Chapter Text
“Again, Mel, I’m so so sorry about this. I’m, like, freaking out, driving to my mom’s right now. I really hope you can forgive me.” Samira’s voice through Mel’s phone speaker sounded tinny in her ear, a clear sign that the voicemail had been recorded in her 2011 Honda Civic.
Mel sighed, pulling the phone away and bringing up their text conversation to respond.
“What’s up?” Frank asked from the driver’s seat. They were carpooling to work, as they always did when their shifts lined up, and he had clearly been trying to listen to the voicemail.
“Remember that wedding I have to go to next weekend?” Mel said, wrinkling her nose as she typed out a text to Samira. “My aunt’s in New York?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, Samira was supposed to go with me, but her mom fell and now has to get knee surgery,” Mel said, sighing again. “So she has to go take care of her and can’t come with me.”
“Ugh, that’s awful,” Frank said, glancing over. “I hope her mom’s okay.”
“I know, me too.” She hit send on the text, punctuating the sentiment: Hey! No worries at all, please do not feel bad. You need to be there for your mom. I hope she’s doing okay. Keep me updated!
“But,” Mel continued, locking her phone and putting it in her lap to watch the road as they got closer to the hospital, “now I have to go to the wedding alone. Is it selfish for that to be my first thought?”
He laughed at her openly and she frowned at him. “Melissa King, you are the furthest thing from selfish,” he said. “Isn’t Becca going?”
“Yeah, but she’s bringing Adam,” she emphasized his name with a sardonic and borderline mean imitation of her sister. She cringed at herself. “Which isn’t bad, of course, but they’re just gonna be all over each other and I’ll be… alone.”
“Hmm.” He pulled into the parking garage of the hospital, head swiveling looking for a spot. “Okay, Mel, twist my arm! I’ll go with you to your aunt’s wedding.”
“What?! That’s not at all what I was—” She cut herself off when he looked at her with a very distinct Frank Langdon Sparkle in his eyes. “Oh, you’re joking. Ha ha, very funny.”
“Well, half-joking, yeah.” He started backing into a parking spot, his body twisted towards hers so he could see behind them. “I will go to the wedding with you, though.”
Mel frowned at him. “Frank, it’s next week. You’d have to take three days off.”
Frank snorted, putting the truck in park. “Did you know Robby approves all of my time off requests? Like, every single one, no questions asked. I put in a request for St. Paddy’s day this year and he approved it. I didn’t even end up taking the day off, I just wanted to see if he’d do it.”
“Why would he do that?” Mel asked, brows knit together in confusion.
“Uh, probably because he doesn’t want to work with me,” Frank answered, laughing a bit. “And he’s kind of an asshole. You know, love him and all, but…”
“Okay, but three days in a row is a lot,” Mel said. “Even I technically only took Friday off because I’m off Thursday and just switched the other shift.”
“Ye of little faith,” he said, shaking his head disapprovingly at her. “Trust me, I can make it happen.”
“It’s a formal event,” she said, eyeing him. “Do you even have a suit?”
“Really?” He asked, glaring at her and pretending to be offended. “Yes, Mel, I’m a grown man, I have a suit. Trust me, I can clean up nice. Do you just not want me to come?
“No! Of course I would love if you did, but—”
“Okay, then it’s settled,” he cut her off, grinning triumphantly. “I’m coming. Tell Becca, she’ll be so happy. Actually, no, I’ll text her. It should come from me.”
“Frank!” Mel was glaring at him, waiting for him to stop talking. “Why don’t you actually get the time off approved before we do that?”
He nodded. “True, Dr. King, I’m getting ahead of myself, as per usual. That’s why I have you around, to reign me in.” He shot her a lopsided grin and opened the door. “C’mon, let’s seize the day, or whatever.”
It wasn’t that Mel hadn’t thought about inviting Frank to the wedding. He probably would’ve been her first choice. She knew if she brought him, she actually might have a good time. After all, he was her best friend in the entire world—tied with Becca, of course. He knew her better than she knew herself sometimes, always able to read her emotions before she could fully process them.
Their friendship had been so natural, she almost didn’t even notice when they started hanging out outside of work. First, it was carpools since most of their shifts lined up and her apartment was on his drive to the hospital from his sad, divorce apartment. Then, it had been movie night, which Becca insisted he come to. Then, it was takeout on Monday nights, sleepovers on Saturdays, breakfast on Sundays. It had all been so blink-and-you’ll-miss-it that she herself almost did.
So, of course, she wanted to invite him to the wedding. There were only two things holding her back: 1) the massive crush she had on him, and; 2) the fear of losing him if she even so much as hinted at it.
It had been so small and innocuous at first. On her first shift, he had been the only one to pay attention to her, to listen to her, to care. Even from day one, he could recognize her thoughts and feelings better than anyone she had ever met before. He had told her she made a good first impression, but his was rare enough in Mel’s life that she couldn’t stop thinking about him for the ten months he was gone.
And when he came back to PTMC, still the same caring, attentive person he had been, she’d been so thrilled that she got to have him back in her life. She didn’t expect their relationship to develop the way it did, but there they were, ten months post-return, and she was practically in love with this man who seemingly spent every spare moment he had with her.
