stay forever; harry styles

1

"Are you sure it's okay if I come along?"

"Yes, Mabel. I wouldn't have asked you if it wasn't!" Ingrid said, giving her best friend a playful poke on the chest. They had been spending all day getting ready for their trip to Mykonos, Greece. It was technically a business trip, just not theirs. Ingrid's husband was an executive for an international advertising agency and had already been there for two weeks now. Ingrid was used to him being away, but it was typically during the time of the year she was working as well so it wasn't much of a bother. As a school nurse, she was granted summers off which allowed her to join her husband in his overseas adventure. Thankfully, her best friend worked from home so it worked out perfectly for her to be able to come along. 

Mabel had been wanting to get away for a while as well so when Ingrid asked her if she wanted to come along, she almost booked it straight to the airport right then and there. She loved her life in Boston, she really did. But, things were starting to drag. After graduating from college, she started right away at a company as an accountant that provided her with the flexibility she was looking for. But, the thing was, she barely took advantage of that flexibility. Before she had accepted the position, she had her mind set on exploring and working from whatever end of the world she was at that week. Then, she met Steven.

Steven was great. He was the type of guy most girls wanted. He had a good-paying job in the city, an amazing apartment, and was eager to build a family with her. Maybe a little too eager at times even. Although she was satisfied with her relationship, she wasn't entirely sure if she was happy. But, anytime that thought crossed her mind she just felt selfish. She had a good guy. She just never envisioned herself to be so settled down in her early 20s. She wanted more of herself than to be stuck in the same city she had been living in forever. Before she met Steven, she didn't even want children or marriage and now the conversation was being brought up regularly. 

She knew that she could always just end things and do what she had originally planned for her life. But, she was honestly scared. She didn't want to let this perfect man out of her life or the stability he gave her because she wasn't sure if someone like that would ever come around again. She had no real reason to not be the happiest girl in the world other than these fantasies she had about what her life could've been. And, that's all they really were: fantasies. So, she locked those thoughts away and played her position as the perfect girlfriend in the perfect relationship. Then, Ingrid asked her if she wanted to go to Greece and her fantasy started to feel a little bit more like reality. 

They were going to be gone for practically the whole summer. Steven wasn't too happy about that but after explaining to him how much her best friend needed her, he started to be more accepting of the idea. She knew he probably still wasn't too happy about it but she was okay with that. Again, she felt selfish, but she also felt like she was allowed to be just this once. Especially, after she found the engagement ring sitting at the bottom of his sock drawer last week. She knew this was her last chance before she was officially tied down to their life together in Boston. 

"Alright, I think that's it." Ingrid stated as she zipped up the last of her luggage. The two of them grinned at each other, ready to get going. They had an evening flight so Ingrid had procrastinated packing, causing them to have to spend the entirety of the day getting her stuff together. Mabel had her stuff packed a week ago but, she was happy to help. She would do anything for Ingrid, she was really the closest thing to family she had. 

Mabel sent Steven a message to let him know that they were ready to be picked up. She had loaded her stuff up in the back of his car this morning so that they would be ready to head to the airport as soon as everything was done at Ingrid's. He lived right down the street, so he was there quickly and insisted on carrying all of Ingrid's things to the car like the gentleman he was. She gave him a kiss of gratitude before getting into the passenger seat, her excitement becoming hard to contain as their trip was becoming more real than ever before. 

"So, what's the first thing you girls are going to do when you get there?" Steve asked as he started the car up. "Probably sleep." Mabel responded, watching Ingrid raise her eyebrow at her from the corner of her eye. She know she should've gone into more detail and shared their true plans for their first day but she didn't want to get into it. They pulled up to the airport, and Mabel practically jumped out of the car while it was still moving. She was overly eager considering they had a 12 hour flight ahead of them before they even reached their destination.

Steven got out and unloaded both of their bags onto the sidewalk, giving Mabel a slight smile. She saw the sadness in his eyes, making her feel guilty for leaving and being so excited about it. She gave him a hug, pulling in his scent and reminding herself how much she was going to miss this. "Thanks again for taking us." She said as she pulled away. "Anything for you." He responded and she knew he meant it. 

Ingrid and Mabel headed inside the airport, through the long lines and finally boarded the plane. "What's going on with you?" Ingrid asked her as they were waiting to take off. It always caught Mabel off guard how easily Ingrid was able to read her. "Steven's proposing. I found the ring." Mabel answered. There was no point in lying and saying nothing was going on. Ingrid would know. Plus, she wanted to tell Ingrid how she had been feeling but she just wasn't sure if she would understand. Ingrid loved being married and everything that came with it so it was hard for Mabel to open up and let her know she wasn't sure if she wanted that for herself. 

"And, that's bad?" Ingrid asked, confused by the tone of Mabel's answer. Most people would've said that with excitement. Mabel said it like she was reading off the weather to her. "It's not bad. It's good. I just never wanted to be married so young. Not that it's bad, of course. It's just not what I envisioned." Mabel explained the best she could without sounding as selfish as she felt. Ingrid nodded, taking in what her best friend was saying. "I understand that. I never really saw that for you either. But, you never know, sometimes the things we don't expect for ourselves turn out to be the best things." Ingrid replied, trying to bring a positive twist to the conversation.

Ingrid liked Steven. She thought he was good for Mabel. She never really had a stable relationship before so it had been interesting seeing the shift in dynamic this past year and, up until this moment, she thought Mabel seemed happy in her relationship. As someone who cared about her deeply, she liked seeing Mabel with someone she knew wouldn't hurt her. But, she also knew that Mabel always craved adventure and Steven wasn't that. More than anything, she wanted her best friend to be happy and she would support her decision either way. 

"Yeah, you're right. I guess it's just cold feet." Mabel said, giving her best friend an earnest smile. She was sure that over time she would grow more excited about the idea of being married. It just all felt so sudden. She knew that she could be happy with Steven but it still felt like she was losing a piece of herself. "I mean, you don't have to say yes if you don't want to." Ingrid reminded her, and it felt assuring that Ingrid wasn't pressuring her into the decision like she knew anyone else would've. "I know. But, it's Steven." Mabel said with a sigh, resting her head on the back of the seat. Ingrid grabbed her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Well, you have time. Take this summer and think about what you really want. If you want to come home and get engaged, then awesome. If you don't, then great. But, just really think about it and don't settle into something just because it's familiar." Ingrid told her, and Mabel appreciated the advice. "You're right. Thank you." Mabel said, giving Ingrid's hand a squeeze back.