don't want to walk alone | carmen 'carmy' berzatto x fem!reader | part two: august
summary: you head down to savannah, georgia with syd, sugar, liz, and maya for a not-bachelorette weekend.
warnings: swearing, eventual smut, lots of tooth rotting fluff, marriage, no use of y/n, second person pov, she/her pronouns
wc: 5.5k
a/n: it's finally heeeeere!!! i know i've gotten quite side tracked with my luca fic, but chapter two of don't want to walk alone is finally here thank god. anyways, this is a carmy-lite chapter, but i think this is just as important. enjoy, besties. chapter three is thee wedding, so it may take a while for me to get that one out and honestly, i like taking my time with this one. i have some very fun ideas and yes we will be getting honeymoon smut don't worry. please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from the taglist.
part one | masterlist | part three
Thursday
“Hey, did Syd go out already?” you hear Natalie ask, causing you to pause what you’re doing.
You’re in the middle of laying out the gifts you’ve brought for your friends for the weekend, as a thank you for coming to Savannah to help you find a wedding dress. You’re not looking for anything extravagant – you are eloping at the courthouse after all – but it felt like a good excuse to get your best friends together for the weekend too. While you’ve spent most of your time planning this trip insisting that it’s not a bachelorette party, it’s certainly beginning to feel like one.
“Just because we’re not doing a big wedding thing doesn’t mean we can’t do a pre-wedding girls’ trip,” you’d explained to Liz and Maya over your group FaceTime.
“Hmmm, sounds a bit like a bachelorette party,” Maya had observed with every intent of provoking you.
“It’s not a bachelorette party!” you had vehemently insisted on the call.
“Sounds a little like one to me,” Liz had added, earning an eye roll from you as you murmured something about the two of them always ganging up on you.
So here you are, deciding that, maybe, you should just lean into it.
While Sydney’s gone to the grocery to do the shopping (something she insisted on doing since you’re both making brunch for tomorrow morning) it’s just you and Nat in the house. You could’ve sworn Nat was on the phone earlier – Pete being the every-worrying, doting husband who hasn’t spent a night away from his wife since she got pregnant.
“Hey, you!” you finally greet her, a broad smile spreading across your face as you turn to see your very pregnant almost-sister-in-law. “Uh… yeah she was going to the grocery store for some things. Need me to text her?”
Natalie shakes her head ‘no,’ before stepping into one of the many rooms that fill the airbnb that you have rented for the weekend.
“Watcha got goin’ on over here?” Nat asks curiously, as she takes a few steps towards you.
“Well,” you sigh, placing the neatly folded set of washable silk PJs down on one of the two twin beds that fill the bedroom that Maya and Liz will be sleeping in. “Just because you’re not technically my bridesmaids doesn’t mean that I can’t get you guys gifts, right?”
Sugar snorts, “Huh. That’s funny.”
“Hm?” you hum in response.
“Soooo many things, especially since you won’t just admit this is your version of a bachelorette party but…” she teases you, pausing before she continues with:
“I mostly came in here because I have a gift for you.
“What? You didn’t have to get me a gift,” you start, watching as Nat presents a gift bag stuffed to the brim with tissue paper.
“I know. But just because you refuse to admit that this is a bachelorette party, doesn’t mean I can’t get you a bridal gift,” she answers, taking a seat on one of the beds as she repeats your own reasoning back to you.
“Fair enough,” you chuckle sitting down on the bed as you accept her gift.
Parting the mountain of tissue paper, you pull a neatly folded article of clothing wrapped in more tissue paper. Gently, you slide the fabric out of its sleeve, revealing a silk lace slip nightgown out of the gift bag.
You gasp, examining the soft, delicate material in your hands.
“Nat, this is-, holy shit. It’s stunning,” you marvel, running your fingers over the creme-colored material.
“I saw it and couldn’t help myself,” she smiles proudly, happy to see that you love it.
“It’s perfect,” you whisper, this time moving your fingers over the black lace trim at the hemline.
“I wanted to give it to you before everyone got here,” she explains softly. “Wear it this weekend. Or for the honeymoon. I don’t know. I saw it and… it just felt like you.”
