Post by GGJ5 on Jun 2, 2011 0:18:54 GMT -5
“Holy crap, Cassie, did you rob Bed, Bath and Beyond or something?” The warm and pleasant explosion of pillows and blankets strewn neatly about the apartment living room made Erin bubble into laughter as soon as she stepped across the threshold. There were pretty candles throughout Cassie’s and Lilith’s apartment, some lit and some still out, but all making it smell exceptionally warm and beautiful.
It had taken quite a bit of work on both the girls’ parts to reconcile enough for Erin’s lingerie party to still happen. And for Erin to be sure she was not losing her best friend. She still didn’t entirely get some of what had gone wrong between them, or what Cassie had meant by some things, but at this point Erin was willing to at least use something of a friendship Band-Aid to let the wound heal. Maybe, she hoped, it was all they needed. After all, they seemed to have worked it out a good bit after Erin brought over a “peace offering” of pizza and cookies. She’d felt like she was in the nadir of misery after the blowout over IM, terrified she had not only lost her wedding activities and a maid of honor, but a best friend to boot. Cassie seemed to have appreciated the gesture, not one to hold grudges quite as long as most girls were known for doing. And over some time together, things had gotten better. Erin still wasn’t keen on bringing up Clarence-related things, but she was pretty sure that was leftover relationship issues or something that she really didn’t wanna get into.
In fact, thankfully, Cassie was willing to get the okay from Lilith to host her party at their apartment, which turned out to be a brilliant idea. Whichever girl decorated—or both of them—did a fantastic job, in Erin’s opinion. Immediately, she ran to the couch that was covered with throw pillows, bed pillows, and soft, richly colored blankets.
“Come on in,” Lilith said, looking up at Erin with an amused smile as she placed one of the snack trays on a table in the living room. Erin looked over the gold- and red-tasseled pillow to see Lilith delicately angling the cheese on each little cracker with what looked like no rhyme or reason. She raised an eyebrow, and couldn’t suppress a giggle.
“What are you doing to the cheese, Lilith?”
Lilith looked back up, and it looked like she’d suddenly just realized she’d been playing with snack food. “Wha—oh, I’m making the snack tray look as good as it tastes.” She gestured to the food again with her hand, Vanna White style.
Erin grinned. Then she giggled. “Looks cheesy!” She snagged one of the cracker stacks and bit into half of it. “Okay, it’s good, but I don’t think you need to play anymore with the cheese. What else is there?”
Lilith started to list off the other food she and Cassie had been working on, but Erin’s eyes met Cassie’s and her joy at having the party/shower sprung up once more like a geyser. And like a geyser, Erin also sprang up to tackle Cassie in a hug. “It’s gorgeous, Cassie! Thank youuu!”
“Erin,” Cassie managed through the sudden breath her friend knocked from her, as well as the laugh that somehow got out. “Nothing’s even happened yet… but you’re welcome?”
“Something’s happened!” Erin protested, pointing back to Lilith. “Lilith’s designing the perfect cheese!”
Cassie shook her head, trying not to be too amused, since it was her friend’s good effort to make that a particularly pretty-looking snack table. “Just go put on that ‘cute outfit’ you talked about on the way here, huh?”
Erin beamed, and grabbed her bag. “Okay!”
Her “cute outfit” was nothing more complex than the underclothes of her wedding dress. This consisted of a lacy bustier and a very fluffy tulle petticoat. She refused to wear the wedding shoes before the wedding, so Erin had worn her well-loved Converse to the party. Now she kicked them off, happy to be in the natural state of barefoot.
Once she reappeared in the living room that, fittingly, looked more like a bedroom today, Cassie pulled out the first surprise. Without explanation, Cassie placed what felt like a veil onto Erin’s head. “What do you think?” she asked as Lilith gave her a hand mirror. The veil was a shorter, pretty white one with a sparkly silver tiara to keep it in place in her hair. On the tiara, glittering script read “Bride-To-Be”.
“Awwww, Cassie, I love it!” Erin announced, as though she’d been given a puppy. Somehow everything today was exponentially awesome. She tilted her head at different angles to see the way the light shone on the new headpiece while Lilith disappeared to answer the door. The entrance of guests at her party trumped the mirror, so she handed it to Cassie, running to go play greeter and attack the girls with more hugs.
Even with people there, coming in wearing pajamas as per the invitation, it didn’t feel like a proper party to Erin until she could feel the music matching to the beat of her pulse and flooding her veins with melody. She fiddled with the radio until she got it connected with her iPod, playing the party playlist she’d been putting together for a while. Vibrating vocals and harmonies propelled from the speakers in the form of Muse’s song “Uprising.” Miming the motions of the guitar in the song, Erin took the girls as a captive audience and began singing along with Matthew. The entire living room was her stage.
Erin did quit after one song, though, because it was pretty hard to talk to people, hang out, play games, and open presents if you were giving a mock performance. Plus, Cassie was already turning red from trying to give directions to the first game. Erin caught her eye and grinned, grabbing one of the fluffy feather boas Lilith had brought out at some point and looping it around Cassie’s shoulders. “You can do it!” she cheered quietly to her friend, trying not to laugh, because she did want Cassie to feel at home. After all, it was sort of her place…
“Okay, um, our game… Lilith?” Cassie looked up at the brunette, who cocked an eyebrow and came over. “I’ll get the game ready if you give the instructions,” she said, making Erin want to shake her head. She knew the game; it had been her idea. Cassie was just being Cassie-ish again. It happened.
“Sure…” Lilith said, though she sounded more confused than sure. “Um, okay, ladies!” Lilith alled over the conversations and the music. Someone in the back by the stereo turned the volume down a bit so that the Beatles weren’t overpowering anyone. “Okay, this game is, uh, Honeymoon Panties. And it’s pretty much what it sounds like. Cassie has some Sharpies for each of you—”
“Oooh, she got the colored kind!” Erin chirped, seeing Cassie handing out silver, pastel purple and bold greens.
“And you’ll get a pair of brand new white panties. Uh… Basically, you’re designing what the honeymoon panties should look like, and you can design them however you want. Then Erin’s gonna try them on—over her clothes, so the shorts are gonna have to go back on, Erin—and model them and we’ll vote on the best. The winner gets…”
“A hug!” Erin offered, laughing.
