Chapter 7: Something old something new

It was mid-afternoon when Jenny's phone woke them up.
"Hmmmm... I think that's your phone, hun... I changed my ringtone a few days ago so we wouldn't get confused any more" Val said sleepily.
"Hmmmm. Oh yeah it is." She sleepily reached over him and checked the caller.
"Who is it, sweetheart?" asked Val trying to see.
"My friends." She said and then answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Yes. Oh really? Yeah ok. Sure. Ok bye." Jenny hung up... "They are coming over" she said as she texted them the address.
"Ok... when?" asked Val.
"They said they'll be here in about forty five minutes..." was her answer.
Val's eyes went wide with surprise.
"Ummmm... we better start getting ready for their visit, 'cause it might take that much time for me with these casts on." He chuckled.
"Yeah, you are right..." she said putting down her phone.
Val started tugging at his shirt to take it off and change into a clean one with his good hand, but without making much progress... "I guess I'll need your help once you've changed."
He watched her as she got up from the couch and headed for the bedroom to change into something nicer for receiving visitors...
"You are so incredibly beautiful, my Princess" he said before she disappeared through the door.
"I love you too." came her reply from the bedroom.
"Honey, could you please bring me a clean shirt when you are done?" he asked after finally giving up trying to get his shirt off.
After a several minutes she came back to the living room carrying one of his shirts...
"You look like you need help" Jenny said standing by the couch as she smiled down at him, amused.
"Yes, please honey" was his reply, and then added teasingly "looks like you'll get some practice for when we have children."
Jenny laughed, sat on the couch and started helping him. Val looked at the clock on the wall, wondering if they'll make it...
"Let's hope your friends are not too punctual" he said laughing.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang... Jenny hurriedly finished doing Val's shirt buttons, kissed him quick on the lips and run to the door. Jenny opened it to find some of her friends standing there.
"Jen!" Elizabeth tackled Jenny with a hug.
"Oof! hey guys, what’s up?" said Jenny smiling at her friends.
"Hi guys..." Val waved from the couch.
Jenny's friends started filing in... Diane walked in and surveyed the room with an air of flamboyance. Lyndsey nodded coolly at Val.
"Hey" said Candy "long time no see, Val."
"Oh, Jen, the guys are coming too... is that ok?" Beth asked.
"Wait... they are?" Jenny gave Beth a shocked face. "I wasn't planning a party... aiii! What am I going to do?"
"Relax Jenny" Lyndsey said "we got you covered, girl."
"It's ok sweetheart, we'll order some pizzas" Val said grabbing her phone, as it was closer and he could not reach his.
"Ok. Thanks Val" Jenny smiled over at him.
The doorbell rang again..."
"Looks like they are here!" Diane squealed.
"Man, it's been years since I saw Big Boy."
"Diane, why do you call him that again?" Candy asked.
"I don't know... I always have" Diane shrugged and yanked the door open.
"Joey!" Jenny said happily and ran to hug him. "Wow, it’s been ages! I told you we'd hang out again."
"Yeah yeah, you did" he laughed and greeted the others.
Val slowly managed to get himself into a sitting position.
"Jenny, why is your doorway so small?" Matt asked as he ducked inside.
"Matt, you are just super tall" Jenny rolled her eyes.
"Big Boy!" Diane called "come sit down so you can be eye level with the rest of us midgets."
Rob strode into the room and patted Jenny on the head.
"Really, Rob? Really?" she asked.
"Yes, really" he said and then hugged her.
"Ah, I missed you... no-one to play vanguard with" Jenny said smiling. "You're going to have to teach Val..." and then lowering her voice, but still making sure Val would hear "but don't teach him all the winning tricks, ok?"
"I heard that, honey" Val said, eyebrows raised feigning being offended, but smiling sweetly at her.
"Where's Wizard?" Jenny asked.
"He should be coming right now" someone said.
"Nick!" everyone yelled as he walked into the room.
"Hey guys..." he said.
"Forgive me guys for not getting up... we came back from the Hospital today and don't have the crutches yet" Val waved again at the growing crowd.
"It's fine, Val" Beth said "we don't mind."
Val smiled at her appreciatively.
"So..." she and Diane leaned in closer to him "do tell us... how did you meet Jenny?"
