Summer Hearts

statutory and such

"So you want her to have a snore on her bachelorette party?"

"Do you want her getting to her own wedding late?"

I stand by Romy and Roselyn in the warm hallway and a yawn leaves my lips. We're by the window that overlooks the castle, privy to the setting sun in the horizon. Caelan's said he wants to take us all to dinner, and it won't be long now.

"We're here to plan! Games and a restaurant after? I'm falling asleep already."

"I read there's Dinner in the Sky in the city," I interject, getting tired of their bickering. "We could do that."

Roselyn rolls her eyes and I wonder what her problem is. I know I can't avoid her forever, but she is such a pain.

Romy taps her chin. "Not bad. Then we could get up to some more trouble while we're there," she smiles gleefully.

"What are you guys doing? I'm hungry."

We break apart from our huddle to see Ross. He surveys our whispering party with a confused look akin to one who's been bumped over the head.

"Okay. Regroup?" Romy suggests and we all nod.

I yawn again as we disperse to get dressed. Bea's mom had made us get up to have breakfast together, "to toast to the success of the shower." All my sleep was gone by the time I got back, yet my fatigue from my late night lingered.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

"Good thinking telling them to get ready on time," Vince comments to Caelan from the passenger seat of Caelan's Porsche. Two hours later, we'd all piled into his car.

Only Caelan and Ross have their cars at the castle. Ross had eagerly left and Caelan hadn't wanted to bother any of the drivers since we didn't know when we'd be coming back.

"We'd have been eating by midnight instead," Caelan jokes and they share a laugh in front.

"I call shotgun on the way back," Romy grimaces and shifts beneath Roselyn's thighs. The action meshes me further into Bea's mom who has her oldest daughter in her lap.

She invited herself because she was "dying for a night on the town".

Victoria leans back on me, forgetting she's on a human being and not a seat and I wish with my whole heart I'd called shotgun first.

Caelan gets to the restaurant soon enough and the sigh in the car is unanimous. After moments of stretching our limbs and fixing our outfits, with jibes from Caelan and Vince, we're finally ready to go in.

The restaurant sits on the rooftop, canopied by a glass ceiling that displays the sky. Electronic music is playing as Burlesque dancers swing from suspended hoops, bathed in blue lights that turn pink, violet, red and then orange.

"Mama Harris!" Ross calls as he meanders the bustling crowd to us, "happy to see you too!" I see Tavin, and think how fortunate he was to have followed Ross and escaped the sardine mesh in Caelan's car.

We sit in one of the white round-table booths and our hostess comes shortly. A starving company, we shoot off orders, and soon appetisers are flowing, along with yummy drinks.

Tavin who made sure to sit next to me, taps my elbow. He leans in close.

"Are you having fun?"

I look around the packed restaurant. "Service is good so yeah. Can I ride back with you guys?"

He gives an adorable smile and puts his lips close to my ear. "I'd love that."

"Off to explore those dancers," Ross says, his movements uncoordinated and excitable as he pushes through from his seat, stepping over Vince, Bea's mom, Roselyn and Victoria. Bea's mom takes her drink and follows after and the booth starts to look much sparser. Roselyn says something inaudible and Vince cranes his neck down to hear. The dining area, dim with soft lighting, makes his dark eyes shine like gemstones.