Page 30 of Inside Out

“Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.”

~William Shakespeare

“Tomorrow can’t come quick enough.”

~Romeo Bradley

I’d just stepped out of the car in my sister’s driveway when my phone buzzed. Tucking the bottle of rosé under my left arm, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Seeing I had a text message from Julius made me laugh because it was a miracle we’d remembered to exchange phone numbers after the make out session the previous night. Smiling like a loon, I opened the message to read what he had to say.

I miss your lips. How about a drink at my place when you get back to town?

It took everything I had not to get in the car and drive straight back to Blissville from Columbus without saying so much as hello to my family. I wanted to tell Julius I’d be back in a little over an hour, but I managed to get a grip on myself and replied:

God, yes! My lips are still tingling. I’ll text you when I leave my sister’s house.

I can kiss other places if you’re too sore.

I’m getting in the car right now and driving back to Blissville.

No, no. Visit with your family. These lips aren’t going anywhere.

Better not,I sent back.I’ll text you soon.

A sharp, judgmental bark came from the back seat of my car. “Fuck!” I said, rushing to open the door behind mine. “I’m so sorry, Dolly. I wasn’t going to leave you back here.” Her reproachful look said she didn’t believe me. I slid my phone back in my pocket and reached for her leash. “Let’s get you inside.”

I waited for Dolly to sniff Ashley and Ben’s perfectly manicured lawn until she found the perfect spot to pee before we headed into my sister and brother in-law’s two-story, contemporary home. The place was massive and much bigger than four people could ever use, but my two nieces, Laurel and Michele, loved the friends they’d already made in the few weeks they’d lived there. I was happy to see the girls smiling joyfully in the pictures they posted on Facebook, and happier to see that their affluent neighborhood was also diverse.

“Hello,” I yelled when I let myself in the front door. “Anybody home?”

“Uncle Rome!” I heard two teenage girls yell before the sound of thundering feet reached my ears. How did two petite girls make so much noise? Beside me, Dolly barked and twirled in circles.

“Pizza delivery,” I teased.

“Oh, how I wish that were true,” Michele said. At sixteen, she was the spitting image of her mother. Long, jet-black hair, the same light blue eyes similar to mine, and a tall, wispy frame. “Mom’s serving vegan lasagna,” she said in mock horror.

“Don’t be so dramatic, Mimi,” Laurel said, rolling her eyes. “She has one for the carnivores too.” The fourteen-year-old was the opposite of her sister in looks and demeanor, inheriting Ben’s blond looks and serious temperament. Laurel might’ve been younger, but she had an old soul.

“I like vegan lasagna,” I said, earning Laurel’s approval.

“Is that a wine bottle tucked under your left arm?” Michele asked.

“Nope. Rocket launcher.”

A noise that was part snort and part giggle escaped from Michele. “Allow me to take the rocket launcher then. What do you think about this house?”

“Well, I’ve only seen the outside and the grand entry. So far, it’s a gorgeous display of…”

“Wealth?” Laurel suggested.

“I was going to say modern architecture and design.”

“I much prefer your smaller house in Whoville,” Laurel said.

“Blissville,” Michele said after she burst out giggling. “You’re such a brat.”

“This place is ginormous,” Laurel said, finally sounding like a teenager. “We could fit three more families in here.”

“Well, yeah,” I said. “Haven’t you heard your mother’s latest plan?”