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“No, thanks.” She gives me a hug before I walk to the bar.
Now that I’m done with my duties for the night, I decide to get shit-faced to forget that man ever existed. The crowd at the bar fills up, but I eventually place my order. I hear Eli behind me, and when I glance over my shoulder, I see Ryan next to him. Neither seems to realize I’m close because I hear Eli mention me.
“I’m surprised to see Rachelle here. I thought you and Kendall hooking up was gonna lead to something more.” Eli says what I’ve been thinking all night.
Ryan chuckles, and I grow more annoyed.
“I-I don’t know. It was fun while it lasted,” Ryan says as if he’s already uncomfortable talking about me.
“She’s not your type or something?” Eli asks.
“We don’t have a lot in common. She’s a spoiled princess, and I work fifteen-hour days at the hospital,” Ryan responds. It takes everything inside me not to turn around and give him a piece of my mind, but I refuse to make a scene at my best friend’s wedding. So I bite my lip and let the rage burn inside me instead.
How dare he fucking say that about me? It feels like a giant slap in the face after I confided in him and shared personal details about myself. He knows there’s more to me than that, so his words cut deep. That fucking asshole!
I’m filled with so much anger that when I get my drink, I immediately suck it down.
I walk to the opposite side of the room, not wanting to overhear any more of their conversation. Quickly, I find a group of friends to dance with and let loose so I don’t have to see Ryan and Rachelle flirting.
At some point, Marc, a guy from our friend group, starts dancing with me. He gets handsy and rocks his body back and forth with me, but I don’t even care. I lost my shoes hours ago and let him hold me close as we sway to the music.
When the song ends, I excuse myself and decide to get some fresh air. The coolness slaps me in the face and helps sober me up for a few minutes. The hair on my arms stand up when I hear the door open, and I glance over my shoulder to see Ryan.
“Hey,” he says casually.
“What’re you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be entertaining your date?” I snap.
“Who, Rachelle?”
I glare, then roll my eyes at him. “Who else?”
“Kendall…it’s not like that. I didn’t know she was coming. It’s—” He steps closer, but I hold up my hand to stop him.
“Don’t waste your breath. I’m just a spoiled princess, right?”
His eyes widen and I see regret written on his face, but I don’t care.
“I didn’t mean—”
“For me to overhear that? I’m sure you didn’t, but I’m so fucking glad I did. At least I know why you didn’t text me all week.” I push past him, and he stops me. “Ryan, don’t.”
“Kendall, please. Just…”
I yank my arm from his grip and scowl. “Fuck off.”Chapter Twenty-TwoRyanTWENTY-FOUR HOURS AGOMy head’s consumed with thoughts of seeing Kendall again. We never talked about what would happen once we left the cabin, so all the unspoken words between us have been circulating through my mind all damn week.
I’ve thought about texting her a hundred times. Between my shifts and on my breaks, I’d type out a message, then delete it. All the overthinking I did led to not texting her at all. I’m sure it’s going to be awkward now.
The “only sex” rules were her idea, but things definitely went beyond that. Even now, I don’t know how she feels. My mind goes between not being enough and her not wanting to be with someone who works so much.
Those thoughts stopped me from reaching out. Now we’ll be reunited at my sister’s rehearsal, and I’m already sweating over it.
The St. Jameses expect nothing less than perfection for Cami’s big day, so I dress in a nice suit that’ll satisfy my mother. My wardrobe usually consists of scrubs, so wearing slacks and a button-up is a nice change.
When I arrive at the church, I spot my best friend and give him a hug.
“Hey, man.” He slaps my back. “Haven’t seen you in ages.”
“I know. Talk about a crazy couple of weeks.”
As soon as I returned to the city, I was buried in work and had no time to hang out.
“I’d say. Cami almost lost her damn mind.”
I chuckle. “Yeah well, I think I did too.”
My sister comes over, and I give her a hug. When I look across the room, I’m nearly blinded by Kendall. She’s in a gorgeous pale blue dress and is wearing fuck-me heels. The thoughts that consume my mind are completely inappropriate.
Cami rushes toward her, but I stay put. The awkwardness already streams through the air, and I’m not sure how Kendall will act. When she walks over, I’m relieved when I see a smile and hear her friendly voice. She speaks to Eli first, and I watch their casual interaction. Kendall seems fine, but as I’ve learned, she’s good at covering her emotions when needed.
