Bedding bad √

Meghan-34

Comfort. That is what I felt as I walked down the stairs from my room. Gracie and Stuart’s engagement was in full swing and even as she didn’t let me wear jeans and polo, I was grateful to not be stuck in a ball gown.

The guests were too many which was typical of Gracie plus Stuart’s family was pretty well known. Mom had been busy planning the whole thing and sieving through caterers, she was so stressed I thought she wouldn’t make it to the actual wedding. Even now she was busy, moving from guest to guest, ensuring they were satisfied.

As I got to the foot of the stairs I caught sight of Uncle Sam, a stature like his was impossible to ignore but what piqued my interest was the woman perched on his arm. I don’t know why they think they can go around being all lovey dovey and expect queenie to remain in the dark about it.

I looked up the stairs to ensure the girls weren’t coming down already which was unlikely to happen. They were still touching up their makeup and looking for creative ways to mask the smell of the alcohol swirling in their system. I crossed the room to where my uncle was.

‘Meghan’. He gave me a light peck on the cheek.
‘I’m glad you could make it uncle. You too Agatha’.
She smiled.
‘I’m sure Queenie will be too’. Her eyes widened. Is she here?’
‘Queenie is here? Why is she here?’
‘She was invited’.
‘By Gracie?’

‘My sister adores my friends. Don’t worry though, she will be down soon’.
She glared at me and unlinked her hand from my uncle’s.
‘I will see you around dear’. She said and left to socialize. Uncle Sam had an amused look on.

‘What?’
‘You shouldn’t torture her so much’.
‘You enjoy it’.
‘I won’t lie, I do but she’s been through a lot’.
‘So has Queenie. She has to do better for both their sakes. But if this hide & seek game you have going on tickles your fancy, then please, don’t let me spoil your fun’.

‘Sometimes it’s important to keep up appearances for your kids’.
‘She was an alcoholic for a decade. What appearance are you talking about?’
‘Meghan!’ Even with the music, some heads turned in our direction.
‘Sorry. I will go talk to someone else’. I walked away from him.

I can’t even hold a decent conversation for five minutes without pissing someone off.
I was about to hightail it to my room when I heard Gracie squeak and turned to see her running to the door in high heels, not minding if she tripped on her ridiculously long dress and falls.

She gripped June in a tight hug and Malik watched apprehensively behind them. Behind him were his parents and Zayn in a brown leather jacket. He looked a little rough, not because he didn’t comb his hair but because his eyes had bags around them and even from here I could tell he was in serious need of a shave.

His eyes kept searching the room until they landed on me and he smiled but the worry I felt wouldn’t let me smile back. He left his family there and began crossing the room to me. I grabbed a drink from the table beside me and handed it to him as he got to me. He raised a brow.

‘You look like you need to wake up’. I explained
‘This doesn’t look like coffee but I will take it’. He smirked and downed it at a go.
I watched as his throat bobbed and he licked his lips tentatively.
‘Eyes up here, captain’. He pointed to his eyes which were twinkling.
‘Shut up’.
He chuckled

‘Where are the others?’
On cue, my friends stumbled down the stairs, giggling, briefly drawing attention to themselves. Zayn grinned at their slightly drunk attitude.
‘This should be fun’.
‘Hi’. Katie greeted as they got down.
‘Zaynnn’. Queenie high-fived him. Pokello eyed him up and then pushed past him to stand beside me. He didn’t look angry though, just thoroughly entertained.

I had told the girls about mine and Travis’ breakup and Kello refused to see any reason for it except Zayn and I was tired of explaining myself.
‘Is that Stuart’s mom?’ queenie gestured at the tallest woman in the room. I nodded.
‘She’s poise’. She continued
‘And stuck-up’. Katie added and we all turned to see her speaking aggressively into a waitress’ face. The waitress dropped the tray she was holding on a table and walked out the door.

‘Badass’. Pokello commented, sipping from a glass I hadn’t seen her grab.
Stuart’s mom walked to the pastry table which was directly in front of us and began inspecting them. She tasted a twinkie and spat it out barely missing my mom’s face as she walked to stand beside her.
‘Is everything okay?’ my mom inquired.

‘Not even close. I would have hosted this at an events center but you insisted on having it in your cramped living room and now you’ve resorted to feeding my guests poison despite all the money I gave you’.
I watched my mom sigh and I took a step forward but Katie held me back.

‘You contributed just as much money as I did, not a penny more so I’m sorry the food isn’t up to your standards. Maybe you should have invested your money into getting new shoes so you wouldn’t have to wear your grandmother’s. Shoes aren’t wine love, they don’t get better with age’.

