"Are they coming here?" Mark inquires as I search through my bag for my swimsuit. "Not up here. There's a pool," I reply, finding my swimsuit. "We should get to know them better. I'd like to be friends with all of them." "I agree, but I was hoping to stay up here and finish watching the rest of Die Hard," Mark says, reclining in his seat. "I won't pester you with too many questions. You should also come," I insist, poking him in the chest. "I didn't bring a swimsuit," he deadpans. I shake my head. "No worries, even if you hadn't worn those shorts. Everyone does it." He sighs and rolls his eyes. I've won. "Fine." "Thanks a lot. Now, hurry up. We need to get down there before they arrive," I urge him as he changes his shirt. When we reach the pool area, there's no one else there. Not a soul. We have the entire pool to ourselves. After setting up our spot, my mom texts me that they've arrived. "I'll be right back; I'm going to open the door for them," I tell Mark. He nods and sits
"We don't need you to drive us to the airport, Mom. Everything is fine, and we've already rented a car," I say, aware that only about half of the people are actually listening while the others scramble to pack at the last minute. "But we want to be there to see you off," my mother insists, her voice leaving no room for argument. She called to ask for directions on where to meet us. "We?" I ask, trying to make her tone less pleading. "Yes, all of us. Will, Will, Hannah, and I. We all want to see you off," she declares as if there were no other option. "We'll see each other at the wedding in six weeks. Plus, we just saw each other yesterday. We swam, talked, and did all sorts of things," I reply, now not even bothering to pack, but instead, trying my best to dissuade my mother from coming to the airport to bid us farewell. Mark exits the bathroom with his toiletry bag. "Are you still getting ready?" he asks, his tone implying, "You're taking forever." "I'm on the phone with my mom!
Mark and I drove home in silence, and I was too apprehensive to inquire about what had transpired with him. The only conversation we had was about what I wanted from McDonald's. We picked up our food at the drive-thru and didn't bother going inside the restaurant. During the ride home, I couldn't help but notice that Mark was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that the whites of his knuckles were showing. As we pulled into our driveway, both John's and my dad's cars were already parked there. I was too drained to engage in any conversations. Despite my upcoming birthday and graduation tomorrow, all I wanted was to get some rest. Mark helped me move my belongings and some of his into the house. "How's it going, and how did it go?" John inquired. None of us raised our hands or spoke up. "Just give it to me already!" he exclaimed, and yet neither of us raised our voices. "Let's give them some time to settle in. They've probably been out all day. We can talk tomorrow," my dad sugg
The next morning, I was roused from my slumber by my dad's off-key singing and the scent of inexpensive candle wax, the kind they use for birthday candles. We have a tradition in our family where, on birthdays, you place a candle on your favorite breakfast item. Both my dad and I share a love for oversized cinnamon rolls. Even though I'm no longer tired, I resist the urge to get out of bed. "Happy birthday! Happy birthday to... you. Happy birthday, smiley Alyanna. Hey, it's your birthday!" My dad sings with an accompanying dance, clearly in high spirits. I sit up and spot a plate piled high with mega cinnamon rolls, complete with a candle planted firmly in the middle. My dad beams at me. "Thanks, Dad," I say, moving in for a hug. "Thank you, sweetie. Now, make a wish and blow out the candle." My dad nudges the plate closer to me. I close my eyes, make a small wish, and blow out the candle. "Can we dig in now? I'm famished," I ask, already dipping my finger into the frosting. "Of
Maya's enthusiastic hair brushing occasionally made me stumble over my words as she attempted to tackle the tangles in my hair. She responded with a simple, "Beauty is a pain, girl." "I'm not even sure if I want to be pretty," I admit. Maya pauses her brushing, and I silently thank her for doing so. She swivels my chair around to face her. "Honey, you're already very pretty. This just enhances it." "Do you have to 'enhance' so much? My head is starting to hurt." I'm pretty sure I don't have any hair left at this point. "Relax. Just a few more strokes, and I'll curl it," she reassures me, spinning me around to continue. Once she finishes curling my hair, she studies my face. "Alright, you won't need as much makeup as you thought, but I do think a bit of concealer might help. Did you get any sleep at all last night?" she inquires. "Yeah, I got some, but not much," I reply, eyeing my now strangely curled hair. "What happened?" Uh-oh, this is a part I'm not great at. When someone a
When a slow song starts playing, we part ways. "Want to dance?" Mark suggests as we catch our breath. "Sure," I agree, and we make our way to the dance floor. It's like a scene from that movie "A Cinderella Story," where Austin told Mark they should meet under the disco ball. What a coincidence. Austin's appearance reminds me of Tristan from the early episodes of Gilmore Girls, but then my thoughts wander to Lauren Graham, and from there, I somehow end up thinking about the movie Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, which had a cute dog named Calvin. That, in turn, triggers memories of my old dog, Pat, who was just like that. I snap out of my thoughts before the song ends, realizing that Mark and I are closer than ever. When the music stops, we decide to take a break and chat with other people. Mark heads off to find Charlie, and I seek out someone I can tolerate, at least for a little while. I wander around aimlessly until Max approaches me. "Heey, boo boo," he slurs, clearl
Five weeks remain until the wedding. "Hello, it's wonderful to finally meet you," I greet Abby warmly. "I've heard a lot about you from Charlie, who also knows you," Abby replies, shaking my hand. "In that case, let me guide you through the process," I suggest, leading them inside. "For the rest of my life, I'll have to thank your father every day," Charlie remarks, instructing us to gather all the bags. … Four weeks until the wedding. "I love this one. Red velvet Oreo cheesecake," Mark says, savoring another bite. I try a forkful. "This is the one we'll go with," I inform the person serving us. "It looks like we've found our cake!" Mark exclaims, rubbing his lips together and clapping his hands. "I suppose so," I reply with a smile. … Three weeks until the wedding. "I've scheduled your hair and makeup appointment," Maya tells me, ushering me into my room. "Why can't you do it?" I inquire. "Because I have an appointment too," she explains and playfully flops onto my bed.