“…Or, you know, the stuff in those bags over there,” Lilith tacked on with a grin, gesturing to Cassie’s little collection of giveaways in cute packages. She’d had an easier time doing that part than anything else, and was rather content with them. “But if you want a hug, I think Erin will be more than willing to share.”
About half the girls ended up winning prizes for the Honeymoon Panties game, since Lilith and Erin kept making up new categories to “win”: Most Colorful, Most Creative, Sexiest, Cutest, Weirdest (that one went to Shelby, who had illustrated an anime character on hers). Opening her bag, Shelby pulled out a cherry-scented candle and elegantly wrapped body spray of the same fragrance. She cocked an eyebrow at her sister and, her tone flat, said, “Cherry?”
Cassie shrugged it off, but Erin giggled. She was probably too nervous about accidentally prompting make-out sessions between her sister and Preston, so no passion-fruit smell for her! Apparently still trying to avoid Shelby’s odd glances (and from the girl who drew the anime-underwear, really), Cassie whirled around to pull something out of a basket Erin hadn’t noticed before. “Okay, everyone,” she said, as she began to walk around the group. To each girl she gave two purple tickets, the kind that looked like old fashioned movie tickets they sold at party stores. “These are your drink tickets. Everyone gets two—”
“I only got one,” Shelby pointed out, waving her purple ticket for Cassie to see.
“Um…” Cassie seemed caught off-guard, like she hadn’t been expecting Shelby to notice the missing ticket. “Yeah, sorry, I guess I thought they’d stuck together.” She reached out to fix the issue, but her sister waved it away.
“It’s fine, I probably won’t even use this one. Who wants it?” Shelby looked around, about to offer it to the first volunteer when Cassie jumped in, looking almost aghast.
“They’re not transferrable!” she blurted. And Erin burst out laughing.
Cassie reached Erin just at the height of her laughter and handed her her tickets. Erin glanced down at what was in her hand and began to giggle anew. “Oooh, I get three?”
“Well—”
Erin managed to lower her voice so her words wouldn’t be announcements for the entire party to hear. “Cassie, I love you, but I really don’t think we need these. Look around at the people here—how many of us make a habit of Mardi Gras every weekend? I mean, really.”
Biting her bottom lip, Cassie kept silent for a moment. Then she said, a bit hesitantly, “I dunno, Erin, I still feel iffy about this, you know, since…”
“I know, Cassie.” She nodded a curt nod. “But there’s a canyon of difference between that, and between us, and you know that. Don’t be so nervous, okay? It’ll all be fine, I promise. Okay?”
Cassie gave a small smile. “Okay.”
Erin turned to her girls and this time she did announce loudly, “Hey, y’all can ditch the tickets!” and pumped her fist in the air before running back to turn up the music. P!nk’s “So What” burst out of the speakers and Erin grabbed the nearest person to her—this time it happened to be Silhouette—and started dancing. And for most of the girls, it was pretty easy to join in. Liv sat back, finding herself quite comfortable behind one of the throw pillows on the couch. Erin was making her own rounds, and leaving behind Katrina (who was pretty much there for the Veritas connections, but that was okay with her) as “Hello, I Love You” rang out and her eyes found Liv. “C’mon!” Erin chirped, taking Liv’s hand in her own and gave a little pull. Still shyly, Liv rose from her seat (mostly not to lose contact with her hand) and followed Erin’s energetic pace around the room. Slowly, she discovered it wasn’t so bad after all, and her face split into one of her rare jewels of a smile.
A tap on Erin’s shoulder suddenly drew her attention away from the music (somewhat) and to the cause of the tap—Tori, Jeremy’s girlfriend, pointed over to Cassie. “Sorry to break into your rockin’ choreography, but Cassie said she was ready for the next game when you were!” Her hair was falling out of its loose bun, the newly-acquired pink and blue feathers shining prettily against her light brown hair. Erin confirmed it with herself again—Tori would make for a good bridesmaid, even if she hadn’t known her that long. She was sweet, and pretty, and friendly, and— “Oh, right, okay, I’m ready!” she said, first talking to Tori, then calling out to Cassie before turning the music down a notch.
A wonderful smell filtered through the candles that flickered around the room. “Omigod.” Erin’s eyes went wide. “I love gingerbread! Please tell me that’s real gingerbread and not a candle. Because a gingerbread candle is not my idea of ‘setting the mood’, just sayin’.”
Cassie couldn’t help but burst out in a laugh at that. “No, they’re real! Not candles! Cookies! Lilith and I made them together,” she added proudly. She did not, however, mention the fact that they were Pillsbury pre-bake cookies, but that was okay—at least that way she could be sure they’d be cute and tasty for Erin’s party! “Okay, everyone, this is what the cookies are for. See how they’re cute little gingerbread-people? Well, they’re girls, and they need cute clothes, right? And since it’s a lingerie party—”
“No joke, Sherlock,” came Katrina’s teasing tone, to which Erin sent her a dirty look. Katrina shifted gears and mouthed, “Sorry!” to Erin, giving an apologetic smile.
Cassie continued, though not fond of the interruption and thus a bit shaken. “Uh, anyway, because of that, you’re gonna use the frosting and cookie decorations here to make the gingerbread-girls their own lingerie, but, you know, out of frosting and all.”
“Oooh, I wanna play this one!” Erin chirped, snagging a tube of bright red icing and placing her own gingerbread-bride on a plate. “I call the red things!” she blurted, quickly getting into her game.
“Why’s that?” Tori asked with a good-natured laugh. She’d expected “Because it tastes better” or “because it’s my favorite color.”
Instead, Erin continued to announce the first thing that popped into her head. “It’s Yukito’s favorite! And black, but then the gingerbread girl would look more like a stripper than a bride on her wedding night if I did both those colors for her outfit.”
Tori’s face turned a hint redder as she giggled out, “Okay, then.”