But despite how close they were, inviting Frank to the wedding as her date alongside Becca and her boyfriend felt like one step over the line that Mel was determined not to cross. So, Samira was the second option, not that she said that. Samira did guess it though.
Frank inviting himself was serendipitous, a perfect resolution to all her problems where Mel got exactly what she wanted without revealing anything she didn’t want to. Sometimes, things just worked out like that. Especially when it came to her and Frank.
When the following Thursday came around, he happily helped her load up all their luggage into the back of her Subaru Forrester and climbed into the passenger seat. He plugged his phone into the aux before Becca and Adam had even gotten in the car.
“Frank,” Becca said as they pulled out onto the road, “I told you you’re not allowed to play your music.”
“Why not?” Adam asked from where he was sitting behind Mel.
Adam was good for Becca, Mel had decided long ago, but that didn’t stop her from feeling like he was out of place when it was the three of them together. Or, maybe it was her that felt out of place. He was quiet, the son of Chinese immigrants, and he had been fascinated by Mel’s job when they first met. He had asked her a million questions, which she was happy to answer. It was easier than small talk.
“Because it’s bad,” Becca answered his question, wrinkling her nose.
“It’s not bad, Becs,” Frank said, turning to look at her. “It’s classic.”
Mel let him play his music for the first hour of the drive, but then forced him to switch it to hers and Becca’s blend playlist for the last four hours.
The wedding was at a vineyard just over the New York state border. When Mel had looked it up, she found it surrounded by rolling fields of crops, small farms, a state forest, and a large lake. By all accounts, it looked like an idyllic rural New York town.
It was a 30 minute drive to the nearest major hub, but the small town it was in had a lot of small shops, inns, and restaurants. The wedding party was all staying in the same bed and breakfast about ten minutes from the vineyard, which was where they were heading, Frank giving her directions from the passenger seat.
“So, I have to ask,” Frank said, almost two hours into the trip. He had already dug into the road trip snacks she brought, tearing through a bag of barbecue chips. “Because I thought you said you don’t have any family left except each other. So who’s this aunt?”
“Aunt Kimmy isn’t really our aunt,” Becca answered helpfully.
“She was our mom’s best friend,” Mel explained, loosening and tightening her grip on the wheel rhythmically. “We used to visit her a lot, when we were kids. When my mom got sick, she came down to Virginia and moved in with us to help.”
“Wow,” Frank said, looking over at her. “That’s pretty huge.”
Mel sighed. “It was, it was. But Kimmy is…”
“Crazy,” Becca finished for her, nodding sagely. “Mom used to call her a wackadoodle.”
Mel laughed a bit. “I forgot about that. But yeah, she’s pretty eccentric.”
“Eccentric how?” Frank asked through a mouthful of chips.
“Like, old-money New England, but nothing tying her down,” Mel said. “Everything she has is inherited, she basically owns half the real estate in the northeast. But, she doesn’t actually do any of the work, you know? She just goes on her hippy spiritual journeys and talks about how the aliens from other planets created our society.”
Frank looked at her like she had two heads. “I’m sorry?”
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Mel said, shrugging. “She’d be happy to explain it to you, I usually zone out when she starts talking about this stuff.”
“One time, she told me that the cure to my autism was sunlight and crystals,” Becca said. She was laughing, but Mel gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter.
“That’s horrible,” Adam said, appalled. He was so quiet, Mel had forgotten he was there.
“Oh, she’s harmless,” Becca said, still giggling at the memory.
Mel bobbed her head a bit, not agreeing or disagreeing fully. “She’s just very new-age spiritual, with no way of actually living in the real world. I pity her sometimes.”
And it was true. Mel had seen Kimmy try to help take care of her mother when she was sick. She had been there to cook, to clean, to help her mother out of bed to use the bathroom. At the end, Kimmy was even bathing her mother and spoon feeding her. It had been a beautiful thing to witness: her mother’s closest friend in the whole world—someone who had never lifted a finger for anyone or anything in her life—stepped up and put in the work to care for her in her final months on Earth.
But Mel had also seen the other side of it for Kimmy. She would tell Mel that her mother was improving every day, despite the fact that even Mel knew there was no recovering. Kimmy had surrounded her mother’s bed with large crystals that were meant to “cleanse” the sickness out of her and burned incense nearly constantly. She would perform “spiritual rituals” in the front yard and collect rainwater to wash her mother’s hair with.
When Jody King finally passed, it arguably hit Kimmy the worst; she was the only one in the house that still hadn’t accepted what was happening. Mel could see that she genuinely thought her spiritual phooey was helping her get better and when Jody passed, Kimmy felt she was somewhat responsible for not doing more. Mel couldn’t help but empathize with the woman. Crazy as she was, her heart was always too big.
“So who’s the wackadoodle that decided to marry her?” Frank asked, drawing her out of her reverie.
“His name is Jeff,” Mel said slowly, “and that’s all we know.”
Frank snorted. “What? She gave you no other information?”
“They started dating seven months ago,” Mel said, shrugging. “And got engaged after two months together. I’m not sure if she has any other information. She just said something about them being twin flames and ‘when you know, you know.’”
“I think he’s after her money,” Becca said, in a sing-song voice.
