“Dylan, you can’t be serious?” I stared at her as we looked at more place settings for the wedding.
I was planning the entire event and had already booked everything we needed. She was losing her mind if she thought we would change colors now.
“YES… Dead serious. I think the colors I chose are wrong. I want to change them… why are being so difficult about this? It’s my wedding – remember?”
“Dylan, you're turning into a bridezilla. Seriously. I have already ordered everything, paid deposits, and scheduled deliveries. Changing the color scheme now would create a massive delay. Are you getting cold feet or something?”
“No – but what if I made a mistake in my color choice?”
“The Caribbean blue is perfect. And offsetting it with black makes it classy. It will totally set off your eyes – Jensen’s too. Stop worrying. Plus, the guys just ordered their tuxes. You can’t go changing that – not to mention our dresses.”
“Your right. I didn’t think about your dresses. They do look fantastic on you girls! And no – I'm not getting cold feet. Jensen completes me, I can’t imagine being without him.”
“You two make me sick,” faking a gagging sound as Dylan threw a towel at my head.
“Whatever… you want to have that with Paul. Don’t deny it.”
She was right. It was all I could think about – in fact it was all I thought about over the last three years. Sure, I’d gone out on dates – but they never measured up enough to have something long term. They weren’t Paul.
“I wouldn’t dare deny it – you know this. He’s all I've thought about over the last three years.”
“Alright – well, I'm going in back to do some accounting. You ok up here by yourself?”
“Yeah – of course. I’ll scream if I need you.”
I waved her off as I started towards one of the shelves in the store. Some of the inventory needed to be replaced. I lost track of time as I worked when the bell to the door rang pulling me from my daydreams.
“Oh – hey. I wasn’t sure if you’d be here.”
The deep voice was one I recognized immediately, “Dan. What are you doing here?”
Looking up from the cart, Dan stood before me. His hands we in his pockets as he leaned against one of the shelves.
“I asked around and some of the folks on campus told me you worked here. I felt bad for making you uncomfortable and wanted to come ask you to coffee – to apologize.”
“Um, I don’t get off for,” looking down at my watch I realized I’d been stacking books for an hour, “another two hours.”
“Well, we could meet up. Here, let me give you my number. You can text me when you're off.”
I stood with my hand folded across my chest, unsure what to make of him. He gave off a weird vibe.
“Look – I appreciate the offer, but I have someone I’m sort of seeing.”
“Sort of seeing doesn’t sound very serious. Plus, I'm only asking as friends.”
“It’s complicated – but I don’t want to give him or you the wrong idea. So, I’ll have to pass for now. I need to get back to work, but thanks for coming by. I’m sure we’ll see each other around on campus.”
“Fine – ill back off for now. But I'm not giving up on you. You’ll see – I'm a great friend.”
“Carly,” Dylan called out to me from the back office through the closed door.
“Looks like your boss needs you. See you around Carly.” Dan glanced towards the closed door as he made his way outside.
“Carly? Did you hear me calling you?”
The door chimed as it shut behind Dan. I watched him walk off, uneasy about his sudden appearance. He seemed so sure of himself and it made me uncomfortable.
“Who was that?” Dylan asked as she looked out the window.
“A new guy at school, Dan. I met him this morning, he came here to apologize for making me uncomfortable earlier.”
“Uncomfortable how?” Dylan’s eyebrows furrowed together as she stared at me.
“I don’t know. He just has this ambiance that makes me feel creeped out. It’s probably nothing. He’s just so forward about wanting to take me out even though I told him I had someone.”
“Why’d you lie to him? You should go out. Even if it’s just coffee. Paul needs to see you moving on. It may be the only way to get him to wake up.”
“True, but this guy gives me the willies. AND Don’t worry – I plan to make Paul crazy once I move into the house.”
“Oh, I have no doubt about that. Come on, let’s close and go to the house. We need to start packing the rest of my stuff. That way you can decide how to decorate your room!”
We locked shop together. Dylan pulled out of the parking lot before me. As I followed her car I couldn’t help but shake the feeling of being watched. Glancing around the parking lot I confirmed it was empty – but it didn’t keep me from driving a little faster.