NOTE: I REVISED BEFORE YOU GO, SO THERE WILL BE SOME MISINFORMATION IN THIS ONE REGARDING LEON & ELIZA'S RELATIONSHIP. I WILL FIX IT SOON, THOUGH!
* I would HIGHLY recommend reading BEFORE YOU GO and THE ONE YOU FIGHT FOR before you read this novel...
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Leo
The next couple of weeks consist of work, spending time with my family, and helping Aria finish the final touches on her aunt and uncle's surprise anniversary party. Working with Aria and her family has been a blast and I really enjoy talking to her parents; any nervousness I once had around them has now faded. It's funny to watch them interact. Sometimes, from the stories Mom has told me about her and Dad, Luke and Rosa make me wonder what my parents would have been like at this age. I wonder if they would have had as many inside jokes and relentlessly teased each other. I wonder if they would have joined Luke and Rosa in being the very definition of love and kindness and caring.
Because I, in a parallel universe, one where Dad never died, believe that could have been the case exactly.
Right now, Aria, Benn, Colson, and I are hanging the gold, black, and white streamers from the high-vaulted ceilings of Aunty Tenille's upgraded farmhouse. Before it became a popular venue for parties and weddings, it was a carrier house, one that had your typical barn-red siding and white trim. Now, after all the remodelling, the place looks even more fantastic than before. With the kitchen and multiple bedrooms gone, as well as the living room, it's spacious and painted with an off-white colour. The floors are oak and the grand hallway at the back leads to where the expansion was built, containing a medium-sized commercial kitchen for any caterers that come here. The opposing side of the hallway is where the bathrooms are. It's stunning, perfect for any type of event, but my favourite part out of everything is the golden sunlight seeping in from the floor-to-ceiling windows that give us an intense view of the green pasture, the mountains, and the forest.
When we're finished with the streamers, Aria and I head over to one of the long tables that have been set up for the display section. Atop the black tablecloth are piles of old photo books, a book to sign messages in, and a bare space that's being left open for any presents. Gold-coloured confetti has been sprinkled across the black surface as well.
"What are we doing next?" I ask Aria as she pulls two fabric bags from underneath the table. She sets them out on the table and begins extracting the contents: a glass jar, a roll of sparkly gold ribbon, and several bags of Hershey Kisses.
"We," Aria explains, adjusting the low dip in her black dress. I keep my eyes locked with hers, using my thoroughly tuned self-control to not look at her chest. Just because I want to, doesn't mean I have the right to. Even if she is my girlfriend. "Are going to count out however many Hershey Kisses are in these bags and put them in the jar. We're then going to write the number down and make a guessing game out of it for the guests." She pauses, nodding in affirmation when she's pleased with her dress, and then turns her attention back to the bags. From the final one, she pulls out a bottle of wine and a couple gift cards to some local companies. "These," she continues. "Will be the prizes for whoever guesses correctly or the closest."
I reach out to take the prizes from her so I can get a better look at them. Aria gives me the two gift cards, but holds the wine back. "You're underage," she teases, reaching up to ruffle my hair.