Day before the wedding: "Why do I have to go for a manicure today?" I inquire as Maya ushers me into the car. "Because your hands need to look their best for the photos," she explains, sliding into the driver's seat. In one car, Abby, Maya, Sophie, and I are squeezed together, while in another, my mom, Hannah, and Kelly, Mark's cousin, are riding. "But what if I don't care about looking good?" I whine as I slump down into my seat. "Nope, no exceptions. And sit up, we can't have you getting into a car accident the day before your wedding," Maya insists as she pulls out of the driveway. "You'd be the one to kill me, you're the one driving," I quip, sitting up. "Quit it. You know what I mean. Plus, you might end up liking it," Maya says with a hint of optimism. I didn't like it at all. It felt strange. She massaged my hands and performed all sorts of nail procedures that were slightly uncomfortable. Then came the acrylic nails, followed by the painting, whatever a 'French tip' is.
"Mommy!" I hear yelling as well as loud running footsteps. Kara, Kyle and Willow come running into the kitchen. "Can you finish the story?""Not yet, we gotta wait for daddy and Milly." I dry my hands and lean down to pick up Willow. "Where's Landon?" I ask to go into the living room. I sigh when I see him sitting in front of the TV playing video games. Just like he's been doing with every minute of free time he gets."Come on, go outside and run around, get dirty." I put Willow down next to Landon."But this level is really hard and I can't-" I cut him off by turning off the TV and giving him a no arguing look. "Fine, I'll go outside.""Be a good brother and take your sister to the swing set." I say handing him Willow."Really? It's bad enough I can't finish my game." I put my hands on my hips. "You know what? I have a sudden urge to push my little sister on the swing." He says picking up Willow and walking to the front door."Smart." I call out with a chuckle.Kyle and Kara follow t
"At this same time in 2018, on July 18th, we exchanged our vows and became husband and wife." I'm saying that while Mark is cooking, I should be strolling around the island in our brand-new kitchen and bugging him."I am familiar with the functioning of the calendar." Mark is using his smart mouth in an attempt to convince me to take a seat."Yeah, but today marks our anniversary of being together for a year." I would recommend coming to a complete halt right next to him and displaying him some images from the wedding.I want to reiterate that I am familiar with the operation of the calendar. This time, however, he lets out a chuckle. "OK, go ahead and have a seat. After supper, I'd want to take you somewhere special." Mark tells me that he is putting a plate in the seat next to mine.I get up and make my way over there before sitting down. "Oh, I'm so excited to find out where you've planned our anniversary celebration!" I smirk."This comes as a complete shock to me." He appears to
My birthday is on the first of June, which means that it is only a day away at this point. My hair has now grown out to be almost one inch long. Although there isn't enough to show just yet, it's still there. Mark and I have become even more close recently, and in light of this, we have increased the number of dates we go on that take place outside of the venues we previously attended.We packed a lunch and had a picnic at the highest point of our hike. We went to a community pool with Abby and Charlie, where they gave Lexi her first swim lesson when she was six months old. It was adorable to see how she reacted when she got into the water. We've had a lot of quality time together, both with just the two of us and with our respective friends and families.I've already told Mark that I don't want a party, so instead we're just going to go on a short bike ride around the area and eat lunch somewhere along the way. I instructed him not to get me anything, but he insisted on getting me at
"Ooh look a fortune teller." I can't help but crack a grin as I take a seat with the stuffed elephant I'm holding in my arms.It is not necessary for us to get our horoscopes read at this time. While he is saying this to me and attempting to drag me away from him, he grabs my hand."Yeah, we are now seated." I issue this command. He acquiesces with a rolled eye expression and does what he is told."Get your fortune told for just five dollars," the ad read. The fortune teller cracks a wry smile as she circles her hands around the crystal ball in her possession. Mark removes a five dollar bill from his pocket and places it in the container that she is using. "Each." The female contributor continues. Mark makes an expression of rolling his eyes before adding another five. "Well, right...," the speaker said."There's a chance that we shouldn't even go in there." Turning around is something that Mark objects to."Nope! We didn't drive all the way here simply to turn around and head back ho