“Which is something we will not say to Aunt Kimmy,” Mel said, pointedly looking at her in the review mirror.
Becca rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Yeah, obviously, Mel. But you can’t tell me you don’t think the same thing.”
Mel did, of course, think the same thing. When Kimmy had called her up to announce her engagement to a man Mel had never even heard of prior, that was certainly her first thought. But Mel had tried having conversations based in reason with the older woman before, and it only ever ended in a headache. She had long ago given up on the idea that Kimmy could be saved from the numerous cliffs she chose to jump off in her life. She always landed on her feet, so who was Mel to say anything?
“I want you girls to be in my bridal party,” Kimmy had said excitedly on that same call.
“What?” Mel had been so shocked, she dropped the medical journal she had been reading before she picked up the phone.
“Well, your mother would have been my maid of honor,” Kimmy explained. “If I can include you girls like this, it would feel like she is still close. It would mean the world to me, Melissa.”
And what was she supposed to say to that?
Becca had been ecstatic. There was nothing she loved more than a wedding, but this was the first where she would get to be a part of the wedding party. She was on calls constantly with Kimmy after that, asking questions and trying to give her opinions about what the wedding should look like. Mel wasn’t sure if any of those ideas made the cut.
“I can’t believe you never told me any of this,” Frank said, bringing her back to the present. He was looking at her like a kid in a candy factory.
“Well, she’s not exactly someone to brag about,” Mel said, wincing a bit.
“Nah,” he said, waving his hand to dismiss her worries. “This is going to be a blast.”
“Oh, it’ll be something,” Mel muttered. “Do you understand now why I needed someone to come with me? The more sane people I have around me, the easier it will be to get through this weekend.”
***
By the time they pulled up to the bed and breakfast they would be staying at for the next two days, Mel’s body was aching. They had only stopped once during the long drive and she was feeling the ramifications in her sore joints.
The building itself was very Kimmy. Nestled on the edge of the woods, the large, asymmetrical home was a deep green color surrounded by shiny lawn ornaments. Stained glass windows glimmered on the first floor, and multiple wind chimes on the front porch rang out through the midday air. It was clear the home had a few editions added, but it had a certain charm. When Becca jumped out of the car, she was grinning at it.
There was another car that pulled into the large driveway at the same time as them, someone else from the wedding party. Mel wasn’t particularly interested in meeting new people during this trip, specifically anyone else like Kimmy. So, she focused her energy on opening the trunk and grabbing bags out.
Frank was immediately at her side. “Let me do that,” he chastised. “You just drove us here.”
“I don’t feel good about this,” Mel admitted to him, stepping back and letting him pull out the remaining bags.
“Why not?” He asked, looking over his shoulder at her with concern.
“I don’t know,” Mel admitted. “Just this whole thing feels strange.”
“Embrace the strange, baby,” Frank said, shutting her trunk. She looked away from him so he wouldn’t see her blush. “It’ll be good, I promise. And if not, then we pack up the car and we run like hell. Deal?”
She took a deep breath, nodding slowly. “Yeah, deal.”
She saw something out of the corner of her eye moving on the ground next to her foot. It made a scratching sound and she felt a hard tap against her shoe. She looked down, jumping back in and letting out a surprised scream.
Frank burst out laughing at her, reaching down and picking up the chicken that had just pecked her. “Hey there, pretty girl,” he said gently to the reddish brown bird in his arm. He pet her head affectionately and she clucked happily at him.
Looking around, there were more chickens dotted throughout the yard, freely grazing in the lush green grass. Becca and Adam were crouched down with a couple of them, eagerly trying to pet the birds that clearly just wanted food from them.
Frank laughed again at the horrified look on her face. “You grew up in Virginia, you’ve never seen a chicken?”
“I grew up in an apartment in Richmond,” she snapped at him, stepping back when he held the chicken out to her. “And I got attacked by a rooster in a petting zoo when I was five.”
“Oh, well, roosters are dicks, so that makes sense,” Frank said. He released the chicken in his hand and she flapped her way to the ground ungracefully. “The hens are great though.”
“That’s Juniper,” a voice said, coming around the car. A tall, blonde woman came into view, her hair pulled up into a messy bun on her head. She was wearing jeans and a loose button up, and when she spoke her voice had a southern drawl to it. “She’s the sweetest one,” she continued, watching Juniper run to where a couple other hens were pecking at the ground. “You a farmboy?”
“Yes ma’am,” Frank said affirmatively, his southern accent jumping out and making Mel’s heart melt. “Grew up in North Carolina on fifty acres.”
The other woman nodded approvingly as Becca and Adam came up to join the conversation. “I’m from Tennessee originally. My name’s Daisy Lou, I’m the owner of this place.”
“Mel King,” Mel said, finally stepping forward and shaking the woman’s hand. “And this is Becca. We’re bridesmaids in the wedding party.”
“Ah, Doctor King,” Daisy Lou said, eyes lighting. “Happy to have you.”
“You know I’m a doctor?” Mel asked.
“The bride has told me a lot about you two.” Her smile was genuine and kind, but Mel’s stomach twisted uncomfortably. She felt the overwhelming need to apologize for her pseudo-aunt’s behavior… whatever it was.
