Sophia and I stumbled into the house that night under the influence of comfort and joy. After so much laughter, delicious food, and merriment, we were tuckered out. I don’t know what our dogs got into while we were all laughing it up and opening presents, but for the first time ever, all of us when to bed at the same time, and it was adorable. Sophia nestled her head on my shoulder and draped her arm across my chest. I enjoyed the chill of her ring touching my skin. It was such an odd thing to notice, as I closed my eyes, but I felt like it would become something I’d look forward to for the rest of my life.
In the morning, I slept in just long enough to get a few extra zzz’s, but not so long that I wasted the entire morning. Sophia was already up and at it when I awoke, so I took advantage of the alone time to scroll through Social Bunny and catch up on everyone’s holiday shenanigans.
Dub replied to my last message, and that reminded me I never sent him the details I promised, so I took care of that. No sooner than I hit send, Mama sent me a text suggesting we sell all our presents and put the money toward our new house. She got us some pretty expensive gifts, and Father Winter was serious about his extra special gift. Between the two of them, we likely had more than §5,000 worth of stuff! I never would have thought about selling even though we didn’t need half the stuff we got, but it was a great idea; Mama always had the best ideas. When the time was right, I’d mention it to Sophia. I was certain she’d be down with the plan, given her concern about us not yet being able to afford the house.
The clamor of plates and forks grabbed my ear, so I went to the kitchen to see what she was doing. To my surprise, I found her eating a hot meal, and a platter of food awaited me. The sweet gesture made me smile. I had become the cook in our house, and I didn’t mind at all. But it meant a lot that she would do this for me.
“This is about as far as my cooking skills go,” she said. “I hope it’s good.”
“I know it is,” I said.
“How?”
“Because it was made with love.”
After I had my fill of eggs and toast, I got dressed and headed out to Evergreen Harbor for a long overdue talk with Maira. I understood friendships drift a little when we fall in love, get married, and start families. The situation was inevitable and beyond our control, but I hated feeling like I had neglected her again. Sophia and I may have been getting married, but our relationship was still very new, and I wasn’t ready to let anyone else into our bubble. Hopefully, Maira understood that. After all, she encouraged me to go after her.
She answered the door and commented on my outfit. I told her I was just trying something new, but in reality, Yasmine and Chi Chi inspired me to put more thought into what I wore because their sense of style was impeccable. I wasn’t sure what my vibe was yet, but I wanted to try different looks until something spoke to me. So far, wearing hats in winter was definitely a must keep, and I had no idea why I never wore them before. I thought my thick, long curls did a good job of keeping my head warm, but it amazed me how much warmer I felt with a hat.
I wasted zero time getting to my news, but I did not receive the excited response I had expected. Quite the opposite, actually. Maira glared at me, and I knew I was in trouble. Still, I played dumb.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“You like this girl enough to marry her, and I don’t even know her name? I thought we were closer than that!”
“Of course we are! I wasn’t trying to shut you out, it’s just… Everything happened so fast! I’m sorry.”
She sighed and fell back onto the couch.
“I know. It’s no one’s fault. And I really am happy for you. I guess I’m just bummed.”
My stomach dropped, and everything inside tensed up because I knew she was about to pull a Yasmine and declare all these feelings for me even though she was the one who told me to move on and forget her. Maybe Sophia was right about me being a ladies’ man.
“Why?” I asked.
“It’s just… Things are changing, and I feel like I’m being left out of everyone’s life simply because I’ve chosen not to participate in all that.”
My body relaxed, and I let go of the breath I held. I was glad she understood.
“I didn’t think about it that way. I told you before, though. You’re not going to lose me. But it cuts both ways, Maira. I don’t have any missed calls or texts from you either.”
“I sent you messages on Social Bunny!”
“So did I.”
“Okay, fine! We’re both guilty, and I can’t be mad at you. Let’s move on. Tell me all about this lucky woman.”
I started from the very beginning and didn’t leave anything out. Finally, by the end of my story, I got the excited response I was expecting.
“We’re having an engagement party tonight. Will you come?”
“Dumb question! Of course I’ll come.”
“Your sister will be there too. Apparently, she and Sophia are best friends.”
Her eyes lit up like a Winterfest tree.
“She’s that Sophia? What a small world! I don’t know know her, but I like her.”
I lit up that time. I never expected any of my friends would have a problem with my soon-to-be wife, but one never knew how sims felt about adding new blood into the circle.
“I’m glad to hear that. I need to ask you something else…”
I had thought long and hard about who I wanted representing me in the wedding party. Well, as long and hard as one can do in two days, heh. Sophia and I would have our own sims of honor, but the other positions would have to be agreed upon by both of us. I only had three potential names for everything: Maira, Alessia, and Dub. Maira had been a very good friend for a while, so I considered her for my sim of honor. But my sister had been my best friend for my entire life and would probably kill me if she didn’t get that role. Dub was a good friend too; maybe even my new best friend. But we had only just met. How would the other two feel if I picked him over them? My sister had to be my sim of honor. Period. I hoped Maira would understand that.
“Will you be our flower pal?”
“Don’t kids usually do that?”
“I don’t know. Your niece is the only kid we know, and she’s going to be the ring bearer. My sister is going to be my sim of honor, and I wanted you in the wedding too.”
She smiled warmly.
“Of course I’ll do it. I’m glad you thought of me.”
