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Adrian sighs deeply and runs a hand through his hair.
“It’s awkward,” he says.
“That’s the problem with dating one of my friends, Addy,” Laura says, clearly annoyed.
“Dating?” Adrian replies, equally annoyed. “You know it was more than just dating.” He pauses long enough for Laura to interject.
“The two of you were on again, off again. How am I supposed to keep up?”
“We’re done.”
With her hand on her hip, Laura gives Adrian a disbelieving look as if she’s heard this before.
“For good,” he says definitively.
Laura places a hand on her brother’s shoulder and looks at him thoughtfully. “I don’t want to get in the middle. You know I love you both, so don’t tell me something that will make me hate Taylor.”
Feeling as though I have violated their privacy long enough, I leave them to finish the rest of their conversation and get in line for coffee. My head hurts and the aspirin hasn’t kicked in yet.
“Rough night?” Adrian asks from close to my ear.
Turning, I see his dark hair is ruffled from him running his hand through it, a few stray pieces settling against his forehead. Looking perfect in a plain white t-shirt, stretched tight across his lean chest in a way I can’t help but admire, thankfully safely unnoticed behind my sunglasses still covering my eyes.
“Have you ever slept with my sister?” I lower my glasses just enough to look him in the eye.
“Excuse me?” he asks, slightly horrified.
“Be glad because she snores, and I think I actually have bruises from her elbowing me in her sleep.” Turning over my arm, I look for proof.
Adrian laughs. “You’re very funny,” he says with a smile that brings out his dimples.
“I’ve been called worse,” I quip, turning back around to find the line has moved up a little bit.
Adrian leans close, placing his chin over my shoulder. “You’re wearing that sameAerosmithshirt,” he says, almost with a groan.
Turning around, I ask, “Is that all it took for you to take me home? My shirt?”
His lip curves into a smile as he rubs the stubble on his chin. “It wasn’t the shirt.”
The way he says things with such certainty and meaning is unnerving and causes my stomach to tighten. My bravado waning, I turn away so I don’t have to meet his eyes.
“It was dark that night,” I whisper, remembering the rain covered street, and the dim light in the alcove of the record store.
“I saw you just fine,” he says clearly.
Beads of sweat form on my brow, and the room becomes way too warm. It could be the room full of bodies standing in a line so close to one another; or it could be just the one standing so close to me.
“Why is this line so fucking slow?” I complain, using my key card to try and cool myself down but it doesn’t help. “And who in their right mind gets married in August?” I ask stubbornly. “In Phoenix,” I add.
“That’s when they met,” Adrian says in a serious tone, just as the line moves up and the coffee machine becomes free.
My hand falters while reaching to grab a Styrofoam cup. I never thought to ask my sister why she chose to get married in August, but Adrian knew. I know we’ve grown apart over the years, having different lives, but it was never more noticeable until now.
“Of course,” I fib, finally grabbing two cups so I can bring one to Noelle. “I’m just a little hungover and it’s so hot. I’m sorry if I was rude,” I explain, feeling bad about complaining.
“It’s a valid complaint,” he offers. “Do you think I’m looking forward to wearing a suit in a hundred-ten-degree weather?”
He’s not, but maybe I am. Picturing his dark hair resting atop a black suit jacket, a crisp white collared shirt barely able to contain the beautiful tattoo peaking over the top… Shaking my head, I take both cups of coffee and don’t look behind me before exiting into the courtyard. Noticing the clouds have gotten thicker in such a short amount of time, I stop to look up at the sky. I have never hated a day of rain in my life, and I don’t hate it now. The grounds are cast in shadow, and I begin to feel drops of water on my arms.