“Um, this is Frank and Adam,” Mel said, stepping back to introduce the two men. “They’re our plus-ones.”
Daisy Lou greeted them both with dedicated interest. “Let’s get you all inside and settled in your rooms."
They followed the woman inside to the parlour of the B&B, a large room with a fireplace and couches on one side, and a desk on the other. Floor to ceiling bookshelves lined the walls, filled end-to-end with neatly organized books. The place had a cabin-feel, despite being larger and far nicer.
The other group from the other car was also inside waiting, two men and a woman, talking to a woman sitting on one of the couches by the fireplace, sipping from a teacup. Kimmy.
When she saw them, her eyes widened and she jumped up, only pausing momentarily to put her teacup down before running over and wrapping her arms around Mel and Becca in a bone crushing hug. Mel watched helplessly as Daisy Lou abandoned them to lead the other group from the wedding party to their rooms.
Becca let out a small noise that Mel understood immediately. “Okay, Aunt Kimmy,” she said, gently pushing the older woman away. She stood back, but only enough to keep one hand on each girl, looking them over appraisingly. Mel took the opportunity to do the same.
The last time she saw Kimmy had been when she first moved to Pittsburgh, but she was unchanged since then. She was a plump woman in her 60s, with thick, gray-white hair that fell in waves around her head like a halo. Her smile was as wide as it ever was, with large white teeth gleaming at them and crystal blue eyes. She was dressed as she often was, with a garishly patterned maxi dress that flowed around her, bangles adorning her arms and large beads swinging from her neck. She had large, purple crystals dangling from her earlobes that looked painful to Mel.
“Ugh, I have missed you girls so much,” Kimmy said, tears forming in her eyes.
“We missed you too, Aunt Kimmy!” Becca said, grinning wide. Mel nodded along. “I’m so excited for the wedding. Where’s Jeff?”
“He is upstairs getting ready for the rehearsal,” Kimmy said. “I wanted to greet everyone as they came in and remind you that rehearsal starts at six o’clock!”
Kimmy always had a distinct way of speaking, rhythmically, like every sentence was a song. Despite her beliefs, she was well-educated, having gone to the best private schools in Massachusetts growing up. It always baffled Mel how someone so intelligent and eloquent could turn out the way she was.
“And who are these strapping young gentlemen?” Kimmy said, eyes turning to Adam and Frank.
“Oh! Aunt Kimmy, this is Adam,” Becca said, grabbing Adam’s arm possessively.
Adam didn’t make eye contact, but smiled widely, nodding to Kimmy. “Very nice to meet you. Thank you for inviting us.”
Kimmy beamed at him and Mel could see the woman refraining from giving him a hug. “Pleasure, dear Adam, I amm so thrilled you could be here. I have been waiting to meet you since Becca first told me about you!”
Her gaze turned to Frank, unabashedly looking him over from head to toe. “And you are?”
“Frank Langdon, ma’am,” he said, stepping forward with his hand extended.
Kimmy was immediately smitten. She placed one hand delicately to her chest and took his in her other. “Well, you are just a long glass of water. Melissa, you got yourself one handsome man, here.”
Frank’s face split into a sheepish grin, his eyebrows raising slightly. “Oh, uh—”
“No, he’s not–” Mel’s eyes were bugging out of her head, face red and burning. “He’s my friend, Aunt Kimmy. Just a friend.”
She didn’t look convinced, but shrugged anyway, putting her hands up defensively. “Okay, okay. I understand. I just love love.”
Before Kimmy could continue that line of thought, Daisy Lou was back, heading for the desk. “Sorry about the wait on that, are y’all all set to head to your rooms?”
“Yes!” Mel answered immediately and a bit too loudly, causing everyone to look at her. “Um, long drive, I’d like to lay down.”
“Well, don’t get too comfortable, Melissa,” Kimmy said. “Remember, rehearsal at six o’ clock. Which means please get there before six, because—”
“On time is late,” Becca and Mel chanted together.
Kimmy beamed at them. “Ugh, my girls, I missed you so much.”
***
“Um…” Mel said awkwardly, staring at the single king bed in front of them. “It was supposed to be Samira and I.”
“Right,” Frank said, drumming his fingers against his leg.
The room was quaint, with outdated floral wallpaper on the walls and an ugly striped duvet spread over the bed. The curtains were made from a shimmery lilac fabric and one of the windows didn’t open all the way. There was an old, three drawer dresser opposite the bed, with a box TV sitting precariously on top. Notably, there were no extra couches for either of them to sleep on.
When Frank had offered—insisted—on coming, it had completely slipped Mel’s mind that the sleeping accommodations had been made for her and her good female friend, not the male friend she was secretly obsessed with.
“Maybe Daisy Lou has a cot?” Mel suggested, looking up at him.
“Uh, yeah, we can ask,” Frank said, scratching at his head. “But, honestly, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal for us to just share the bed.”
Mel’s eyes widened. “You don’t?”
“No, I mean, you and Samira were going to share it. What’s the difference? We’re friends, too.”
Mel’s heart deflated a little bit. “Yeah, we are friends,” she repeated. “I don’t know, it just… feels weird.”
