The Bachelorette

I couldn't sleep. It was possible that I'd had too much sweets the day before. I would have to work extra hard, kick a little higher, push a lot longer at Torture, which was starting in a few hours.

It could also be because Levi had fluttered and stayed in my mind the entire night. I contemplated on calling him, but I changed my mind. I did that several times. By the time I had courage to grab my phone, it was 4am. He wouldn't appreciate that. And what if he wasn't alone in bed? I groaned at the possibility.

When Chase came, I was waiting in the car, ready to head to boot camp. She probably could tell that I wasn't in the mood to talk, and so she kept quiet. It was rather eerie considering Chase did not do quiet. When we arrived at the gym, she reached over and gave me a hug. And without a word, she stepped out of the car.

Diego looked even more delicious that morning. He politely greeted me and Seductively smiled. Okay, maybe I imagined that he smiled saucily, maybe it was his regular hottie smile. I, of course, returned a 'g'morning' and walked to my spot at the back of the class where I could look like a fool in gym shorts and a yoga top, away from the rest of the more limber girls.

As I stepped out of the locker rooms, I saw Chase chatting animatedly with DD.

"There she is! Ready to go?" She handed me a smoothie.

"Yup." I turned to our tantalizing trainer. "Great class today. Did Chase tell you that we won't be able to make it Sunday? We have an early event."

Diego nodded. "She did. I hope you ladies have a great time." His smile widened as he leaned closer. "Don't forget to text me your address for Tuesday."

"Oh, I thought I did!" I took out my phone and sent him the information before I changed my mind. "There all done."

Unexpectedly, Diego stepped closer and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek. My mind went blank. But that was it. Chase and I bade her farewell and dashed out of the gym.

****

The rest of Friday and Saturday found me running around like a lunatic during various events: a Sweet Sixteen, an Art Gallery opening, a Fiftieth Anniversary Brunch, a Book Launch, and a Fashion Industry Party that I wasn't even supposed to be involved in (thanks to a slightly disorganized Chase). And thanks also to my convoluted, anxious self, my normally structured timeline and systematic methods had gone bye-bye.

No, this was all Levi's fault. Levi and his... his imbecilic plans of making me jealous, or making me fall for him. I couldn't tell which.

Chase had a blast when I recounted the whole bakery debacle. But she knew how weary I had been with the whole mess making rounds in my mind.

I had paid a quick visit to Sandrine at the townhouse she shared with Jake. Lucky for her she had actually been sick and not told a fib. She looked pale and weak, and I hadn't had the will to read her the riot act. I had informed her that the cake-tasting was inconclusive, and chosen to tell her how idiotic Levi had been. It still wasn't clear to me why they could always turn to Levi. I had a feeling they were keeping something of vital importance.

Mateo had gone home with a few more slices of the cakes from Divine Delights as my way of thanking him for "rescuing" me. I had split the rest and had taken them to Sandrine and Jake so they could give me their opinions.

I came home a bit after 3am on Sunday, and didn't bother changing out of my clothes. In a few hours, I would be picked up and brought to a spa as part of Sandrine's bachelorette party. At least, I had that to look forward to.

At exactly 7am, I was shaken out of bed by the magnanimous Chase. I knew it was seven because she repeatedly yelled it at me. She couldn't have gotten more sleep than me!

"Nica, I am not missing out on this free luxury. I heard it takes months to get an appointment at Sense. These beyotches reserved the entire place for the day so I don't want to miss a second of it," she told me this while yanking my dress off me.

"You're a real brute, Chase. The car won't come around until eight." I rolled back on the bed, pulling the duvet over my semi-naked body. "I'll get up when it's here."

I felt the mattress dip beside me when Chase sat. She began combing my hair with her fingers. "Nica, Nica, Nica, I don't think you understand, sweetie. They're known for the most luxurious baths and scrubs. Armageddon cannot stop me from enjoying every blissful moment." She said the words so soothingly that it made me afraid.

I peeked out from under the duvet. "I know but I'm so tired. I kept waking up because Levi's face wouldn't stop popping into my head."

