"Dude, why the fuck do you keep smiling at me like that?" I ask Lance, placing the barbell back up on the rests.
Lance gives me a wider grin, "I'm just fucking proud of you, man. I can't smile and be proud of my brother?"
Confused, I sit up, "What are you talking about? Proud of what?" I start wiping my face down and grab my water as Lance takes a seat on another piece of equipment.
"Because I've heard what a great doctor Dr. Huller is. He was able to get someone's brother to get his sisters jewelry and work equipment back for her." Lance says with a grin.
Surprised, I question him, "Does she know I'm Dr. Huller?"
Lance shakes his head, "Nope. I told Lirael not to tell her too. She's dying to meet the man who's convinced her brother to getting a weeks worth of treatment, willingly, and helped get her stuff back." He pats me on the back. "I have to ask though, did you go up there yourself?"
I shake my head, "No, I was called on a consult. I didn't know he was her brother until we showed up there. The cops were leaving from questioning him. So, it didn't take a genius for me to figure it out." I think about our talk while I was there, "You know I can't say anything more right?" I remind him.
"Yeah, I know." Lance pats my back. "Ready to go wash that duck butter down the drain?"
"Dude, sick..." I shake my head at him as we wipe the equipment down and then go hit the showers.
I still drying my hair off when I walk out of the bathroom, walking right into another body, catching them with my raised elbow.
"Shit! Sorry!" I pull the towel off my head and Lance stands there, rubbing his chest.
"You got a wicked elbow there man. Good thing it was me and not one of the girls."
"Oh shit, it was just you. I thought I ran into someone that mattered." I laughed as Lance flips me off.
"So are you sticking around for dinner? Lirael wants to know so she can set out a spot for you."
I take the chance to see Sarina again and nod, "Sure thing, what did she make?" I ask as we go to the living room.
"Food. I made food, Brian." Lirael laughs out from the kitchen.
"My favorite!" I respond making her scoff and shake her head at me with a warm smile. She still knows how to brighten up a room with that smile. She seems to be glowing a lot more lately. Something looks different about her.
"So when's the date for the big day again?" I ask Lance, moving my focus back to him.
"Lirael just wants a small thing here at the house, so we're actually planning it for two months from now. That way mom will be able to see it." Lance smiles sadly but shrugs, "I'm not complaining."
I laugh at first then realize he's serious, "Wait, two months? I thought it would take longer than that to plan a wedding, even a small one. " Weddings dresses alone could take months, I knew that from my cousins wedding.
Lirael laughs and comes over with drinks in hand, "It's a pinch, we know. but I'm going to go pick out a dress this weekend, while he's getting fitted for a suit. Since you're the best man, I'll need you to be there too to get fitted and to make sure he doesn't see me in the dress."
"Of course." I shrug, "I'll be there. Did moms health get a bad report back or something? Why the suddenness?"
Lirael smiles and shrugs, "I'm just making sure that momma gets to see it is all. If we wait much longer it'll be going into winter. Fall will be warm but cool come the evening time."
"Okay, just making sure nothing is wrong with mom." I say taking a sip of the drink. "Do you need a hand with anything in the kitchen?" I offer, as she makes her way back to it.
"If you want to, can you load these dishes in the dishwasher?" She points to the sink, with the knife she just picked up to cut up the vegetables for a salad.
"Sure thing." I say helping out.
"Lance can you call Sarina, see if she's going to be joining..."
Just as Lirael was about to finish talking, the front door opened and Sarina's voice mimicking Ricky Ricardo's, "Oh Lucy, I'm home!"
"In the kitchen dear!" Lirael called back to her.
Sarina walks in all smiles, looking gorgeous in a mid calf black dress with a white waist belt and two inch heels on. Her blonde hair was up in a bun, wisps coming out from the humidity added a softness to an otherwise crisp look.
I looked her up and down, and when my eyes went back up, I was caught red handed.
