Page 6 of Always Been You

“I don’t think a good lay, or even a great lay, could make Dr. Grayson Maxwell any less stuck up or annoying. I also have no desire to make him jealous,” Hannah says as she turns the straightener off, placing it on the vanity and grabbing the hairspray. She gives me a good spray, takes a step back, and says, “Perfect Liv, you’re gorgeous!” She wraps her arms around me and gives me a quick squeeze from behind before getting comfortable on the end of my bed.

“Next weekend, we are going out and getting you laid, and we will put this theory to the test,” Zoey says as she points the makeup brush in her hand at Hannah.

“Sure, sure, Zo. Whatever you say,” Hannah replies, knowing there is no point in arguing with her. Once Zoey gets an idea in her head, there is no talking her out of it, especially if she thinks it’s best for her friends.

“I can do Saturday evening if Drew and I find a place tomorrow,” I say.

“Have you picked out any places yet? Any areas you want to live in?” Liz asks.

“We are still deciding. I would like to stay close to here; it’s close to work, I love this park, and it’s a great neighbourhood.Plus, I’m sure Matt wants me to stay close. Drew wants something a little more downtown, but I don’t want to move again anytime soon, so I want something bigger that we can expand in. Maybe start our family in one day, you know?”

Through the mirror, the girls exchange quick looks before Zoey says, “You’ll figure it out,” while squeezing my arm.

Zoey finishes with my makeup, telling us about her law school classes at UBC, and then takes me back to my bed, where Liz has my outfit laid out. Being plus size, I’ve always been one to cover up more than my friends, but Liz has picked out a nice black lace bra with matching panties, high-waisted black skinny jeans, a sheer red shirt, and black pumps. It’s sexy and stylish, showing off a little more than I usually do. As I get dressed, the girls go grab their bags and get changed too.

Hannah is dressed in a tight red dress that hugs her curves and shows off her boobs and round ass, making her long blonde hair stand out. A pair of nude heels make her legs look a mile long. Eliza is wearing a pair of high-waisted black shorts that fall to mid-thigh with a navy-blue button-up tucked in and a pair of knee-high black boots with heels. Her sleek black hair is up in a nice low bun with small pieces curled, framing her face and showing off her simple diamond stud earrings. The emerald green dress Zoey is wearing is fitted at the top and loose around her generous hips, with a pair of black stilettos. Her brunette hair is loose in waves down to her shoulders.

I walk over to the full-length mirror on the wall and take in what the girls have done to me. My auburn hair is in loose curls, ending around my shoulders. My makeup is done nicely, a little more than a natural look, but with a deep red lip, and this outfit is amazing. The jeans accentuate the waist I do have and, paired with the pumps, make my legs look longer.The red top looks good with my skin tone and the black lace bra makes my boobs look fantastic.

Once I am done looking in the mirror, they drag me into the kitchen where Hannah pours us four shots of Jager. We all lift our shot glasses as they cheer, “to Liv,” and we all down our shots. While Hannah pours the next round, Eliza orders our Uber. Two more shots and we gather for a couple of selfies in my living room before grabbing our jackets and heading downstairs to meet the Uber.

In the elevator, I open my Instagram and post our pictures, captioning:Celebrating my birthday with my ride or dies??????. When we get downstairs to the Uber, Hannah pulls a scarf from her purse and stands behind me, tying it around my eyes.

Making sure it’s secure, she leans in and whispers in my ear, “It’s a surprise after all.” She helps me into the back of the car and we head to our destination.

Imake sure thatI arrive at Matt’s apartment early enough that I can assist with any last-minute details. Knowing that he knows I’m coming, and is probably busy, I use my key to his place and use the elevators. Walking in the front door of his apartment, I hang my coat up in his entry closet and make sure that Olivia’s gift is securely in the pocket.

I take in the changes made to Matt’s usual bachelor pad. Walking through the archway into his living room, I’m assaulted by purple streamers hanging from the top of the archway. Fondness fills my chest as I take in the dark purple, blue, and silver decorations. Olivia’s favourite colour combination.

My heart skips a beat as I take in the rest of the decoration. Enlarged photos from Olivia’s life are scattered throughout the place.

I stop in front of a photo of me pushing her on a swing while Matt stands on the one beside it with a huge grin on his face while Liv has her head tipped backwards as she swings.Just looking at this photo, I can hear her laugh. The next photo is the three of us after one of our hockey practices, she is squished between Matt and I, in all our gear, grinning from ear to ear.

Moving to the next room, pictures of her with friends and family fill the space. I recognize a photo from her high school graduation, it’s her entire family, Emily, and I. I’ve seen this picture before. As I get closer and look at it, I see that I’m smiling, but I am not looking at the camera–my eyes are fixed on Olivia.

All this time, I thought I kept my feelings for Olivia hidden, but this picture right here captured all my emotions and feelings that day. My love for her is written all over my face. I just hope that no one else has caught it. Shaking my head, I head to the kitchen, where Matt is setting out food on the dining table and setting up a bar on the kitchen counter.

“Hey, man.” I pat him on the shoulder as I walk up to him. “Need a hand with anything?”

“Hey,” he says, “if you wanna finish setting up the plates and napkins, that would be great. Everyone should be arriving soon.”

“Sure, no problem. I saw the decorations and pictures when I came in–you guys are going all out for this party.”

“Yeah, it’s her twenty-fifth, so we wanted to make it special. Although Zoey took charge of the decorations and delegated the food. All I am doing is offering my place and some finishing touches before everyone gets here.” I can hear the love Matt has for his sister in his voice.

“Still, she will love this.”

“I hope so,” he says with a smile.

Together, we put the final touches in place. Around 7:30 p.m., people start arriving. Everyone was told to be herebefore 8 p.m., so they are here before the girls are supposed to leave Olivia’s place.

The smell of a mixture of beer and alcohol fills my nose while chatter and low music fill the air as people mingle, forming small groups in the living room and kitchen. Grayson and Caleb arrive at 8 p.m., joining Matt and me in the kitchen, where we are making a couple of drinks. Matt looks up, spotting them, sets down the stuff in his hand, and walks over to where they are, pulling them each into a hug and slapping their backs.

“Thanks for coming guys. Liv and the girls should be here soon.”

“Of course. We saw those pictures out there, looked like you three were close growing up,” Grayson says.

Matt and I met Caleb and Grayson at a bar one of our first weeks back from Harvard. We all started talking and our friendship went from there. They know that Matt and I have known each other for years and our families are our everything. I guess we never went into a lot of detail about it.

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