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“I did,” he admitted. His eyes warmed as they met mine. “But sometimes, it’s worth it. Like now.”
I blushed as Andrew’s gaze intensified just slightly. Before I could retort, I felt an arm around my shoulders and the sharp, alcoholic smell of cologne wafted over my nose. I closed my eyes as Michael said, “Hey babe. I just got away from Ana. What an intense chick.”
“She’s passionate.” I slid his arm off of my shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Michael made a noise of dissent. “Sure, babe. Who’s this?”
We both turned to Andrew. “Michael, this is Andrew,” I said, gesturing to him. “Andrew, Michael.”
They shook hands solemnly, eyes assessing each other.
“Pleasure to meet you, man.” Andrew let go of Michael’s hand. “Alicia told me a lot about you.”
“Same.” Michael’s body tensed with a wariness I rarely saw. I looked on with raised eyebrows. “You two went to high school together?”
“Yeah, and college, basically.” Andrew and I smiled at each other. Michael frowned. “We went to sister colleges,” I explained. “They were practically down the street from each other.”
“But we spent a lot of time on each other’s campuses too.” Andrew regarded me, smiling. “She was at my place when we found out about the Marathon Bomber—”
“And he was at my place when we were told to shelter in place –”
“And then there was that fun little adventure in your big chop moment—”
I smirked. “And your subsequent shit fit when I said the cut was just okay.”
“I gave you a crown of glory.” Andrew’s sniff was equal parts miffed and indignant. “You looked like Buckwheat, and I saved you. You’re welcome.”
“Interesting.” Michael gestured, and a cater-server appeared by his side. He took a flute of champagne for each of us and passed them around. “Well then, I’m glad I got to meet you in person, I guess. Here, let’s toast.” He raised his glass, and Andrew and I followed suit. “To old friends, new beginnings, and a love that’ll last forever.”
“Cheers,” I said, and our glasses clinked together. We sipped in an uncomfortable silence.
Finally, I turned to Michael. “Let’s dance.”
He made a face like I was asking him to step over hot coals barefoot. “Babe, you know I hate dancing.”
“It’s our party; let’s at least make the effort.” I stuck my bottom lip out and batted my eyelashes, and he smiled a little.
“Compromise?” He took my flute and then Andrew’s. “You and Andy catch up, dance a little. I’ll schmooze with your parents’ friends, so they don’t bug you too much.” He winked, and I laughed. He always knew how to get out of dancing, but I didn’t mind this particular compromise, even if it meant dancing with Andrew. He was a terrible dancer, especially in comparison to Michael, but I hated talking to my parents’ friends.
Andrew took my hand. “I guess I must take one for the team,” he said. My heart sped up at the physical contact. He tugged on my hand for emphasis. “Let’s do it.”
I looked back at Michael. For a nanosecond, I saw an expression flit across his face. His eyes narrowed at Andrew’s hand around mine. He pulled his lips between his teeth and his eyes looked almost feral, possessive. He’s jealous, I realized. Before I could say anything, it was replaced by a friendly but smooth mask.
“Have fun,” he said, waving. He disappeared into the crowd.
My uneasiness dissipated quickly. I turned to Andrew with a wicked smile. “Let me show you how it’s done.”
Andrew led me into a surprisingly smooth dip at the ending note of the song. Everyone clapped, and Andrew bowed.
“Thank you,” the lead singer said. “We are the Bangers. But before we go for the night, we just wanted to say congratulations to Alicia and Michael, and we hope you have a long and happy marriage. To show our congratulations, we have a special guest joining me on the stage for our last song. Please welcome Yasmine from The Leroys!”
My eyes widened, and I looked to Andrew. He smiled and shrugged slightly. “I called in a favor.”
I crushed his body to mine in a hug, pulled away, then hugged him again. “This is fucking epic, Parker,” I whispered in his ear. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He pulled back to look into my eyes. “May you have a long, happy, healthy marriage.” He smiled sadly. “Consider this my wedding gift to you.”
I tilted my head a little, my gaze roving over his face. Slowly, the party started to fade away. Something was going on with Andrew; I just couldn’t put my finger on it. His mouth tightened slightly, like the skin around his eyes. He gripped my shoulders more firmly than he had in the past. And his eyes. Those cherry-wood-colored eyes. They were bright with the light of a thousand sunsets. My breathing quickened until I felt like I had been running a marathon. And I sure did hate marathons.