“Thank you,” you smile, your heart warming as you lean over to give her a hug. She squeezes you back, ecstatic that you love her gift.
“Think Carmy’ll be jealous I didn’t get him anything?” she asks, jokingly, her eyes narrowing.
“Oh, this is a gift for him too,” you’re quick to reply with a smirk.
“Ew!” she glares at you, earning a laugh from you as you defend yourself.
You shrug, “You set yourself up with that one, mama.”
You exchange a look, and a laugh, as Sugar playfully rolls her eyes at the thought of her brother doing anything more explicit than what could be in a PG-rated film.
“How ya doin? How’s my soon-to-be-nephew?” you ask, shifting your body so that you’re facing here even more so now as you change the subject.
“I’m alright,” she sighs, leaning back on her hands behind her. “Second trimester’s been a whole lot better than the first but… this whole pregnancy thing? Wow.”
“Yeah, we are in no hurry,” you empathize, adding a little humor to your sentiment.
“Well, from what I hear, it hasn’t stopped either of you from-,” she begins to tease you and now it’s your turn to say:
“Oh my god, Natalie! Ew!”
You roll your eyes this time, no stranger to the fact that you and Carmy’s sex life has started a rumor or two that’s gotten passed around the restaurant staff like wildfire.
She nudges you playfully, earning another laugh from you before the two of you settle into a comfortable silence, sitting side by side.
Natalie takes a beat, carefully choosing what she wants to say to you, especially since heart to hearts weren’t exactly common for her growing up.
“I also came in here to say…” she begins, her voice softening because she really means it. “I am so glad that he met you – Carmy – that you found each other. And I meant it when I said that I couldn’t wait for us to be sisters.”
The memory of the night you both got violently high together before Sugar got pregnant – the night she first called you her sister-in-law – brings the biggest smile to your face as you laugh.
“You’ve changed his life,” she finishes, the deepest of gratitude coloring the words she says.
You think someone should’ve warned you that getting married would bring up so many goddamn feelings, because you’ve been feeling pretty damn nostalgic and emotional lately too.
With watery eyes, you grab Sugar’s hand, giving it a squeeze as you say, “Nat, he changed mine. He keeps… changing mine.” You pause for a moment wondering when, all of a sudden, you’ve gotten this sappy. “I love Carmen… so much. And… I’m so glad that in loving him… it brought us together too.”
She nods in agreement, as she whispers a tearful ‘yeah,’ giving your hand a squeeze in return before releasing it.
“Jesus Christ. When did we become these people?” you chuckle, shaking your head.
“I have no fucking clue but I’m blaming the pregnancy hormones,” Nat laughs with you.
She pauses once more, and it’s as if she can’t help herself, diving into it again because there’s so much more she wants to say.
“You know, I always wanted a sister…” Natalie starts with a disappointed nod of her head. “I always thought… like, maybe things would’ve been different or something. Mikey and Carmy could do no wrong, you know, but me?”
She lets out another sigh, shifting her sitting position in pursuit of something more comfortable.
“I don’t know… I always wondered what it would be like – to have an ally in it all, a partner in crime – because Mom was Mom… and-. Well, you know. But now with the baby coming, I just can’t picture putting a child through that.”
She takes a beat this time, making sure she’s clear on what she’s trying to communicate to you.
“I think what I’m trying to say is, selfishly, I’m so damn glad Carmy swallowed his pride and called you all those years ago.”
You’re grinning from ear to ear as you listen, agreeing with, “Me fucking too, buddy.”
The sound of the front door is an almost-welcomed interruption as you and Nat exchange a look, the both of you coming to the conclusion that it’s probably Sydney, back from the store.
“Helloooooooo!” you both hear Sydney call out in the empty downstairs area of the airbnb.
“We should probably go. See if Sydney needs our help?” Natalie suggests.
“Yeah,” you reply, standing up from where you’re seated on the bed.
“Nat,” you say, offering a hand to help her up.
She takes it, murmuring a thank you before groaning about her feet. You giggle, but this time, you have one last thing you want to say to her.