This particular game Cassie felt was more of an overall success than anything else, mostly because it drew from her own artsy side, and it smelt good and was like when you were a kid and you “made” your own food in those Easy-Bake Ovens or something. It had a ring of nostalgia while still celebrating Erin’s upcoming special occasions. And it turned out that Erin was right, the particular group of girls they had was not exactly a group that frequented Bourbon Street every Saturday night. Apparently, Cassie reasoned, boys were a more negative influence on Erin than the girls around her now, because—unlike the midnight drunk dialing from forever ago and the stories she’d heard about Kagayaki’s birthday involving too much sake—she wasn’t going to pass out on them or anything horrible like that. So, Cassie thought happily, maybe Erin was right, and the ticket idea had been pointless. In fact, it was kind of amusing how Amber and Scarlet (the only ones who were old enough to purchase alcohol legally) showed Erin how to make a margarita. She finally made one where she took a sip, and, declaring it didn’t suck, excitedly ran from person to pajama-wearing person to gush about her latest accomplishment. “…And it’s like perfect for an in-house date night!” she was telling Lilith with glee. “I’m pretty sure this is my new favorite.” She spent a good portion of the game, once her cookie was done, experimenting with margarita-making and sharing her efforts. Meanwhile, Cassie was declaring the winner and getting Scarlet her prize of bath salts that, this time, actually had quite a lovely smell, the winner announced—warm vanilla sugar.
A couple more goofy party games and the girls transitioned into gift-opening time. Someone—maybe Scarlet—got the idea to name each piece of lingerie with a name, most of which had somewhat double meanings. Katrina turned out to be particularly good at this game, but Tori ended up being awful at it, and apparently got a huge kick out of sucking terribly at it. Actually, almost everyone got a huge kick out of it, though the language thing kind of put a damper on it for Liv, who seemed to be clamming back up again. Erin shifted over to the arm of the couch more, clearing a space between herself and Cassie. “Liv, come be by me! You’re too far awaaay!” She stretched out her hand to Liv and giggled, dramatically acting as if she were bridging the Atlantic Ocean, not just offering a seat on the couch. Giving a small grin, Liv slipped over and curled her feet up on the couch next to Erin. There wasn’t one gift she opened that she didn’t like, thankfully, though some made her squeal with laughter more than others. Laughter caused by excitement, not hilarity. This was all stuff she was going to actually use…. For her wedding night, and afterward… How could she not get overjoyed from that?
Cassie neatly bagged up all the gifts of lingerie, scented things, and pretty things that Erin had collected over the evening, at Erin’s insistence Yukito see absolutely none of it even by accident until after they were married.
Just as the gifts were packed away, a knock came at the door. “Wow, someone’s a really late guest,” Erin observed with a laugh. She hopped up and opened the door, only to be tackled in a hug by the only boy who could get away with crashing her party, Erin decided—Chance.
Erin squealed. “You did not get an invite, Chance! You are the worst party-crasher ever!”
“Actually, that’s what makes me the best crasher ever, because I still found out about the when and where even though…” Here Chance mimed an overdramatic sad face. “You didn’t want me to come…” Before Erin could protest, he attacked her in another hug and shouted, “Your plans have been foiled, you fiend!”
Erin cackled in laughter, then stepped back and took in Chance’s fashion choice of the day. “What’s this one called—John Wayne in Chains?” He was donned in black ripped jeans, a black cowboy hat, and a neon pink and green shirt that said “Cowboys” on it—clearly an extension of the NFL gear to attract more buyers, but there couldn’t be many buyers quite like Chance. In addition to that were various necklaces, chains, and other forms of jewelry that few could pull off.
Chance’s eyes lit up at the name. “Hey! You know, that could work? I might stick with that!” He sauntered in, taking in Erin’s wardrobe and announcing, “Whoa, someone get some water because this girl is smokin’ like she’s on fire!” Another glance around the group and Chance pouted. “Well if I‘d’ve known it was a pajama party I could’ve come in a much more comfy outfit…”
“You couldn’t know, because you’re the worst-crasher-ever!”
Chance laughed. “I think whatever you’ve been doing here has gone to your head. I am, in fact, the best party crasher ever, and the hottest. You left that part off.” Several of the guests laughed, making Chance beam as he added, “So what’s going on in here?”
“We just finished the gifts—“
“Awww…”
Erin giggled at that. “—And are about to start karaoke!”
Chance’s face lit up again as his fist pumped the air. “All right! I rock at this!”
And then came the karaoke. Silhouette and Amber quickly set up the Wii that Silhouette had brought over, and pulled up Karaoke Revolution. Silhouette unwrapped the microphone’s cord a bit more and handed it to Erin. “First dibs?”
More than willing for another chance at an audience, Erin squealed in glee and pulled the mike close to her mouth, selecting “Since You Been Gone” to belt out. By this time, she’d taste-tested many of her own margarita experiments, but it did nothing, of course, to inhibit her desire and gusto for a performance. In fact, when her song was over, Erin looked behind her and around her and pursed her lips. She ran back over to her bag and pulled out a camera, handing it to Cassie. “Record this!” she insisted, and waited until she could see Cassie was recording before kicking up the theatrics and selecting a new song with a grand announcement for herself. “An original cover of Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’ by Erin Spenser Maki!”
“Erin,” Cassie mentioned quietly behind the camera. “Original means—“ But the music cut off the correction, as well as Erin’s voice echoing through the microphone. And it truly wasn’t a bad rendition at all. She was about to go for a third song, when Chance took the mike and handed it to Amber. “You’ve got a singing voice. I can tell. And if you don’t, we’ll just pretend. Hit it, maestro!”
Chance took Erin’s hands while Amber shrugged, selecting a song to sing—some pop song Erin didn’t particularly care for, but it was totally fun to dance to with Chance. Cassie still had the film going, taping the punk-goes-Cowboy with the underdressed Wedding Princess as they danced to a mildly good performance of an early-90s ballad.
They finished the song, and Erin was about to suggest another one, when her phone buzzed and apparently became more important than a captive audience. She handed the mike to Tori and ran to the snack table where her phone was, her underskirt flouncing along with every step like a synthetic cloud.