Chase sighed. "Do you want me to call them and say we are not going?"

"No! Of course not. I just don't know how to move forward." I sat against the headboard. "I wasn't like this with Jake. I thought of him but I managed to work and sleep and eat. With Levi..."

"It's not the same kind of relationship. Jake was your boyfriend. You guys had exclusivity. You dated, you slept together, you broke up. With Levi... you just got felt up." Chase shrugged.

I leaned my head back and regretted it once it slammed against the hard part of my headboard. "Do I get over him? Do I pursue him? What do I do?"

Chase walked to my dresser and pulled out a light sweater dress and undergarments, then handed them to me. "You get dressed. Then you get pampered, and after that you throw the most spectacular wedding the darling couple paid for. Levi will find his way back to you, if he wants to, and if you let him."

When she put it like that, it sounded logical, almost romantic, so I obeyed.

****

Sandrine approached us as soon as we came through the doors. The smell of eucalyptus and peppermint, coupled with the ambient music immediately relaxed me. "Ah, Bon! You are here! I'm very glad," Sandrine greeted, kissing both my cheeks. She turned to Chase, but my friend stopped her with a finger shake. Sandrine immediately backed away.

A woman with wild orange hair, in white sports bra and yoga pants, approached us. Her hands in a prayer position. "Namaste. Since everyone is here, we should get started."

"Oui, merci. However, my friend is not dressed for it, I'm afraid." Sandrine waved her hand my way.

I shot her a questioning look. "Dressed? Oh, I can head to the locker room. Are the robes there?"

"You will need yoga wear for the class," the lady in white answered me in a monotone voice.

"Yoga?" I looked at Sandrine and back to the lady. "Nobody told me there would be yoga."

"That would be my mistake!" Chase quipped from my side. She produced a pair of yoga capris and bra from her bag, an exact match of what she was wearing, except the outfit would look different on me (due to smaller tatas and rounder hips). "I packed them for you when you were changing." She didn't even pretend to be sorry.

"But, I thought..." What I thought was that I would have a rest from exercising for the day. It was only then that I noticed what Sandrine was wearing: Yoga pants and a top that were like her second skin on her. Sometimes I hated tall people.

Chase pushed my stuff towards me. "Here, take them. It's only an hour and a half of Bikram. I received the email at work yesterday. If I told you about the yoga class, there's no way you would have come. Look on the bright side, you've done worse with Diego." But at least Diego was great to stare at and follow.

I supposed I had no choice. I took my workout clothes and followed the woman, who I assumed was the instructor, based on the lack of fat on her body, and let her lead me to the change rooms.

As I was trying to fit into my capris, I heard a knock on the door. My pants were midway up my hips. "Yeah?"

"I am so sorry, Veronique, may I come in?" Sandrine asked from the other side of the door.

"Sure, why the heck not?" I suppose the French didn't understand sarcasm, as she burst through the door of the dressing room barely a second later. I yanked the pants up too quickly, the friction causing a mild burn on my thighs. Geez, some people had no sense of boundaries! "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"I have some great news!" She paused, but I only stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "My friend Natali is here. Isn't that wonderful?"

Natali? Natali... Natali... I dug through the recesses of my mind trying to figure out who Natali was, other than being Sandrine's friend. Why had she only shown up now? And why was this important news?

Sandrine didn't wait for me to answer when she continued, "She just flew in last night, surprising us all. I cannot wait for you to meet 'er. She 'as lost some weight from being quarantined but she is well and healthy."

Oh! That Natali! "Well I'm glad she made it." I pondered the information for a bit. "Wait, does this mean she'll be your bridesmaid and I don't have to do it?"

Astounded, Sandrine grasped my shoulders. "Non! That is never going to 'appen! You have been vital in our lives. More useful than Isobel, if I may say so. Per'aps if I can convince Jacob, Natali can take Isobel's place and his sister will be a bridesmaid as well. The numbers work out." She raised her right hand, displaying two fingers. "Two groomsmen, two bridesmaids. That will work, non?"