"That's quite a story..." Val laughed lightly... "but to make a very long story short, we met online... started playing an rp together, and then started talking... we made a connection..."
"Hey Wizard" Jenny said "it's been a while..."
"Yeah, it has..." he avoided her eyes.
"Wizard, stop... you know I hate it when you do that. Look me in the eyes and talk to me" Jenny said in a reproachful tone.
"Jen! over here" Beth called.
"Alright, I'm coming." Jenny answered Beth. "You are telling me what's up even if I have to make you" Jenny stared at Nick.
"Ok, ok..." he shook his head smirking "some things never change."
"What did you want, Beth?"
Val watched the friend's reunion in silence, hoping he could participate... and cursing his blasted broken legs for not letting him. The pizza arrived shortly after... Everyone was sitting in a circle, the pizza boxes propped in the centre.
"So..." Rob began "how did you two meet? And I heard Diane say you were getting married..."
"That's right..." Jenny blushed which caused the boys to wolf whistle and in Matt's case, who was sitting beside her, to punch her lightly.
Jenny punched Matt back and he rubbed his arm.
"Jenny, can we visit in six months?" someone asked.
"What? That's a weird request..." Jenny said and then glanced at the mischievous Rob around the room.
Val arched his eyebrows at the question.
"What's going on with you guys?" Jenny asked truly puzzled.
"Oh, that reminds me..." Beth reached behind her back and pulled out a jar of pickles.
"Ummm, thanks..." Jenny said a bit bemused.
Then Diane added "hold on..." and she tossed down a package of Swedish fish.
"Wow!" Jenny said "Thanks guys, but why are you giving me this?"
Val started to laugh as he realised where this was going.
"Oh, no reason... no reason. Also, the boys bought you chocolate." one of the girls said.
"Thanks guys" Jenny was still clueless and her friends just cracked up. "Wait... what is it with you guys? Why are you laughing? I want to laugh too."
This caused them to laugh even harder and Val joined in the laugh, unable to contain himself any longer.
"Now you too?" Jenny looked at Val both annoyed and pleading for an explanation...
"Oh Jen, you are too funny" Beth gasped.
"Sorry, sweetheart... it's just that..." said Val between bursts of laughter.
Then it dawned on her.
"I'm... not... we aren't..." now Jenny's cheeks grew red and she stuttered as she became more and more flustered.
"It's ok, Jenny" Rob patted her head.
Val pulled Jenny to sit on his lap "Guys, we are not pregnant."
Beth turned to Lyndsey and Diane. They whispered amongst themselves for a bit. Nick turned to Matt and Rob and they mimicked the girls. Candy and Joey looked from one group to the other, to Jenny and Val, and then back to the two groups. Jenny hid her face in her hands.
"Aiiii!" she cried "you guys will be the death of me."
"But you love us, Jen" Beth said.
"No, she loves us more" Rob countered.
"Whoa! guys, calm down" Jenny said in a placating tone.
"No, I think she loves me more" added Val laughing.
"Oh no... not you too" Jenny shook her head "but I do love you more, Val." She kissed him and he kissed her back.
"Oh no" Candy groaned "here we go."
"Oi! get a room you two" Matt said laughing
"We have a room already" Val said smiling and kissed Jenny again. She kissed him back and heard Diane sigh.
Rob said "I'm going to listen to music. Tell me when they are done" and he put on his earbuds.
Nick got up and walked into the kitchen. "Hey guys, there's more food in here" he called back into the living-room.
"Oh, really?" Beth scurried after Nick. "Wow! You are right. Well, I suppose Jenny and Val won't mind" Beth glanced over at the couch where Jenny was making out with Val.
Nick had a distant look on his face.
"Yo, Nick" Beth waved her hand in front of his face.
"Oh, what? ah, sorry" he shook his head slowly like waking up.
"Hey" Beth's voice got softer. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing..." he looked away.
"I know you are lying..." Beth smirked.
"What? No!" anger flashed in his eyes but then he calmed down. "No, no... I'm fine."
"No, you are not. come here and let me talk to you" Beth led him out the side door and onto a small patio. She closed the door with a soft click.
"I've known Jenny for so long..." Nick began "she has always acted like my mom and at first it was annoying but... she became a really good friend. She cares about us... You, me, Rob... I'm going to miss that now that she's getting married and all."
