"Are you guys planning to stay over?"
By the time we started to wrap up our dinner sesh we had opened at least three bottles of wine. I was aa bit tipsy but I was more concerned over my friends since I did not have to leave whereas they drove themselves here.
"I plan to stay here, my eyes are blurry." Noemi rubbed her eyes which had become a bit puffy from her drinking. Her skin flushed red in splotches. Rachel on the other hand looked sleepy and fanned herself as though she was hot.
Normally for her, drinking warms her up so she feels sweaty for whatever reason. "I plan to stay as well if its alright." She yawned heavily and slumped even further into the couch. "Let me just let Alan know."
It had been a while since we had a sleepover but I still had all the things we would need. I grabbed extra clothes so they could be more comfortable and from the couch pulled out the mattresses that were folded inside.
As kids we would share my bed or sleep on the floor on some padded mats but as we got older we got the couches to be more comfortable. So once I got us settled I got myself ready for sleep.
It has been getting colder and colder and soon the end of the year would arrive. The air promised a white christmas despite it not being for a few more months. So I wore warm pajamas and fuzzy socks.
The girls had already long fallen asleep. So I tiptoed to my bed and checked my phone to pass the time while I waited for sleep to take me. Sure enough there were a few texts, some from my parents letting me know they turned in early for the night and surprisingly another from an unknown number.
I thought it was a spam text or some advertisement but it was from Sol. Someone who I had not heard from or of since the wedding. 'I need your help. Please meet me at Barts Coffee Stand downtown tomorrow. It is about Felix and his family.'
'Such a shitty thing to see before bed.' Normally when I am with my family or loved ones, I turn off my phone to be more present in the moment. So that is why I like to use my phone before sleep so I can catch up on last minute things before the next day. But I did not anticipate her message at all.
There was only one person I could think of who would have given her my number and that was Felix. But oddly enough I don't think he knows she reached out. But also a sinking feeling in my gut told me that she got my number from elsewhere. Because I was very clear with Felix about contacting me.
'What could I possibly help her with?' I know Felix and his mother are not easy to deal with but that was the only thing I could fathom her coming to me for. We dated for a long time and had a longer engagement. I was close with his family but I knew that it was only because of my status. Otherwise I am sure Toni would have treated me exactly like how she treats Sol.
If this was me a few years ago despite what I went though, I probably would have heard her out. But giving the wrong people chances has consistently been my achilles heel. 'I gave them that ultimatum at the wedding, I can't be a baby and back down on my words.'
So I blocked the number and left it at that. I figured with no response she might assume I never saw it or she had the wrong number.
Moving on to the next messages was Deans. He has started to text me often and even more so on the days we don't see each other.
His messages were a mixed bag of different things. He sometimes would ask about my day, sometimes he would just show me something he saw and just tell me about it. The photos he would send were pretty cute. It was lots of photos ranging from food he made and or was eating and other times just landscapes he took himself.
Tonight he sent a photo of himself. He sent a picture of his face showing off his new haircut. His curls were something I always quite liked about him. They were a mix of wavy and curly sections which gave his hair depth. He also had a lot of it.
I was envious as my hair was very fine and while not super thin, the texture meant I had to use styling products to get volume. His haircut was like a wolf cut but it looked very cool with how his texture is. He was always someone who was not afraid to try new styles or be more edgy than the rest of us.
I had texted him earlier letting him know I was with my friends incase he texted me and I did not respond. So he texted me the photo along with a note to video call him it when I was free to talk. I glanced over at my friends and saw that they were still sleeping but to not disturb them regardless I moved to my closet.
It was basically another room so I sat on the small couch inside and put on headphones to talk. Despite the hour Dean answered my call. "Princess your timing is impeccable, I just got home from work."
He had shrugged off his suit jacket and placed his phone on his nightstand so I could see him as he got ready to also tuck in for the night. "I saw the cut, it looks good. Is that why you finished work so late?"
He set down the watch and began to loosen his tie. "Yeah while we are not near the end of the year yet because of the sheer volume of capital we have I like to start early on getting all the final end of the year bonuses and financial reports done. Besides, with the exhibition also closing soon I have to work on getting all the pieces returned either to the artist or to their new owner as some expressed interest in selling."
He stretched and unbuttoned his shirt tossing it off to the side. His tattoos on full display for me to see.