“Thank you for the gift… and for what you just told me,” you say, before finishing your thought with, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she replies, a soft smile on her face.
You share a look, and one more moment, before heading downstairs.
“Look who I found!” Sydney squeals, her voice resonating broadly throughout the house.
It’s then that you hear the sounds of luggage being rolled, as Maya goes on about how cute this place is, while Liz, following closely behind exclaims something about how goddamn hot it is outside.
“Oh my god!” you exclaim, leaping over the last few stairs as you crowd both of your New York friends.
It’s an exchange of squeals, how are you’s, how were your trips, and enthusiastic hugs exchanged between old friends.
“Liz, Maya, you remember Natalie, right?” you introduce, as Nat gives both of your friends a small wave.
While Liz and Maya have met Sydney multiple times (including a few trips to New York Sydney’s taken by herself), you know your two best friends have only met Sugar once or twice when visiting you in Chicago.
“Yes, Carmy’s sister!” Liz says, her eyes lighting up with recognition.
“Yes,” Nat nods, confirming the statement.
“Well, come on in! I’ll show you up to your room so you can put your stuff down and whatnot,” you encourage, ushering the both of them upstairs as Natalie asks if Syd needs help unloading the car.
“I can’t believe we’re finally here!” Maya exclaims, excitedly.
“In Savannah… That you two idiots somehow figured it out and are getting married,” Liz continues, adding clarity around the very layered statement.
You laugh, “Listen, you and I both, sister.”
You show both Liz and Maya to their shared room as the three of you catch up about the flight here, shared exclamations about how stoked you are for the weekend, about how much you were all in need of a good vacation anyways. As you watch your best friends set their things down and begin to settle in, it feels surreal.
Like you and Carmy’s last trip to New York, it feels as if your worlds are once again colliding – two sets of friends from two very different chapters of your life as you approach a new one.
Friday
Your not-bachelorette brunch menu goes as follows:
Syd’s famous potato chip omelet, a vanilla bean yogurt with Liz’s favorite homemade granola recipe, made last night before bed, bacon you’re frying up in a cast iron pan that belongs to the stocked rental kitchen, and one of Liz’s favorite mocktails because, yes,
“You’re making us go for a hike?!” Maya exclaims. “In this heat? In this humidity?!”
“I thought you were… on your whole SoulCycle kick,” you’re quick to reply.
“Yeah, because it’s indoors,” she emphasizes with a sigh of defeat.
“Thank god you didn’t get your hair done for this, babe,” Liz teases her friend, earning a ‘seconded’ from Maya.
“Oh my god! I forgot that we both love SouCycle!” Sugar chimes in, simultaneously.
“Add it to the list,” Maya replies, because she and Nat have gotten quite chummy over the last 12 hours.
After ordering pizza last night, Maya and Nat had promptly curled up in a corner of the couch with a glass of wine for Maya, and an non-alcoholic cocktail for Nat, and spent almost two uninterrupted hours of realizing that they had way too much in common to not become instant-besties.
“So let me get this straight. It’s your bachelorette party and-,” Maya begins, straightening up on the barstool that lines the other side of the breakfast bar.
“It’s not a bachelorette party, it’s just a girls’ weekend,” you and Syd say in unison, you more insistent while Syd simply recites the words as that you’ve droned on about again and again.
“And we’re not going out?” Maya asks, unamused by your lack of enthusiasm.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” you shrug, careless for the idea of going out this weekend.
“What about the strippers?!” Maya exclaims, a little louder this time, sending all of you into a fit of giggles.
“What strippers?!” Syd exclaims.
“Listen, I’m not against strippers…” you laugh with a shake of your head. “...but I just wanted this weekend to be about getting my favorite people together and looking for a dress. YOU are the one who called it a bachelorette party.”
“You’ll have to excuse Maya. It’s been a while since she’s had a weekend away from full-time mom duty,” Liz teases her, as the two of you share a knowing look.
“Not to mention full-time work! And full-time wife-ing,” Maya adds insistently. “I’m ready to shake my ass!”
You and Sugar both snort with laughter and Syd snickers again, plating her final omelet.