I gave her a wink, making her blush, before going back to loading the dishes.
We all sit down and have dinner, talking about the upcoming wedding and what they were planning.
"Big Daddy is walking you down the aisle? That's awesome." I smile, thinking about Big daddy, walking her down looking sharp in a suit. "Do they make suits for men that tall?"
Lirael gives me a dirty look, "Does Shaq walk around naked?"
I flip her off and she laughs flipping me off too.
Lance gets up to refresh his drink, "You want one too, sweet heart?" He asks her.
She shakes her head, "No, I'm fine with just water. Thank you."
Things click in my mind and my eyes go wide, looking at her. She looks at me funny before her eyes widen and she gives a subtle shake of her head. Lance rejoins us and we continue talking about catering and a DJ.
After we've finished our meals, I offer to help clean the plates and the table. Lirael asks Lance to go take out the trash and the second he's out, she has me cornered in the kitchen.
Through gritted teeth, she hisses, "Do NOT say anything. I don't know yet." Tears catch in her eyes, and I nod. I give her a fierce hug and quickly release her and start cleaning off the dishes. Sarina watched all of this quietly and asked Lirael to come help her out of her dress, the moment Lance came back inside.
My phone dings, so I dry my hands off and check it. It's from Sarina.
-Lirael wants to know if she can talk to you tomorrow as a friend? -
I think about what I have to do and reply to it.
-Tell her I'll take her to lunch tomorrow-
"Where did the girls go?" Lance asks looking around.
"Sarina needed help out of her dress." I say finishing up and wiping down the sink.
I join him out in the living room and watch some of the show that's on, when the girls come out giggling.
"What are you two conspiring together?" Lance raises a brow at their giggles.
Lirael looks to Sarina and Sarina sighs with a roll of the eyes, "My brother is an idiot." She says waving it off.
"Oh?" Lance casts a glance at me and gestures for her to continue as Lirael sits next to him. Sarina sits on the couch by me but with space still between us.
"He wants me to dress nice for tomorrow, he wants to introduce me to someone he met at the hospital."
Lance gets a wide grin on his face, "Oh? Did he tell you anything about this guy?"
She spares a covert glance my way out of the corner of her eyes, trying to gauge my reaction to it all. "His name is Dr. Huller, the one that convinced him to get more treatment. I don't know though..."
I chime in, "You should, it doesn't hurt to look nice for the guy who changed your brothers mind."
I feel the lasers coming from Lirael's eyes and the humor coming from Lance's as Sarina's mouth drops open ever so lightly.
She grows a little defensive, "My brother doesn't even know if the Doctor is single, or even someone that would find me worth their precious time."
I relax back into the sofa, "If he doesn't think you're worth his time, then I'd have to say one thing. That it's a shame he has all those degrees, but not a lick of sense to let someone like you pass them by."
Sarina turns bright red, flustered, but mumbles out, "Thank you for thinking so highly of me."
"You know Brian has an eye for dressing someone up to impress. You should let him pick out your outfit for tomorrow...." Lirael suggests.
I cover my face, these two are going to drag me to hell with them for teasing her like this.
"I'll pick it out myself, but thank you." Sarina says quietly.
I stretch and yawn, "Well, I'm heading on home, I need to research some stuff for a patient tomorrow. I'll see you guys later." I give a quick hug to Lirael and wave bye to Lance and Sarina offers to walk me out.
"Do you think I should really dress up for the doctor tomorrow?" She asks, as we approach my car.
I turn to her, "Oh, heck yeah. You should really show your appreciation to the doctor tomorrow too. I mean he might get your brother to turn his life around. Besides it's just an outfit, no ones said you have to flirt or go on a date with him."
She shrugs, "Okay, well goodnight." She sounds and looks slightly dejected and I can't help but feel a little bad. I head home and do my research but lay in bed thinking of Sarina's soft skin and warm body, wishing she was in the bed, here with me.