"I've made up my mind about what course of action I want to take." When it's time to clean up after supper, Sophie is the one who makes the announcement.The question then was, "And what is that?" I put the plate I'm washing down and turn my attention to her, asking her to pay attention to me instead."I am aware that winter is in full swing, but despite this, I have the urge to participate in some sort of carnival." She withdraws her presence gradually. "I am aware that it is somewhat childish, but I would really like to do it before I become a teenager.""It does not have an infantile quality. I have a feeling that we are going to have a lot of laughs." I'm heading towards the desk where my computer is located right now. I'll investigate whether there are any indoor carnivals in our area. This is what I am saying while I type."Really?" She asks with a grin as she makes her way over to me to keep an eye on what I'm looking for."Absolutely, we're looking forward to the fun. We are a
"Mark?" I stammer out while turning my head to look at him."Alyanna, you have to make sure that you get enough rest. It is currently two o'clock in the morning." Mark utters these words while setting his book down to the side."I just can't shut my brain off. It is imperative that I convey the following information to you." I say blinking slowly.The question is, "What is it?" He requests that you move in a little bit closer."I had a dream about Maya being in this place," the narrator said. When I make an effort to swallow, however, it causes more discomfort than it solves. It had been ten years since I had from high school, and my wife and I were taking our four children with us to attend the reunion. I smile."Really? Were Milly and Landon two of the names that you were considering?" He inquires while straining his eyes slightly to the sides."Yeah, and the other two were a set of twins by the names of Kara and Kyle," she replied. I pause for a moment before asking, "Are you fond
I am roused from my sleep by the soundtrack of a motion picture. I've only made it through one round, but I'm already so exhausted that I can hardly move. Mark has started playing Sweet Home Alabama, and I believe it is approximately halfway through at this point. I turn my head to look at the man I love, who is hiding his identity behind a mask so that he can be here with me.Because he turns to face me and smiles when he sees me looking at him, I believe that he is aware that I am staring at him. At the very least, I believe he's putting on a happy face. "Hi love." While he is doing so, he says while leaning closer to me.I smile. When you speak in that manner, you have a decidedly British accent. I stutter out the phrase.I can make out in the corner of his eye a slight crinkle, which is a clear indication that he's smiling. "Do you like it?" He questions it while cocking his head to the side. I nod. "Then I'll keep doing it love," she replied. He appears to be smiling once more fr
"Explain it to me in detail," I requested. I think to myself as I roll over onto my stomach and hold myself up on my elbows."It had been six or seven years since Thanksgiving when it finally arrived..." It all begins with him."It all makes perfect sense that your car accident had place the day before Thanksgiving." I said nodding along."Anyways. As soon as I went in the door, you walked over to me and introduced yourself. Your hair was about shoulder length. After some time had passed, Charlie and his two young companions entered the room. One was given the name Alexis, and the other was given the name Milly." When her name was mentioned, a big smile spread across my face. She was my grandmother. How does this real-life situation relate to this dream?"Was it the reason you mentioned that you loved the names Milly and Landon?" I inquire while drawing in a bit closer to him in order to get a better look at the emotion that is currently on his face.A very small nod is all that is gi
Sleeping is the last thing I want to be doing right now, but I just can't muster the energy to do anything else because I was up all night last night. We were forced to delay our arrival at the hospital, but this is not a significant issue because nothing will take place until the afternoon of tomorrow. We ended up staying longer.After we got back to the house, we changed into our pajamas and went to bed immediately. Well, I did, and then Mark put on a movie and lied down on his back while I lied on his chest while he watched it. I haven't been able to get around to doing that just yet. I think that a regular drum beat or even the sound of a heartbeat can be soothing when one is trying to fall or stay asleep. I am all for it. When he turns off the light and the television, that's when I open my eyes. Also, when he turns off the TV, I open my eyes. I inquire as to whether or not he requires my presence to be elsewhere. According to everything I've read and seen on the subject, your ar