Sliding the phone open quickly, Erin saw the grinning face of a baby boy lighting up the screen. “Awwww…!” Quickly she texted Kagayaki back, “cutesst bb evrrrr!!!” As soon as the message had sent successfully, Erin showed each of the girls the set of pictures he’d sent.
“You’re pretty excited about that baby that’s not even yours, aren’t you?” Amber noted with amusement. “I mean, he is really cute, but your reaction to him is pretty big. Does Yukito know?”
“Know what?” Erin asked, barely interested in the conversation as she flipped through more random pictures on her phone. She started taking pictures of pretty much whoever her camera found.
“That you want the babies,” she said with a giggle.
“Of course he does,” she replied breezily, not thinking that Amber meant now. “We’ve talked about it a lot.”
“Well, you know, once it’s official you can make that happen. Especially with all your smoking lingerie now,” Amber informed her, catching Erin’s attention and grinning slyly at her.
“Oh, my god, you’re right!” Erin’s eyes widened and she burst into laughs. “Wouldn’t he just freak…? It’s too funny! What if I told him….?”
Chance came up and put his arm around Erin’s bare shoulders, grinning at her from under his oversized hat. “Okay, Erin dear, you’re talking about babies with your still-fiancé so, I love you, but I think I’m gonna bow out now.” He glanced around at a couple of the girls picking up their purses and saying their goodbyes. “Plus, I think it’s winding down.” A brief pout. “Then next time I see you, you’re gonna be a married woman…. Aw, c’mere!” Chance engulfed Erin in another over-the-top hug that she happily returned. “Love you, Erin Spenser-Maki!”
“Love you, John Wayne-in-Chains!” She waved as he stepped out the door, and grinned. Only Chance could pull off crashing her lingerie party and not get pummeled for it.
Eventually, the girls faded out one by one (save the twins, Amber and Scarlet, who left in twos), and only Lilith, Cassie, and Erin remained. The hostesses insisted Erin didn’t have to do any cleanup, so she sat on the couch full of pillows, sipping her last experimental margarita. Finally, Cassie picked up her purse and gave Erin her bag. “You wanna—“ She was about to suggest Erin change, but Erin leapt up and snagged her back and went straight to the door.
“Let’s go!” she exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Cassie started to say something again, but Erin was already through the door and down the driveway. Cassie shook her head and followed her, purse and gifts in tow.
As soon as Yukito opened the door, Erin dropped her bag and pulled his face close to hers, giving him a long, lime-hinted kiss. When she pulled back she just grinned at him. “Hi, kareshi! Did you have a good night? I had a fantastic night. I already know my party was way better’n yours, and—“ She turned around and tugged for the camera on Cassie’s wrist. “And we got it on camera to PROVE it! You should totally look…” The ramble trailed off in giggles as Yukito just stared for a moment, eyes wide.
“Erin… you’re wearing… You’re not… what… Um, Erin, I… uh….”
Erin tilted her head to kiss him again, still giggling, as Cassie gave an apologetic shrug from behind her. “I tried,” she mouthed.
“Yuyukun,” Erin drawled, sliding her cell phone open and leaning close to him, “Look at this precious babyyyy! Isn’t he just precious? Kagayaki sent him to me… not him but the, you know, the face-thing… PICTURE! The picture, that’s what he sent. Isn’t it precious? You know, once we’re married—“
“Erin,” Cassie interrupted, gesturing with the bag of gifts. “Don’t you wanna put these somewhere safe?”
“Oh yeah!” She walked a few steps to Cassie, then whirled around, catching her balance to tell Yukito, “I got such awesome gifts!! You’re gonna LOVE them, but you can’t see ‘em until after the wedding! Hey, did you know something? I learned I make really kick-a--- margaritas. I can make one for you!”
“I noticed…” Yukito murmured, keeping his eyes from Erin in her… whatever that was, but unable to stop the smirk on his face, or glancing her way a few times. “I’m good, actually, no thanks, Sunshine…”
Cassie came up and touched Erin’s arm gently. “Hey, let’s go put these away.”
“M’kay!” Erin flounced off to the bedroom, and a few minutes later, Cassie emerged with no Erin following behind.
“She’s changed now, so you should be safe.” Cassie sent Yukito a soft, almost apologetic smile. “And her gifts are about as hidden as they’re gonna be. Don’t look in the bag in the left corner of the closet, okay?”
Yukito snickered a little. Like that was the first thing he’d do. “It’s okay. I mean, the outfit thing was a little—anyway, she had a really good time, clearly, so that is all that matters. Really. Thanks, Cassie.”
“Yuyukuuuuun….!”
Cassie smiled. “You’re being summoned.”
Yukito nodded, chuckling lightly. “I heard.”
“I’m glad you really love each other the way you do… Don’t let other stuff chip that away, even after years and years….” A sad little smile tilted the corners of her lips.
“Not on my life.”
“Yuyukuuuun?”
“Bye, Yukito, and congratulations.” Cassie slipped out.
Yukito made his way to the bedroom where Erin sat in the middle of the bed, in very decent pajamas, thank Cassie very much, with a pillow held close to her chest and eyelids heavy. “How late is it?” she asked.
Yukito glanced at his phone. “It’s one-twenty-eight.”
“Afternoon?”
A small chuckle. “No, Sunshine. After midnight. Still dark out, see?”
“Mmm… I know. I just wanted it to be the next day…”
She looked like she was about to fall over and sleep for ten years. Like the evening suddenly caught up with her and hit with a force. Yukito sat down next to her, gently pulled the pillow from her lap, and set it in its proper place. “You should go to sleep, Erin, and tell me about your amazing evening when you wake up.” He kissed her lips briefly, and when he pulled away, her eyes were very slow to reopen.
“Stay with me,” Erin commanded automatically, now her routine. But she lay down on the pillow anyway, legs curling close to her like a cat’s.
“I’ll still be here, Erin, just in the front room, like always.”
Her lip quivered, even though her eyes were closed. “Stay with me… I need you…”
Yukito sighed, knowing it wouldn’t take her long to go to sleep, then he could go where he needed to go without breaking his own word to himself or to her. “All right, Erin, for now. But I will leave later.”
“Mmm… mmhmm…” He doubted if his words really had registered with her, because not five minutes later, Yukito was sure she was in her deepest sleep.
