written by cassie.

“It’s just lunch,” Luke assured you and you were brutally reminded that you were in the middle of a conversation with the person in question.

“That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have to look at her face when she’s making summer plans.”

Luke sighs with a light chuckle. “You know I have seen her face a few times, she is my mom.”

“I know, but she asked if I have Christmas plans. Christmas, Luke. Months after this,” you gestured between you and him, “is supposed to end.”

There was a pang in his chest at your mention of the expiration date of your time together, he had tried his best to act like that wasn’t a factor anymore, that you were feeling everything he was, maybe not quite as long as he had, but you’d acknowledged things had changed. But he was just reminded that even though they had changed, the reality was that the timeline was still at the forefront of your mind. He pushed all of that aside to ease your worries. “She’ll be fine. Yes, she’s excited and she may or may not have called you the daughter she’s always wanted. I’m not saying that to make you feel bad, just that she thinks you’re really cool. But life happens, I’ll tell her we grew apart, both of us are busy people. She’ll understand.”

“You’re right, people break up all the time,” you tried to say confidently, even though the thought of not being in contact with him anymore was akin to being thrown into a shark tank after bathing in chum. “Everyone will be fine.” You tried to replay that mantra even though it made your stomach hurt.

That afternoon, you and Eileen sat in your home office, seated within arm’s reach on your plush couch while hanging out one more time before she left. “What you’ve built here for yourself is so impressive. A male dominated field and you’re just excelling, daily. That’s pretty big.”

“Not as cool as what you’ve accomplished.” You hit her with the uno reverse card, unsure what to do when being showered with compliments, especially with guilt residue still weighing you down. “Three sons, all genuinely good humans, which is a feat in itself. One’s a doctor, the other a financial wizard. And the other one? He’s doing pretty alright for himself too,” you joked. “But you, from what I’ve seen this week personally, and what I’ve seen and heard the last few months, you’re the glue. None of this, and I mean that literally, would be possible without you.”

“Well,” she scoffed but didn’t sound offended, more surprised, astonished, maybe even a bit amazed. “I didn’t exactly plan on crying at all today,” she laughs a little, adjusting her glasses in order to wipe her eyes.”

You placed a hand on her shoulder, thumb gently running up and down her sweater. “I didn’t mean to make you cry, I promise. I just—I wanted to properly thank you before you left. And since you’re leaving in the morning, I won’t get to see you. I wanted to thank you now. You’ve been so warm. And delightful. And you’ve treated me like family.”

“Because you are family,” she interrupts without hesitation, placing a gentle hand on your leg. “You are.”

She was making your attempt at saying goodbye extremely difficult but you swallowed back the tightness in your throat and willed yourself to continue. “It’s just been really nice to see Luke in his element, with his people. So thank you, again.”

“Honey, what for this time?”

“For showing me where his huge heart comes from. Don’t tell him I said this but, I’m pretty sure he’s changed my life.”

Eileen’s hug is sudden but expected, comforting nonetheless. If this is the last interaction you’ll ever have with her, it’s a pretty good one to end on. “You’ve definitely changed his. I know that for a fact.”

Orlando, Florida - Day 1

The first thing on the agenda when the seven of you landed was to get to your villa. Was a villa a bit much for a three day trip? Yes. But if you were going to plan a bachelorette trip filled with alcohol and merging a bunch of different personalities and preferences, it was much safer for everyone to have their own room to avoid unnecessary conflict. This was supposed to be Salem’s last hurrah, not a social experiment on if several adult women would be able to survive a weekend with limited sink space. Eight bedrooms, five bathrooms seemed excessive but once you got inside and saw it in person while everyone chose their rooms, you knew you’d made the right decision. Your second best choice was the massive Ubereats order of breakfast sandwiches before a day of drinking around the world. There was no way in hell you weren’t forcing everyone to carb load before downing liquor for the next…five hours or so.

“Where are we staying on Figure Eight?” Salem’s best friend Brianna asked, taking a bite of her bacon, egg and cheese bagel. “There’s three different houses, right?”

