"We have to be at the chapel around 2:30. The wedding is actually at 3, but Derek's mom considers on-time late. You'll see tomorrow. She's very easy to spot. Just look for the woman who always scrunches her face as if everyone around her hasn't showered in weeks."
"Okay."
"The chapel is on the right side of the pavilion."
At this, River smiles. "I can always count on you to lead us in the wrong direction. The chapel is literally outside this building."
Focusing on these logistical arrangements certainly helps to relieve some of my tension. Untie my knots.
"Oh, huh. Anyway, that went well, right? You think Derek bought it?"
River massages the back of his neck, and why does that look sexy? Then, he unbuttons the top button of his shirt and rolls his sleeves, and why does that look even sexier?
God, what is happening to me? Is it the alcohol in my system? No way, I only had a little wine and a mocktail, and that was over two hours ago.
"If the constant glare he throws in my direction is any indication, I would say yes, he definitely bought it."
"Well, he did invite me to his wedding."
"The man brought it upon himself. He was a fool to do that to you, and I have zero sympathy for fools."
"Alice looked pretty, though. I hate to admit it, but she looked radiant."
River stares at me for a second or two, and that stare does something to my girly parts. I suddenly feel so hot all over. "I wouldn't know, Nadine. I never looked at her or any other woman. My eyes were glued to you."
This conversation is really throwing me off. River isn't following the script. This is supposed to be the time when we laugh at whatever happened earlier, when we make jokes. But it’s likesomething exists in the space between us, and we're both just dancing around it. "Y-yeah, well, you played your part perfectly."
River doesn't answer. He just stands there, in the semi-darkness, his sleeves rolled to reveal his deliciously strong, veiny, tattooed forearms, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He's just looking. At me.
An odd, tingling heat pulses in the pit of my belly. "River?—"
"I need to ask you something."
"W-what is it?"
"That kiss. Did it mean something other than a performance?"
My instinct is to lie and say yes, but River knows me too well. He can always magically tell when I'm lying or giving him half-truths. My senses are on high alert. I can hear the waves against the shore, the faint laughter, the ceiling fan above us, but it seems nothing is louder than the pounding of my heart, as if it's trying to beat its way out of my chest. "Rachel?—"
"Rachel will always have an opinion. Answer the question, Nadine."
"River, you're my best friend's brother."
"Still not answering the question."
"Except for this fake relationship, you're off-limits."
"It's a yes or no."
It is, isn't it? So why is it so hard for me to answer? Is it because I love Rachel to death? That I would hate to disappoint heror make her angry? Would I be crossing an imaginary line, amounting to absolute disrespect, and breaking a girl code?
But…
What if her opinions have changed? What if the idea of River and me wouldn't be as bad anymore? What if…?
"You're overthinking things, Nadine. I can practically see the gears turning in your head."
River takes one, two, three steps, and suddenly, the only thing separating us is one foot ... and Rachel. "Say no, and we can move on, forget this conversation ever happened."