Erin’s gushing over the newest addition to the Aido family made Yukito shake his head, a small line between his eyebrows. “And in the meantime, I need to repay Aidosan...”
It had taken quite a bit of work on both the girls’ parts to reconcile enough for Erin’s lingerie party to still happen. And for Erin to be sure she was not losing her best friend. She still didn’t entirely get some of what had gone wrong between them, or what Cassie had meant by some things, but at this point Erin was willing to at least use something of a friendship Band-Aid to let the wound heal. Maybe, she hoped, it was all they needed. After all, they seemed to have worked it out a good bit after Erin brought over a “peace offering” of pizza and cookies. She’d felt like she was in the nadir of misery after the blowout over IM, terrified she had not only lost her wedding activities and a maid of honor, but a best friend to boot. Cassie seemed to have appreciated the gesture, not one to hold grudges quite as long as most girls were known for doing. And over some time together, things had gotten better. Erin still wasn’t keen on bringing up Clarence-related things, but she was pretty sure that was leftover relationship issues or something that she really didn’t wanna get into.
In fact, thankfully, Cassie was willing to get the okay from Lilith to host her party at their apartment, which turned out to be a brilliant idea. Whichever girl decorated—or both of them—did a fantastic job, in Erin’s opinion. Immediately, she ran to the couch that was covered with throw pillows, bed pillows, and soft, richly colored blankets.
“Come on in,” Lilith said, looking up at Erin with an amused smile as she placed one of the snack trays on a table in the living room. Erin looked over the gold- and red-tasseled pillow to see Lilith delicately angling the cheese on each little cracker with what looked like no rhyme or reason. She raised an eyebrow, and couldn’t suppress a giggle.
“What are you doing to the cheese, Lilith?”
Lilith looked back up, and it looked like she’d suddenly just realized she’d been playing with snack food. “Wha—oh, I’m making the snack tray look as good as it tastes.” She gestured to the food again with her hand, Vanna White style.
Erin grinned. Then she giggled. “Looks cheesy!” She snagged one of the cracker stacks and bit into half of it. “Okay, it’s good, but I don’t think you need to play anymore with the cheese. What else is there?”
Lilith started to list off the other food she and Cassie had been working on, but Erin’s eyes met Cassie’s and her joy at having the party/shower sprung up once more like a geyser. And like a geyser, Erin also sprang up to tackle Cassie in a hug. “It’s gorgeous, Cassie! Thank youuu!”
“Erin,” Cassie managed through the sudden breath her friend knocked from her, as well as the laugh that somehow got out. “Nothing’s even happened yet… but you’re welcome?”
“Something’s happened!” Erin protested, pointing back to Lilith. “Lilith’s designing the perfect cheese!”
Cassie shook her head, trying not to be too amused, since it was her friend’s good effort to make that a particularly pretty-looking snack table. “Just go put on that ‘cute outfit’ you talked about on the way here, huh?”
Erin beamed, and grabbed her bag. “Okay!”
Her “cute outfit” was nothing more complex than the underclothes of her wedding dress. This consisted of a lacy bustier and a very fluffy tulle petticoat. She refused to wear the wedding shoes before the wedding, so Erin had worn her well-loved Converse to the party. Now she kicked them off, happy to be in the natural state of barefoot.
Once she reappeared in the living room that, fittingly, looked more like a bedroom today, Cassie pulled out the first surprise. Without explanation, Cassie placed what felt like a veil onto Erin’s head. “What do you think?” she asked as Lilith gave her a hand mirror. The veil was a shorter, pretty white one with a sparkly silver tiara to keep it in place in her hair. On the tiara, glittering script read “Bride-To-Be”.
“Awwww, Cassie, I love it!” Erin announced, as though she’d been given a puppy. Somehow everything today was exponentially awesome. She tilted her head at different angles to see the way the light shone on the new headpiece while Lilith disappeared to answer the door. The entrance of guests at her party trumped the mirror, so she handed it to Cassie, running to go play greeter and attack the girls with more hugs.
Even with people there, coming in wearing pajamas as per the invitation, it didn’t feel like a proper party to Erin until she could feel the music matching to the beat of her pulse and flooding her veins with melody. She fiddled with the radio until she got it connected with her iPod, playing the party playlist she’d been putting together for a while. Vibrating vocals and harmonies propelled from the speakers in the form of Muse’s song “Uprising.” Miming the motions of the guitar in the song, Erin took the girls as a captive audience and began singing along with Matthew. The entire living room was her stage.
Erin did quit after one song, though, because it was pretty hard to talk to people, hang out, play games, and open presents if you were giving a mock performance. Plus, Cassie was already turning red from trying to give directions to the first game. Erin caught her eye and grinned, grabbing one of the fluffy feather boas Lilith had brought out at some point and looping it around Cassie’s shoulders. “You can do it!” she cheered quietly to her friend, trying not to laugh, because she did want Cassie to feel at home. After all, it was sort of her place…
“Okay, um, our game… Lilith?” Cassie looked up at the brunette, who cocked an eyebrow and came over. “I’ll get the game ready if you give the instructions,” she said, making Erin want to shake her head. She knew the game; it had been her idea. Cassie was just being Cassie-ish again. It happened.
“Sure…” Lilith said, though she sounded more confused than sure. “Um, okay, ladies!” Lilith alled over the conversations and the music. Someone in the back by the stereo turned the volume down a bit so that the Beatles weren’t overpowering anyone. “Okay, this game is, uh, Honeymoon Panties. And it’s pretty much what it sounds like. Cassie has some Sharpies for each of you—”
“Oooh, she got the colored kind!” Erin chirped, seeing Cassie handing out silver, pastel purple and bold greens.
“And you’ll get a pair of brand new white panties. Uh… Basically, you’re designing what the honeymoon panties should look like, and you can design them however you want. Then Erin’s gonna try them on—over her clothes, so the shorts are gonna have to go back on, Erin—and model them and we’ll vote on the best. The winner gets…”
“A hug!” Erin offered, laughing.