“And while she’s somehow the first one of us to settle down, she’s also always been the biggest party animal of the both of us,” you continue, picking up where Liz left off.
“See, this is what you have to look forward to,” Syd jokes, directing her comment to Nat. “The both of you.”
“Oh shut up,” she quips back, playfully.
You shrug, before offering to help Syd distribute her stunningly plated omelets to the kitchen table that Liz has already set.
“Tell us what you made today,” you joke, doing your best Padma Lakshmi impression, as if Sydney were a contestant on Top Chef.
Sydney laughs, while the rest of the girls take their seats, standing at the head of the table as she takes your invitation to roleplay a little too seriously:
“So this… is a potato chip omelet with boursin cheese inspired by our very own Natalie Berzatto.”
“You’re amazing,” Natalie coos, because she truly cannot get enough of this omelet.
“This looks incredible,” Maya compliments, admiring the neatly shaped French omelet.
“And the potato chips are fucking genius,” Liz marvels, simultaneously.
“Something I started making at the restaurant just for Nat since, you know, it kinda hits all the cravings. It’s salty. It’s filling. You know you got a little texture going on with the chips. Aaaaand I’m starving so let’s end this Top Chef cosplay right now and eat,” Syd says, earning a laugh and statements of agreement from the rest of you as she rushes to the last empty chair.
You spend the morning enjoying breakfast before ushering everyone out to the car for your hike. Insistent on heading out there before it gets too hot, you decide it’s probably best to go before noon. As you head out to the Skidaway Island State Park trail, the fact that you friends are finally all together in one room begins to hit you. While Nat and Maya have hit it off over their love for SoulCycle, how strange pregnancy cravings are, and their mutual adoration for Maggie Rogers, you smile to yourself while you listen to Sydney and Liz dissect the most recent season of Love Island.
And despite the few yet passionate protestations, the hiking trail really isn’t all that bad. The five of you spend about an hour out there, hanging out a little longer along the boardwalk, before heading back into town for lunch, and then home for showers and some downtime. Tonight’s game plan is to get all dressed up (sort of) then head to Mashama Bailey’s restaurant, The Grey.
You take some time (and a nap) to yourself this afternoon, knowing that everyone else has taken some time to read, catch up a little, or just hang out. As you awaken from your nap, you flip through your phone for a bit, and, you think to yourself, it feels really damn good to slow down.
You decide to call Carmy, Facetime-ing him as you remain snuggled up in the airbnb bed. It takes a few rings before Carmy answers, his hair wild, dressed in his chef whites.
“Hey, babe,” Carmy smiles, as soon as your face appears on his phone screen. “It’s good to hear from you.”
“You too. I’m glad you picked up,” you reply, a lightness in your voice that only comes with vacation-you.
“How’s my girl doing?” he asks you, adoration in his eyes.
You hum happily in response, stretching a little in your bed.
“She’s great. But she misses you,” you answer, soaking in how much you love when he calls you his girl. “The trip’s been great so far, baby. We went for a hike this morning and uh, well, everyone’s really hit it off. Pretty sure Nat and Maya have become best friends now.”
“Uh oh.”
“Oh come on,” you chuckle, snuggling deeper into the duvet. “You know Maya’s always been your biggest fan.”
“Yeah,” he nods softly, because he does know that, for whatever reason, she’s always been his biggest advocate.
“But how are you? How’s Aioli? What am I missing?” you ask your future husband.
“We’re good. And Aioli is still the most spoiled cat in the Greater Chicago area. Not much to report here. Just taking a smoke break before dinner service,” he answers with a shrug.
“What’re you up to?”
“Just waking up from a nap,” you reply with a yawn, your disheveled bedhead more of a turnon then Carmy will admit. “And we’re going to The Grey later.”
“Mashama’s place?”
“Yeah.”
“You gonna get all dressed up?” he asks, his interest piquing.
“Yeah, I think we are,” you reply, the conversation taking a slightly flirtier turn as you add, “Don’t worry. I’ll send pictures.”
With a shy look on his face, Carmy returns with a:
“Oh shit. Well, let me know how it is. The restaurant.”
