Jack & Lucy

Lucy

I find Stella wearing a tan, flat-rimmed hat with tortoiseshell sunglasses scanning the menu when I drop into the navy velvet chair across from her. We're shaded by a massive yellow and white striped umbrella, but the bougie restaurant already has the misters on to help keep us cool. Since the majority of my clothes were stolen, I had to settle for one of Jack's old ASU lacrosse tees paired with my new jean shorts he got me from Target. I am looking college lazy at this instagramable brunch spot while she is looking Scottsdale chic. 

"What is this ensemble?" She asks as she waves a finger at me. "I know it's March Madness, but that looks like a man's oversized shirt on you." 

"That's because it is a man's oversized shirt," I tell her as I glance down. 

"I thought you're supposed to go for slutty at Mag's, not pajama fabulous," she says before plucking her water goblet off the table. 

"Stella, I have two days worth of events to get through. My lack of style will all make sense in a bit," I tell her before seeing what their brunch cocktails are. It's been very hard to keep all this from Stella, but there was no way I could have explained all of this over text. She also just checks out her face and flips her hair about when we facetime, so in person with her undivided attention was the best approach to lay this all out there.

"Yes, you have been rather vague with me since your S.O.S on Friday. My lack of paragraph length texts when I got back from Seattle was worrying," she says and then looks to the waitress who had suddenly appeared. "I'll do a peach bellini please." I glance in her direction and tell her to make it two. After she saunters off, Stella puts her menu down and adjusts her hat over her long curls. 

"Alright hun, I am ready for you to spill the beans on Jack, your outfit and why I did not see a video notification from you yesterday after you said there would be one," she says with a tilt of her head. I lay my hands flat on the table, wishing I had alcohol before starting the lengthy explanation of how my life has been turned upside down since she left. 

"Stella, I really do not know if you are prepared for all the bombshells I am about to lay on you."

"How has so much happened in the two days I have been gone?"

"I know, I don't even know where to start." 

"Well last I talked to you, you were going to confront Jack about him wanting to kiss you, but then not kissing you when you gave him the opportunity." 

"I'm not going to lie, Stella, pretty much all the bombshells are going to be Jack-related."

"I expected nothing else. Please proceed," she says before taking the straw that's dipped in the ice water and placing it between her peach lips. I take a deep breath and fill her in on everything that happened at Mag's with Maggie and Jack, what Ashleigh told me about Blake, how my studio was broken into, and how Jack came to my rescue. I then tell her how Jack confessed his love for me and told me to move in. How he took me on a shopping spree at Target. How I am taking him home to meet my parents and how I am trying to keep our relationship under wraps until I fill them in. While I was going over every detail, our drinks were dropped off, and we managed to suck them both down. We were already halfway done with drink number two when I got to the burglary. I was anxiously waiting for our food to be dropped off because I'm now more than buzzed. 

"Lucy...I..." she starts after dropping her drink onto the table. "This was like four seasons of a romantic comedy that has happened over two days. I have so many questions."

"Yes, my life could be a Netflix show right now Stel. I might not have any answers, but please proceed." Although I don't know if my show would be categorized as a romcom, dramedy or traumedy.