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Last night ended on a good note. We were finally at a point where we could be in the same room without it turning tense or awkward.
After doing a little remote work in the morning, we went out for lunch at my favorite pub, Hunky Harold's. I had been going there for years and knew the owner well. Others called him Harold, but I called him…
"Hey Hunk!"
"Bryyyyce!" His loud, boisterous voice cut through the busy bistro as he dragged my name out. He waddled his round body toward us. He was a big man, but moved easily through the crowded tables. "Wazzup, dude? Haven't seen you around these parts for a while. I heard you might be gettin' hitched!" He winked at Reyna, who was perched on my arm, as we did the bro shake and shoulder hit. I had to bend down a little for the last part.
"You heard correctly. Let me introduce you to my fiancée, Reyna. Reyna, this is Hunky Harold, but just call him Hunk."
They shook hands, both beaming at each other.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Reyna. Hats off to the woman who tames this stallion." Cue the boisterous laughter. I couldn't help but laugh, too. "Bryce, you know you're the only one who calls me Hunk. Well, besides my wife, haw haw," he winked again as he elbowed me in the side. "Here, let me show you to your table. I'll give you a private booth."
He led us through the crowd, through the curious eyeballs that followed us. I admit, I was a striking figure, but Reyna could be in sweats and still gather adoring looks. The bar grew a little quiet as people whispered to each other. I saw a few phones take some photos, and that played perfectly into our social media hype.
The rest of the lunch went off without a hitch. I wanted to bring Reyna to see Hunk to put her at ease for what was potentially to come this afternoon at the interview. We laughed and cuddled a lot and it seemed to do the trick. Hunk was at his best, giving us some private time, but also coming by to sit and chat before we left.
"Hey," he said, "I know you guys are getting married soon. How about we put together some kind of midnight buffet for you lovebirds? Or do they allow this kind of bar food at the frou-frou places you folk are likely to get married at?"
I laughed. "Hey, that's a great idea, Hunk. We will definitely keep it in mind." Friendly, yet no commitment.
"We will definitely put you on the list when we start planning," Reyna added, touching Hunk's fleshy arm.
"Well," Hunk threw his arms into the air, "that's all I can ask for! Thanks you two, and have a great rest of your afternoon. Lunch is on me. See ya in the papers!" And with that, another bro shake and after blowing Reyna a kiss, he was off.
Hunk always tried to pay for my bill, but, as usual, I left a generous amount on the table, enough to cover the food, tip, and the boisterous conversation. It was an interesting societal occurrence, too. Owners wanted to treat celebrities well, and that often meant swallowing the bill. But we were the ones who could easily pay. What a crazy world.
But now, we were off to the interview. I was thankful for the time we had to just to chill out. Reyna seemed totally at ease, and that was definitely the best way to start this off.
We walked into the newsroom together, hand in hand, and I could feel her tense once inside. She had a look of anticipation and fear in her eyes. We were about to enter into uncharted territory. I was totally comfortable in interviews about business, but even I was starting to feel the nerves running through my body. There was a lot at stake here.
We were met with bright lights and unfamiliar faces. The staff there quickly jumped into coaching us on how the interview would go and what questions they would ask.
Fortunately, all the questions were pretty straightforward. Most of them focused on our relationship and how we had managed to stay together despite public scrutiny. I think one of the most difficult questions for me to answer was when they asked about the impact the media had had on our relationship, but I did my best to be honest and transparent.
Things were going well until the interviewer asked me if we had plans of walking down the aisle soon. That wasn't on their list. I was caught like a deer in headlights and my heart skipped a beat.
“Actually, we are thinking of tying the knot this August. Of course, we're keeping the date a secret because we want it to be a private affair,” I just blurted out and then turned to Reyna again. She smiled, but I could see the "What the hell are you saying?" screaming from behind her eyes. We hadn’t discussed anything concerning how we would tackle that question, and I had caught her off guard. Shit, I caught myself off guard.
“Wow, that’s soon. How is the bride-to-be feeling?” asked Josh, the interviewer, as he turned to Reyna. Reyna cleared her throat and released a nervous laugh.
“I’m still processing it. First of all, I can’t believe I’m getting married. And yes, August is very soon. I'm trying not to get wrapped up in all the fuss, but you know every girl dreams of their special day,” she responded. Clever answer.
“Hopefully, we will be one of the few selected publications to experience your special day. And on that note, thank you both for joining us today and,” Josh said, turning to look directly into the camera, "thank you to all of you out there who are tuning in to watch. Have a good rest of your day."
The director yelled, "Cut!". Reyna jumped out of her chair and headed to grab her water bottle.
I knew something had upset her, and I knew it was probably the unexpected wedding announcement I had made. While the photographer calibrated his cameras, I walked up to her. She acted as if I wasn't there. I was afraid to break the silence, to say the wrong thing, and make it even worse. It seemed like forever that we had been standing there, neither of us speaking, watching her fill up her water bottle.
When she finally turned to look at me, I wanted to reach out and touch her, to take her into my arms and tell her I was sorry. But I could feel her emotionally pulling away from me. I could see the hurt in her eyes, and it felt like a knife in my heart.
The silence stretched out, thinner and thinner, until it seemed like it would break any second. I sensed her anger rising, her body tensing up, and I braced myself.
“Hey, are you okay?” I whispered to her.
"Yes, I’m fine," she responded, still sipping the water and avoiding my gaze. I knew her well enough to know that she was livid.
"Are you sure? You seem a bit... agitated. Did I say something wrong?"