“I’ll report back,” you assure him. “You know… maybe we can come back here together. Another time.”
Carmy hums in response, barely able to wrap his head around the idea of a vacation. It’s not like you’d never been on one together, but no matter how many steps he takes back, how much he’s learned he’s allowed to (sometimes) slowdown, the unshakeable fear of falling behind hangs over his head. He’s learning, getting better at it, and you’ve helped, but it somehow always still feels a little unsettling at first.
You can see that Carmy’s mind is running a mile a minute, so you decide to cut to the chase as you say:
“I just… wanted to call and see what was up. Tell you I was thinking about you, babe.”
He smiles softly.
“Yeah,” he exhales. “I’m thinking about you too.”
He waits a beat before following up with:
“I’m always thinking about you.”
“I love you, Bear,” you whisper, a smile on your lips.
“I love you too,” he says back, and you swear Apple has installed a filter on FaceTime with how vibrant and blue his eyes are as he looks at you.
The knock at your bedroom door grabs your attention, your eyes shifting immediately to where the door hangs slightly open.
“Hey, I heard you were up,” Sydney says, poking her head in. “Can I come in?”
“Oh my god! Yeah, of course. I’m just on the phone with Carmy. Wanna come say hi?” you encourage, waving her your way.
“Sure!” she grins, quick to hop onto the bed, settling down right next to where you lay.
“Great. It’s like you never left Chicago,” Carmy groans dryly, as Sydney snuggles in.
“Whatever. You miss us,” Sydney shoots back with a playful eye roll.
Carmy’s become no stranger to getting kicked out of his own bed when Sydney comes over – you and her taking it over to watch a movie or giggle while watching TikTok videos for hours on end. Most days he’s so glad that you found a friend in each other, while other days, he’d very much like his bed back.
“Well, babe. I won’t keep you. I’ll see you Sunday?” Carmy asks, more than happy to let you spend time with your friends.
“See ya Sunday, honey,” you reply before ending the call.
You toss your phone on your bed with a sigh as Sydney fake vomits at your sickeningly sweet goodbye.
“Did you nap?” she asks you.
“Dude I passed the fuck out,” you reply, enthusiastically.
“I don’t know how you do it. Like, I think I’ve seen you sleep in…” she starts, trying to pull together a rough guesstimate in her head of how many times she’s seen you nap in a public place. “... more places than I can count.”
“OH! I have not forgotten about your little… photo album,” you remind her, in reference to the photo collection of you sleeping that she has of you. “I’m begging you to release this photo album AT our wedding brunch.”
And you’re only half-joking about it.
“Did you get a nap in?”
“Nah.”
You take another breath as you and Sydney lay next to each other, settling into a comfortable quiet as you reflect on the moment you had with Sugar yesterday, suddenly consumed with an immense amount of gratitude for her and Sydney’s presence in your life.
“Shit…” you exhale.
“What’s up?” Sydney asks you, turning her head to look over at you this time.
“Somebody should’ve warned me that getting married would like… bring up all these extra feelings about… literally everything,” you admit, your eyes fixed to the patterns on the popcorn ceiling above you.
“Oh god,” she groans. “Don’t tell me you’re pregnant.”
“God no!” you snort, reassuring her that you just finished your period.
You and Sydney exchange another laugh, and a look of mutual affection, before returning your gazes back to the ceiling.
“You wanna… talk about it?” Sydney asks, carefully.
It’s not that you and Sydney don’t do the heavy stuff together, but she’s become one of your best friend because she makes you laugh harder than anyone ever has, so it always feels different – foreign in a way – when you have these moments together.
Your friendship with Syd is lighter. It’s laugh until your abs hurt kind of lighter.
But you know she’s here for all the rest of it too.
“Uh… sure,” you answer, as you share what’s on your mind. “I’ve just been so nostalgic lately. Just thinking about… you know… me and Carmy’s relationship. The life I’ve built with him. You guys….”
“Ew,” she jokes, her face twisting into an expression of repulsion.
“I know,” you groan, unable to stifle the life that escapes your lips.