"Yes, I guess." Good thing I waited to have the programs printed until two days before the wedding. Changes like these always happened. At one particularly memorable affair, the bride replaced all of her bridal party! "Will she have anything to wear?"

"That is nothing to worry about. Isobel and Natali have the same physique," Sandrine assured me. " I will simply call Crâyon and have 'im send another dress over for Isobel."

Great! Another giant for me to interact with. "Perfect then. It's all going smoothly. Shall we go? That yoga teacher looks mean."

Sandrine stopped me from moving forward, squeezing my left arm. "There is something else."

"Of course, there is!" I couldn't control my mouth. I was tired, hungry and the hopes of skipping anything laborious for today had gone out the window.

Hesitation marked her expression. Her forehead wrinkled, and in the dim lighting of the change room, Sandrine looked momentarily older, less put-together. "Since you requested that we tell you everything..." This could not be good, not by the sound of it. "Natali and Levi are former lovers."

Whoop-tee-doo! Just what I wanted to hear.

My throat felt clogged up with emotions. Levi was the last name I wanted to hear for today, certainly not from Sandrine, and absolutely not regarding his previous conquest.

"Wonderful." I tried to keep my voice neutral. "Thank you for telling me. Shall we go? I'm itching to do some stretches since I skipped my boot camp class this morning." Only parts of what I said were true.

Sandrine hugged me before we left the change room, and she gleefully traipsed down the long hallway to what I assumed was the yoga studio. Along the way, as I followed her, I was wishing that Natali was a hideous beast. Much like I did before meeting Sandrine for the first time. As I walked in the large room lit with various candles, I greeted everyone I knew, including Jake's mother (nothing awkward there) and Isobel. Natali wasn't present.

Our instructor introduced herself as Ariana and directed us to choose mats spread out on the floor. Naturally, Chase was upfront, and so were Sandrine and Isobel. Jake's mother, Cynthia, took the spot to my left. Before Ariana started chanting, a Brazilian model walked in and claimed the mat on my right.

She smiled at me. She could be a Brazilian model. She was tall. She had a perfect body encased in nude halter unitard. She had sun-kissed skin, voluminous chestnut hair, a flawless face and perfect teeth. But I knew that was she Levi's-- to quote Sandrine --former lover? Who else could it be?

The possible model waved her fingers. "Hi, I'm Natali." I knew it! "You must be Veronica. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard nothing but great things," she whispered.

"Of course you are." I meant to say something that sounded less sarcastic, instead, I blurted that out loud, causing everyone to turn my way, and Ariana to shush me. Natali made a face and stuck her tongue out at Ariana once the other woman turned her back.

Gosh, I'd been hoping Levi's ex would be a surly, pimply-face snot, or something like Ophelia. I could probably handle another Ophelia. I didn't want Natali to be this Perfect Ten. Even with a slight pallor-- possibly from quarantine --she was stunning. And worse, she seemed pleasant and down-to-earth woman. Even her yoga poses were properly executed. I wondered if she was a ballerina too or whether she moonlighted as a Victoria's Secret model. I had to gasp when I remembered that she was also a doctor.

Why couldn't the universe work with me for once?

I was panting and wheezing halfway through the fifth round of sun salutations. I had to excuse myself. Tempted to leave this so-called spa haven, I made my way back to the change rooms where I had locked up my purse in a locker. I retrieved it and carried it with me to the front entrance, bursting through the doors into the thick fog that lay over the city and inhaling the briny smell of the ocean.

I dug in my purse for my cellphone, and stared at it for a while. What was I about to do? Had I pushed past the precipice and was now willing to call a truce with Levi? Or was I going to give him hell for making my life a misery these past few days?

My phone buzzed in my hand. Diego had sent a message:

I hope you're having a well-deserved break. I kept glancing towards the back of the room, expecting to see you during class, but you weren't there. Looking forward to Tuesday night.

