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Girls Night (Part 3)

After a marathon of animated Christmas specials, Chelsea and Kendra were sound asleep on the couch. Frank and Ivy carried the girls to their rooms as Holly nursed Frank Jr. Meredith tiptoed around the living room, cleaning up cups, mugs and popcorn bowls.

“Thank you.” Holly whispered.

Meredith smiled and continued cleaning up.

“Did he really propose to you in the car?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“And you actually said yes?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Meredith folded the checkerboard into its box.

“I would never have let Frank get away with a stunt like that.” She nestled into the crook of the sofa, tightening her blanket.

“I guess you had to be there.” Meredith swept the checkers into the box and closed the lid. “I know he’s supposed to have a ring and take a knee or whatever…”

“That’s just window dressing. Everybody does that differently.” Holly looked down at her baby. “Ian scribbled in the yard with spare Christmas lights. Frank took my mother and me to dinner at Rutherford’s. He asked her permission while I was away from the table.”

Meredith studied her as she straightened the pillows.

“When I got back, Mom had a big smile on her face and Frank had inverted the teacup. There was a little velvet box sitting on top of it.”

“No knee?”

“In Rutherford’s? I should say not.” Her eyebrows tightened. “Seemed more like a corporate merger than a proposal.”

“Why did you say yes?”

“I didn’t.”

“You made him try again?”

Holly closed her eyes and rolled her head back, a winsome smile drifting across her lips. “And again and again.”

“Didn’t you like him?” Meredith sat down on an Ottoman, hugging a pillow.

“What? Of course, I did.”

“Then why torture him?”

“Do you really think it’s torture to ask that someone do something correctly?”

“I guess you and I have different aesthetics. I wouldn’t ask Toby to have done anything differently. It was perfect.”

“Even when he locked you out of the car?”

“I could have lived without that part.”

“You can’t let guys think you don’t have standards, Meri. He’s a nice guy, but he’s a little too casual.”

“Well, what did Frank do that finally got you to say yes?”

“Hot air balloon.”

“Ooh, that sounds romantic.”

“I guess it was, but I was a little afraid he might toss me out if I said no again.”

Meredith snickered.

Holly smiled. “Make sure he thinks you’re worth the effort, Meredith. No slacking. If he thinks he can take you for granted, things start slipping. Mistakes become habits. Bad habits lead to cracks.”

“I’m sure he’s not like that.” Meredith felt a knot forming in her stomach. “Toby is very diligent and kind.”

“That’s what they call dating, Meri. He’s asked, and you answered. Now it’s courting. This is the time to find out what he’s really like, before it’s too late.”

“I thought it was going to be too late when I had to go home.”

“You said yes so you wouldn’t have to be lonely?”

“No, I’ve been living alone for years. That never occurred to me.”

“So, why say yes so quickly?”

“Because I didn’t realize that there was a part of me that was missing. I thought I had everything.”

Holly caressed the baby’s downy forehead. “Everything?”

“Nice apartment. Great career. Do what I want when I want.”

“Sounds perfect. What else is there?”

“Someone to share it all with. I never knew I could feel like this, Holly.”

“How’s that?”

“I know we’ll see him in the morning, but being without him…”

“Really?”

“It actually hurts.”

“Sounds more like infatuation than love.”

“I don’t think so.” Meredith drummed on the edge of the pillow she was hugging. “If I was infatuated, I don’t think it would feel this way. It would be more like craving ice cream when the store is closed.”

“How does it feel, Meri?”

“Like there’s a warm spot on a couch waiting for him to sit back down. Like I’m waiting for a conversation that I’m in the middle of to continue. Like I’m waiting for the sun to rise so I can see the flowers better.”

Holly shifted from her corner of the couch. Sliding the baby to her shoulder, she stood up.

“Going to bed?”

“When he sleeps, I sleep. It doesn’t last long, so I need to take full advantage.”

“Sure, that makes sense.”

“Congratulations, Meri.”

“Thanks.”

Holly paused by the stairway. “No, really. Congratulations. You are head over heels in love, girl. I hope he feels the same.”

“Thanks, Holly. Good night.” The knot in her stomach was pierced with icicles. ‘Great talk. I’m not nervous or worried at all now.’

She scanned the living room for something to tidy up, but nothing was left to do. ‘Feels too early to go to bed.’ Reaching for her phone to check the time, she remembered she’d left it in Ivy’s room.

Meredith found Ivy peeking from her bathroom with a toothbrush poking out of her mouth.

“Getting ready for bed?”

Ivy ducked back into the bathroom to rinse. “I know I should, but I’m too keyed up to sleep.”

“Me, too.” Meredith dug in her purse for her phone.

“Why am I even nervous, Meri?”

“Everybody gets wedding jitters. It’s a big day.”

“It’s a big hassle.”

“I know, Ivy. Holly seems to like to complicate things.”

“Oh, God. What did she say to you?”

“It was nothing, really. She expected me to live up to her intense standards.”

“Haha, she expects that of everyone.” Ivy plopped down on the bed. “I don’t know. I just feel so weird.”

“Bad weird?”

“No, it’s like part of me is missing. I get to be with Ian all the time. Now that he’s not here, I feel…”

“Hollow.” Meredith sat down beside her.

“Yeah, that’s exactly it.” She rolled over. “I’m going to see him in the morning, but…”

“He might as well be on the moon and your heart is there in his pocket.” Meredith poked at her phone to find a message waiting.

Love you, forever & always

The knot loosened. The icicles sublimated. The hollow spot inside was full and warm as a hug.

“I said yes and I meant yes, no matter what your sister thinks.”

“Me, too.” Ivy was staring at her phone with a joyous smile on her face. “Good night, Meri. Thanks for everything.”