“There are,” you told her as you pulled your phone out to text the bridesmaids groupchat. “I just texted a picture of the property we’ll be on so house #3 is gonna be Will and his groomsmen, his parents have their own wing too so they’ll be there. House #2 is you guys, if you want a plus one there’s room but it’s not required. There’s hotels too by the venue. And House #1 is where my parents are staying.”

“And Luke?” Grace, one of the bridesmaids asks. She’s known you and Salem since high school so she’s unfortunately very in the know.

The room turns into slow giggles and everyone is eyeing you like they’re waiting for some sort of major announcement. “Yes, Luke will be there too. He and my dad already have fishing plans. But anyway, I texted you guys the addresses of each place, grocery stores in the area and all that stuff. Obviously text me if you have any questions closer to when we’re supposed to arrive.”

“Figure Eight island,” Elise sighs.

“Another destination I can check off the list because of you guys,” Palmer laughs, putting her hair into a ponytail.

Noelle shakes her head and stands. “I ordered a Lyft, let’s do the Disney thing.”

The last time you’d been to Disney was probably middle school. But after a pomegranate cocktail and watching Elise try their famous La Cava Avocado, a frozen green quote-unquote delicacy, you began to understand why Disney was so much more fun as an adult. “You wanna try some? You really can’t taste the avocado, it’s more like a creamy earthy taste, sort of matcha related.”

“I’m good, I believe you,” you laughed, taking another sip of your drink as the group carried on. You thought about texting Luke and asking him how he felt about avocados and tequila in the same cup, but you didn’t.

“We need to have bottles of this shit shipped for the wedding. I’m being serious. Why haven’t I had plum wine before?” Salem gasped, looking at her glass as though the deep purple liquid was some sort of magic potion that had opened doors to the depths of her soul. “This is literally the best thing I’ve ever put in my body.” It was really good, the perfect blend of sweet and tart in a way that wasn’t overwhelming, sort of like a pallet cleanser. You almost forgot it was an adult beverage. It was so refreshing, especially served in the chilled wine glass.

The stroll through the France Pavilion was the most enjoyable part of the trip with the dessert shop and the stunning perfume store where you all got fragrances of your choice. The designer even engraved each bottle with a castle, your name and the year to commemorate the weekend, clinking martini glasses filled with La Vie en Rose frozen slushies as you waited for the artist to finish your souvenirs. Your group locked arms on and off from country to country, taking pictures, sharing drinks with separate straws, pointing out different artifacts and buildings that looked so close to the real thing. The afternoon at the park ended with a trip to the Space 220 bar, took the elevator up to “space” and had lunch looking down at the planet. It was an immersive experience Salem had mentioned a few months ago when brainstorming ideas on where to go for this last trip with her friends before marriage, so you booked it that day just in case because reservations were nearly impossible to get on the spot. And the Stellar Smores after your first two courses was all you could think about before you closed your eyes to nap when you all got back to the villa.

“A toast. To the Breckenridge trip making it all the way to Florida. To fur coats, ski shots and a weekend we’ll hopefully be reminiscing about in 50 years. Oh and to Salem who lights up every room. And all of our lives.”

The girls all raised their liquid nitrogen vapor filled cups, made completely of ice. “To Lemmy!”

Brianna was in charge of the playlist, that the Ice Bar DJ happily played as if your party was the only people in the building. You left after all three hours of the playlist was complete, feet hurting and ears ringing a little, in a good way. For how much alcohol was consumed in the last twelve hours, nobody looked visibly terrible and the best part was that Salem hadn’t attempted to pull out her card once, to pay for anything. She trusted that you or one of the other women had her covered. And you did.

You always would.

Orlando, Florida - Day 2

Morning yoga was originally scheduled for 8AM. Nobody got out of bed until 11, so morning yoga started at 11:30AM. The instructor kept it simple: cat-cow, downward dog, plank, child’s pose which helped wake everyone up, increase blood flow and stretch out things that had been dormant for more than twelve hours. Half the room made their displeasure known in the loudest way any time they were asked to switch sides.

