Next Morning
Ali couldn't sleep.
She'd love to say it was totally and completely because of the opening in 6 hours, but she'd be lying to herself.
She couldn't stop thinking about Ashlyn.
And the opening.
But mostly Ashlyn.
She just couldn't understand how she hadn't noticed the blonde before. Usually she had a radar for beautiful women. Ever since college when she realized women were a much more sensual option, she had been solely focused on the gender, leaving men behind altogether after her relationship with Brent ended. She appreciated men, and didn't mind them altogether, but women....women had been her awakening into a different side of herself.
Her last relationship had been back in D.C. She hadn't even considered anyone since moving down to Florida to pursue her dream of owning her own place and be near her family. Kyle had moved down the year before, and her mom had been close to Miami for years. She had only left her dad behind, but their relationship hadn't been the same since she came out to him after she wanted to bring her first real girlfriend home for the holidays. He hadn't been thrilled that both of his children were "gay" (though she would opt for the term queer if she was giving herself a label, though she generally didn't like to do that at all). His reaction wasn't bad per sae, but the relationships with his children had been strained ever since.
So it killed her to know that she hadn't even been aware of her lack of desire. She knew she'd been busy, but she had always made it a point in her life to put herself out there. And knowing that she'd been oblivious to an absolutely gorgeous woman, even if she didn't think it would be a great idea to get into bed, figuratively and literally, with her next-door-neighbor...
Ali couldn't sleep.
She needed to sleep.
She needed to stop thinking about Ashlyn.
She didn't do much of either the rest of the night.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!!!!!"
Ali just groaned. She was only on her second cup of coffee, and after a sleepless night, she didn't think she could handle her brother's enthusiasm quite yet.
"Whats the matter Queen? Too worried about what could go wrong with today to sleep last night? Well don't concern yourself with anything boo boo. I'm here to ply you with food, espresso, and to do your hair and make-up so all you have to worry about this morning is showing up, having a mimosa, and watching the customers flood in!"
Ali watched as Kyle tornadoed through her house, while she refused to move, still clutching her half drunk coffee.
Kyle plopped a bag of food in front of her, and a to-go cup, then proceeded to head to her bedroom, calling back to ask if she'd picked out an outfit for today. She could hear as he disregarded the clothes she'd paired together and laid out on the chair in her bedroom, and had started going through her closet.
She sighed before refocusing on the bag in front of her, sliding it over and glancing inside. A bagel from her favorite brunch place was inside, salmon and cream cheese, her favorite. She hadn't planned on eating this morning, figuring she'd be too concerned about vomiting it up if her nerves got too bad. But since her brother had gone out of his way, and pointed out that she'd probably be consuming alcohol, she started unwrapping the food, just as Kyle re-entered with clothes in hand.
"Alright, so I saw what you had picked out and decided that you needed to be less 'I-own-a-business-casual' and more 'I-own-a-business-rockin'. Plus you were not going to show up in a skirt and blouse. This is your grand opening, and there will be pictures galore if I have anything to say about it, so here's my choice."
He hold's out black leather skinny pants and a white high-neck sleeveless shirt that had black lace overlay near the shoulders.
It was perfect.
Of course it was perfect. It was Kyle.
Ali grunted her approval as she took her first bite of bagel, and chased it with the rest of her coffee. She took off the top of the drink Kyle had brought her and was met with the smell of vanilla, simple yet her favorite.
"Ali, are you alright? You haven't said a word to me since I came in, and though I know it's a big day, you seem a little more...off than I was expecting." Ali looked up to see Kyle gazing at her with concern all over his face.
"I'm good Kyle. Didn't sleep well last night. Nothing a little more coffee and my big bro can't help me get over." Ali smiled, desperately wanting Kyle to buy that she was fine. She wasn't sure if she could even explain why she didn't sleep, and would much rather he chalk it up to the opening rather than a certain blonde woman...
"Ok, B. Well get a move-on woman! We've got a lot to do to make you ready for your big day!" Her brother seemed to easily buy that lack of sleep was what was wrong, and his enthusiasm had him bounding down the hall with the outfit and his things to get set-up.
"Thanks," Ali mumbled sarcastically to herself.
Today was going to be a something else.