Chapter 11

        Anna was a Cryer, she cried about everything from when her dog died, to small injuries, to their graduation from high school and then college, and not to mention her breakup, if you could call it that with Alex, she cried when she was happy, sad or even anxious. To some crying was a weakness but to her, crying was a coping mechanism.

      That being said, it was safe to say she was a crybaby, and where was Nicole during all these crying sessions you might ask? Always comforting her, even when she was hurt she hid her pain well preferring to laugh than show the world her pain.

     So watching her best friend fall on her knees in front of a grave, in a full-blown shoulder shaking, mascara running crying session felt like ripping a bandaid off a fresh injury. She could literally feel her pain from where she stood with Bianca.

       The cemetery was silent, eerily so just like it was supposed to be, cold air wrapped them up like a blanket, their flimsy dresses no match for the brittle air. She licked her dry lips, hugging herself against the chill, thinking about the emotional pain her friend was going through.

      Anna was tempted to run up to her friend and offer her comfort, just like she had done for her countless times but she held herself knowing Nicole wouldn't like to be seen in what she believed was a vulnerable state.

    So she stood in silence, watching her friend suffer, wanting to know why life was unfair. Her teeth chattered slightly, rubbing her hands against the chill, as she wiped the stray tears on her face and turned to Bianca when she saw that her tears had subsided.

      "Let's go," she said and with that, they made their way towards Nicole. Wrapping her arms around her Anna gave her friends the strength she sort to get over the heart-wrenching grief.

     IN LOVING MEMORY OF,
     RAYMOND WILLIAMS
      Son, brother, boyfriend.
      1995- 2015

       Losing a loved one was simply devastating, Bianca could relate to what Nicole was feeling but losing your other half was a loss that was almost inconsolable.

    Bianca broke the silence. "May his gentle soul rest in peace."

    "Amen." They responded.

    After Nicole had put herself together, she led them to a chapel close to the cemetery. They were barely seated before the mass began.

    Anna had never been the religious type, her parents were atheists but since she had basically grown with the Sanders, she had attended quite a fair share of masses.

    She marveled at the interior of the church and the way its members seemed so organized and put together. A quick glance at Bianca showed that she wasn't used to the environment.

    After the evening mass, it seemed like Nicole was back to her former self, they decided to ditch their car and take a walk. They all clearly needed to meditate and what better way to clear your head, than a walk?

     During their stroll, they spotted food stands along the road, selling different kinds of greasy foods, and usually, Anna didn't indulge in such foods but today she felt the need to.

     "Let's get some onion rings," Anna muttered excitedly.

     Nicole shot her a look, "but you hate them."

     "I don't."

      "You do, you hate anything that has onion in it or beside it for that matter."
  
     "You're being extra, hate is a strong word I merely disliked them but in my defense, they smell awesome now."

    Nicole and Bianca shared a look then they busted into laughter.

    "What?" They were making her feel self-conscious.

    "You my friend," Nicole paused for a dramatic effect, "have a bad case of pregnancy craving."

    Understanding dawned on her face at that, she joined them to laugh as they bought the onion rings before Anna decided she wanted some hot dogs too.

    After that, they spent some time just talking and bonding. They got back to Nicole's apartment later than any of them had anticipated and Nicole insisted that Bianca should spend Anna's last moment in Chicago with them. Which is why they were all sitting down cross-legged in her living room, eating the leftover ice cream Bianca had brought earlier.

    "You know ice cream isn't food right? You still have to eat after this," Bianca said turning towards Anna.

    "Before I forget, I googled food plans for new moms, here check it out," Nicole said opening the screenshot on her phone.

   Fidgeting on her seat Anna replied her. "I can barely even see what's written there, and you guys are making a big deal out of this."

  Bianca put a hand on her shoulder. "We aren't, we just want you and the baby to be healthy."

     "Did you do this when you were pregnant?" Anna asked tentatively.

    Bianca chuckled at that, "mine was even worse, my husband -I mean ex-husband, " she corrected herself, "hired a nutritionist to monitor my feeding."

     Nicole was surprised at that, she hadn't known that piece of information. But she was too emotionally drained to pry.

    "How about this," Bianca said excitedly, "when you go back home you could be sending us pictures of what you're eating."

     The horrified expression on Anna's face prompted the rest of them to laugh.

     Nicole hummed in agreement, getting excited about the idea, "sure, we could have a group chat, just three of us and then you could be uploading pictures of your diet to us."

    The idea was sounding less appealing to Anna by the second, "doesn't that sound weird to any of you?"

     It was like they didn't even hear her, they kept on talking about details to Anna's frustration. She sighed and decided that she did, in fact, need something healthy to munch on. Deciding on a salad, she gently hummed a random tone as she set to the task of fixing herself the salad.

    Bianca's phone rang, putting an end to her conversation with Nicole.

    "So what's going to happen when you go back?" Nicole turned to Anna.

     "What you actually mean is if or when I'm going to tell Alex right?" She laughed at that, she could see through her friend's prying eyes.

    Nicole smiled at that. "Exactly."

    "We've talked about this already," she groaned dramatically, "for now no, but later maybe, maybe not."
   
    Just as Nicole opened her mouth to counter her, Anna slid a plate of salad to her. "Forget about this, just grab a fork and eat, we'll cross that bridge when we get there but for now it's too early to finalize such details," Anna said firmly, giving no room for argument.

   Bianca who was done with her call sauntered into the kitchen and sat down noticing her slight tension between the two friends. She opted to distract them from whatever they were talking about.

    "So my assistant just called and apparently Claudia Russo, you guys must have heard of her right?"

    "Her name sounds vaguely familiar," a light bulb clicked in her head, "she was on the cover of Vogue last month," Nicole said in excitement just as Anna shook her head.

   "She was, anyway that's not why we are talking about her." She said taking a forkful of Nicole's salad.

    "She's getting engaged to one tycoon hotshot and the engagement party is two months from now." Nicole and Anna were wrapped in the conversation, their food forgotten.

   "So why is that a big deal," Anna said in deadpan.

    "Shhhh, we are getting insider information here." Nicole shushed her.

     "The main issue is that I need a plus one to go, or two depending on if the both of you want to go."

   Nicole was excited about the prospect of being in the same space with A-listers. "Count me in." She shrieked in excitement.

    Anna wasn't too bothered, sure meeting celebrities was exciting but her life was exciting enough as it were. "So you guys are friends or just coworkers?"

      "Coworkers yes, but we are more like friendly acquaintances than friends," she shrugged, "she's obviously very good at what she does but she's a little bit too competitive for my liking." She concluded.

   "And who pray tell is the lucky groom?" Nicole asked in curiosity.

     Bianca looked through her phone, "my assistant sent the details to me, let me see," she clicked on the email, "some tycoon businessman named Alexander D'ameloi." She replied dismissively.

   Nicole winked, not noticing the ashen look on her friend's face. "Sounds like a hunk."

   Her voice cracked, "do you have a picture of him?"

      Feeling concerned Bianca pushed a glass of water towards her before picking up her phone, "no but I could google it if you like." She said.

    "Anna is everything alright?"

     All color washed off her face as she saw the picture she had desperately hoped to be false.