A hand on my shoulder gently shook me awake. "You should come to bed," Kyle stated affectionately. A small smile spread across my lips as I say while pointing out at the things that still needs my attention before the wedding, "I can't, I still need to get all of these wedding gift preparations done." "Tomorrow is another day, honey. If you keep on camping out on the sofa like this you're going to get a stiff neck. Come to bed, please?" He begged of me. As I'm still mulling my options over, Kyle swiped me off the lounge and carried me to our room. To tired to reason with him, I allow my limps to succumb to weariness.
The morning beams lazily pried my eyes open. I started my day with a quick shower, afterwards retaking my place in the seat. So much to do, so little time. By the time Kyle joined me in the living room, a phone pressed to his ear, I've already drowned three cups of coffee.
"Here speak to her yourself," Kyle says as he handed me the phone. As soon as I've pressed the speaker against my ear, a voice spoke up: "Geni, you need to unwind a little. We can't have you sick on your big day." One of the Gonzalez brothers said, Ryan. "And… what precisely are you proposing?" I asked rolling my eyes, this seems to make Kyle laugh at my childish manners.
Ryan's smile is visible over the line, "Meet us at the Country Club. They have the best mini golf course." I chuckled lightly, he knows that I can't say no when it comes to that, finding it sly how they use my weakness against me. I hand the phone back to Kyle without greeting his brother. Kyle informed him that we'll be there in twenty. Already dressed comfortably enough for the outing, I only had to add shoes to complete my attire.
Within the time given, Kyle parked the car in the Country Club's parking area and together we made our way to the minigolf course. As I took my first shot, in the fourth obstruction and sunk the ball in one go, Ryan threw his golf club to the ground and thrown a tantrum like a five year old. Kyle clutched at his stomach as laughter spontaneously erupted from his side.
"I quit! Nobody could be that lucky…. Four balls in four tries…. that's not possible, you must be cheating…" Ryan spat indifferently. Meghan tries to calm her husband down, with little to no avail. With the fifth obstruction within view, I allowed Ryan to take the first shot, and it was a good try nonetheless. I'm starting to wonder if my luck is simply connected to playing first, so therefore, I took my fifth shot last. But oh boy, what had I gotten myself into?
I sunk my fifth ball in just one go, like before; but I've also hit Ryan's ball, shooting it off into a different direction, watching how it came to an halt in a water hazard. "There's no fucking way!" Ryan spat in disbelief, as he looked between me and the ball simply shaking his head while a small smile tugged at his lips, admitting that I'm a force to be reckoned with and how my skills are sick. At the end I was victoriously crowned as the ultimate winner.
As soon as Kyle were out of the parking area, I gently placed my hand on my fiance's, where it laid on the gearshift. "Thank you, I really needed the distraction," I thanked him with a soft smile. In an answering note he lightly brushed his thumb across my knuckles. "You're welcome my love," Kyle says kindly as he gave me a quick glance at an intersection, while he waited for the robot to turn green.
Across the horizon hues of pink and orange paints the sky. Kyle kept one hand on the wheel, while his other gently rests on my thigh. I lean with my head against the window, feeling content and at peace. "Did you have fun today?" Kyle asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled in between us. I smile while nodding my head, "I did. It was nice to get out and do something different for once." Kyle glanced at me, grinning broadly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I always have a good time when I'm with you." His words made me blush, a feeling of warmth spread throughout my chest, but so does guilt and shame consume me too as thoughts of Misha crept into my memory.
We fell into a comfortable silence again, the only sound in the car is the soft hum of the engine. "I can't believe that the wedding is at months end," I thought out loud, and continue after a short breather. "It feels like only yesterday when you asked for my hand in marriage." Kyle nodded, a smile on his face. "I know, it's crazy how time flies. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Gens." I can't help myself as to feel sentimental as my heart swells with affection. Kyle had always been the genial type: Kind, caring and knew just how to make me laugh. Eventually we approached the neighborhood were we're living.
There's a shadow lurking over our relationship, a dark secret that I had never shared with Kyle. A secret that I've been carrying for years. He knows only what my mother told him nothing more, and I fear that the truth would tear everything apart. A secret that involves, Misha Anderson. He is a brooding, enigmatic figure, with a magnetic presence that still seems to drew me in like a moth to a flame. We were once madly in love, our passion raw and intense, but it ended in heartache which I never could have foretold.
Time flies by like we're all sucked into a movie that's being rewinded, towards the 24-hour mark.