A waiter comes to the table to take James’ order, but he declines.
“I believe you. You’re strong. Being here, I mean. I mean, I probably would have shown up, but accepting to be the Best Man takes a whole nother level of grace.”
“I’m here because my aunt can’t be.”
“I respect that. And listen, I don’t even believe half the shit that was told. I know there are two sides to every story, and Carina’s side is just that…her side.”
Yeah, the truth depends on who’s telling the story, I want to say. But I save my breath.
We’re interrupted by the other two groomsmen. I know their names are Todd and Vernon, but I don’t know who is who. They’re both wearing Polo swim trunks without shirts. The shortest out of the two is leering at me with this dumb ass cocky grin on his face. He has eyes that are too close together and a haircut that screams Carlton Banks.
“Well, well, well, look who we have here. The silent one! A lot of us didn’t think you would make it.” He takes a seat across from me, while the other dude sits to his left. The guy to his left gives me a nod of acknowledgment, but that’s it. He has brown skin and green eyes.
“Todd, be easy,” James warns.
Todd shrugs innocently. “What? It’s a valid observation. It’s a little rude to ignore people. I forget you’re in the group chat sometimes.”
“And somehow the world keeps spinning,” I say, deadpan.
We lock eyes. The poindexter doesn’t back down. He puts his elbows on the table and leans forward in my direction. His eyes narrow slightly, despite them already being cocked like a pistol.
What the fuck is this dudes problem? Did he know I would pummel him into the ground with my bare hands? If this buff midget thought he was intimidating me, he was sadly mistaken.
“Everything good over here?” Gavin’s voice cuts through the tension like a knife as he approaches and stands right next to me.The closest we’ve been since his mother’s funeral, when I gave him a sincere hug and nothing more. That had been a year ago.
But this is the first time we’ve spoken in three years, since I found out about him and Carina. He looks like he’s aged a bit. And not due to nature, but due to grief and stress. His dark hair is now cropped close, giving him a cleaner, more refined look. A white fitted tank top clings to his lean, muscular frame.
“Yeah,” I say, my voice level. “We’re good.”
Gavin’s eyes shoot to Todd, the intensity of it enough to make the cocky grin Todd had been wearing slip from his face.
“You aren’t causing my cousin any trouble, are you, Todd?”
Todd scoffs under his breath. “Nah, nothing like that.” But the edge in his voice betrays him.
Gavin’s eyes flick back to mine. I can feel the others watching. Waiting. Wondering.
“Long time, bro,” Gavin tells me.
“Yeah, been a minute.”
He extends a hand to mine and pulls me to my feet. He wraps me in a hug, clapping my back. And I return the sentiment, years of brotherhood clashing with years of resentment. He pulls away from me, looking me over and then back at his friends. “Did you meet the guys?”
I look between Todd and the one who hasn’t said a word since he got here. “Nah, not properly.”
Gavin turns to his rent-a-friends, and I say that because they can’t possibly know him as well as I do. I’d never heard of them until the group chat. “Othello, these are a few of my co-workers. We all work at the Georgia ports. This is James, Todd, and Vernon.” He gestures towards me. “This is Othello. My cousin. More like my brother.”
Gavin and I hold each other’s gaze a moment longer, the weight of the past settling into the space between us. The unspoken words. The betrayal. The years of silence.
Todd exhales dramatically and stands. “You two aren’t going to kiss and make up, are you? Save that for your wedding day.”
“Are we making a sandcastle or what?” Vernon asks impatiently.
Gavin checks his watch. “Yeah, let’s head out. The girls are meeting us out there.”
James and Vernon stand and follow us out of the outdoor section of the restaurant.
“I can’t remember the last time I built a sandcastle,” says James.