“Not to get all, you know, emotional or anything,” Sydney starts, shrugging it off like it’s no big deal.
“But like… I wanted to work with Carmy, you know? Which is why I came to The Beef. And… It was a lot.” She pauses, thinking about what she wants to say next as you nod along because you know it was a lot. “I wanted to learn from him and… I wanted to be somewhere that I could make an impact – where I could make something good.”
And in the spirit of being sappy and nostalgic Syd continues.
“And… I never thought, like, in a million years… that on top of building a restaurant… I’d meet you. You’re like… one of my best friends.”
“Woahhhh,” you tease her, pretending to be surprised.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“I know.”
You both take a beat, knowing that you’re both using humor to deflect from the moment of vulnerability that you’re sharing.
“Syd?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re one of my best friends too.”
Saturday
“This isn’t me. I mean… none of this… is me,” you say to yourself, examining your reflection in the mirror. “I mean. We’re getting married at the courthouse, you know?!”
Maya had booked you an appointment at one of those high end bridal boutiques where they make a custom sign for you and serve champagne, and while it was more than a lovely gesture, even the least-fancy dresses here still don’t feel right.
“I figured as much but thought we’d give it a shot,” Maya sighs, disappointedly, as Syd and Nat exchange glances.
“If it helps, your tits look great,” Liz suggests, earning a laugh from you because, she’s not wrong and it may be the highlight of this dress stop.
A mischievous smile spreads across your lips as you say:
“C’mon. I have an idea!”
It’s those five words that lead you to the most ridiculous bridal consignment shop with the floofiest gowns you’ve seen all day. Deciding that you should have a little more fun with today, you use the fact that you’re the bride and it’s your weekend to convince your friends that they have to try the most extravagant and silly dresses on with you.
“Oh my god! Well we’re going to make beautiful brides,” Maya gasps facetiously, as she steps out of the fitting room in what can only be looked at as a ball gown.
“I’m pretty sure this thing has a built-in petticoat,” Liz adds, spinning around in the dress she’s tried on, something that looks like it should be what one milks cows in.
“I’m SO sending this to Patrick,” you laugh, snapping photo after photo on your phone while Nat cackles along with you. “I think you guys are going to have to get married again just so you can wear this dress.”
Before you know it, Sydney is pushing you into a dressing room with another dress to try on, promising you that she’ll try something on this time too. It takes way too long to put on the ball of taffeta, and Sugar has to come in to help figure out what goes where, before you emerge once again, like a cotton ball of a bride.
“Well, I think this is the one,” you joke, staring at your reflection in the mirror.
“And we can’t forget thiiiiiis,” Maya says in a sing-song voice, adding a hand beaded veil to your head this time.
“Wait, this is actually really pretty,” Nat says, in reference to the veil.
You agree with her, as Maya slips away to grab a few more dresses from out front, before turning your attention to the still-closed dressing room that Syd is hiding in.
“Sydney Adamu. Get your ass out here!” you holler, just as she makes her dramatic entrance, pulling back the curtain to the fitting room.
“Oh my god!” you gasp, the minute you see her in the beaded, fitted white dress. Aside from the mermaid tail-like hem, the fitted bodice fits her like a glove. “Ummm… this is hot!”
“Excuse me?!” Nat squeals as Liz simultaneously adds, “Okay, miss thing! Give us a walk! Give us a spin.”
“You guys are out of control,” Sydney says, gesturing towards the three of you, even though she knows you’re right.
She looks phenomenal.
“Okay, okay. Go try these on. I think I finally found some good ones,” Maya encourages. And before you can even protest, she’s handing you a few hangers worth of white dresses and shoving you into a dressing room while Syd continues to strut around the fitting room area.
You smile to yourself, listening to your friends giggle and squeal over the silly dresses, while you hang up the few that Maya’s picked out for you. One in particular catches your eye: a slip-like silhouette with a high halter-like neckline that cuts low in the back. You run your fingers over the smooth material and decide to try this one on first.
The dress fits a little big, and the hemline is a little long, but it’s nothing you can’t take to a tailor. You pinch the fabric, picturing what it would look like fitting a little closer to your body as you shout:
“Guys!!”
