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He nodded. “Yes, only with your friends.”
“Exactly. Ross, Rachel, Phoebe…”
“Aaliyah.” Jason stated my name as if I were a misbehaving child, and I nodded, knowing from the slight undertone in his voice that he was feeling pressure. “A lot of people who are important to me are here tonight, and I think it’s important for them to interact with the most important person in my life.”
“Okay, okay. I need ten minutes of fresh air. Then I’ll come back and be the perfect bride-to-be.”
“Sounds good.”
“Before I go, can you make me a promise?”
“Anything.”
“After we’re done here tonight, can we go get some real food? Maybe a place with a bread basket?”
He laughed his real laugh, and that made me happy. “Oh, Liyah.” His mouth grazed over mine before he moved his lips to my forehead, where he planted a kiss. His voice was low, full of a sweetness that didn’t exactly match the words he spoke. “You know you shouldn’t be eating carbohydrates.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, stunned by his comment.
“God, don’t do that,” he groaned.
“Don’t do what?”
“Get all emotional.”
“What are you talking about? You said that weird thing about me eating and—”
“Not now, Aaliyah,” he whispered with sternness to his tone. “I’m not going to have one of our pointless arguments at my event. This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Don’t ruin it with your emotions.”
“I’m just saying…that was a rude comment.”
“Rude or honest? I mentioned the other day that your ass looked fat in your dress.”
I frowned, feeling extremely self-conscious. I thought that was a compliment.
The smell of liquor fell from every exhalation he had. I loved Jason, but I didn’t like the man he was when he drank. Some nights I wondered if I even knew who he had really been. I wondered if the alcohol made him speak his truths, or transition into someone who only spoke lies. I stared at him as if he were a complete stranger. I’d been noticing his belittling behavior more and more the past few weeks.
Over the past six weeks, I crawled into bed with a stranger. We’d been together for over a year, yet it was only six weeks ago that we moved in with one another. Our love story began with rainbows and butterflies. I was obsessed with Jason Rollsfield, and he was obsessed with me. That was until I gave up my apartment and moved in with him. After the move, it was as if my Prince Charming had turned into the Beast.
Everything I did annoyed him. Every time he belittled me, he’d flip it around and say I’d somehow taken his words out of context. He didn’t hug me as often; he didn’t caress me as he had before. Each day that passed, I felt more of a disconnect and it worried me to my core.
He drank more than he ever told me he did. He stayed out later than he’d ever mentioned before we moved in with one another. His mother told me he was overwhelmed with his new work commitments and the upcoming move to California, which I understood. I’d only wished he would’ve told me if he felt that way—not his mother.
Before I could reply to his rude comments, he looked past me. “You haven’t met my business partner yet. Connor, come here,” Jason said, waving someone over.
I looked up to see who he was calling out to, and my heart skipped before crashing to a full-blown stop as I met the bluest eyes I’d ever witnessed in my life.
Captain America.
In a suit.
My breaths evaporated the second our eyes locked. For a moment, I thought his eyes widened with realization, too, but when he blinked, it disappeared. His gaze softened, and he extended his hand toward me.
“Hi, Aaliyah, is it? I’m Connor. Nice to meet you.”
My chest ached as our hands shook one another. His eyes were still as blue as I remembered, yet his smile seemed a little more broken than it had been in the past.
I parted my lips to speak, but at first, no sounds came out…not until Jason awkwardly cleared his throat and nudged me.