“…Or, you know, the stuff in those bags over there,” Lilith tacked on with a grin, gesturing to Cassie’s little collection of giveaways in cute packages. She’d had an easier time doing that part than anything else, and was rather content with them. “But if you want a hug, I think Erin will be more than willing to share.”
About half the girls ended up winning prizes for the Honeymoon Panties game, since Lilith and Erin kept making up new categories to “win”: Most Colorful, Most Creative, Sexiest, Cutest, Weirdest (that one went to Shelby, who had illustrated an anime character on hers). Opening her bag, Shelby pulled out a cherry-scented candle and elegantly wrapped body spray of the same fragrance. She cocked an eyebrow at her sister and, her tone flat, said, “Cherry?”
Cassie shrugged it off, but Erin giggled. She was probably too nervous about accidentally prompting make-out sessions between her sister and Preston, so no passion-fruit smell for her! Apparently still trying to avoid Shelby’s odd glances (and from the girl who drew the anime-underwear, really), Cassie whirled around to pull something out of a basket Erin hadn’t noticed before. “Okay, everyone,” she said, as she began to walk around the group. To each girl she gave two purple tickets, the kind that looked like old fashioned movie tickets they sold at party stores. “These are your drink tickets. Everyone gets two—”
“I only got one,” Shelby pointed out, waving her purple ticket for Cassie to see.
“Um…” Cassie seemed caught off-guard, like she hadn’t been expecting Shelby to notice the missing ticket. “Yeah, sorry, I guess I thought they’d stuck together.” She reached out to fix the issue, but her sister waved it away.
“It’s fine, I probably won’t even use this one. Who wants it?” Shelby looked around, about to offer it to the first volunteer when Cassie jumped in, looking almost aghast.
“They’re not transferrable!” she blurted. And Erin burst out laughing.
Cassie reached Erin just at the height of her laughter and handed her her tickets. Erin glanced down at what was in her hand and began to giggle anew. “Oooh, I get three?”
“Well—”
Erin managed to lower her voice so her words wouldn’t be announcements for the entire party to hear. “Cassie, I love you, but I really don’t think we need these. Look around at the people here—how many of us make a habit of Mardi Gras every weekend? I mean, really.”
Biting her bottom lip, Cassie kept silent for a moment. Then she said, a bit hesitantly, “I dunno, Erin, I still feel iffy about this, you know, since…”
“I know, Cassie.” She nodded a curt nod. “But there’s a canyon of difference between that, and between us, and you know that. Don’t be so nervous, okay? It’ll all be fine, I promise. Okay?”
Cassie gave a small smile. “Okay.”
Erin turned to her girls and this time she did announce loudly, “Hey, y’all can ditch the tickets!” and pumped her fist in the air before running back to turn up the music. P!nk’s “So What” burst out of the speakers and Erin grabbed the nearest person to her—this time it happened to be Silhouette—and started dancing. And for most of the girls, it was pretty easy to join in. Liv sat back, finding herself quite comfortable behind one of the throw pillows on the couch. Erin was making her own rounds, and leaving behind Katrina (who was pretty much there for the Veritas connections, but that was okay with her) as “Hello, I Love You” rang out and her eyes found Liv. “C’mon!” Erin chirped, taking Liv’s hand in her own and gave a little pull. Still shyly, Liv rose from her seat (mostly not to lose contact with her hand) and followed Erin’s energetic pace around the room. Slowly, she discovered it wasn’t so bad after all, and her face split into one of her rare jewels of a smile.
A tap on Erin’s shoulder suddenly drew her attention away from the music (somewhat) and to the cause of the tap—Tori, Jeremy’s girlfriend, pointed over to Cassie. “Sorry to break into your rockin’ choreography, but Cassie said she was ready for the next game when you were!” Her hair was falling out of its loose bun, the newly-acquired pink and blue feathers shining prettily against her light brown hair. Erin confirmed it with herself again—Tori would make for a good bridesmaid, even if she hadn’t known her that long. She was sweet, and pretty, and friendly, and— “Oh, right, okay, I’m ready!” she said, first talking to Tori, then calling out to Cassie before turning the music down a notch.
A wonderful smell filtered through the candles that flickered around the room. “Omigod.” Erin’s eyes went wide. “I love gingerbread! Please tell me that’s real gingerbread and not a candle. Because a gingerbread candle is not my idea of ‘setting the mood’, just sayin’.”
Cassie couldn’t help but burst out in a laugh at that. “No, they’re real! Not candles! Cookies! Lilith and I made them together,” she added proudly. She did not, however, mention the fact that they were Pillsbury pre-bake cookies, but that was okay—at least that way she could be sure they’d be cute and tasty for Erin’s party! “Okay, everyone, this is what the cookies are for. See how they’re cute little gingerbread-people? Well, they’re girls, and they need cute clothes, right? And since it’s a lingerie party—”
“No joke, Sherlock,” came Katrina’s teasing tone, to which Erin sent her a dirty look. Katrina shifted gears and mouthed, “Sorry!” to Erin, giving an apologetic smile.
Cassie continued, though not fond of the interruption and thus a bit shaken. “Uh, anyway, because of that, you’re gonna use the frosting and cookie decorations here to make the gingerbread-girls their own lingerie, but, you know, out of frosting and all.”
“Oooh, I wanna play this one!” Erin chirped, snagging a tube of bright red icing and placing her own gingerbread-bride on a plate. “I call the red things!” she blurted, quickly getting into her game.
“Why’s that?” Tori asked with a good-natured laugh. She’d expected “Because it tastes better” or “because it’s my favorite color.”
Instead, Erin continued to announce the first thing that popped into her head. “It’s Yukito’s favorite! And black, but then the gingerbread girl would look more like a stripper than a bride on her wedding night if I did both those colors for her outfit.”
Tori’s face turned a hint redder as she giggled out, “Okay, then.”