“I haven’t touched my toes since eighth grade.” Noelle groaned. “Being an Olympian isn’t exactly on my bucket list.”

Salem snorted, beads of sweat started to form on her forehead even though you’d only just begun. “Reaching for your toes doesn’t exactly qualify you for anything remotely close. It just means your back and ankles will hopefully stop sounding like a bag of microwaveable popcorn every time you stand up.”

The sluggish crowd much more enjoyed the facials and foot soaks. Being on your feet for a total of nine hours yesterday had definitely taken its toll. The entire morning was spent recovering, you heard muted conversation throughout the house, some of the girls sat in the living room to read while others utilized the sauna. You wanted to pat yourself on the back for getting a villa that had one and you all ended up having a calm pool day before everyone went back to their rooms for more sleep.

Sparkling apple cider replaced tequila that evening and you had a private chef come to the house to treat the girls to a private dinner: salmon with Florentine sauce over a bed of spinach linguine pasta. Salem also handed out gift bags to each of you, despite your protests. “I already paid for all this shit so you’re gonna take it with you and you’re gonna like it. Besides, it’s all really cute stuff, I’d hate for it to go to waste.” The bride to be did have a point. The brown bags were handy, definitely to be used again and stuffed to the brim with fun little gifts: a blanket, a white hat, a mug, lip oil, a claw clip, a toiletry bag, slippers and a few other makeup items to be used likely on the day of the wedding. “Just a small thank you, for each of you being an important part in my life. There’s no one I’d rather want by my side on my special day than the six of you,” she says slowly, clearly trying not to get emotional. “I’m not gonna cry, so yeah. Thank you, I love you guys.”

“We love you,” several of the girls said back, you gave her a knowing smile and she placed her hand over her heart as if saying you and I will talk later. You mostly ate quietly and relished in the bathroom situation as the entire bridal party changed into their matching brown silk pajamas and found Salem in the living room in her white satin set.

“Two words,” Salem says mischievously when everyone is seated. “Secret. Circle.”

“Oh my god,” Brianna half shouted, would’ve had more force behind it had she skipped out on that pink starburst shot last night. “You can’t be serious.”

“Very serious. I’ll even be the subject first. Tell you all my secrets.”

Now Elise and Grace and Brianna were more inclined to play. You never had a problem, given that you were an open book, most of the time. “First question Salem…” Palmer sat up, “have you ever looked through Will’s phone and why?”

“That’s good.”

“We’re starting off hot.”

Brianna laughs, rubbing her hands together. “This is gonna be the messiest secret circle yet. Go on Lem, what’d you do?”

“Fine. Let me preface this by saying he was acting really weird, for days. And I asked him if it was work related or if he was freaking out about something, like he lost big on FanDuel and loan sharks were about to cut off one of his fingers but he assured me everything was good. But I know him and I know when he’s lying because his left eyebrow twitches a little and I saw it move. So when he was in the shower I looked at his phone and he’d been meeting with a jeweler.” Salem cringed at herself. “I felt so bad for thinking the worst.”

Noelle stared at her. “You spoiled your own engagement for yourself? Classic.”

“Well it wasn’t entirely my fault. He’s horrible at keeping secrets.”

“And you’re horribly nosey,” you emphasized. “What’s your biggest pet peeve of his? And I’m not talking some normal thing like leaving the toilet seat up. Something so niche that just irritates your soul that he does subconsciously.”

Two of the girls laugh, thinking they know where this is going but Salem shuts them down. “I’ve never told anyone this because it literally makes me sound like a monster. I do love this man, I swear. I really do. BUT, he does this thing and in hindsight it could be much worse.”

“Can you please spit it out? Now we have to know.”

“Okay, okay. When food is too hot, instead of waiting like a normal adult human, he does that annoying huffing and puffing chew to cool down the food that’s in his mouth. You know that ha ha ha,” she mimics the sound with her mouth, “when he could just blow on it and wait. The food will be steaming and he will still shove it into his mouth and burn himself while making that dumbass sound. And I hate it. He knows that but he still freaking does it, like a toddler. But he’s my stupid toddler so—yeah. Can someone else get asked a question? I’m tired of being in the hot seat.”

