Page 59 of Retribution

My legs feel weak and unsteady, my head feels light and dizzy. I grip onto the sink counter and wipe away some of the steamed mirror, enough to see my face. I blink at the pink-cheeked, dilated, insatiable woman in front of me. I notice the fullness of my lips, swollen and suggestive.

“What the hell were you thinking?” I ask myself, despite already knowing exactly what I was thinking.

A knock on the door disturbs my self-critique and I exit the bathroom. I dry myself quickly, slipping on my robe and tying it whilst I walk to the entrance of my apartment. I check through the peephole, ensuring that it’s not some kind of serial killer, or Scott.

I immediately unlock the door and squeal. Lola pulls me into a tight embrace, just as Gracie joins in. I’m practically jumping up and down at the unexpected company, excitement bubbling.

“We haven’t seen you in so long, so we thought we’d grab some snacks and have an old-fashioned girl’s night!” Gracie says.

“Oh my God, yes! Come in, come in.” I move out of the doorway and let them pass before locking the door again.

“Sorry if we interrupted anything, we should have called,” Lola cringes.

I bat my hand at her.

“No, nothing of importance. You know you can come over anytime!” I beam, grabbing some cans of diet coke from the refrigerator. My stomach grumbles, reminding me I haven’t eaten anything since my croissant earlier.

“I’ll just go grab some pajamas, make yourselves at home girls!” I shout to them from the kitchen, their own pajama attire indicating of the vibes.

I pick out some navy-blue plaid shorts and a white tank, slipping them on quickly and returning to the living room.

“So we grabbed three movies, all chick-flicks. We’ll let you decide seeing as though we can’t come to an agreement.” The end of her sentence aimed directly at Gracie, who rolls her eyes.

“Sure.” I giggle, grabbing the cases.

Hm. We have Mean Girls, a known classic, but I have watched it probably hundreds of times now. Bride Wars, another amazing movie that I’ve definitely watched far too many times and Me Before You. I hold up the Me Before You case.

“Now this, I haven’t seen,” I confess.

The girls look at me in disgust, Gracie grabbing it out of my hands.

“Then this is what we’re watching, I can’t believe you’ve never seen this!”

“Sam Claflin is dreamy.” Lola winks at me.

“Aren’t you supposed to be getting married in three weeks?” I say accusingly to Lola.

“Just because I’m getting married doesn’t mean I lose my eyesight,” she replies, laughing alongside me.

Gracie stakes claim of a bag of salted caramel M&M’s, whilst I opt for the Reese’s buttercups, Lola, the Hershey’s kisses.

The movie begins to play, and I head to the basket in the corner of the room, grabbing two fluffy blankets and throw them at the girls, dimming the lights. We all snuggle up together on the sofa, giggling like we did when we were young.

I stare at the girls beside me in adoration, the fulfillment I get from spending time with these two is incomparable to anything else. The sisterly bond between us is unbreakable, the life we have already endured threw everything it could at us and we held each other’s hearts in the center of it all. The fragile composition of the human heart is no match for sisters, the indestructible alliance between us bind us together for life. We guide each other through the dark, even when there is no light to be found.

“What?” Gracie stares back.

“Nothing.” I smile, turning my attention back to the movie.

***

I’m bawling. Sobs bounce from one wall to another as we practically cry in harmony.

“But it’s not fair! She loved him so much!” I cry, my sisters nodding in agreement and wiping at the inevitable tears.

I reach to the coffee table for the box of tissues as we pass it along us, sniffles and heartache connecting us all together.

“I wouldn’t have let him do it, I couldn’t!” Lola chokes, clearly imagining Greg in Sam Claflin’s shoes.

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