Page 4 of After All

“Well, that took entirely too long,” I say.

“You okay?” Suzette asks me.

I smile at her, a genuine smile, but a guarded one. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

“Prima!!!”

I stand and turn to see Charlie walking towards me. “Why are you out here? Y’all go on in just a few minutes, right?”

“Yeah, but I wanted to come see if you made it.”

I hold out my arms. “Made it. In one piece, no less.”

He chuckles and holds his fist in front of him, smiling down at me. I make my own fist and bump my knuckles against him.

“I’m really glad you made it,” he says, nodding towards Suzette. “Thanks for getting her here.”

“Of course,” Suzette says, a little tongue-tied and star-struck.

“Suzette White, meet Charlie G.”

Suzette reaches her hand out and smiles, shaking Charlie’s hand enthusiastically. “It’s great to meet you, Suzette. Hope you enjoy the show.”

She nods and smiles. “Thank you for the ticket. I’m sure I’ll love whatever you guys do tonight!”

“Alright, well I have to get backstage, but y’all enjoy. Open bar and any food you want is on Derek’s tab, okay?” He winks, showing his ever-present mischievous side as he offers up the lead singer’s tab for our food.

“Thanks, Charlie,” I say with a laugh, lifting my hand to wave as he makes his way through the VIP section, shaking hands and hugging necks.

What would it feel like to be that open? That receptive?

“Hey, are you Amelie?” I hear beside me.

I turn quickly and stare at the gorgeous woman in front of me. I recognize her immediately. “I am,” I answer.

“I’m Emily, Derek’s fiancée.”

She holds out her hand, and I freeze. Suzette comes to my rescue yet again, sidling up and reaching for Emily’s hand. “Hey. Suzette White, Amelie’s best friend.”

Emily shakes her hand, giving me one more quick look of confusion but hiding it quickly like it never happened. “I’m so glad y’all could be here tonight. Charlie told us he had a cousin who’d recently moved to town and he was going to try to get you down here for the concert.”

“I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t heard Charlie play in a long time.”

“Make yourselves at home. And please let me know if I can get you anything or make you more comfortable.”

Can you make there be less people here?

I smile regardless of the wayward thought. “Thank you.”

She makes her way across the VIP room and sits with a group of people who look so comfortable in their skin, and I shake off the vibe that I’ll never have that.

“Oh my God, we’re really here!”

Suzette proceeds to squeal and clap her hands together in front of her, jumping up and down in place. I’ve never really understood that whole excited thing the few women in my life typically do when they get…well, excited. I squint my eyes at the sharp pitch of her squeak and give her the same smile I gave the rather large bouncer just seconds before. One that doesn’t quite reach my eyes.

We sink back into the chairs, and I relish in her enthusiasm. Just because I don’t understand it doesn’t mean I begrudge her indulgence in it. She’s my very best friend, and we’ve been inseparable since third grade when she defended me and punched a kid on the playground for pushing me off the monkey bars.

Her excitement level is a product of all the other times she’s asked me to go out with her, and I said no. I often leaned hard on the excuse that I hated crowds and loud places to justify not going out with her, but with her wedding coming up in six short months, we’re staring down the barrel of the age-old predicament of one friend getting married and creating a new life that leaves less time for the other. So, here recently, I’ve leaned a little less into the I don’t want to excuse and sucked it up for the woman who’s been my constant since we’ve been little girls.

---