Brianna looks towards you and asks “what’s something Luke does that annoys you?”

“Um…there really isn’t anything that jumps out.”

“Come on, I know Prince Charming has one flaw.” Noelle says, tracing the rim of her glass.

“I don’t know? I guess he’s overly polite. Like in a way that’s almost concerning. He thanks Siri, like she’s a person.“

“Then that’s not a pet peeve,” Salem notes, relieved to not longer have to spill her guts. “He doesn’t have anything he does that just infuriates you?”

“I honestly can’t think of anything. He’s just a quirky, fun person. Haven’t gotten super annoyed by him yet.”

That night, you learned Noelle had faked an orgasm with every boyfriend she’s ever had. Elise had been cheated on twice and cheated once. Palmer was catfished by her coworker, who she dated for three years after the fact. Grace found out she preferred women in the middle of making out with a guy and Brianna? She joined a Shakespearean theater club for three months to get to know a guy she met in line at a grocery store. All of them made you feel a little less crazy about your current predicament. Relationships, in one way or another, were always a trial and error thing and maybe putting so much pressure on yourself to get it all right wasn’t the best course of action.

Orlando, FL - Day 3

“Scooch,” Salem says, closing the sliding door behind her. You’d gotten up earlier than you planned, up thinking about your last conversation with Luke about guilt and how you’d been taking on way too much of it instead of being happy. “I can’t believe we’re leaving already. You packed so much into this weekend.”

“We are all adults with lives and jobs to get back to on Monday. Figured we’d play hard Friday and be somewhat back to normal by today.” She places her head on your shoulder as you continue. “Did you have fun though?”

She nods. “Best bachelorette trip ever, thank you.” Salem cranes her neck to meet your gaze. “Not just for this weekend but for everything you’ve done to help with planning and reigning mom in and telling dad not to stress himself out about how people are gonna navigate the island because there’s literally people that give directions over there for a living. This is going to be the wedding of my dreams and there’s no way that’s the case without you. Can’t wait to do the same for you one day. If that’s something you’d want.”

You grab her hand and give it a firm squeeze. “I would love nothing more than to boss you around and make you cater to my every need. I’m gonna be so damn demanding.” Salem tosses her head back with a carefree laugh, taking your joined hands and kissing the outside of your hand, a gesture normally reserved for royalty. She was not so subtly calling you her princess. One that she’d always take care of.

“It would be my pleasure.”

There was just enough time before your flight to head to Icon Park and have a cute outdoor brunch at Helena Modern Riviera for one last family meal. You told each other you’d take trips together more often, not only for special occasions but reminders that life isn’t ever too busy to spend quality time together without the pressures of work and home life. On the drive to the airport you thought about how your little sister was actually getting married in 25 days, committing to one person for the rest of her life and she seemed so calm, so sure about Will every step of the way. You’d always wanted that for her, Salem was always as cynical as she can be, a hopeless romantic. She loved hanging out at your mom’s boutique growing up, picturing herself trying on various styles of dresses while envisioning her person standing at the end of the aisle, staring at her like she was the only person to ever exist. You dreamt about a corner office, an assistant you trusted with your life and career goals that seemed unattainable…until you achieved them. Fairytales weren’t exactly on the to-do list, too dramatic and extreme and out of reach.

“Luke’s here,” Salem nodded towards the baggage claim carousel you guys were headed to. “He’s here before Will, of course. I knew we shouldn’t have moved closer to the airport, that only makes him feel like he can leave the house at the last possible second.”

You didn’t hear Salem’s joke as Luke spotted you and flashed a bright smile. He met you halfway, even though you both needed to walk back to baggage claim to grab your suitcase. “Hey, how was the flight? And the trip?”

“Good, really good. To both,” you laughed and gave him a hug. Salem and Brianna gave each other a look before heading straight to the carousel as the light turned on and bags began to appear. “I’ll you all about it later.”