“Well, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Frank said, earnestly. “We’ll figure something out. We have an hour and a half to get ready, do you want to shower and I can go talk to Daisy Lou?”
She wanted to bash her head against the wall for even putting the idea in his head that he could ever make her uncomfortable. She didn’t want him to think that she didn’t want to sleep with him, but she also didn’t want to be eager. Social dynamics were so hard sometimes, Mel just wanted him to read her thoughts, that would make the whole thing easier. Although, it might not be great for her if he could read her thoughts about the way his arms looked in the t-shirt he was wearing, or the way his hair was flopping with no product in it, or—
“Mel?” He was staring at her, still waiting for a response.
“Oh! Uh, yeah, no,” she said unhelpfully. “No, it’s fine, I don’t want to bother Daisy Lou. And you’re right, we’re friends, it’s not weird.”
Frank nodded, seemingly happy with her answer. “Yeah, not weird. Plus it’s a king bed, there’s plenty of space to spread out.”
Mel nodded. “I’ll draw a line down the center.”
“Honestly, we could probably find a saw and just cut it in half.” They smiled at each other, matching goofy grins. “Okay, go shower, I know how long you take.”
“Hey! I have a routine, okay?” Mel defended, but relented by opening her duffel bag and pulling out her bag of toiletries.
“Yes, yes, I know,” he said, flopping himself down on the bed. “Never get between a King sister and her routine.”
“I’ve trained you well,” Mel smiled down at him before heading to the bathroom.
In the tiny room, she and Frank were intimately closer than they had ever been. She was used to them circling each other at work, where any patient that was one of theirs was both of theirs and he would read charts over her shoulder a little closer than necessary. She was used to it at their respective homes where they would sit on the couch next to each other, thighs pressed together, watching whatever show or movie had caught their attention. She was used to them being so locked into each other's orbit that she didn’t even notice it anymore, until coworkers always inevitably commented on it.
But sharing a bedroom and a bathroom with him was different. They were both trying to get ready for the rehearsal, slipping past each other to take turns in the bathroom, edging around the bed that was too large for the room they were in and laughing when their knees bumped or they went to move in the same direction at the same time. It felt domestic and thrilling to her in the most innocent way possible.
She was standing in front of the bathroom mirror deciding what to do with her hair while Frank ran product through his next to her. He was wearing a crisp white button down, the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms, with fitted blue slacks and a brown belt. Her mouth had watered when she’d seen him in it.
She, on the other hand, was wearing a loose sundress. It was different from anything she’d normally wear, often choosing practicality and comfort over looks, but she knew this was the kind of outfit Kimmy would love to see her in. When Frank had turned and seen her in it, his expression dropped, eyebrows raising and mouth gaping.
“Do I look bad?” Mel asked quickly, fidgeting with the ends of her then-wet hair.
“No!” He responded too loudly. Trying again, he said, “No, I’ve just never seen you look like this before.”
Mel shifted, uncomfortable under his gaze.
“You look great,” he hastily added. “Not very Mel King, but still… really good.”
She was satisfied with that answer. She didn’t need to look like herself, this wasn’t about her. As long as Kimny was happy, Mel could get through this weekend.
“I don’t know what to do with my hair,” Mel said, figuring she was staring at him so long in the mirror, she might as well engage him in her mental conversation with herself.
“Braid, obviously,” he said simply, wiping his hair product off his hands.
“Kimmy doesn’t like when I put my hair up,” Mel explained.
Frank rolled his eyes. “Well, that makes sense because Kimmy is an insane person. You can keep it down for the wedding tomorrow, do a braid tonight. Here.”
He moved to stand behind her and put his hands on either side of her face, straightening her head. His fingers began carding through her hair and, before she could realize what was happening, he was braiding it for her.
Mel was frozen, watching the scene play out in the mirror like it was two other completely different people. He was watching his work intensely, his tongue poking out just slightly, as his hands moved deftly through each lock of her hair. It only took him less than a minute, then he was reaching for her hand to grab the hair tie off her wrist and tie off the end. Mel could only stare mutely, entranced by this wonderful man behind her.
When he was satisfied that he was done, he looked up at her in the mirror, hands resting easily on her shoulders. “Much better,” he said.
She turned her head slightly toward the mirror to see that he had perfectly french braided her hair down the back of her head. “Sometimes I forget you’re a girl dad,” Mel laughed out.
“A divorced girl dad,” he corrected, raising a finger in the air for emphasis. “Which means I have absolutely no help and Abby signed Penny up for ballet with almost no warning. Had to learn how to do hair very quickly.” He tugged at the end of her braid playfully.
Previously, Abby had been a pretty off-limits discussion topic for them, despite it never being a spoken rule. The divorce had been difficult for Frank’s whole family, and he had been reticent about discussing it with anyone except his therapist. Mel had respected that, despite the fact that it burned her up not to know the details sometimes.
Now, though, seven months post-divorce and thirteen months post-separation, they had settled into a new rhythm that Frank was much happier about. He told Mel constantly that the divorce was the best thing they did for their marriage, that he and Abby could hang out together with and sometimes even without the kids again. It had thrilled Mel not only for his sake, but for hers knowing that he had no regrets about divorcing his wife.
