The Circle of Friends

XIII - Surprise Visitor-3

“Thank you,” he said softly.

The remainder of the evening passed without incident. Rachel returned and sat next to Chris, who appeared quite happy to be her dance partner for the evening. Her manner was subdued, although she continued to be quite talkative. Lori felt completely at ease, however. She focused on enjoying herself and eventually enticed Jason to smile as well. He maintained a protective stance around his wife, although Lori doubted anyone would cross the line after his earlier threat. At least she got to feel his warm touch all night long.

They departed around eleven-thirty, and Matt and Sarah followed them into the parking lot. The night air was warm but fresh after the stale, recycled air in the club. The club did not close for several hours, but Jason knew Lori needed get up early and did not want to keep her out all night.

“That was fun!” cried Sarah, still full of energy. “It’s early though.”

Matt grinned and placed his hand on her back. “I’m sure we can find something else to do.”

Lori laughed as Sarah gave Matt a playful shove. “Well, you two go do whatever you want. We’re going home.”

“Maybe everyone could get together at our place next week, if your parents wouldn’t mind?” asked Jason.

“I’m sure they wouldn’t,” Lori answered.

“Pool party!” cried Sarah, Matt’s arms wrapped tightly around her middle.

“Sounds good,” agreed Jason. “Any excuse to see you in a bikini,” he added, giving Lori a kiss on the cheek.

“You guys cool now?” asked Matt in a concerned voice.

“Oh, yeah,” said Jason confidently. “I knew it wouldn’t be a big deal.”

Matt nodded. “Good! Rachel could have been a real problem. I remember her temper!”

“Everything worked out. Now, if you will excuse us,” he said, pulling Lori toward their car. “I’m gonna take my wife home!”

Sunday afternoon there was a gathering at the park. The boys tossed around the football while the girls played catch with a Frisbee. Rachel came with Heather but did not participate in any of the games. She sat on a blanket in the shade and watched the antics while guarding the coolers. Heather commented that she felt bad leaving her alone, but Rachel had insisted on joining them today.

Eventually the guys tried to horde in on the girls’ Frisbee tossing and a game of keep away ensued. Heather managed to jump over Chris before he intercepted the Frisbee and threw it to Sarah. She ran in circles trying to keep it from Matt. Finally an opening presented itself and she tossed the Frisbee at Lori. She caught the disc just as Jason wrapped his arms around her and he pulled it from her grasp. Before he could throw it to Steve, Lori threw herself around his neck and in the confusion they both tumbled to the ground. Tina quickly retrieved the Frisbee as it came loose from Jason’s grasp.

Jason lay on his back with Lori on top of him, each laughing too hard to move. Emitting a mighty yell, he flipped her over and pinned Lori on her back.

“Oh, Jason,” she moaned, feeling the dirty grass rubbing into her hair.

“We’ll have to shower later, anyway.”

“Was that your plan?” she asked, trying to wiggle free.

“That and I had to get back at you for knocking the Frisbee loose!” Jason exclaimed.

He gave her a quick kiss and helped Lori to sit up, brushing off the grass and dirt stuck to her shirt. Unfortunately most of the grass was caught in her braid.

“Hey, you two!” Sarah called. “We’re taking a break!”

They continued to brush dust and grass off one another until they joined the others in the shade. Jason grabbed two water bottles and they collapsed on a blanket. Lori sat next to Sarah, who was covered in grass as well.

“You get tackled, too?” asked Lori.

“Yes!” she growled.

Sarah flashed an annoyed glare at Matt, who was still grinning, and stuck her tongue out at him. Matt took it as an invitation and gave her a kiss, which seemed to pacify Sarah.

Lori felt someone pulling her braid. She realized Jason was still plucking grass from her hair.

“Sorry,” he said. “Actually, I think it’s coming undone. I’m just gonna undo the tie and all of the grass should come out then.”

“Go ahead. I’m through running around today,” she answered, taking a drink of her water.

Jason slowly undid her braid, letting her long hair flow freely in the breeze. Lightly shaking her hair, he ran his fingers through the long tresses. Lori looked up and noticed Rachel intensely watching. She wondered if Rachel had ever worn her hair differently or even realized how much Jason liked long hair.

For the next hour, everyone just enjoyed a lazy Sunday afternoon in the shade. The summer still felt fresh and their return to college lay a long time in the future. Lori had missed her friends terribly. They had come to mean so much to her during the last two years. It was now difficult to imagine her life before Jason.

Eventually hunger overtook exhaustion and Jason announced he wanted something to eat. He assisted Lori to her feet, still apologizing for the grass.

“Lori!” cried Sarah, her head resting comfortably in Matt’s lap. “When are you picking up the wedding photos?”

“Tomorrow at two,” she answered.

“Can I come over at three to see them?” asked Sarah excitedly.

“Oh!” exclaimed Heather. “Me, too!”

Lori laughed at their enthusiasm and glanced expectantly at Jason. “Is that okay with you?”

He shrugged. “Sure. I don’t need to be the first to see our photos.”

“Remember all those extra pictures the photographer took of Lori?” asked Sarah in a singsong voice. “And there’s ones in the dressing room you never saw!”

Jason just smiled, his eyes on Lori. “I bet I know what those look like, too!” he told Sarah with a wink.

