42 - On Your Mind

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Amazing. The word floated within my mind as I stepped inside the church. The first thing I noticed were the nine-light iron chandeliers; there was a total of three. Next, my eyes landed on the sanctuary; the pastor, Father Davis, wasn't there yet. It was a simple podium with seating for the choir located a few feet behind. In the right corner of the church were band instruments, and in the left was another podium for the assistants. Overall, the church was very different from the old-fashioned one I had been used to. It was more modern, more elegant.

It also wasn't eerily quiet like I expected. There was a gentle buzz in the air, the sound of a few conversations blending together. The pews weren't filled up yet, and the band was still setting up.

I felt Forrest come closer behind me, his hand softly landing on my back. "Don't be nervous," he said, keeping his voice low.

"Okay," I muttered.

"Ivy and my parents are over there," he gestured to one of the pews, "Ivy's wearing the pink dress."

I noticed them and nodded. With Forrest taking the lead, we carefully made our way to where they were. Oh wow. They looked the same way they did in their living room pictures, just a bit older. Forrest's parents were clearly an attractive pair, and they had passed down their pleasing features to their children. Today, Ivy looked more gorgeous than I expected. She did her make-up, and her hair looked like she straightened it. Immediately, her glossy lips stretched into a grin once she saw me. Meanwhile, Forrest's parents offered polite smiles.

In return, I gave a tentative, small one, waving awkwardly.

"Hey, mom. Hey, dad," Forrest spoke softly, keeping his hand on my back. "This is June - the one I told you about."

He talked about me? The thought gave me a strange satisfaction.

"Hi." I cleared my throat, unable to make eye-contact longer than three seconds. "Nice to meet you."

They definitely feel the love, June.

I wasn't expecting it, but Forrest's mother stood up to give a hug. "Oh, I'm so happy to meet you." Her embrace was warm, and her voice was like velvet. "It's wonderful to have you with us."

Sincerely, I replied, "Thank you, Miss -"

"Oh, please," she interjected, "you can call me Marites."

"And you can call me Ernesto," Forrest's father piped up, standing up to shake my hand. His face radiated kindness. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm good." I smiled. "Your church is very lovely."

Marites responded. "That's true! And Father Davis can be pretty powerful - if I do say so myself. Great man! We've known him for years. We hope you enjoy the service."

"Oh, honey, look," Ernesto cut in, gesturing to something behind me and Forrest, "There's Danela and Redric, and . . . is that Danela's sister, Crizelle?"

Marites squinted, looking over to where her husband was focused on. "I think so. Ah, we should go over there," in a lower tone directed to her husband, she added, "and find out what happened with Rowena and Andreillette." A few seconds later, she returned her gaze to me and said, "Please excuse us, dear. We'll be right back."

"No problem." I moved out of the way so they could pass through. Relief poured through me - I realized I had nothing to be worried about. Forrest's parents really did have no problem with me.

With them gone, Forrest and I took our seats. I ended up between him and Ivy.

"Hey, June," she greeted, her eyes bright. "You look very pretty today."

"And you are very sweet." Feeling more at ease, I relaxed against the pew. "I like your dress."

Meanwhile, Forrest began to look around the room, appearing distracted.

"Aw, thanks. Anyway, how have you been?" Ivy questioned. "Is my brother still annoying you?"

"First of all," Forrest muttered, his eyes still drifting around, "my ears still work. Second," he quickly glanced at his sister, "I'm not the annoying one here."

"Whatever," she slightly huffed. "Anyway, Forrest came home, like, really late last night." She trained her eyes on me, somehow both innocent and mischievous. "He still hasn't told me where he went. Do you happen to know anything about that?"

I recalled what Forrest said about keeping our relationship a secret from Ivy. If truth be told, I didn't want to mess around with her, so I simply said, "Hm, maybe I do."

Forrest coughed, and I fought back a smile, looking as impassive as I could.

Ivy's grin widened, her eyes going from me to her brother. "I ship it so hard," she said in a low tone, mostly to herself.

I slightly furrowed my brows while Forrest let out a small groan. "Seriously, Iv-" he faltered, and I had to face him to see why he paused. His head was turned towards the entrance of the church, and I followed his gaze. Nobody in particular stood out to me, but with the way that he was frowning, I sensed that there was something not quite right.

Ivy looked back as well. "Oh, look, there's . . ." she trailed off. "Never mind," she muttered.

Somehow, I saw her.

I saw who they were focused on. It wasn't someone familiar to me, but I had a feeling that she knew Forrest and he knew her.

She walked with her head held high. A pale-blue, flowing dress hung off her slender frame, and her wavy brown hair was clipped back. She wore nude heels, her toned legs enough to elicit a little jealousy. She carried a matching nude purse and carried the grace I so terribly lacked.

"Who is she?" I had to ask. She seemed to be walking towards where we were.

"Just a friend," Forrest mumbled. There was something in his voice, something I couldn't really distinguish.

"Uh, anyway," Ivy got a hold of my attention, "what made you come here today, June?"

I blinked, digesting the question. "Oh, well, Forrest encouraged me to." I explained that I hadn't been to a church in years and that my faith had grown dangerously weak. She took in this information with understanding.

When I finished talking to her, I glanced over to her brother and found him already looking at me. I smiled a little, saying, "What's on your mind?"

He returned the smile and took my hand. "You." He gave me a comforting squeeze. "I'm glad that you're here with me."

"I am too," I said, my voice faint.

When I turned back to Ivy, she was staring straight ahead with the corners of her lips curled. I couldn't hear what she was thinking, but I could make a pretty good guess.

"Hi, Ivy," a new voice abruptly said, "and hi, Forrest."

It was her.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net