Revisiting Past Memories

BECCA

We both entered the house. Shit! The last time I was there was four years ago for sure. They made a lot of changes to the exterior, but I guess that’s normal when your son is a well-paid professional football player.

The atmosphere was filled with luxury vibes. There wasn’t anything gold or other shit, but the materials and furniture spoke for themselves. Logan loved his parents, so it was evident that he wanted to make them happy.

I was walking behind Lily very carefully, as if I was afraid to make any noise. Thankfully, she went upstairs to show me my room. When I realized where I was headed, I felt a pang in my chest.

It was the same room where I stayed my first year in college when we came for winter break. It would be hard not to remember all the things that happened here. No, I should focus on the present. There is my friend, and she needs me in my normal state.

“Becca, my mom prepared everything that you will need. So, I will leave you to get settled. I need to make some calls before I start to get ready for my party.”

“What exactly are you planning? Clubbing? Dancing? Drinking?”

“Patience, honey. You will see.”

“You know that I don’t like surprises, right?”

“Well, there is nothing I can do. My parents are busy with work, so they are not home. But I hope you will see them this evening, before we leave.”

“I hope so too. How many people will be at your party?” I was trying to find out at least something, but Lily could be very vague when she wanted to be.

“A few. Don’t look at me like that. You know most of them. You met them when you visited while we were in college.”

“Fine. What time will we be leaving?”

“That’s better, Becca. At 10 pm. And I hope you prepared the perfect outfit, as I asked you to do.”

“I did.”

“So, I will leave you for now. Don’t be afraid to use the bathroom or help yourself to the kitchen. Make yourself at home.” Lily winked at me and closed the door behind her back. Yeah, as if I could do that.

I sighed and opened my suitcase. I took out my dress for the party and looked at it again. At first, I was thinking about something more revealing, edgier, and sexier. But sometimes, you could look even hotter wearing something more subtle.

I hope Lily would approve. I placed the dress in the closet and took my pair of nude heels out of my suitcase. I took my other stuff and placed it in the wardrobe as well. I took my cosmetics and placed them near the mirror on the table.

I was starting to feel nervous. Lily should not have left me alone. I was good while being in her company. Okay, I need to call my parents and send a message to Chase and Jenny. I promised to stay in touch, so that’s what I would do.

A few minutes after my call to Mom and Dad, I sent a message to Chase. He called me back; it was so typical of him, so I wasn’t even surprised when I saw his caller ID.

“Hey, Chase.”

“Rebecca, nice to hear your cheerful voice. Is everything good?”

“Yeah. We went to the seamstress, and the dress fit perfectly.”

“Did you even doubt that it would? For the last month, you ate like a bird, and you exercised with Jenny almost every evening.”

“I needed to be in my best shape. I told my measurements to Lily a long time ago, and I was afraid to fail her.”

“You would have never failed her,” he said. The silence settled between us. I knew what he wanted to ask, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go there. I talked to Mom, and in my opinion, it was enough.

“How is your day? How is Jenny?”

“I am good. I have a break now, that’s why I called. Jenny went to visit her sister in New Jersey, and she will be home tomorrow.”

“Yeah, she told me that she misses her family.”

“She does. Becca, are you alright? Really?”

“Chase, you need to stop worrying about me. I am a big girl, and I can conquer anything. I listened to yours and Dad’s pieces of advice and talked about everything with my mom. So I am good. Promise.”

“Okay. But if you need support or even an ear, don’t hesitate to call me. I would be happy to talk things through with you.”

“I know. That’s why I love you so much. Bye, Chase.”

“Bye, babe.”

I sat on the bed and stared at my phone.

I think I'm starting to feel sick about my behavior. I know that Chase will always be ready to support me, but... something is telling me that I'm leaning on him and Jenny too much.

They have their own lives, but now it looks like I'm a constant source of worry for both of them. As soon as I receive my first paycheck, I will move into my own place.

I changed into my sweatpants and a tight t-shirt with straps. I loosened my hair and let it cascade over my shoulders. Honestly, I'm starting to feel hungry. Maybe I could go to the kitchen and eat something? Or I could go to Lily? What if she's free already? Yeah, I'll go find her.

I walked out of the room and went to Lily's room, knocking on her door.

“Yeah?” Lily opened the door and looked at me. Her lips stretched into a smile. “Okay, you look like a scared deer. Come on, Bambi, do you want something?”

