and grab the vase I made yesterday. I found a pair of old button-up womenโs boots at a ๏ฌea market last week. They reminded me of the steampunk style, and the boots are actually where I got the idea for the ๏ฌowers. I washed the boots last week, dried them, and then super-glued pieces of metal to them. Once I brushed them with Mod Podge, I was able to line the inside with a vase to hold water for the ๏ฌowers.
โAllysa?โ I place the ๏ฌowers on the center display table. โIโm pretty sure this is exactly what I was supposed to do with my life.โ
โSteampunk?โ she asks.
I laugh and spin around. โCreate!โ I say. And then I ๏ฌip the sign to open, ๏ฌfteen minutes early.
We both spend the day busier than we thought weโd be. Between phone orders, Internet orders, and walk-ins, neither of us even has time to take a lunch break.
โYou need more employees,โ Allysa says as she passes me, holding two bouquets of ๏ฌowers. That is at one oโclock.
โYou need more employees,โ she says to me at two oโclock, holding the phone to her ear and writing down an order while ringing someone up at the register.
Marshall stops by after three oโclock and asks how itโs going.
Allysa says, โShe needs more employees.โ
I help a woman take a bouquet to her car at four oโclock, and as Iโm walking back inside, Allysa is walking out, holding another bouquet. โYou need more employees,โ she says, exasperated.
At six oโclock, she locks the door and ๏ฌips the sign. She falls against the door and slides to the ๏ฌoor, looking up at me.
โI know,โ I tell her. โI need more employees.โ She just nods.
And then we laugh. I walk over to where sheโs seated and I sit next to her. We lean our heads together and look at the store. The steampunk ๏ฌowers are front and center, and although I refused to sell this particular bouquet, we had eight preorders for more of them.
โIโm proud of you, Lily,โ she says.
I smile. โI couldnโt have done it without you, Issa.โ
We sit there for several minutes, enjoying the rest weโre ๏ฌnally giving our feet. This was honestly one of the best days Iโve ever had, but I canโt help but feel a nagging sadness that Ryle never stopped by. He also never texted.
โHave you heard from your brother today?โ I ask.
She shakes her head. โNo, but Iโm sure heโs just busy.โ I nod. I know heโs busy.
We both look up when someone knocks on the door. I smile when I see him cupping his hands around his eyes with his face pressed to the window. He ๏ฌnally looks down and sees us sitting on the ๏ฌoor.
โSpeak of the devil,โ Allysa says.
I jump up and unlock the door to let him in. As soon as I open it, heโs pushing his way inside. โI missed it? I did. I missed it.โ He
hugs me. โIโm sorry, I tried to get here as soon as I could.โ
I hug him back and say, โItโs ๏ฌne. Youโre here. It was perfect.โ Iโm giddy with excitement that he made it at all.
โYouโreย perfect,โ he says, kissing me.
Allysa brushes past us. โYouโreย perfect,โ she mimics. โHey Ryle, guess what?โ
Ryle releases me. โWhat?โ
Allysa grabs the trash can and drops it on the counter. โLily needs to hire more employees.โ
I laugh at her constant repetition. Ryle squeezes my hand and says, โSounds like business was good.โ
I shrug. โI canโt complain. I mean . . . Iโm noย brainย surgeon, but Iโm pretty good at what I do.โ
Ryle laughs. โYou guys need any help cleaning up?โ
Allysa and I put him to work, helping us clean up after the big day. We get everything ๏ฌnished and prepped for tomorrow, and then Marshall arrives just as weโre ๏ฌnishing up. Heโs carrying a bag when he walks inside and drops it on the counter. He begins to pull out huge lumps of some kind of material and tosses them at each of us. I catch mine and unfold it.
Itโs a onesie.
With kittens all over it.
โBruins game. Free beer. Suit up, team!โ
Allysa groans and says, โMarshall, you made six million dollars this year. Do weย reallyย need free beer?โ
He shoves a ๏ฌnger against her lips, pushing them in opposite
directions. โShh! Donโt speak like a rich girl, Issa. Blasphemy.โ
She laughs and Marshall grabs the onesie out of her hand. He unzips it and helps her into it. Once weโre all suited up, we lock the door and head to the bar.
Iโve never in my life seen so many men in onesies. Allysa and I are the only women wearing them, but I kind of like that. Itโs loud. So loud, and each time the Bruins make a good play, Allysa and I have to cover our ears from the screams. After about half an hour, a booth on the top ๏ฌoor opens up and we all run upstairs to claim it.
โMuch better,โ Allysa says as we slide in. Itโs much quieter up here, although still loud compared to normal standards.
A waitress comes over to take our drink order. I order red wine, and as soon as I do, Marshall practically jumps out of his seat. โWine?โ he yells. โYouโre in a onesie! You donโt get free wine with a onesie!โ
He tells the waitress to bring me a beer, instead. Ryle tells her to bring me wine. Allysa wants water, and this upsets Marshall even more. He tells the waitress to bring four bottles of beer and then Ryle says, โTwo beers, red wine, and a water.โ The waitress is very confused by the time she leaves our table.
