Melissa Collins: Let Love Heal

“Yeah, but Cammie and Jack are pretty much married already, so it doesn’t count.” Lia’s words are cut off as Cammie tosses the only remaining throw pillow at her face.

“We are not married.” She pauses before adding, “Yet”.

We all share a few more laughs before the reality of tomorrow morning settles in one last time. Even though we’re all heading off into different directions and it’s exciting in so many ways, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t scary as hell, too.

Staring blankly out of the window, I watch the bright, afternoon sun as it shimmers and dances across the rippling lake. We’re all shaken from our sad goodbyes when the front door slams shut, jarring the door frame. If there were any pictures left on the walls, they surely would have crashed to the floor.

“Peyton? Is that you?” My question is met only with a harsh groan from the kitchen.

As she walks into the living room, she nearly trips over a box at which she grits out a loud, “Fuck!” Twisting the cap on her water bottle, she flops down onto the smaller of the two couches while we stare at her, willing her to speak.

When she doesn’t say anything right away, Cammie, Lia and I exchange wary glances, wondering who should break the strangled silence. Before we can say anything, Peyton covers her face with her hand and starts crying. In the year and a half that I’ve known Peyton, she’s never cried. Ever.

Moving quickly, I sink down to the floor next to her and squeeze her knee gently. “What’s wrong, Peyton?” I ask softly, afraid that I might scare her away.

She’s not much of a sharer either.

When her breathing calms, she wipes away her tears. Straightening in her chair, she takes one final deep breath. “It’s nothing. Really, I’m fine.” The white-knuckled, death grip that she has on her water bottle says she’s anything but fine.

“You’re not fine. Please, talk to us.” Cammie’s kind words work their magic as usual.

“Something got fucked up down at the registrar’s office. Apparently, when I started here, one of my classes didn’t transfer, but no one thought to tell me.” Pulling her long hair back into a loose bun, she gives us a resolute nod. “So, it looks like I’ll be here for at least another semester. So much for moving back home, I guess

“Oh, Peyton. That sucks, sweetie,” Cammie offers her best condolences, but I’m fairly certain that it’s going to take more than a few apologies to make Peyton feel better right now.

In true Peyton fashion, she just shrugs her shoulders and rolls with the punches. “It’s okay. I mean I’ll survive. Just have to figure things out.”

“Do you want me to see if I can-” Peyton holds her hand up to stop me from speaking.

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence. You are moving in with your man tomorrow and that’s that.” She takes a deep, calming breath as she gathers her thoughts. “One of my friends at the coffee shop has an extra room. I can stay with her until I find my own place for the fall.” Her words are final; her decision is made. I’m not even going to bother arguing with her. The last thing I want to do is change my plans with Bryan.

We spend the rest of the night eating pizza, drinking wine and reminiscing about our time together. Somewhere around our third glass, I have a brilliant idea.

“Let’s make a promise to have a girls’ weekend every three months. No matter what we’re doing, or what’s going on in our lives, we will get together every three months for one whole weekend.” I hold my white-wine-filled coffee mug up to the group. “I’ll even make Maddy join in. It’ll be so fun.”

Lia clangs her glass against mine first. “That’s a motherfucking-awesome idea!” Okay, the wine always hits Lia the hardest, but she’s a freaking riot when she’s tipsy.

“That could totally work,” Cammie adds with the same enthusiasm minus the cursing. “We could rotate between locations, too. This way we’d all get to see where everyone is living and how they’re doing.” At the mention of that idea, I notice Peyton shift somewhat uncomfortably in her seat, but she quickly recovers and says, “Cheers to that!” as she extends her mug.

In the blink of an eye, the night is over and we’re all stepping out onto the front porch trying to block the early morning sun. Somehow, we manage to croak out a few simple words of goodbye through our tears. Watching Lia and Cammie drive off physically hurts my heart, but at the same time, I couldn’t be happier for them.

I walk Peyton over to her car, helping her with the last of her bags and give her a tight squeeze. “Don’t get all emotional on me, Melanie. I’ll be back soon enough.” She smiles cheerfully at me, but I can see the tears shining in her eyes.

“Just please call me when you get home. Okay?” I say as I take a step back from our hug. She gets into her car and drives down the road waving her hand as she pulls away.

I get the last of my bags from the front steps and load them into my car. Bryan helped me move everything else over the last few days, so all I have left is a bag of my toiletries and suitcase filled with some clothes.

I stop on the bottom step and scan my flowerbed one last time. It used to be overgrown with weeds, the soil not rich enough to sustain any life. But, in the last year, I’ve made it my little pet project. I’ve nursed it back to health, kept it weed free, planted some of my favorite flowers and watched it grow into a thing of beauty.

Pulling the delicate, hot pink petals of a freshly bloomed stargazer lily up to my nose, I inhale its sweet scent. I consider snipping it from the stalk and bringing it with me, but I decide to leave it and let it bask in the warm summer sun.

It’s only a ten minute drive to my new apartment and Bryan is already up and waiting for me. Lugging my suitcase through the front door, the heavenly smell of freshly brewed coffee mingles in the air.

“Hey, baby. Coffee?” Bryan hands me a bright purple mug as he plants a sweet kiss to my cheek.

“You’re a lifesaver,” I mumble against the rim of the mug. After one too many glasses of wine last night and shedding more tears than I have in a long time, my brain is in serious need of some caffeine.

After a few sips, I put my mug down on the counter. Bryan grabs my bag in one hand and laces our fingers together with the other. “I want to show you something.”

He pulls me down the short hallway to what will be our bedroom. I’m less than enthused about it. It’s definitely a boy’s room, but I guess I’ll just have to call Lia for some decorating help.

Bouncing excitedly in front of the closed door, Bryan tells me to close my eyes. It’s too early for me to argue with him, especially when it’s clear that he’s got something up his sleeve, so I just roll my eyes and then close them.

When Bryan opens the door for me, my nose is inundated with the sweetest scent I’ve ever known. Unable to keep my eyes closed any longer, especially now that I know what the surprise is, I stare wide-eyed into the lily-filled room. “Bryan, this … wow … this is so sweet.” There must be dozens of lilies in a few vases scattered about the room. The fragrance is bold and distinct, but not at all overpowering. The petals are strong and vibrantly colored, resilient in their own way. Holding a bloom up to my nose, I inhale deeply as Bryan wraps his arms around my waist from behind. “I know they’re your favorite and I want my place to be our place. Besides, I know how you love your flowers so I wanted to have them waiting for you when you got here today.”

I turn to face him and plant a soft kiss on his lips. “They’re beautiful, Bryan. Thank you.”

“Anything for you, Melanie. I love you.” His lips dance along my neck and shivers race across my skin.