This particular game Cassie felt was more of an overall success than anything else, mostly because it drew from her own artsy side, and it smelt good and was like when you were a kid and you “made” your own food in those Easy-Bake Ovens or something. It had a ring of nostalgia while still celebrating Erin’s upcoming special occasions. And it turned out that Erin was right, the particular group of girls they had was not exactly a group that frequented Bourbon Street every Saturday night. Apparently, Cassie reasoned, boys were a more negative influence on Erin than the girls around her now, because—unlike the midnight drunk dialing from forever ago and the stories she’d heard about Kagayaki’s birthday involving too much sake—she wasn’t going to pass out on them or anything horrible like that. So, Cassie thought happily, maybe Erin was right, and the ticket idea had been pointless. In fact, it was kind of amusing how Amber and Scarlet (the only ones who were old enough to purchase alcohol legally) showed Erin how to make a margarita. She finally made one where she took a sip, and, declaring it didn’t suck, excitedly ran from person to pajama-wearing person to gush about her latest accomplishment. “…And it’s like perfect for an in-house date night!” she was telling Lilith with glee. “I’m pretty sure this is my new favorite.” She spent a good portion of the game, once her cookie was done, experimenting with margarita-making and sharing her efforts. Meanwhile, Cassie was declaring the winner and getting Scarlet her prize of bath salts that, this time, actually had quite a lovely smell, the winner announced—warm vanilla sugar.
A couple more goofy party games and the girls transitioned into gift-opening time. Someone—maybe Scarlet—got the idea to name each piece of lingerie with a name, most of which had somewhat double meanings. Katrina turned out to be particularly good at this game, but Tori ended up being awful at it, and apparently got a huge kick out of sucking terribly at it. Actually, almost everyone got a huge kick out of it, though the language thing kind of put a damper on it for Liv, who seemed to be clamming back up again. Erin shifted over to the arm of the couch more, clearing a space between herself and Cassie. “Liv, come be by me! You’re too far awaaay!” She stretched out her hand to Liv and giggled, dramatically acting as if she were bridging the Atlantic Ocean, not just offering a seat on the couch. Giving a small grin, Liv slipped over and curled her feet up on the couch next to Erin. There wasn’t one gift she opened that she didn’t like, thankfully, though some made her squeal with laughter more than others. Laughter caused by excitement, not hilarity. This was all stuff she was going to actually use…. For her wedding night, and afterward… How could she not get overjoyed from that?
Cassie neatly bagged up all the gifts of lingerie, scented things, and pretty things that Erin had collected over the evening, at Erin’s insistence Yukito see absolutely none of it even by accident until after they were married.
Just as the gifts were packed away, a knock came at the door. “Wow, someone’s a really late guest,” Erin observed with a laugh. She hopped up and opened the door, only to be tackled in a hug by the only boy who could get away with crashing her party, Erin decided—Chance.
Erin squealed. “You did not get an invite, Chance! You are the worst party-crasher ever!”
“Actually, that’s what makes me the best crasher ever, because I still found out about the when and where even though…” Here Chance mimed an overdramatic sad face. “You didn’t want me to come…” Before Erin could protest, he attacked her in another hug and shouted, “Your plans have been foiled, you fiend!”
Erin cackled in laughter, then stepped back and took in Chance’s fashion choice of the day. “What’s this one called—John Wayne in Chains?” He was donned in black ripped jeans, a black cowboy hat, and a neon pink and green shirt that said “Cowboys” on it—clearly an extension of the NFL gear to attract more buyers, but there couldn’t be many buyers quite like Chance. In addition to that were various necklaces, chains, and other forms of jewelry that few could pull off.
Chance’s eyes lit up at the name. “Hey! You know, that could work? I might stick with that!” He sauntered in, taking in Erin’s wardrobe and announcing, “Whoa, someone get some water because this girl is smokin’ like she’s on fire!” Another glance around the group and Chance pouted. “Well if I‘d’ve known it was a pajama party I could’ve come in a much more comfy outfit…”
“You couldn’t know, because you’re the worst-crasher-ever!”
Chance laughed. “I think whatever you’ve been doing here has gone to your head. I am, in fact, the best party crasher ever, and the hottest. You left that part off.” Several of the guests laughed, making Chance beam as he added, “So what’s going on in here?”
“We just finished the gifts—“
“Awww…”
Erin giggled at that. “—And are about to start karaoke!”
Chance’s face lit up again as his fist pumped the air. “All right! I rock at this!”
And then came the karaoke. Silhouette and Amber quickly set up the Wii that Silhouette had brought over, and pulled up Karaoke Revolution. Silhouette unwrapped the microphone’s cord a bit more and handed it to Erin. “First dibs?”
More than willing for another chance at an audience, Erin squealed in glee and pulled the mike close to her mouth, selecting “Since You Been Gone” to belt out. By this time, she’d taste-tested many of her own margarita experiments, but it did nothing, of course, to inhibit her desire and gusto for a performance. In fact, when her song was over, Erin looked behind her and around her and pursed her lips. She ran back over to her bag and pulled out a camera, handing it to Cassie. “Record this!” she insisted, and waited until she could see Cassie was recording before kicking up the theatrics and selecting a new song with a grand announcement for herself. “An original cover of Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’ by Erin Spenser Maki!”
“Erin,” Cassie mentioned quietly behind the camera. “Original means—“ But the music cut off the correction, as well as Erin’s voice echoing through the microphone. And it truly wasn’t a bad rendition at all. She was about to go for a third song, when Chance took the mike and handed it to Amber. “You’ve got a singing voice. I can tell. And if you don’t, we’ll just pretend. Hit it, maestro!”
Chance took Erin’s hands while Amber shrugged, selecting a song to sing—some pop song Erin didn’t particularly care for, but it was totally fun to dance to with Chance. Cassie still had the film going, taping the punk-goes-Cowboy with the underdressed Wedding Princess as they danced to a mildly good performance of an early-90s ballad.
They finished the song, and Erin was about to suggest another one, when her phone buzzed and apparently became more important than a captive audience. She handed the mike to Tori and ran to the snack table where her phone was, her underskirt flouncing along with every step like a synthetic cloud.
Sliding the phone open quickly, Erin saw the grinning face of a baby boy lighting up the screen. “Awwww…!” Quickly she texted Kagayaki back, “cutesst bb evrrrr!!!” As soon as the message had sent successfully, Erin showed each of the girls the set of pictures he’d sent.