“Very funny.” I couldn't help but smile at her. “Maybe you could keep me company? I want to eat something, and I'm also ready to help you with anything.”

“Well, if you insist.” Lily shook her head and walked out of her room. She changed into her light summer dress and looked so nice, reminding me of our first meeting.

We walked downstairs and went straight to the kitchen. Lily went to the fridge and took out a dish. It was spaghetti with meatballs, and I nodded at her questioning look. She smiled and went to warm it up for us.

“So, tell me a little about the venue. Where will it be? How many guests?” We were sitting at the kitchen counter with plates in front of us. It was delicious!

“The wedding will be at John’s parents’ house, it’s a little outside of town and mostly hidden in the woods. Well, we needed to consider Logan’s participation.” She shook her head.

“I am afraid to even think about how his wedding will be. Especially if he chooses someone famous like him, it will be nuts!”

“Yeah… So this place is secluded? A fence, maybe?”

“Yeah, there is a fence, but there are also trees surrounding the house. It’s a very nice place, and John’s parents are charming people. His mother is a very nice woman, and she loves him so much. I was a little bit afraid of meeting her, he’s one year younger than me…”

“That is ridiculous. You will be the perfect daughter-in-law. You are beautiful, kind, respectful, smart, and you love her son so much.”

“Yeah… I am happy that I met him at the movie theater two years ago.”

“He was on a date with another girl, and you were with another guy, right?”

“Uh huh. But as our dates ditched us, we decided to watch the movie no matter what, and it went better than I expected.”

“I'm happy for you, Lil.” I smiled at her. “Is there anything left to do?”

“No. Logan helped me hire a wedding planner, and she’s helping me with everything. I just asked her to leave the preparations for the parties in my hands. And everything is ready.”

“Okay. May I, at least, wash the dishes?” I stood up and took my plate. Lily smiled and nodded at me, so I took hers as well and went to the sink.

I was washing dishes, standing with my back turned to the door. So it was only natural that I didn’t hear that it opened and someone walked inside. I was shutting off the tap when I heard Lily’s voice.

I turned around and saw John coming inside. Lily’s fiancé was a real catch. He was handsome and confident with his brown hair and deep blue eyes. And he was a very kind guy; it was apparent as soon as I saw him for the first time.

It was in his eyes and in the way he was smiling. And how he looked at Lily, with so much love and affection.

“Here you are,” John came closer to Lily and kissed her on the lips. Then he turned to me, and I saw a big smile on his face. We had seen each other a few times and were always able to find common ground. “Rebecca, it’s been a while, but it’s always nice to see you.”

“You too.” I took a step closer, and he hugged me briefly, stepping aside. “So, how are you feeling?”

“I can’t wait to call this wonderful girl my wife. Well, and I won’t say no to tonight’s party.”

“John, be careful. She tried to find out anything she could about the party. And I want it to stay a secret. Okay?” Lily placed her hand on John’s elbow, and I saw confusion in his eyes.

“Whatever you say. Okay.” He smiled at me, and I bit my inner cheek in annoyance. Why does it have to be a secret? “So, how did the meeting with Mary go?”

“Oh, this part was amazing. This girl didn’t gain a pound. All of her measurements were exactly the same, so Mary doesn’t need to do anything to Becca’s dress.”

“Impressive.” John smiled approvingly, and I blushed.

“Well, it will be an honor to wear the dress. It’s very beautiful, and I fell in love with it at first sight.”

“Lily said the same when she was choosing the dress for her maid of honor.” John hugged Lily by the shoulder and looked at her with such tenderness that I started smiling like a fool, looking at them.

“What about you? Who is your best man?”

“My brother. His name is Liam, and he will be at the party…”

“You will have a chance to meet him.” Lily cut our conversation short and stood up. “Are you staying with me? Or will you go back to your apartment?”

“I would love to stay and spend some time with you. But Liam is waiting for me with Jason, and I promised to have a few drinks with them.”

“Drinks?” Lily arched her brow.

“Coffee. Drinks will be at the party.”

I laughed and headed to leave the kitchen. Lily and John continued to talk about his brother and his friend. When I opened the door and walked outside, I literally bumped into someone. I needed only a second to realize who it was. It was damned Logan Jones in the flesh.