“What? Did we do the impossible? You find something you actually like?” Sydney teases you, as you pull the curtain back.
“Um… well it needs to be taken in some. And hemmed. But… yeah,” you reply, the reactions immediate on your friend’s faces as soon as they see you.
Maya gasps, while Liz’s jaw drops. Tears well in Nat’s eyes while Syd rubs a few soothing circles on Nat’s upper back.
“Holy shit,” Liz says.
“We did the impossible,” Maya adds, awestruck. “We actually found something that you, the anti-bride, actually like.”
“Oh sweetheart, you look so, so beautiful,” Nat whispers, so overwhelmed with emotion as she thinks of you and Carmy. And because this is so not any of you, Sugar can’t help herself, instantly deflecting with a dry, “God, I can’t believe you haven’t left his ass,” as the five of you burst into another fit of giggles.
As the laughter subsides, and the reality that you’re going to marry the love of your life sets in, you stare back at yourself in the mirror once more, the words falling out of your mouth.
“Yeah. I… think this is it.”
--------------------------------------------
Crowded around the dinner table, the five of you work through what seems like a never-ending amount of Chinese takeout, as you wonder to yourself who let Liz over-order when you’re all leaving tomorrow morning. You sit next to Sydney, one of her knees tucked into her chest as she listens to all the drama from Liz’s last kitchen job.
“Shit,” Sydney commiserates. “When do you just say ‘fuck it’ and start your own spot?”
“Uh… when I marry rich and don’t have to worry about the business of it all?” Liz replies, earning an ‘amen’ from Nat and a laugh from you.
“I always knew,” Maya says, a sure smile on her face as she changes the subject.
“What?” you ask her, quizzically.
“I always knew that you and Carmy would end up together,” she replies with a certain amount of aplomb that baffles you.
It’s a simultaneous “How could you know?” from Liz and “How could you know that?” from Sydney, and an “I didn’t even know!” from you, as Nat exclaims a skeptical, “My brother?!”
“I knew! Because…” she declares insistently.
“I saw the way that Carmen looked at you. How he always looked at you. Even when you thought you were just friends. Even when you guys banged and thought you fucked it all up. And especially when he finally got over himself and invited you to Chicago.”
It’s a strange feeling, that one of your best friends in the whole wide world could see something that you, for a long time, could barely understand yourself, and it reminds you of the magnitude of you and Carmy’s love story.
“That was really beautiful,” Sydney admits, so casually that you have to laugh.
“You always were his biggest champion,” you say, earning a confident nod from Maya.
“Hey, remember when he was so nervous to even talk to you that he spilled your drink all over you?” Liz brings up, almost jokingly as you all burst out into laughter.
“You were soooooo mad.”
“So mad!” you agree passionately.
“Poor guy didn’t know what he was doing,” Liz chuckles.
“What an asshole,” Nat adds, as she and Sydney exchange a knowing look.
“Well. I will cheers to that,” you announce, even though you know, for all the shit you give him, he is and always will be the love of your life.
“To our last night here in Savannah. And you, our best friend, in all of her anti-bride glory who got us all here this weekend. And to Carmy, for loving our girl. Our king and queen of (not-so-much-anymore) denial,” Maya toasts, holding up her glass.
You cheers with your friends, exchanging laughs and quips as your glasses clink. You look around the table, and it’s not just the wine you’re drinking that brings a warmth to your cheeks. There’s Liz and Maya, the friends that loved you through your life before Carmy, through hating him, and eventually, through falling in love with him. And then there’s Nat and Syd, the two women who, had you and Carmy not taken a chance on each other, you never would’ve met. Never would’ve gotten to know. Never would’ve gotten to love.
You’re starting to understand this whole bachelorette party thing. You may not have bridesmaids, or all of the bells and whistles that come with having a big ceremony, but the love that you have in your life is bigger than just romantic love.
It’s in this room right now, a living, breathing thing that fills the air and warms you from the inside out.
It’s palpable, it’s real, and most importantly, it’s yours.
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