Marshall throws his arm around Allysa and kisses her. โHow am I supposed to try and knock you up tonight if you arenโt a little wasted?โ
The look on Allysaโs face changes, and I feel instantly bad for her. I know Marshall only said that in fun, but it has to bother her. She was just telling me a few days ago how depressed she is that she canโt get pregnant.
โI canโt have beer, Marshall.โ
โThen drink wine, at least. You like me more when youโre tipsy.โ He laughs at himself, but Allysa doesnโt.
โI canโt have wine, either. I canโt haveย anyย alcohol, actually.โ Marshall stops laughing.
My heart does a ๏ฌip-๏ฌop.
Marshall turns in the booth and grabs her shoulders, making her face him straight-on. โAllysa?โ
She just starts nodding and I donโt know who starts crying ๏ฌrst.
Me or Marshall or Allysa. โIโm gonna be a dad?โ he yells.
Sheโs still nodding, and Iโm just bawling like an idiot. Marshall jumps up in the booth and yells, โIโm gonna be a dad!โ
I canโt even explain what this moment is like. A grown man in a onesie, standing up in a booth at a bar, yelling to whoever will listen that heโs gonna be a dad. He pulls her up and theyโre both standing in the booth now. He kisses her and itโs the sweetest thing Iโve ever seen.
Until I look at Ryle and catch him chewing on his bottom lip like heโs trying to blink back a potential tear. He glances at me and sees me staring, so he looks away. โShut up,โ he says. โSheโs my sister.โ
I smile and lean over and kiss him on the cheek. โCongratulations, Uncle Ryle.โ
Once the parents-to-be stop making out in the booth, Ryle and I both stand up and congratulate them. Allysa said sheโs been feeling sick for a while, but just took a test this morning before our grand opening. She was going to wait and tell Marshall tonight when they got home, but she couldnโt hold it in for another second.
Our drinks come and we order food. Once the waitress walks away, I look at Marshall. โHow did you two meet?โ
He says, โAllysa tells the story better than I do.โ
Allysa perks up and leans forward. โI hated him,โ she says. โHe was Ryleโs best friend and he was always at the house. I thought he was so annoying. He had just moved to Ohio from Boston and he had that Boston accent. He thought it made him so cool but I just wanted to slap him every time he spoke.โ
โSheโsย soย sweet,โ Marshall says, sarcastically.
โYou were an idiot,โ Allysa replies, rolling her eyes. โAnyway, one day Ryle and I had a few friends over. Nothing big, but our parents were out of town, so of course we had a little get-together.โ
โThere were thirty people there,โ Ryle says. โIt was a party.โ โOkay, a party,โ Allysa says. โI walked into the kitchen and
Marshall was standing there pressed up against some ๏ฌoozy.โ
โShe wasnโt a ๏ฌoozy,โ he says. โShe was a nice girl. Tasted like Cheetos, but . . .โ
Allysa glares at him so he shuts up. She turns back to me. โI lost it,โ she says. โI started yelling at him to take his whores to his own house. The girl was literally so terri๏ฌed of me, she ran for the door and didnโt come back.โ
โCock blocker,โ Marshall says.
Allysa punches him in the shoulder. โAnyway. After I cock blocked him, I ran to my room, embarrassed that I did that. It was out of pure jealousy, and I didnโt even realize I liked him that way until I saw his hands on some other girlโs ass. I threw myself on my bed and started crying. A few minutes later, he walked into my room and asked me if I was okay. I rolled over and yelled, โIย likeย you, you stupid fuck-face!โ โ
โAnd the rest is history . . .โ Marshall says.
I laugh. โAwe. Stupid fuck-face. How sweet.โ
Ryle holds up a ๏ฌnger and says, โYouโre leaving out the best part.โ
Allysa shrugs. โOh yeah. So Marshall walked over to me, pulled me off the bed, kissed me with the same mouth he was just kissing the ๏ฌoozy with, and we made out for half an hour. Ryle walked in on us and started screaming at Marshall. Then Marshall pushed Ryle out of my bedroom, locked the door, and made out with me for another hour.โ
Ryle is shaking his head. โBetrayed by my best friend.โ Marshall pulls Allysa to him. โI like her, you stupid fuck-face.โ
I laugh, but Ryle turns to me with a serious look on his face. โI didnโt speak to him for an entire month, I was so mad. I eventually got over it. We were eighteen, she was seventeen. Wasnโt much I could do in the way of keeping them apart.โ
โWow,โ I say. โI sometimes forget how close in age you two are.โ
Allysa smiles and says, โThree kids in three years. I feel so sorry for my parents.โ
The table grows quiet. I see an apologetic look pass from Allysa to Ryle.
โThree?โ I ask. โYou have another sibling?โ
Ryle straightens up and takes a sip of his beer. He sets it back down on the table and says, โWe had an older brother. He passed away when we were kids.โ
Such a great night, ruined by a simple question.ย Luckily, Marshall redirects the conversation like a pro.