If nothing else, that gave me a surge of power. Why was I pining for someone who couldn't make heads or tails out of our situation? There was this most likely virile, extremely good-looking Adonis sending me well wishes and telling me he missed me (yeah, I read the text that way!). I sent a quick reply back telling Diego that I was having a fantastic time and that I also couldn't wait for our date. I tucked my phone back in my purse, ignoring the other messages and emails that had come through while I was doing downward-dog.

Taking a deep breath, and slowly letting it go, I walked back into the spa and returned my purse to the locker.

When I returned to yoga, my body still complained, but I pushed through to the end. I paid no heed to whoever was around me and how much better than me they were doing. I was my own woman.

Right after the class, we were given herbal teas, and led to separate rooms to change out of our yoga clothes and don a fluffy white robe. Then we were all gathered in a circular room, seated facing each other, while estheticians soaked, filed, and scrubbed our feet.

Across from me were Chase and Natali. They seemed to be getting on swimmingly. I pouted as I observed them. It was one thing for Natali to have had relations with Levi; it was another for her to take my best friend from me too.

After the pedis and manis, I was taken back to my treatment room for a scrub, a massage and a bath. The scrub was a different story altogether. I didn't know how much Sandrine was paying for today but my skin felt raw afterwards. I didn't think my esthetician appreciated it when I constantly called her Helga. Her massages were angry and I had more tension in my body afterwards than when she first started. I was grateful for the end of the treatment. Helga (her name might have been Susan) got a bath with essential oils ready for me, complete with rose petals, jets and lights in the tub. Then she left me to soak in tranquility.

I only sighed once when there was a knock at the door.

"Go away," I muttered, knowing full well that they wouldn't hear me. I should have shouted, but it was too late when Sandrine came in.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you. Oh, petals! 'ow lovely." She sat on the edge of the tub.

"What are you doing here?" Didn't she know I was naked? Being French and a doctor, she was used to seeing nudity, but we were in the US of A! And I'd like to keep my private parts private! I tried unsuccessfully to gather all the petals closer to me.

Sandrine wasn't fazed. "I wanted to speak to you one more time."

I gave up. I lolled my head back and let her see whatever the petals wouldn't cover. "With regards to?"

"Levi." She sensed my hesitation right away. "I heard about his little gaffe at the bakery."

"Little gaffe? It was the MacDaddy of tactlessness."

"MacDaddy?" I waved my hand, encouraging her to continue. "I apologize for his behavior. He isn't normally that flawed. He was never one to get into that much trouble, even when he was little."

"You knew him when he was younger?" I lifted my head, keeping eye contact with Sandrine.

"Ai, Oui. He is mon cousin."

"What does that mean?" I sat up straighter, splashing some water out of the tub.

"He is famille. His father is my Maman's brother."

"Oh, he's your cousin? So that's why he stayed with you afterwards... at your parents'... after the fight?"

Sandrine nodded. "There are things that you should know, but I'm afraid it isn't yet the time to tell you. I do hope you give him another chance." She laid a hand on mine, the one that was gripping the edge of the tub.

"Another chance? What... What do you mean?" My eyes found something else to focus on.

"As it sounds. You two were lovers? N'est-ce pas?"

I sputtered a choking sound, and returned to looking her straight in the eyes. "No. nothing happened! What about Natali? She's back. Wouldn't she want to be with him? Maybe there's a chance for them." When in doubt, divert attention elsewhere.

Sandrine shrugged. "I am not too sure. They were together for a long time. They seemed happy. We thought they would marry but Natali decided to leave France. Levi hasn't been the same since." She gripped my hand harder, forcing me to stare into her hope-filled eyes. "That was, until you came along."

I was dumbfounded. All signs pointed in a certain direction, towards possible happiness with Levi. But his recent actions hadn't been an affirmation nor supportive of what everyone had been telling me. There was only one person who could clear the fog in the details. It would have to be straight out of the horse's mouth. If only I had enough courage to face him.

******

A/N: Thanks for reading! I know there wasn't much in here, but the next chapter is looking better: Nica is going on a date!

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