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“So, that’s what’s keeping you in Portland?” Hadley says. Her question hits me harder than I think she meant it to.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Well, you said you’re working at a yarn store? But you were there for med school, which you’re not doing anymore. I was just wondering—”
“Hads, Faye loves Portland,” Edie interrupts. “Right?”
“Right,” I say, but my voice sounds unsteady.
The girls nod and smile at me as if they want to believe me.
“I wouldn’t just stay in a city for a guy.”
“That’s good,” Liza muses, scrolling through her phone. “You know, since he could get traded at any time.”
Her comment hangs like an uneasy fog, leaving me nothing to do other than take a deep swig of my cocktail. Hadley and Gwen shoot a look at each other and I tuck into the rest of my drink. The thing is, she’s not wrong. And if he did get traded, then what? The thought of Portland without him doesn’t hold nearly as much appeal, and it’s a sobering thought.
“Who’s this with him?” Liza says, pointing at the phone.
It’s a photo of Zeke outside a pub, hovering over a brunette whose back is against a brick wall. She’s wearing a tank top and super short cutoffs, her long, slender legs stretching around his. His hand is tucked into her back pocket and his nose is close to her ear. My stomach tightens into a hot knot.
“Obviously that’s an old photo,” Edie says.
“She’s hot,” Hadley says as Gwen elbows her in the stomach.
“Well, that’s obviously old news and we can’t wait to meet him,” Edie says decisively, squeezing me in a side hug.
Liza shrugs and tucks her phone away.
The rest of the night continues with a few impromptu dance parties, a late-night snack of apples with hot caramel dip, and a viewing ofMagic Mike.
When it’s time for bed, I check my messages to find one from Zeke.
ZEKE: How’s it going?
FAYE: Good. Are you wearing a suit to the wedding?
ZEKE: Yeah, of course. :)
FAYE: With a tie?
ZEKE: Why?
FAYE: No reason
I scroll until I find that picture of him in a suit that the girls found online. Next to it is the photo of him with that girl and it makes me feel nauseated. I enlarge the suit photo and fixate on Hadley’s words and the image of Zeke in that suit and tie, tossing me down on the bed, bending over me, and spreading me. Maybe tying my wrists with that silk tie.
I slip my fingers to the place that’s craving them and imagine what his hands would feel like on my hips. The way his scruff would tickle against the sensitive skin on my neck, my back, between my thighs. The way his breath would feel against my neck, his words low and hot against my ears. It doesn’t take long for me to find my orgasm, and I fall asleep dreaming about razor burn and neckties.
36
faye
“A wise womanonce said ho’s before bros,” Liza says, eyeing my sister carefully as she casually lifts her champagne flute.
I grip mine like it’s a lifeline. I’m already refilling it in the middle of the toast.
“But a wiser one said ‘yes’ to my brother! Here’s to our sweet, blushing bride, Edie!”