“Great,” you walked close enough that your hands could touch but you both kept them to yourselves. Luke gave Salem and Brianna side hugs and introduced himself to the other women and making light small talk.

He was listening to Salem’s retelling of the Ice Bar when he spotted a black suitcase. “Brianna, is that one yours?” He pointed.

“How’d you know?”

Luke grabbed it off the carousel and gave her a sideways glance. “It has your initials on it.” She shrugged and thanked him and he grabbed everyone else’s stuff as they pointed it out, not even bothering to ask you which suitcase was yours because he’d seen it in Charleston and on your California trip. He quietly pulled it off mid spin and set it to the side.

“Such a gentleman,” you mused, running a hand down his arm, almost surprised at how much firmer it had gotten since you’d seen him last. He mentioned he was working out and training for this celebrity football thing but you didn’t realize how much he’d been working. Not that he was a slouch before but the difference was definitely noticeable. Then Will arrived and Luke clearly wanted to dap him up and do the whole thing so you had to let go.

The guys counted suitcases and made sure no one was missing anything before Luke asked “does everyone have rides home? We’ve got room for two people if needed.”

Brianna spoke up first. “My boyfriend’s at the pick up spot right outside, he’s taking Noelle and I home.”

Elise looked up from her phone and said her husband was also out there so she was good. Luke turned his attention to the other two. “Palmer? Grace? You guys need a ride?”

“We were just gonna get an Uber but if you’re offering, then sure,” Grace answers. “I will definitely be telling my dad a Hall of Famer drove me home.” He gave her a sheepish smile and you hugged everyone else goodbye as he rolled your suitcase out to the car. You, Grace and Palmer followed him out to the parking garage.

Luke did his best impression of someone who plays way too much Tetris and stacked the luggage neatly in his trunk. He dropped Palmer off first then listened intently to Grace as she gave him directions and you looked out the window until her door was shut and the back seat was empty. Next thing you knew, you were seeing him maneuver familiar streets on the way to your place. A wave of relief washed over you putting your key in the door, nothing felt better than coming home after a trip and knowing you’d be sleeping in your own bed. He left the suitcase off to the side of the living room, knowing you wouldn’t fully unpack for the next week even though you had every reason to. You walked into his arms and practically became human putty in his hands. Months of planning, watching videos of people’s experiences, booking experiences and catering to not only Salem’s requests but all the input from the other bridesmaids, one huge Maid of Honor role had been fulfilled and you could relax, for at least the next week before real wedding jitters kicked in and you had to keep everyone’s emotions in check.

You allowed yourself a moment of peace, the resting thump of his heart beating lightly against your ears and he wrapped his arms around you. Thankfully he didn’t say a word at first. You didn’t want to hear “are you okay?” or “do you need anything?” You didn’t need to talk, for some reason, for the first time in a really long time, being held sounded perfect. And he gave that to you without any extra fanfare. “I missed you,” came out of your mouth before you could stop it.

The vibration from his laugh was soothing. And so was his voice. “I missed you too.”

“You’re just saying that because I say that.”

He laughs, head tilted down, still holding onto you. There was no reason to separate so you stayed right where you were. “I’m not just saying that. It felt weird being here without you. Not just this weekend but, I don’t know the last few weeks I feel like we haven’t seen each other. Then you up and decide to be a good sister and throw a bachelorette weekend at Disney and I didn’t know what to do with myself. And George died.”

“George?” You asked.

“007? Why wouldn’t you tell me that?”

You placed your hand on his cheek and bravely kept yourself from cackling. “George O’Malley. Yeah I’m sorry but you’re about—“ you moved your neck from side to side a few times trying to think. “—seventeen years late on mourning him.”

“Still heartbreaking,” he sighed as you carefully pulled away, finally. His touch still lingered on your skin anyway, that staticky buzzing sensation, like you were regaining feeling in your limbs after they’d fallen asleep.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, is there anything I can do to help?”