Mel was contemplating putting some makeup on when there was a pounding at their door, causing them both to jump.
“Mel! Frank?” Becca’s voice carried easily through the thin wood. “It’s time to go.”
Frank grinned at Mel before walking over to the door and opening it. “That’s just what I was telling your sister, Becs. But you know how Mel is, always running late and making everyone wait for her.”
Becca was grinning widely at him. “That doesn’t sound like Mel,” she said skeptically.
“It’s true,” Frank deadpanned. “She just spent an hour doing her hair.”
Mel rolled her eyes, grabbing her purse on the bed and slipping her sandals on. “Shut up, oh my gosh. You’re impossible.”
Becca inspected the hair in question as they walked through the halls of the B&B. “It looks so good Mel! You said you can’t do french braids!”
“Frank did it for me,” Mel said, feeling laid bare by the admission. There was nothing innocuous about it, they were friends for god’s sake, but something about it felt like telling her sister that she and Frank had made passionate love on their king sized bed.
And the way that Becca looked at her didn’t fix that feeling. Becca knew, of course, about Mel’s feelings for Frank. She had known before Mel knew, honestly. And while she was very loyal to her sister, it didn’t usually stop her from meddling, especially because she always insisted, He obviously likes you too. You guys just need a little push.
“Oh, did you, now?” Becca said, turning to Frank with a pointed face.
Frank smiled, looking embarrassed. “Yeah, well, I do Penny’s hair now. So I just… I don’t know. I just did it.” When Becca wouldn’t stop staring at him, he added defensively, “What? That’s not weird.”
“Sure, Frank,” Becca said as they all stepped outside onto the porch.
“Okay, drop this,” Mel said firmly. “Frank, can you pull up directions to the venue?”
He nodded, pulling his phone out as they all headed back to Mel’s Subaru.
***
The vineyard that would host the wedding was larger than Mel had imagined. They were driving through its rolling fields for minutes before the large building at its center came into view. The hills were neatly lined with rows and rows of grape vines and the air had a fresh, fragrant scent that certainly did not exist in Pittsburgh. In the late June sun, the whole place seemed to have a glow about it.
Pulling up to the main building, Mel saw a few others walking in for the wedding rehearsal. As soon as they stepped inside, a woman in a business casual outfit greeted them with glasses of prosecco and guided them over to the venue hall.
Mel’s jaw dropped before she even made it over the threshold. The large room was set up for at least a hundred people, elegant white chairs lined up under a high, arched ceiling. The windows lining the sides were floor to ceiling, bringing in natural light from the lowering sun.
Frank was the first to speak, leaning down so only Mel could hear. “This is… surprisingly beautiful.”
Mel could only nod in agreement as they were led to the front of the room. There, Kimmy and—Mel presumed—Jeff were speaking to the other members of the wedding party that were gathered. Kimmy squealed in excitement when she saw them.
“Melissa, Rebecca!” She met them as they approached, dragging her groom behind her. “This is Jeff. Jeff, these are my nieces that I was telling you about.”
Jeff was a tall, white haired man with a long face and perfectly veneered teeth. When he smiled at them and shook their hand, Mel felt like she was meeting an important politician. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you two.” His voice was deep and dripped like honey.
“You as well, we’ve heard so much about you,” Mel lied, smiling easily.
“Have you met the rest of the wedding party?” He asked, gesturing to the assembled guests.
Introductions were quick. There were Jeff’s parents, two senior citizens approaching 90 and hard of hearing. Then all three of Jeff’s siblings (two brothers and a sister), Jeff’s adult son, and Kimmy’s close friend.
Mel tried to remember names and faces, but meeting so many people at once was always difficult for her. Especially in situations like these where she had responsibilities to focus on and draw her attention.
The rehearsal didn’t take very long and was far less formal than Kimmy had made it out to seem. The wedding party’s significant others took seats in the audience while they waited, while the venue coordinator walked them through how the ceremony would run. Mel tried to tune out everything that wasn’t pertinent to her, so she could get the details right. Luckily, she had much less to do than the maid of honor, Kimmy’s friend.
The coordinator staged them where the altar would be, looking out to the sea of mostly empty chairs. Frank, in the front row, caught her eye. He was watching her with undisguised interest and she found herself blushing under his gaze. He smiled at her and she smiled back easily.
***
The rehearsal dinner was at the restaurant of a nearby golf course. It was fancier than anywhere Mel had ever dined before, and she was thankful Frank was the one with her because he was so handsome and well dressed, he fit right in.
Before they went inside, Mel checked in with Adam and Becca. She herself was starting to get to the end of her social battery and didn’t know how long she’d be able to stand this dinner. But somehow, Becca and Adam assured her that they were fine.
“I’m getting a bit tired,” Becca said. “But I think I’ll be okay.”
“Okay, you too Adam?”
He nodded, looking out the window. “Yes. The rehearsal ceremony was easy for us, we just sat there.”
Mel couldn’t argue with that. “Alright, good. Let me know if you guys need to leave early.”
As they walked to the restaurant from the car, Frank pulled at her arm, getting her to walk in sync with him a few paces behind Becca and Adam.
“How are you doing?” Frank asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
“I’m okay…” Mel answered distantly, looking out at the green. “I’m also getting pretty tired.”
