In Love With Sister's Fiance

Surreal

Rita has heard of out of body experience but she has never experienced it personally.

She had stood there, staring at her sister and best friend, totally dumbfounded. They in turn were staring at her waiting for her to say something. Lucy's smile had been huge. She totally believed Rita would be anything but happy for them.

"Yes, absolutely," she had found herself saying eventually. That was all it took for her to be tackled into a hug by her overexcited sister.

"I knew you would agree," Lucy had innocently said while Rita stood there, in her arms, as stiff as wood. Her eyes were on Damon who was frowning slightly as he studied her response to their happy news.

She could not have said no to her request. What would be her reason? Lucy and their mother would have demanded to know. They would have insisted in a very dramatic way.

'I can't be your Best-Person because I am in love with Damon and I want to be his bride. I cannot watch you get married to him.'

She could not let anyone know the truth. Lucy and Damon are a couple. Her dream of 14 years have been shattered in an instant by no other person than her younger sister.

The night breeze was very cool. It swept around her, whispering to her and tickling her body through her clothes as she sat on the swing on her parent's porch but she took notice. Her gloomy mood would not allow her to enjoy the beautiful night and enjoy her first night back home.

The entire evening had been a blur. After her acceptance, Lucy had dragged her downstairs, announcing immediately to everyone present that Rita has agreed to be their Best-Person. In the course of the evening, she had also ended up agreeing to design and make Lucy's dresses for the rehearsal dinner, wedding and reception.

She had spent the entire dinner on auto-pilot. Ate her food without actually tasting it. Responded to questions asked about her experience abroad scantily. After dinner, she pleaded jetlag and disappeared to her room. She had had enough for the night.

Rita needed to be alone to cry, vent, scream without anyone asking her why she was in that state.

"Rita," she heard her dad, Colin call out to her.

"Dad. You are not asleep yet?"

"I can ask you the same." Colin sat beside his daughter.

"I am just restless. So I came outside for some fresh air."

"Are you okay?"

"I am fine Dad, just tired and restless," Rita assured her father.

"I am talking about Lucy and Damon's engagement. I remember how you felt about him."

"He is my best friend."

"You loved him," her father revealed.

Rita chuckled dryly. "Dad, that was a childhood crush. I am a woman now and I am over that. Besides I had a boyfriend in France before leaving."

"Really. You never mentioned him," Colin said excitedly.

"It was not anything serious since I always knew I would come back home and I cannot endure a long distance relationship," Rita said dismissively.

"Now that you are back home, what is your plan?"

"Get a house. Preferably a place I can live upstairs and use the downstairs as my work studio and boutique."

"What about relationship? Love? If I recall before you left, your plus one to everywhere was Damon. He was always your date to everything. Nobody else ever had a chance," Colin said.

"Damon has a permanent plus one now, which happens to be my younger sister. I know you are worried that I am lovesick and heartbroken by their engagement. I am not Dad. Yes it was sudden. I really wasn't expecting the news but I am totally fine and happy with it. My best friend is going to be my brother-in-law."

Rita was ready for the conversation to end. She was trying her best to put on a brave face but she could hear her voice breaking as if she was on verge of crying her heart out and screaming to the entire world about how heartbroken she was.

"Dad, I am ready to go to bed now," she said as she got up and gave her dad a kiss. "Good night dad."

"Good night dear," Colin replied. "I am happy you are back home".

"Me too."

Rita moved through the house quietly. She tried her best not to think about her conversation with her dad. She should not dwell on it. She cannot dwell on it.

She had left her phone on her bed before deciding to go out to the porch for some fresh air. The screen light came on, notifying her that she had a notification of some sort.

Damon. The notification was a message from Damon. Holding the phone in her hands, Rita paced the room battling with herself as she tried to decide whether she should open the message or not.

All her life, she has prided herself in being able to think logically in every situation. She has strived so hard not to let emotions takeover her decisions. A clear head always.

Her clear head was telling her not to open the message. It was telling her create distance between herself and Damon.

But where has that clear head and logical thinking gotten her. She has lost the man she loves because she was not thinking with her heart. Maybe if she had done so, they would have been together and be the ones celebrating their engagement this moment.

She quickly opened the message before she could convince herself not to do so.

Damon: Hey.

Damon: It was really nice seeing you again. I didn't realize how much I missed you until that very moment.

Damon: Are you still awake?

Damon: Can we talk?

Damon: I guess you are asleep. You must be really tired from your long flight. It was really thoughtless of me disturbing you at this hour. Call me in the morning. I can work around my schedule for you of you want to hang out. ?

Rita smiled at the messages. There were butterflies swimming in her tummy just from knowing he was awake at this hour, most likely laying in bed with only his pajama bottoms, thinking about her and things that they would do together. It made her extremely happy and giddy all over. For a minute, she forgot that she was speaking not only to her best friend but to her sister's fiance.

You: What do you have in mind?

Damon: So you are awake.

You: Yes and you haven't answered yet.

Damon: Make a list. I just want to hang out with you.

You: That list is going to be extremely long. You are going to have to give me more than tomorrow. It is going to take so many days, maybe even weeks to complete my list.

Damon: I am game. We have three years to make up for.

You: Good night Damon.

Damon: Good night Rita.

Rita dropped the phone and danced happily around her room. Damon has just practically promised to take her on several dates for several days to accomplish.

She walked to her closet and retrieved an old box from the back of the closet. The box contained souvenirs she had collected over the years from her time with Damon. She removed a folded paper.

"Even if I am going to lose him to someone else, I am going to complete every item on this list and let him go with open heart and without regret.

THINGS TO DO WITH DAMON WHEN HE IS MY BOYFRIEND.