“You’re pretty excited about that baby that’s not even yours, aren’t you?” Amber noted with amusement. “I mean, he is really cute, but your reaction to him is pretty big. Does Yukito know?”
“Know what?” Erin asked, barely interested in the conversation as she flipped through more random pictures on her phone. She started taking pictures of pretty much whoever her camera found.
“That you want the babies,” she said with a giggle.
“Of course he does,” she replied breezily, not thinking that Amber meant now. “We’ve talked about it a lot.”
“Well, you know, once it’s official you can make that happen. Especially with all your smoking lingerie now,” Amber informed her, catching Erin’s attention and grinning slyly at her.
“Oh, my god, you’re right!” Erin’s eyes widened and she burst into laughs. “Wouldn’t he just freak…? It’s too funny! What if I told him….?”
Chance came up and put his arm around Erin’s bare shoulders, grinning at her from under his oversized hat. “Okay, Erin dear, you’re talking about babies with your still-fiancé so, I love you, but I think I’m gonna bow out now.” He glanced around at a couple of the girls picking up their purses and saying their goodbyes. “Plus, I think it’s winding down.” A brief pout. “Then next time I see you, you’re gonna be a married woman…. Aw, c’mere!” Chance engulfed Erin in another over-the-top hug that she happily returned. “Love you, Erin Spenser-Maki!”
“Love you, John Wayne-in-Chains!” She waved as he stepped out the door, and grinned. Only Chance could pull off crashing her lingerie party and not get pummeled for it.
Eventually, the girls faded out one by one (save the twins, Amber and Scarlet, who left in twos), and only Lilith, Cassie, and Erin remained. The hostesses insisted Erin didn’t have to do any cleanup, so she sat on the couch full of pillows, sipping her last experimental margarita. Finally, Cassie picked up her purse and gave Erin her bag. “You wanna—“ She was about to suggest Erin change, but Erin leapt up and snagged her back and went straight to the door.
“Let’s go!” she exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Cassie started to say something again, but Erin was already through the door and down the driveway. Cassie shook her head and followed her, purse and gifts in tow.
As soon as Yukito opened the door, Erin dropped her bag and pulled his face close to hers, giving him a long, lime-hinted kiss. When she pulled back she just grinned at him. “Hi, kareshi! Did you have a good night? I had a fantastic night. I already know my party was way better’n yours, and—“ She turned around and tugged for the camera on Cassie’s wrist. “And we got it on camera to PROVE it! You should totally look…” The ramble trailed off in giggles as Yukito just stared for a moment, eyes wide.
“Erin… you’re wearing… You’re not… what… Um, Erin, I… uh….”
Erin tilted her head to kiss him again, still giggling, as Cassie gave an apologetic shrug from behind her. “I tried,” she mouthed.
“Yuyukun,” Erin drawled, sliding her cell phone open and leaning close to him, “Look at this precious babyyyy! Isn’t he just precious? Kagayaki sent him to me… not him but the, you know, the face-thing… PICTURE! The picture, that’s what he sent. Isn’t it precious? You know, once we’re married—“
“Erin,” Cassie interrupted, gesturing with the bag of gifts. “Don’t you wanna put these somewhere safe?”
“Oh yeah!” She walked a few steps to Cassie, then whirled around, catching her balance to tell Yukito, “I got such awesome gifts!! You’re gonna LOVE them, but you can’t see ‘em until after the wedding! Hey, did you know something? I learned I make really kick-a--- margaritas. I can make one for you!”
“I noticed…” Yukito murmured, keeping his eyes from Erin in her… whatever that was, but unable to stop the smirk on his face, or glancing her way a few times. “I’m good, actually, no thanks, Sunshine…”
Cassie came up and touched Erin’s arm gently. “Hey, let’s go put these away.”
“M’kay!” Erin flounced off to the bedroom, and a few minutes later, Cassie emerged with no Erin following behind.
“She’s changed now, so you should be safe.” Cassie sent Yukito a soft, almost apologetic smile. “And her gifts are about as hidden as they’re gonna be. Don’t look in the bag in the left corner of the closet, okay?”
Yukito snickered a little. Like that was the first thing he’d do. “It’s okay. I mean, the outfit thing was a little—anyway, she had a really good time, clearly, so that is all that matters. Really. Thanks, Cassie.”
“Yuyukuuuuun….!”
Cassie smiled. “You’re being summoned.”
Yukito nodded, chuckling lightly. “I heard.”
“I’m glad you really love each other the way you do… Don’t let other stuff chip that away, even after years and years….” A sad little smile tilted the corners of her lips.
“Not on my life.”
“Yuyukuuuun?”
“Bye, Yukito, and congratulations.” Cassie slipped out.
Yukito made his way to the bedroom where Erin sat in the middle of the bed, in very decent pajamas, thank Cassie very much, with a pillow held close to her chest and eyelids heavy. “How late is it?” she asked.
Yukito glanced at his phone. “It’s one-twenty-eight.”
“Afternoon?”
A small chuckle. “No, Sunshine. After midnight. Still dark out, see?”
“Mmm… I know. I just wanted it to be the next day…”
She looked like she was about to fall over and sleep for ten years. Like the evening suddenly caught up with her and hit with a force. Yukito sat down next to her, gently pulled the pillow from her lap, and set it in its proper place. “You should go to sleep, Erin, and tell me about your amazing evening when you wake up.” He kissed her lips briefly, and when he pulled away, her eyes were very slow to reopen.
“Stay with me,” Erin commanded automatically, now her routine. But she lay down on the pillow anyway, legs curling close to her like a cat’s.
“I’ll still be here, Erin, just in the front room, like always.”
Her lip quivered, even though her eyes were closed. “Stay with me… I need you…”
Yukito sighed, knowing it wouldn’t take her long to go to sleep, then he could go where he needed to go without breaking his own word to himself or to her. “All right, Erin, for now. But I will leave later.”
“Mmm… mmhmm…” He doubted if his words really had registered with her, because not five minutes later, Yukito was sure she was in her deepest sleep.
Erin’s gushing over the newest addition to the Aido family made Yukito shake his head, a small line between his eyebrows. “And in the meantime, I need to repay Aidosan...”
-Mascii(:
lol
