DEP SHORT STORY
From Third Wheel to True Love
A Night to Remember
I was the only single one in my group of friends, like a third wheel on a Friday night at a dodgy, dimly lit dive bar with pals, and I wanted to leave with more than just a friendship. I sipped a Pepsi on the rocks from a streakless glass. I eavesdropped on the misery of dates who couldn’t wait to break off the next date.
“I have a surprise for you,” Stella said, leaning in.
“What?” I lifted a brow.
“Just relax,” she said. “It’s a woman. She’s going to meet you here tonight.”
“Okay,” I said, thinking nothing else of it.
Life had done a bang-up job trampling over my self-esteem. Loud pop music blared from the stereo, shaking the ground beneath us as patrons lost track of their paychecks, spending it all like gambling addicts, thinking just one more round would make a difference. My friends were unwinding from the week’s stress, joking about their co-workers, and reminiscing about childhood mishaps. I nodded with a forced smile, watching their glassy eyes sway as they spun under the influence.
I reached into my plaid Polo breast pocket for a slender cigarette and took a drag to calm my nerves. I closed my eyes, then opened them to find a woman tumbling onto my lap, like a ton of bricks from heaven, and barfing all over me. A soupy substance hit my skin like acid rain.
“Excuse me?” I said loudly enough for my friends to hear.
That’s when I noticed her: her green, shiny eyes and the rest.
“I’m so-”
“Don’t worry,” I replied, motioning. “It’s an ugly shirt anyway.”
“I’ll say,” she agreed.
“You weren’t supposed to agree!” I said.
She moved her sleeve across her mouth. “I don’t feel so…” she vomited again. “I’m a horrible person,” she said.
“Could you turn your head or get off me?”
She eased up a bit.
“I’m Emma,” she said, as though I’d wanted to know. She had a heart-shaped face with freckles that camouflaged her deep, oval green eyes and curves that made me think of a one-night stand.
“I’m Loren,” I said.
Emma winked, but I wished she would go freshen up. I grabbed a handful of napkins and tried to clean up her mess, but it was useless. “Lord, what have you been eating?”
“Pancakes,” she said. “And now that I think about it, spoiled milk.”
I gave her a look, and she laughed. Emma took my cigarette and inhaled a drag, releasing the tension through her nostrils.
She returned the slender stick to my fingers, daring me to taste her lips and the pancake batter that went south. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so I took a drag. Emma licked her lips like a seductress.
The music turned romantic, and I knew I couldn’t leave without trying for some romance.
“Are you here alone?” I looked around. “Maybe they’ll…”
“Not anymore,” Emma replied with a confident smile and a cocky wink.
My cheeks warmed.
“I barf when I get nervous,” she said. “My parents own the place.
“Do you throw up on people often?”
“It only happens when I meet the love of my life.” Her soft gaze held the essence of romance.
“How many times have you met the love of your life?” I arched a brow in curiosity.
“This would be the first time,” she beamed. “Our friends set us up.”
I craned my head around and saw Stella wink at me. The corner of my mouth lifted.
“Stella is my sister,” Emma said.
“Wow…” My eyes widened. “You’ve grown up.”
“I was knees, elbows, and two grades behind you guys back then,” Emma said. “My sister told me about you when she saw me drooling over your yearbook photo.”
“That was ten years ago,” I reminded her.
“I begged her to set us up. Our parents inhereted the bar and grill from my grandparents.”
I waved my finger. “I remember Stella telling me that. She wanted me here because it’s your birthday, right?”
“How’d you know?”
I gave her a blank stare. “Your Facebook page.”
She burst into laughter.
“Stella thought we’d go together, huh?” I said.
“She said I’d have you wrapped around my fingers.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I said, knowing she was right.
“Are you staying in town for good this time?”
“I’m leaning towards yes,” I said.
“Well, I suggest you make up your mind before I make it up for you.” She gave me a tight-lipped smile.
“Is that so?”
“I’ve always had a crush on-”
“I know,” she said. “I know.”
“I should have said something, but life has a way of rerouting our desires. I finished college in Georgia and returned to this small town.”
“And so did I.”
“Regret it?” Emma narrowed one eye at me playfully.
“I’ve found what I’ve been looking for,” I said confidently.
Then, Emma kissed me, and I thought I might throw up from love.
“Do you hear that?” I said, cupping my ear.
“I hear the music.” She motioned.
“If you listen closer, you can hear bells.”
“My sister told you the dream I had?” Emma covered her mouth.
I returned to Ephrata and left Seattle behind to work on Dad’s farm.
We grew close and built a healthy relationship. Emma and I took it slow, but each second was a rush. But we didn’t rush. We got to know each other on our best and worst days, and it all came back to a love that glued us together.
Five years later, they fell in love and exchanged their vows forever. Our friends couldn’t be happier.
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