Beth nodded "so you are telling me that you are going to miss her being super overprotective and bossy."
Nick laughed "I guess I am... but I am going to miss her compassionate side as well. All those times she offered to tutor me and I finally gave in... and she was always letting me see her homework..." he trailed off as if there was so much more to say but couldn't find the right words.
Beth nodded. She knew what he meant. "Did Jenny ever scold you in class or during school?" Beth asked.
"All the time!" Nick said.
"Wow! really? me too!" Beth answered.
"The worst time was probably back in freshmen year, when I hadn't hung out with the group for a while." Nick explained "she called me out in class and then refused to talk to me for three days."
"Wow three!" Beth said "the longest she went without talking to me was a few hours. Except for the brawl we had in grade school... but that was because I was a weird kid" she laughed "and still am, I guess... but aren't we all?"
"Yeah, we are... and some are weirder than others" Nick said and then added "ah well, Jenny told me a long time ago not to visit her when she was three months pregnant or over six months" his eyes closed, remembering...
"Why did she say that?" Beth asked curiously.
He chuckled "the stupidest reasons."
"Come on, tell me Nick" Beth begged.
"Well..." he began."
"Are you two going to just stand outside all day?" Candy asked poking her head out the side door...
"Hey, they don't know we are going to live here, yet" Val whispered in Jenny's ear when they stopped kissing for a moment.
"I think they figured it out" she kissed him again.
Val knew he should be sharing Jenny's attention with her friends, rather than monopolizing her like this... but he could never resist the impulse of kissing her... her lips, her mouth, were just too delicious to him. But after a while he started to feel guilty and selfish... She sensed this and gently pushed him away. He nodded his understanding.
"Come on guys... want a tour?" Jenny asked her friends.
They followed her. Val followed her with his eyes. After investigating all the rooms they stopped by the kitchen...
"Hey Jenny, can I turn on your stove?" Matt asked.
"No, Matt... not then and not now. Remember the last time I let you?" Jenny said, her expression very serious.
"Oh yeah..." Matt said smiling mischievously.
"I'm still not over that" Rob said.
"Dude, it's not that big of a deal." Matt complained.
"Not a big deal!" Rob exploded "those were sp cards!"
"Boys!" Jenny shouted. They jumped. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder how you all survived college."
Then they went down into the basement.
"Wow! that's a lot of boxes." Diane remarked.
"Huh, oh yeah" Jenny replied.
Val could hear the chatter coming up from the basement... Left alone in the living-room, he rested his head back, closed his eyes and smiled... He knew how much it meant to Jenny for her friends to be there. And there was nothing in the world he wanted more than to see his beloved fiancé happy. He wished he knew all her friends better, but he didn't worry much about that... they had a whole lifetime together for him to do that.
They all came back into the living-room...
"Thanks so much for the tour, Jen, but we have to go. It is getting late" someone said, and then added looking at Val "thanks for dinner, man."
"No problem" Val nodded, smiling.
Her friends hugged her, said bye to Val and then left.
"Wow! that was quite a visit, Love" Val said taking Jenny's hand and pulling her down to sit beside him.
"Yes it was" Jenny said looking at the mess in the living-room.
"Don't worry about the empty pizza boxes, honey... we'll clean up tomorrow" Val said... and then he added, "the Hospital is supposed to have my crutches delivered tomorrow morning, and then I'll be able to walk and help you."
"Alright... don't worry about it. Uh, can you walk to the bedroom, or do you want to sleep on the couch here" asked Jenny.
Val looked at the bedroom door, then down at his legs... "I'd say right here tonight" he said laughing lightly.
"Ok. I'm going to get ready for bed" Jenny said.
Val watch her walk over to the bedroom... he'd never get tired of looking at her. While waiting for her, he reviewed in his head the past few weeks... it had been quite a ride...  secretly buying that house... the vacations, without telling Jenny what his true plans were... that minor fight they had when he got jealous... proposing... her saying Yes... almost dying... the Hospital... giving Jenny the surprise about that house being their new home... Jenny's friends visit...
"Wow" he said softly to himself "if that's a glimpse of what my life with Jenny will be, I can rest assured we'll never be bored." He then stiffened a laugh..."although I could do without accidents and broken bones" he said tapping gently his casts.