Page 7 of Playing for Love
Aria came out of what was once Callie’s bedroom and leaned on the doorframe. Cassie asked Aria to move in with her as soon as Callie transferred all of her stuff to Kyle’s condo downtown. If she was alone with her thoughts, Cassie went crazy. She needed someone to keep the crazy at bay.
“Why are you so worried? It’s just the rehearsal, not the actual wedding.” Aria spoke around the ever present Charms sucker stick sticking out of her mouth.
“Because Callie is probably freaking out by now!”
“Ok, ok, Eskimo. Take a chill pill.” Once Aria had found out Cassie had moved to Norman, Oklahoma, from Alaska, the nickname had stuck. “We’ll get to the church on time. Even if it isn’tyourwedding we’re gettin’ to.”
Cassie rolled her eyes so far back into her head that she swore she could see the top of her brain. Aria was infuriating sometimes. “You can’t wear that.”
“Wear what?”
“Really, Aria? A tube top and yoga pants? To a dress rehearsal?” Cassie motioned up and down her body, calling Aria’s attention to her modest and appropriate maxi dress. It was one of the few dresses she felt confident in. The jeweled tones went well with her fair skin and ebony hair that fell in a straight curtain down her back. She had even worn her contacts and put on some smoky purple eyeshadow and black eye liner to highlight the chocolate brown of her eyes.
“Damn, Alaska! You sure clean up nice without the nerd glasses and ever-present bun on top of your head. Is that makeup I see on those lids?Mascaraeven?! This is a cause for celebration!”
“As long as the celebration has you wearing something that won’t make Cal’s dad blush to the top of his head, we have a deal.”
Fifteen minutes later, Cassie had managed to get Aria into a black pencil skirt and mustard-colored, off the shoulder peasant top. A quick but complex braid to her copper-colored hair and the girls were out the door.
“I can’t believe Cassie is getting married,” Aria said softly, a trace of sadness in her voice. “What are we going to do without her?”
“She’s not dying, Aria. She’s just getting married.”
“And trying to find a real-life, grown-up job. She’s pretty much a goner.”
“Overdramatic much?” Cassie dug through the console of her car and came up with exactly what she was looking for. As she turned ‘Love Me Like You Do’ by Ellie Goulding as high as she could without busting their ear drums, she handed Aria a Charms sucker.
“You reallydolove me!” Aria exclaimed as she grabbed her favorite sucker from Cassie. “I always knew I was your favorite friend.”
Cassie smiled. She didn’t want to see sadness in her friend. She had enough hidden sadness in her for the lot of them.
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“Now, who am I walking with again?” Jamal leaned against the door frame of the men’s dressing room in the banquet hall off the Crystal Bridge of the Myriad Gardens, the spot where his best friend and Callie were going to say I do tomorrow night. Jamal watched Kyle rub his face over his hand and through his hair in a motion Jamal had begun to recognize as a sign of apprehension.
“What?”
“I asked who I was walking with. As in bridesmaid. Is it one of your hot sisters?”
Kyle shot Jamal a glare. “No. It’s not one of my sisters. And don’t say they’re hot.”
Jamal laughed. “Fine. Fine, man. Is it one of your not hot sisters?”
Another glare came his way. “No, it’s Callie’s roommate.”
“Have I met her?”
“I don’t think so. She’s usually holed up in her room, studying. Total bookworm. Study worm is probably a better description. She’s in the education program at OU.”
“Man, why’d you hook me up with some book nerd?”
“I didn’t say nerd, I said worm. You better not let Callie hear you saying she’s a nerd. She is pretty protective of her friends. And there will be no hooking up with Callie’s friends.”
“Why not? Is she fat?”
“What is wrong with you, Jamal? No, she’s not large. She’s actually pretty petite. She just studies. A lot. It’s like she’s always in her room studying.”
“Great, so a boring ass nerd. Thanks for hooking me up, man.Reallyappreciate it.”