Frigid Flora

epilogue

EPILOGUE//10 YEARS LATER

Flora's P.O.V

One of the many beauties friendship provides is forgiveness. Friends; they're not bound to you by blood, but loyalty and kindness. They're your mutually chosen family. Out of all the humans around you you've picked each other as your favourite. You don't need to put up with their crap because tolerating them isn't obligatory. But true friends do it, and my own had an endless capacity for forgiveness - particularly one of them.

     Even if that meant stalling her big day.

     "Honey, breathe. Come on, sigh out softly. We'll make it in time." Said Parker as we piled into his pick-up truck, Matt in the back.

     "No we won't no we won't no we won't-"

     "Emergency snacks in the glove box." He cut me off. Had it been about anything other than food I might have protested, but my man knew what the goods were. He had Snickers and crisps and many other delicacies to keep my panic at bay. Well, my panicked words. My thoughts would still be very much circulating, my mouth would just be too preoccupied to bother voicing them. He was smart like that. That wasn't what mattered, though. Over the years he'd become more and more open and accepting of his emotions, not squirrelling things away like he used to. On occasion he'd still do it but this wasn't one of those times. Right at that moment he was as transparent as glass to me - I could tell he too was worrying and all that did was amplify my own concerns.

     "Thanks," I tore into the chocolate bar with the ferocity of a feral animal, Parker absentmindedly flicking the falling crumbs before they could melt into the fabric of my expensive pastel pink bridesmaid's dress. "Twinkies crushed into pancakes down the side of your seat."

     "Your affinity for continuously stuffing things where they shouldn't be is stressing me out even more. Choose one place to shove unsuspecting food, the side of our bed or the truck. We can't have both attracting mice."

     "You're telling me you're not grateful each time I seductively whip out a delicious delicacy from the depths of the mattress? That you were faking delight that time I sultrily fed you beef jerky? That you aren't thankful right now? Whatever, I'll have the Twinkies myself."

     "No, I'll-"

     "I'll eat it nice and slow and describe in vivid detail what you're missing out on. Don't worry, it'll be just like a good ol' Marks and Spencer's advert. I bet I could do the voice even better. I-"

     "Stop messing with me, damn it!" He snatched the half-unwrapped Twinkies, of which I'd hastily leant over and swiped from his side, from my grasp and shoved it in his mouth, packaging and all, before starting up the truck.

     "But the wrapper was..."

     "No comment," He choked out around a mouthful of sponge and plastic.

     "We're so late. Oh my Lordy. Christ on a bicycle. Jesus Christ shepherd of Judiah."

     Matt giggled behind us. "That makes no sense."

     "Oh, be quiet and drink your chocolate milk. I'm stressed. I. Am. Stressed."

     "I couldn't tell." Murmured Parker sarcastically as he span the wheel and had us hurtling around the corner at an alarming speed I was - for once -grateful for.