We were the odd couple, and a part of me doubted she’d be able to go without talking to me over the next six months. I never realized how much of a privilege silence had been in my life until that very moment.
“Be nicer to her,” Connor said.
“What?”
“You heard me. Stop being a dick. You have to break down your barriers a bit, Damian,” Connor commented as we sat in the theater room of the home after dinner. Aaliyah was in bed for the night, and Stella was doing whatever it was that Stella did. Probably dancing under the moon and talking to the ocean or some weird shit.
Connor suggested we watch a movie on the big screen, and I agreed. Though, for the past twenty minutes or so, we’d been trying to figure out how to get the movie to play. He finally gave up and plopped down in one of the ridiculously comfortable chairs and was giving me a scolding.
“My barriers are fine,” I disagreed. “Boundaries are good.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “But coldness is not. Stella’s a nice person.”
“What’s your point?”
“You’re rude to her.”
“I’m not rude. I’m straightforward.”
He laughed. “Your straightforwardness can come off as being rude to most of the world.”
“Why is it my job to control how most of the world feels?”
He pointed a finger at me. “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Being defensive. I’m not here to get you wound up, buddy. I’m here as your best friend. You asked me if I had tips on how you could make this situation work with Stella, so you end up with what you want—the money to help your charity.”
“Yes.”
“So, this is me being a helpful friend. You gotta be nicer to her.”
“I’m not a nice person.”
“Bullshit. You’re the nicest person I know. You just don’t show the world it as often. Last year, when you were there for Aaliyah during our hardships, you were beyond nice. You were kind. And patient. And the best friend in the whole damn world. You are the most genuine person on this planet, Damian. I’m not saying you must be Superman to Stella, but… just ease up a little. It’s clear she’s sensitive.”
“She cries over everything.”
“And you cry over nothing. Complete opposites. Just meet her halfway at least. You aren’t alone in this crazy situation. Stella is living it out day by day, too. She’s not the villain in this story, Damian. She’s the leading lady. She’s a good one.”
“What if she isn’t? What if she’s awful and just hides it well?”
He shrugged. “You’re a master at reading people from the moment you spend more than five minutes with them. From the time you’ve spent with Stella, has she shown any signs of being cruel?”
No.
None.
The complete opposite.
Was she wacky as fuck? Yes. But cruel? Not an ounce.
“I’m not telling you to fall in love with her even though I’d be down for that, too. All I’m really saying is to give her a break. She’s going through this shitstorm right beside you. It’s you two against the world, really.”
I huffed and puffed, annoyed that he was spot-on.
“Are you guys having trouble?” Stella interrupted the conversation as she walked into the theater space. She was drenched, drying her curly hair with a towel. I was almost certain she’d taken a dive into the ocean like she’d done the night before.
“We couldn’t get it to work,” Connor said, holding up five different remotes.
“I can help you with that.” She walked over and grabbed the remotes. Within seconds, the screen powered on. She asked what we wanted to watch, Connor told her, and she set it all up.
“You can hit this button to shut it all off when done. And if you want, there’s a beverage fridge in the back corner right there. I can also make you some popcorn if you’d like,” she offered.
“It’s all right,” I said.
“I’d love popcorn!” Connor exclaimed as if he didn’t just eat two baskets of bread at dinner.
Without a second of hesitation, Stella went over and started popping fresh popcorn for my hungry friend. There wasn’t an ounce of annoyance or complaining from her. She just did the act and handed us two bowls of popcorn.
“If you need anything else, at any point, let me know. I grew up in this house, so I know all the ins and outs of it. Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow for the big deal,” she nervously joked about the ceremony. Was she as nervous as I’d been?
As she left the room, I sighed, looking down at the delicious-smelling popped kernels in front of me.
“What is it?” Connor asked, noticing my sigh.
“She’s just like you and Aaliyah, isn’t she?”
“What do you mean?”
Rolling my eyes, I shoved a handful of popcorn into my mouth and chewed aggressively. “A good person.” He laughed. I groaned. “It’s not funny.”
“I know. I hate when good people show up. It’s a pain in my ass.”
I hated it, too. Because they hardly ever stayed.
9
Stella
* * *
I woke up the following morning after a night of unrest. The idea of the upcoming day kept me twisting and turning throughout the early morning. Even worse, I was hoping I could’ve spent the night with Jeff to make it clearer to him, and maybe myself, that this wedding arrangement was nothing more than a contract I was abiding by at the end of the day. Merely a piece of paper to make Kevin’s odd final wish come true.
Sadly, Jeff had a DJ gig that evening, and he turned down the request to attend the ceremony. I couldn’t blame him. I would hate to see him off marrying another woman. Still, I had hoped that by having him there, it would be even clearer how much of an absurd arrangement this was—especially since he was the one who pushed me to go through with it all.
I’m doing this for us. For our future. For our happily ever after.
I kept telling myself that repeatedly to keep me from having a full-blown meltdown.
There was a knock on my door, forcing me to pull myself from my bed. When I opened the door, I saw a friendly face holding a tray with goodies on it. Most importantly—champagne.
“Good morning!” Aaliyah exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear. “I figured the bride-to-be deserved a cocktail to start the day. I know it’s not a real wedding ceremony, but you deserve royal treatment nonetheless.”
“Where have you been my whole life?” I joked. “Come on in.” As she walked in, I noticed another tray on the accent table in the hallway across from my room. “Is that from you, too?” I asked.
“Oh, no. That was there before I arrived.”
I walked over to it and felt my heart skipping a few beats as I looked down to find a plate with blueberry scones sitting on it and a cup of black coffee. Kevin’s exact order. Next to the plate was a folded note. I picked it up and read the words as the strongest organ in my body pounded against my rib cage.
Your something blue for the day.