The Boss 5

Aria

By the time I got home, I still couldn’t process everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, starting all the way from when Zayden proposed to me in class. A wedding in three weeks! As much as that thought freaked me out, it also excited me. Three weeks from tomorrow, I was going to become Mrs. Sinclair after our wedding in the city of my dreams. It was as though someone had taken a chapter from one of my favorite romance novels and sprinkled it all over my life. Giddy from the marvel of it all, I headed straight to Nick and Stacey’s room. I leaned over to their closed door to make sure that I wasn’t interrupting an intimate moment, but when I heard them argue about video games, I knocked excitedly.

“Come on in, Aria. We already know you’re engaged. In case that’s what the excitement with your loud knocks indicated,” Nick said.

“I’m getting married,” I said, turning the doorknob.

“Didn’t I just say we know that?” Nick looked confusedly at Stacey. “Am I inaudible Stace? Did I lose my power of speech?”

“In three weeks,” I added hastily. “I’m getting married in three weeks. In New York City. Code red.”

After a couple of gasps and hanging mouths, Stacey quickly assumed the role of my best friend. “I’ll get started on the cookies. You guys set shop in the living room. Yes, this is code red.”

---

An hour later the three of us were spiraled across the living room, stuffing our faces with Stacey’s amazing chocolate chip cookies.

“But, Fiona Davis!” Stacey exclaimed for the fifteenth time. “How did he? How is that even possible? I know he is some hotshot billionaire but even then. Fiona is booked for years. Years! Not months, years. And from my understanding she doesn’t even adjust her schedule for A list celebrities. I can’t believe Zayden pulled that off!”

“Well, I am not sure if I am supposed to tell you guys yet,” I said, beaming. “But he also booked her for your wedding next year.”

Stacey gasped the loudest I had ever heard her, as her eyes started to tear up. “What? How? Fiona Davis, for Nick and my wedding? That’s not…this is not real life. I’m going to go back to bed and be disappointed when I wake up to realize this was one awesome dream.”

“I’m serious, Stace,” I said, hugging her tight. “Fiona Davis will be planning your wedding.”

“No she will not.” Stacey broke our hug and frowned. “It’s not just about her schedule you know. I can’t exactly afford her. Neither can Nick,” she added when he cleared his throat.

“It’s already paid for,” I announced. “Zayden said he is grateful for you for helping with our relationship – first with convincing me it was a good idea to go out with him, then with helping with the ring – that it’s the least he could do. And for loving me or something.”

“Yeah, cause that last part is real hard to do,” Stacey quipped and rolled her eyes. “So we definitely need to be rewarded for it.”

“Shut up, Stace.” I giggled. “But seriously, Zayden is happy to do this so please just accept it, okay? This way we both get to have our dream weddings.”

After another few protests, Stacy finally came around. “Okay,” she said. “Fine. We will accept, but what can we do for him in return, though? I don’t have anything!”

“Cookies,” I said brightly. “I bet you a million dollars – shit I shouldn’t use such exaggerations anymore, should I? – okay, okay, I just bet you some love that Zayden has never had chocolate chip cookies that are perfect as yours. Make him an enormous batch as a thank you and I will take it with me when I move there tomorrow—”

“When you what?” Nick chimed in, looking rather disappointed. “Tomorrow?”

Shit. That was not how I was planning to break the news about my sudden departure at all. They were supposed to have been a few beers in, first of all.

“Okay guys, I know I talked about moving out soon but even I had no idea it would be this soon. But given that I am getting married in three weeks, it only makes sense that I live with him for a little bit before becoming his wife, you know?” I couldn’t hide the annoying grin from my face as I said this.

“Aria.” Stacey shook her head. “We love you and you know that. We would keep you with us forever if we could. You don’t have to pretend that this is something you’re doing out of necessity. You can’t wait to start living with Zayden, it’s all over your face. And the important part is I am fucking ecstatic for you…”

I mock frowned. “So you’re not going to miss me? Why aren’t you more upset by this?”

“You’re an idiot.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course I am heartbroken. We are,” she added, as Nick sat in the corner. ?

??This is bittersweet. I couldn’t be happier for you Aria. You have met the man of your dreams who makes you ridiculously happy and would literally do anything in the world for you. Heck, he is going out of his way for your friends he barely knows, even! And you’re so in love it’s hilarious and adorable. So what I am getting at, I guess, is when should we start helping you pack?”

Those words brought unexpected tears to my eyes and before I knew it, Stacey and I were both bawling our eyes out and hugging each other.

“Wow, I sure feel the love,” Nick said sarcastically, so I went over and hugged him too.

These were seriously the two best people I had ever met in my life. The last few years living with them had been something out of a sitcom on T.V. I couldn’t believe that the time had come for me to move on. It was almost as though we were adults now. I was ready for that.

“It’s the end of an era,” Nick said, holding Stacey’s hand while we hugged.