“Ozzy! Is that you?”
My attention turns to see who has interrupted my attempt to prolong this day with this fine man.
It’s a cluster of women.
They’re all gorgeous. And they’re all holding flasks and wearing little to nothing. It’s hard to tell which one has called Othello, Ozzy, until the one demanding the most attention in her white backless cowl-neck halter top and white sequin disc mini skirt asks him, “Are you seriously just getting here?”
It takes me a minute to realize the woman calling Othello by a pet name and questioning him like a child is Carina Sterling.
Oh my God. Carina?
Right here in front of me.
So many things hit me at once. The fact that she’s here in the flesh. Carina is getting married. She’s beyond beautiful. Her breasts look good in that top. I love her Giuseppe’s. Who does her makeup? And then…this is Othello’s ex?
I’m trying not to look dumbfounded, but my brain does a full record scratch. And so does my mood. My eyes bounce between the two. Othello looks like he’s been caught with his pants down, and Carina is squaring her shoulders like she’s stepping into the spotlight. She stands there, front and center, her entourage of four parading behind her like glamorous back-up dancers. Bodyguards nearby, standing like soldiers awaiting orders.
The ladies all look fabulous, dressed down in beachy regalia fit for a Miami Swimwear fashion show. But Carina steals all the attention, as she should, with her white ensemble and sparklyBride-to-Besash hanging across her perfect, well-endowed breast. Her doe-like lashes seem to bat flirtatiously at Othello. Her full lips, coated in glossy pink lipstick, give him a smirk I can’t quite make out. Or maybe it’s just all in my head. Carina flips her thick, long black hair over her shoulder. She could very well pass for the singer Amerie.
“I thought that was you,” she says once she is up close and personal, so close that I can smell her Delina Exclusif perfume.Her eyes flash with something unreadable. I can’t tell if she’s irritated or delighted to see Othello.
“Gavin and I have been trying to call you all day.”
Othello pulls his phone from his pocket, eyes widening at the screen before shaking his head. “Yeah… I forgot to take my phone off airplane mode.” With a few taps, his phone comes alive, vibrating and chiming with missed notifications.
It’s only then that I realize he hasn’t checked his phone once since he and I were together.
“What took you so long?”
Me. It was me.I want to raise my hand and confess, but instead, I stay silent, standing beside him while my thoughts race.
Carina Sterling.
She is here.Righthere. My team was right. A wave of nausea seems to hit me, and the room tilts ever so slightly.
The bride’s bosom buddies give me looks of curiosity, but the bride herself hasn’t laid eyes on me yet. And for some reason I feel like it’s deliberate.
As I take in all this, reality seeps into my brain like an ink stain, spreading and bleeding over my good mood. Othello is here to be the best man. To attend pre-wedding festivities. To make up with his cousin. And bond and have fun with the wedding party, and his gorgeous ex-girlfriend.
Oh, and strippers. I most certainly couldn’t forget about them. Because there’s definitely going to be a bachelor party, right? Drunken nights. Regrets. Partying in Maui. Because let’s be honest, he probably won’t be able to resist temptation with all these beautiful women around. Othello is on vacation.
Anything goes.
Including me.
Right?
Stop this.
Why do I care? I’m not here for this man. I never was. I’m here for peace. Reading books in a cabana. Sunrise yoga. Excursions. Hikes. I have a whole agenda. A list of peaceful things to do.
Othello is here for a wedding celebration. I’m here for a relaxing vacation.
Two completely different things.
10
plus-one
