Page 38 of Sweet Love From Saturn

“I need a damn cigarette.”

“Saturn, please!” Ava busted out in laughter.

“I’m serious. You and Aaron are giving the people a run for their damn money. I won’t lie and say I don’t have questions, because I do, but I don’t wanna talk about it in the snack aisle. I’m not mad, but I do think it’s a crazy coincidence that the two of you ended up moving back home around the same time. I still don’t know the reason behind my brother’s decision, but yours was out of your control,” I vented honestly. “Are you trying to rekindle or something?”

“No, not really. I don’t know if that night was real or if Aaron was just grieving. It felt real to me, but no conversation was had after it happened,” Ava explained.

“Well, maybe you should try having a conversation about it. I can’t see Aaron being an asshole and not giving you that at least.”

Just before she could respond, a toddler came running in our direction in an attempt to get to a box of honey buns. Smiling, Ava and I went about our day.

“Saturn,where are the cards? I thought you said we were playing Spades?” Aaron quizzed with hiked brows.

My “small” gathering had quickly turned into something much bigger than intended. Aaron had taken it upon himself to invite a few of his childhood friends. When my sister caught wind of that, she invited one of her close friends as well. Aside from my parents and Mccoy’s family being here, Sapphire and Ava had just gotten here. My house was full, but I had to admit I was enjoying myself. Everyone was in good spirits, and so far, no one complained about my choice of playing old school R&B music.

“The cards are on the kitchen counter. I was gonna bring them out after I set the fruit down,” I answered as I placed the bowl of mixed fruit on the table.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll grab them.”

Nodding, I walked around the food tables to make sure everything was still in place. Thankfully, I’d taken Ava up on her offer to help with everything. She’d gotten up at seven this morning and helped me decorate and cook. During that time, she told me more about the situation between her and my brother. From the tone of her voice, I could tell Ava was stuck on everything that went down that night. I still felt indifferent about it, but I knew it was weighing on her to speak with Aaron. She’d just gotten to my house not long ago. Outside of a friendly hello, the two hadn’t conversed.

“Saturn.”

“Yes, Momma,” I answered without looking her way.

“You need to come enjoy your party, baby. Everyone is here to celebrate you and you keep finding things to fix.” She chuckled.

“I am. I’m just trying to make sure everything is good.”

“Everything is good. Hell, no one has done anything to mess it up yet. Go enjoy your guests and I’ll keep an eye out.”

My shoulders relaxed after letting out a deep breath and I listened to my mother. She was right about me finding things to fix and pick at. As badly as I wanted to enjoy my own damn party, I was nervous about the competition and this big rebrand. Everyday felt like a rollercoaster since I decided to make the changes. Part of me was proud of myself for taking the shop in a different direction. On the other side of the coin, I was nervous about how everything would be received by consumers. Yes, at the end of the day it was still a flower shop, but people gravitated to specific features. Mccoy had given me a lot of good advice that seemed to check out when I did my research.

Aside from him being the best man I ever dealt with romantically, Mccoy was knowledgeable and made it his mission to help me whenever he could. He was far from a graphic designer, yet he took the time to design my flyers for the competition as well as flyers and thank you cards for the shop. He was a selfless man and I’d been sure to reciprocate the energy. Although he didn’t require much out of me, I made it my business to be there for the little things. Since my man loved my cooking, I did my best to pack him a lunch when I knew he’d be working on a car. If he came home later than me, I made sure he had a plate in the microwave and shower water running.

“Here, baby. Come over here and chill,” Mccoy said as he approached me with a wine cooler. “You good? You having fun?”

“I’m trying. Just got a lot on my mind,” I answered honestly.

“Okay. Well, let’s enjoy the party and we can talk about what’s bothering you later. Can it wait or you wanna talk about it now?”

“It can wait, baby. Nothing you don’t already know.”

As we walked to the round table, I took a seat next to Ava who was engaged in conversation with Sapphire. From what I caught, they were talking about hair products.

“Hey, girl. You finally coming to your own party?” Ava asked jokingly.

“I am. I just needed to make sure the food was set up.”

Tilting her head, Ava glared at me with a questioning expression. Thankfully, she didn’t pry and continued her conversation with Sapphire.

“Okay. I got the cards. Who wants this ass whooping first?” Aaron yelled as he came out of the back door waving the box of cards around.

“Come on, bruh. Me and Mccoy gon’ get at you first. Your homeboy Fred been talking shit since we got here, so he can sit in this round with you,” Justin said as he sat up straight.

As the four of them prepared for the card game, the ladies pulled me into their conversation. As time went by, everyone eventually made their way to get food and more liquor was passed around. At the next table, my parents and Mccoy’s parents were engaged in an intense game of dominos while Tiffany and Stacey took shots of vodka. By now, I’d had more wine coolers than I could remember. I was feeling good and finally felt like I’d let all my problems go for the night.

“Okay, baby girl. We’re gonna get out of here,” my dad said as he hugged me.

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