We all struggled to keep in our laughter as Sue walked past us leaving Stuart’s mom gaping so wide her shoes would fit in but Pokello made a silly sound and we all let it out. The groom’s mom glared at us before walking away.
Dr. Rodriguez appeared in front of us with an unfamiliar man in an overpriced suit.

‘Girls?’ he nodded at us and we raised our glasses in unison.
‘Zayn, Mr. Edward here is an old friend, he says you’ve never met and I thought we should have a few drinks together’.
‘Of course’. Zayn gave them a stiff smile and they all walked off. He turned back to pout and I chuckled.

Pokello unveiled a juice box from some compartment in her dress.
‘God. Not again’. I groaned
‘Is that what I think it is?’ Katie smirked
‘Yup. The very best one; sex on the beach’.
‘Oh my. That shit takes me straight up to Florida’. They all laughed, once again drawing attention to us.

‘Can you guys try to be subtle?’ I pleaded
‘We are, you are just too uptight today. Come on, drink this’. She poured some of the drink in my glass and I gulped it down because I hardly say no to booze. Soon, we were all laughing and talking without a care in the world, drunk on sex on the beach.

‘I need to take a leak’. Queenie announced and handed her glass over to Katie.
‘Your bladder needs to grow up’. Pokello howled after her.
‘Everyone was dancing now. They had been going at it for almost an hour and I felt for Gracie in those heels but she appeared to be okay what with the spins and stunts she was doing.

Queenie came back looking so pale that her blush looked like she had been punched.
‘What now bird bladder?’ Kello asked, eyes glazed over.
‘I think I saw my mom and Newt’s dad making out in the bathroom’.
We were all quiet for ten seconds, then Katie and Kello began laughing.

‘Look at them getting their groove on’. Katie said
‘Now you can assist them later in telling the story of how their little baby was made’. Pokello teased
‘This is not funny’.
‘Oh come on Queenie, you didn’t think your mom was going to stay single forever, did you?’ I asked
‘Nooo but your uncle? Newt’s dad? Newt and Pokello are together for fucks sake’.

‘No we are not. It goes deeper than just fuck’. Pokello countered
‘Okay Kello and what does it matter Queenie? She is happy’.
‘I guess’. She shrugged
‘Don’t judge. I’m pretty sure she won’t be any happier to hear about you and our geography teacher’. Kello said passively and took a sip from her glass
‘Thanks for the positivity boost’.
‘Just being honest’.

‘Okay. Let’s concentrate on Gracie shall we?’ I jumped in the middle and they all turned to face the dance floor.
On the other side of the room I saw Zayn discreetly step away from his father and his friend. He found a semi-deserted area and leaned against the wall, watching. I found myself walking towards him and soon, I was leaned on the wall beside him.

‘I thought I was the antisocial one’. I stated
‘You don’t have to hide from your overbearing father’. He replied
‘I wish I did’. I downed the contents of my glass and looked up to see him staring at me with sad eyes.
‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to be insensitive’. He apologized
‘It’s fine. I’m a big girl, I can handle little insensitive boys’. He chuckled

‘He did love you Meg, all of you but you were his favorite. He had always been proud of you, even when you dyed your hair maroon, he said it was bold and spontaneous’.
That sounded like something my dad would say and I was surprised he had said it to Zayn.
‘I didn’t know you guys were that close’.
‘There is a lot you don’t know, captain’. I turned to face him.

‘Why don’t you tell me? Mr. Rodríguez’. He gifted me a dimpled smile and his phone rang as he was about to speak. He got it out, still holding my stare and answered it without looking at the screen.
I watched as his smile dropped abruptly and his eyes widened in horror. He looked truly terrified.
‘Zayn?’ His hands were trembling slightly as he stuffed the phone back in his pocket.

He opened his mouth, closed it and scratched his head.
‘What’s going on?’ He took my hands
‘Meghan… I’m so sorry’. And he was gone. He was out the door before I could make out what he had said.
I stood there watching the door until I saw Pokello rush past it, staggering like a plant in winter. I hurried after her and caught her by the porch.
‘Are you okay?’ She turned and stared at me with blank eyes.

‘Kello’. She lifted her phone and her mouth parted slightly but no words came out.
I sighed, frustrated by everyone today.
‘Let me take you home, you are wasted’.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Just to say I'm grateful for the votes, comments and really appreciate those of you who inbox to know what's up... 😁