He rubbed his jaw, looking serious then carefully backed you up against the kitchen counter until there was nowhere else to go. You step forwards and kissed him, leaning into that urge to be close, to touch him again. The two of you got even closer when he picked you up and placed you on the kitchen counter. His lips drifted from your mouth to the skin right under your ear. “Is this okay?” He whispered, his words sounded earnest but you were so lost in his deep voice you wouldn’t be sure that’s what he actually said had he not checked in several time after that. You nodded and he kept going, kissing every ridge of your neck and the inside of your palm.

Your index finger traced his jawline before you used two fingers to guide him back to your mouth, deepening the kiss almost as soon as you went back in for seconds like this was your favorite home cooked meal. He tried to steady his breathing, through his nose but even that hitched, like his body couldn’t decide between catching his breath and breathing you in. “This weekend was exhausting,” you murmured, inches away from his mouth. His lips looked slightly swollen and he looked ten times more flushed than he had earlier.

But you could see him forcing himself back into his head. “Yeah, of course you are. You’ve had a long weekend.” His hand grazed your waist, “I should let you get some sleep.”

Instead of ending the conversation like he thought you would, you stared at him. “Do you want to come upstairs?”

Not sure he was misreading the situation, Luke made direct eye contact, standing in between your legs. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t be offering up my bedroom if I wasn’t sure,” you smiled.

His expression, although blissful made you feel more wanted and desired than anything else you’d ever experienced. You closed your eyes as he leaned in and kissed your forehead. He knew exactly what he wanted. He just needed to know you wanted the same. “Baby, I need to hear you say it.”

“I want you take me upstairs.”

Luke nodded and slid an arm under your knees and the other supported your back, carrying you without an ounce of protest. It really was everything you’d expected. He was attentive and gentle with a relentless energy. Generous in the ways that mattered and he never stopped kissing you, holding your hand or letting you know silently how much he cherished every ounce of your being. There was a glass of water waiting for you when you exited the bathroom in his shirt and climbed into bed. He was on his back, clearly trying not to smile but the happiness was radiating off of him like a solar panel. You settled in against his chest, taking in his body heat which was a constant but also now a comfort as you traced his collarbone. He kissed the top of your head as you drifted off, unbelievably exhausted but happy to be home.

You used to think Tubi was for very low budget films. Lifetime Movies had higher Rotten Tomatoes scores and yet here you were, parked in front of your television with snacks watching the cursed streaming platform because Luke had decided to play in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Los Angeles. The event was supposed to promote flag as a sport in the upcoming 2028 Olympics and put the game on a bigger stage than usual. You would’ve gone to watch the game in person but with all the trips you’d taken and the traveling you’d done, you needed to stay home and get some work squared away and not lose yourself completely in this guy.

A tiny piece of you already felt like you were losing your grip on reality watching the stupid game on tv. If you from a year ago could see you now she’d definitely be asking “who the hell have we become?”

Current you indulged in a 5 on 5 tournament between two ridiculously named teams with star studded rosters and Team USA, the official flag football team representing the country and reigning reigning IFAF world champions, according to the broadcast. You’d seen countless NFL games but never sat and watched a flag football game played by people over the age of 10. As a powerhouse linebacker this game wasn’t exactly catered to Luke’s strengths so you had the game on as background noise while working on a few things on your laptop.

His smiling face lit up your phone after his press conference that evening. “It was super fun, those dudes are athletes. They busted my ass. Flag is not for the weak I’ll tell you what.”

“At least you came out unscathed with no old man injuries,” you reminded him. “Could’ve been much worse. And more embarrassing.”

Luke shook his head and huffed out a short laugh. “Got a wedding to dance at in a few weeks, can’t afford a pulled hammy like Gronk.” You could see him with one AirPod in, every so often someone would come up to him and say a few words, most you couldn’t catch but he was gracious each time. “I’m about to get on the elevator and I’ll probably lose service but I’m heading to my hotel to pack. Gettin’ outta here tonight.”

“Do you have a ride home from the airport?”

He glances down at the camera, smiling wider. “I was just gonna have Henry pick me up, unless you’re offering?”

Your face was starting to hurt from grinning so much. “Go pack. I’ll see you in a few hours.”