"Same to you, Pretty Girl."
When we finally parted, driving off our separate ways, there was only one question on my mind. When could I see him again?
The entire weekend passed by in an excruciatingly slow manner. It became almost unbearable to keep my eyes off my phone. Officially becoming friends with Stefan felt … right. I knew there were technicalities with telling my friends, brother, mother and of course, Richard. These were conversations in my future but right now, I didn't care. I felt a change in the winds of my life and I knew that despite the obstacles that faced my future-it was worth it. Now, I just had to figure out how to make the transition from acting as though he never existed, to being genuine friends.
It was a constant internal struggle of wanting to keep enough space, and almost aching to contact him. After Richard got off work he spent the weekend at home with me. I filled him in on the bridal shopping trip; he happily pictured the plans that grew into what would be a glorious day. I was too … for the most part. It just didn't feel as if all the confusion in the air had completely cleared. There were things I had to work out first in my mind. Everything would be fine by the time we were meant to say our vows. Until then, there were a few things I had to focus on first. The most immediate thing that seized every train of thought was Stefan, and where our friendship was headed now.
Spending time with my fiancé was always enjoyable, but every thirty seconds my eyes would dart to my phone, constantly checking for new messages. Sunday night it had been almost unbearable trying to close my eyes and fall asleep. It was like I was back in high school all over. My body was amped with the prospect of seeing Stefan the next day. It had been understandable at that time but now, it was just frustrating. There was no guarantee that I would see or hear from Stefan. It wasn't as if we planned anything and quite honestly, we hadn't spoken since we left each other on Friday. There was only intuition churning in the pit of my stomach. Making me believe something more was going to happen.
Monday morning I pulled into the parking lot the same time Kari. Immediately I registered her confusion as she was scheduled to open the salon-not me. Getting out of her car she leaned back against the door, shifting her eyes from me to the salon.
"Is everything okay?"
I smiled. "Of course there is! Why wouldn't it be okay?"
Her eyebrow rose as she assessed my ridiculous level of bubbling excitement. "It is 8:45, the salon isn't even open yet and you typically don't show up before 10:00, unless there is some serious problem."
I shrugged my shoulders, handing her the cup of coffee I picked up on my way over. "Everything's fine, I got us coffee!"
Hesitantly she reached out and took the cup. Never letting her eyes leave me. "Ready to do some hair today?!" I burst out, unable to remain silent as she tried to figure out what was wrong.
"Are you high?" She finally asked.
"What??" I laughed out, but from the look on her face I could see she was totally serious. "Of course I'm not high!"
"Did Richard recently give you a prescription for anything? Switch your coffee for a new brand or something?"
"Absolutely not, Kari! What are you even talking about??"
"Well, okay, lately you've been a bit of a blob. Even your good days are still a little … off. Now, you're here to open the salon with me, and you're not due in for at least two more hours. Not to mention, I can hardly keep my eyes open, and yours look like they can't close."
Like a sarcastic teenager I shut my eyes, holding them there for a few seconds before opening them again. "See, they close."
"Yeah, that really made me completely change my mind." She deadpanned, as we made our way into the salon.
"Whatever, I'm just in a good mood, is that so wrong?"
She sighed and looked me over once more. "No, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just so used to seeing my sad friend. I'm happy you're like this. Plus, now I can sink into my chair and let your hyper ass do the opening duties so I can sleep for a little longer."
"You got a deal." I laughed, loving the way our morning was starting off with a spark that hadn't been there for a very long time.
The morning hours sluggishly ticked by, but my never constant buzz of energy made it bearable. Kacie and Tyler made cracks at me similar to those of Kari. While the other stylists just watched me like I was about to explode. The clients seemed to enjoy the charismatic energy between all of us, and that was all that mattered. As lunch time approached my stomach reminded me-loudly-that it was time to eat. Just as I was about to step away for my break, a call came in.