I spend the rest of the evening listening to stories about them growing up. Iโm not sure Iโve ever laughed as hard as I have tonight.
When the game is over, we all walk back to the shop to retrieve our cars. Ryle said he caught an Uber over earlier, so heโll just ride with me. Before Allysa and Marshall leave, I tell her to hold on. I run inside the store and grab the steampunk ๏ฌowers and run them back to their car. Her face lights up when I hand them to her.
โIโm happy youโre pregnant but thatโs not why Iโm giving you these ๏ฌowers. I just want you to have them. Because youโre my best friend.โ
Allysa squeezes me and whispers in my ear. โI hope he marries you someday. Weโll be even better sisters.โ
She climbs inside the car and they leave, and I just stand there watching them because I donโt know that Iโve ever had a friend like her in my whole life. Maybe itโs the wine. I donโt know, but I love today. Everything about it. I especially love how Ryle looks, leaning against my car, watching me.
โYouโre really beautiful when youโre happy.โย Ugh! This day! Perfect!
โข โข โข
Weโre making our way up the stairs to my apartment when Ryle grabs my waist and pushes me against the wall. He just starts kissing me, right there in the stairwell.
โImpatient,โ I mutter.
He laughs and cups my ass with both of his hands. โNope. Itโs this onesie. You really should consider making this your business attire.โ He kisses me again and doesnโt stop kissing me until someone passes us, heading down the stairs.
The guy mumbles, โNice onesies,โ as he squeezes past us. โDid the Bruins win?โ
Ryle nods. โThree to one,โ he responds, without looking up at the guy.
โNice,โ the guy says.
Once heโs gone, I step away from Ryle. โWhat is this onesie thing? Does every male in Boston know about this?โ
He laughs and says, โFree beer, Lily. Itโs free beer.โ He pulls me up the stairs, and when we walk in the door, Lucy is standing at the kitchen table taping up a box of her stuff. Thereโs another box she hasnโt taped up yet and I could swear I see a bowl that I bought at HomeGoods sticking out of the top. She said sheโd have all her stuff out by next week, but I have a feeling sheโll conveniently have some ofย myย stuff out, too.
โWho are you?โ she asks, looking Ryle up and down.
โRyle Kincaid. Iโm Lilyโs boyfriend.โย Lilyโs boyfriend.
Did you hear that?
Boyfriend.
Itโs the ๏ฌrst time heโs con๏ฌrmed it, and he said it so con๏ฌdently. โMy boyfriend, huh?โ I walk into the kitchen and grab a bottle of
wine and two wineglasses.
Ryle comes up behind me as Iโm pouring the wine and snakes his arms around my waist. โYep. Your boyfriend.โ
I hand him a glass of wine and say, โSo Iโm a girlfriend?โ
He holds up his glass and clinks it against mine. โTo the end of trial runs and the beginning of sure things.โ
Weโre both smiling as we take a drink of our wine.
Lucy stacks the boxes together and walks toward the front door. โLooks like I got out right in time,โ she says.
The door closes behind her and Ryle raises an eyebrow. โI donโt think your roommate likes me very much.โ
โYouโd be surprised. I didnโt think she liked me, either, but yesterday she asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. I think sheโs just hoping for free ๏ฌowers, though. Sheโs very opportunistic.โ
Ryle laughs and leans against the refrigerator. His eyes fall to a magnet that says โBostonโ on it. He pulls it off the refrigerator and raises an eyebrow. โYouโll never get out of Boston purgatory if you keep souvenirs of Boston on your fridge like a tourist.โ
I laugh and grab the magnet, slapping it back on the fridge. I like that he remembers so much about the ๏ฌrst night we met. โIt was a gift. It only counts as touristy if I bought it myself.โ
He steps over to me and takes my glass of wine from my hands. He sets both of our glasses on the countertop, and then leans in and gives me a deep, passionate, drunken kiss. I can taste the tart fruitiness of the wine on his tongue and I like it. His hands go to the zipper on my onesie. โLetโs get you out of these clothes.โ
He pulls me toward the bedroom, kissing me while we both struggle out of our clothes. By the time we make it to my bedroom, Iโm down to my bra and panties.
He shoves me against the door, and I gasp at the unexpectedness of it.
โDonโt move,โ he says. He presses his lips to my chest, then begins to kiss me slowly as he makes his way down my body.
Oh, Lord. Can this day seriously get any better?
I run my hands through his hair, but he grabs my wrists and presses them against the door. He climbs back up my body,
squeezing my wrists tightly. He raises an eyebrow in warning. โI said . . . donโt move.โ
I try not to smile, but itโs hard to disguise. He drags his mouth back down my body. He slowly lowers my panties to my ankles, but he told me not to move, so I donโt kick them off.
His mouth slides up my thigh until . . .ย Yeah.
Best.
Day. Ever.