“Yeah, I could sense that,” he said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
She focused her gaze on him and smiled. It still baffled her how much he cared about her, and how willing he was to show it. “Just be there for me, like you always are.”
He grinned down at her, linking their arms together and leading her inside. “I can absolutely do that, Dr. King.”
The dinner was easier on Mel than she expected. She took the opportunity to learn more about Jeff. He was from New York City originally, making some smart investments in tech in the 90s and 2000s that led to him having a small fortune of his own. Not that he didn’t already come from money, but he certainly made himself richer. His first wife (and mother of his only son) had died almost a decade ago.
Mel was able to bond with the son about that too, as they both lost their mother as teenagers. His name was Gavin and he was a tall, self-assured man with a smooth smile like his father. He had mousy brown hair that curled gently on his head and pale blue eyes that looked nearly gray. When she spoke, his attention was rapt on her, like she was the most important person in the room.
They talked for a while about their respective struggles in school after their mothers passed. When Mel mentioned her father dying while she was in college, he looked at her with genuine sympathy. “I can’t imagine that,” he breathed out. His gaze moved fondly to his father next to him before returning his attention to Mel. “My dad’s my whole world. I don’t know what I would do if I lost him.”
He was interested in her career, how she became a doctor and what kind of medicine she practiced.
“Actaully, Frank works with me,” she said, touching Frank’s arm lightly. He had spent most of the dinner talking to Becca and Adam, though she knew he had been listening to her conversation with Gavin. He jumped at the opportunity to join.
“Yeah, we met on Mel’s first day on the job,” Frank said, eyeing Gavin openly.
“That’s awesome,” Gavin said easily. “And now you guys are together?”
“Oh, no,” Mel immediately corrected, laughing slightly. “We’re just friends. I was supposed to bring my other friend to this, but she couldn’t come. So Frank offered to accompany me.”
“Ah,” Gavin said, his expression was unreadable to Mel, but he was looking over Frank now. “Very chivalrous of you.”
“And what about you, Gavin?” Frank asked, lifting a wine glass to his lips. “What do you do for work?”
“I am an entrepreneur, of sorts,” Gavin said, flashing a smile at Mel. “I went to law school for years, but could never pass the Bar exam, so…” He shrugged, splaying his fingers out in a what can you do? gesture. “I’ve been travelling for the past couple years. You know there’s so much out there in the world that most people never get to experience. So many different cultures, different ways of life. It’s so enriching to be able to meet people and see things I never would have if I was just a shitty lawyer in New York city, you know?”
Mel was nodding along, interested in some of the places he had travelled. Travelling was one of the things she wished she got the opportunity to do more in her life, but responsibilities and lack of funds had often gotten in the way. Before she could ask for specifics, though, Frank spoke: “Sorry, I missed the part about how you’re an entrepreneur?”
“I have a travel blog,” Gavin explained easily. “Which sounds very cliche, but it’s a whole thing. I make videos, blog posts, travel guides, and I do a lot of fundraising for the underprivileged people I meet along the way. You know, so many people in the world are struggling, I like being able to help where I can.”
Frank made a scoffing noise and Mel shot him a look, surprised by his rudeness.
“That’s incredible,” she said earnestly to Gavin, who beamed at her. “What have been your favorite places to travel to?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Frank interjected. “Mel, I think we should get going. Becca’s getting a bit overwhelmed.”
Becca, eyes wide, looked between Frank and Mel for a few seconds before saying, “Oh! Yes. Yes, I’m overwhelmed and we should leave.” It was the least convincing thing Mel had ever heard from her sister.
Mel looked between the two and Gavin, across from her, unsure of what was happening. But one of the other couples from the wedding party was leaving too, so she supposed it was fine to make their exit.
“I’m sorry,” she said to Gavin, hoping her smile was apologetic. “We really should get going. Hopefully we can keep talking tomorrow? I’d love to hear more about your travels.”
“No worries at all,” Gavin said, politely standing as their group did. “It was such a pleasure to meet you, Mel.”
They made their goodbyes to the bride and groom, promising to see them tomorrow, before exiting the restaurant to walk back out to the car.
“Mel, Gavin liked you,” Becca said bluntly as soon as all the car doors were shut.
Mel hadn’t even turned the key in the ignition. “What are you talking about Becca?”
“He liked you!” she said again. “Did you like him?”
“Um…” Mel let out a laugh. “I don’t think he did, Becs. I think he was just being nice.”
“Mel, c’mon,” Frank piped up. “You really didn’t realize he was flirting with you?”
Mel was taken aback by the line of questioning in the car. She still hadn’t even pulled out of the parking space yet. “Um, I don’t know,” Mel said, trying to reevaluate the conversation they’d had under this new perspective. “We talked about our dead moms, does that seem flirty?”
Frank laughed at that. “Okay, I’m understanding how you didn’t see it.”
“Mel, did you like him back?” Becca pressed, and Mel could hear that she was leaning as far forward in her seat as possible to get closer to the front seatl. “Are you gonna dance with him tomorrow? Are you guys gonna kiss? You could go travelling with him!”
“Woah, Becca,” Mel said, laughing a little breathlessly. “You’re getting a bit ahead of yourself.”