“Enough, you two!” cried Lori, feeling herself blush. “I’ll see you tomorrow at three.”

When they were in the car, Jason gave her a kiss. “Now, let’s go home and take a shower and you can show me something better than what’s in those wedding pictures!”

The following afternoon, Lori retrieved the wedding album. There were three total, one for each set of parents and one for the bride and groom. They would have to take one to his parents tonight. His mother would be so thrilled to see the photographs.

She was sitting in the game room, going through her album a third time when her phone beeped. Recognizing Heather’s number, she answered immediately.

“Hey, Lori!” came Heather’s voice. “Listen, I need to ask you something. Rachel’s here and she’d like to see the photos, too. Is that a problem? Do you not want her to come?”

Lori hesitated, gathering her thoughts. “No, it’ll be okay.”

“You’re sure? I didn’t want to just show up with her, you know? Anyway, how’d they turn out?”

“Wonderful!” Lori gushed. The photos were absolutely beautiful.

“Great! See you at three. Don’t let Sarah start without me!” ordered Heather.

Lori hung up the phone and glanced around the room. The maid had cleaned that morning, but Lori wanted to make her part of the house appear spotless. Leaving the album on the couch, she went into the bedroom and picked her bag off the floor. The bed was already made and both bathrooms appeared to be in order. She and Jason were naturally clean individuals, and even without help from the maid, their rooms were never cluttered.

When the doorbell rang, Lori bounded downstairs. As she reached the foyer, she could see Sarah’s face pressed against the glass beside the door. Laughing, Lori opened the door to let her friend inside.

“You’re a goof!” she told Sarah.

“That’s why you love me!” Sarah quipped. She slapped her hands together in eager anticipation. “So, where are the pictures?”

“I promised Heather we’d wait until she got here,” said Lori firmly. “And Rachel’s coming with her.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know,” said Lori, shaking her head. “Heather called and said she wanted to see the pictures, too.”

“I’ll bet she does,” growled Sarah.

They did not have long to wait. Heather arrived with Rachel a few minutes later. Lori let them into the house, promising herself to be polite and friendly toward Rachel. There was no need for animosity, especially while she was a guest in their house. Judging from Rachel’s expression, she appeared a little uncomfortable and not quite sure what to expect, either.

Lori led them upstairs and the girls piled on the couch. Heather insisted on sitting in the middle so she could hold the album. Lori leaned on the back of the couch and peered over Sarah’s head. There were many oohs and ahs as they started looking through the pictures. The photographer had captured many images of the wedding party going into the sanctuary and coming down the aisle. The formal portraits were next, and there indeed were a lot of photos.

“Look at us!” screamed Sarah, pointing to the photos of the bridesmaids with Lori.

“No,” said Heather as she turned the page. “Look at the guys!”

“Don’t they look sweet!” said Sarah.

The following two photos were of the maid of honor and the best man. Sarah glanced up at Lori, her grin enormous.

“Oh, God,” moaned Heather. “Now we’ve got to deal with another pair of lovebirds!”

“Hey!” protested Sarah.

The next few pages featured photos of Lori and Jason. Heather paused, examining them closely.

“Lori,” she said. “These are beautiful. I definitely want some copies.”

“Me, too!” chimed in Sarah.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure everyone gets to order some.”

The next few pages were solitary shots of the bride and groom. Rachel still did not speak but nodded as the pages flipped. Once they came upon the reception, the girls howled out loud at some of the candid photos. The cake and toast turned out beautifully as well. Sarah emitted a moan when they came upon the picture of Lori and Jason dancing.

“Oh my God!” cried Sarah. “That’s almost too much!”

“What?” asked Lori innocently, peering intently at the photo.

“She has to ask!” exclaimed Heather. “Lori, you two are the very picture of love and passion.”

Lori felt herself blush. “Really?” she asked, slightly embarrassed.

“It’s a beautiful shot,” Rachel said softly.

Her voice caught them by surprise. The others looked up expectantly, but Rachel’s gaze remained on the photo. They continued examining the pictures until they reached the last page. Once was not enough for her friends and Lori had to endure another round of teasing as they went through the album again.

“Lori, the pictures are wonderful,” said Heather as she closed the album.

“Have you seen the bed her parents got for them?” Sarah asked, sitting bolt upright. When Heather shook her head, Sarah leapt to her feet. “You’ve got to see it!”

Eagerly Sarah led Heather down the hall to the bedroom. Lori followed behind Rachel, still carrying her wedding album. She was almost surprised when Sarah restrained from jumping on her bed as she had done two weeks ago. Instead, she stood back respectfully with her hands behind her back.

“This is nice!” exclaimed Heather, her eyes wide.

The king sized bed was made of solid oak and a massive bookshelf filled the headboard. The centerpiece was a mirror with beautiful etchings along the edges and a light directly overhead. The bookcase extended out to include nightstands on both sides. They had only just begun to fill the empty shelves. Lori eventually planned to display their wedding pictures. At the moment, two photos from their honeymoon in the Bahamas occupied the shelves.

“There’s a matching wardrobe, too,” said Lori.

Her parents had realized Jason would need room for his clothes. Lori’s closet was spacious, but his clothes would not have fit. The wardrobe provided just enough space and he had been touched by her parents’ consideration.