“I just think,” Becca said slowly and pointedly, “that if a man is being open about how much he likes you and wants you, you should go for it.”
This is what Becca was like now that she had Adam, and it was starting to drive Mel a little nuts. All of a sudden, she had dating advice for Mel, and was always pushing her to go out with people or download dating apps or make moves on random attractive men. And Mel wasn’t oblivious, the undertone to her statement was obvious: stop waiting around for the perfect blue-eyed man to start liking you back and go for the guy that’s actually interested.
“Oh my gosh,” Mel breathed. “Let’s just drop this, okay?”
Becca let out a grumble of annoyance, but didn’t push the issue.
The drive back to the B&B was short after that and they parted ways at their respective rooms. Mel was thankful to be inside the quiet, unnecessarily small room to decompress. She splayed out on the bed and groaned in relief.
“You better not plan on falling asleep like that,” Frank said at the end of the bed. “You’ll be very unhappy when you wake up in the morning in that dress.”
“I’m not,” she grumbled. She sat up to look at him. “I’ll change in the bathroom if you want to change in here.”
Frank shrugged, starting to unbutton his shirt. Mel watched the movement carefully, somewhat disappointed that he had an undershirt on underneath. “Which side of the bed do you want?” he asked.
“Oh, uh.” She looked down at the bed she was still sitting on. “I don’t know, it doesn’t matter. Why?”
“Just didn’t know if you had a preference,” he said, “I slept on the left when I was with Abby.”
Mel hummed in acknowledgement, getting up and focusing on grabbing her sleeping clothes from her bag so she wouldn’t have to respond to that. She changed quickly in the bathroom, brushing her teeth and flossing diligently as she always did. She left her hair in the braid; it was done well enough that it had barely loosened all night and she preferred sleeping with it pulled back anyway.
Just before she walked out, though, she saw herself in the mirror on the back of the bathroom door. She was wearing what she normally wore to bed: a tank top and sleep shorts. She had packed them without thinking anything about it. Now, however, faced with sleeping in the same bed as Frank, the outfit felt scandalous. Her legs, arms, and shoulders were completely exposed and it was obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra. She shifted uncomfortably, wondering if she could discreetly grab a different shirt from her bag, or a hoodie to cover up, but she didn’t think she had anything that would work and Frank would definitely notice if she did.
Steeling her nerves, she took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping out into the room where Frank could see her. He was sitting on the bed in a t-shirt and sweatpants, scrolling on his phone.
“Did you see the—” He stopped short when he looked up at her, mouth gaping trying to form whatever his next word was supposed to be. He quickly looked away, his eyes darting around the room. “Um, I’m gonna go, brush my teeth,” he said, standing abruptly and passing by her without looking at her to step into the bathroom. He shut the door behind him.
Mel blinked a few times, startled by his reaction. She was probably right and her outfit was inappropriate, but it was all she had so he would have to suck it up. It’s not like she was trying to seduce him or anything, she was just wearing pajamas.
She crawled into her side of the bed, grateful that the old bedding at least smelled washed. She scrolled through her phone while she waited for him.
It took longer than she expected, but when he came out he seemed back to normal. He came around the bed to his side and jumped in, purposefully shaking the bed as much as possible.
“You’re so annoying!” Mel claimed, but she was laughing, rolling over to look at him.
He was on his side grinning at her. “Yeah, but you love it,” he said. She did. Embarrassingly so. “Did you really not know Gavin was hitting on you?”
“Oh my god,” Mel said, closing her eyes. “I can’t have this conversation.”
“Why not?” Frank said, laughing. “You’ve never dated anyone in the entire time I’ve known you. Come on, this is basically a sleepover. Gossip with me.”
Mel rolled her eyes. “Okay fine. I have gone on dates in the past couple years, but nothing has panned out. And no, I did not realize Gavin was flirting with me. It’s been a long day and I wasn’t really thinking about it to be honest.”
“Why don’t they ever pan out?” he asked softly.
Mel looked away. “I don’t know. Just never really found anyone that I click with.” Not like you, was the unspoken end to that sentence.
“Did you feel like you clicked with Gavin?” he asked. His voice and face were unreadable to her, but he seemed genuinely interested.
“I… don’t know,” she said, honestly. “Maybe? I liked talking to him, but it was just one conversation so I can’t really say. Realistically, I’ll never see him again after tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” he said, distantly. “Unless you guys really do click. You could go travelling with him.”
“You sound like Becca,” she chastised.
He chuckled, sighing deeply. “Sorry, I know. I just…” He looked her pointedly in the eye. “I want you to be happy, Mel.”
Mel’s heart fluttered, warmth blooming from her chest and spreading through her body. “I want you to be happy, too, Frank.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence, smiling goofily.
“Okay,” Frank said, breaking the silence. “You need to sleep.”
“I do,” she agreed.
She watched him sit up to turn the lamp off, dowsing them in near darkness. The light from the moon filtered easily through the thin curtains, giving the room a soft white glow. She could see his profile next to her, laying on his back.
“Good night, Mel,” he said softly, his voice rumbling through her chest.
“Good night, Frank,” she said, so quiet she barely heard it herself.