I called Kinsley as soon as I knew Mia was okay to return to the festivities. Now I’m standing near the restroom again, processing what Kinsley told me happened.
And Luke’s reaction.
I’m so torn. I want to go to him, but I need to be here for Mia too.
A hand touching my shoulder snaps me back to reality. I swipe away another tear and put on a smile I’m far from feeling.
Mia tilts her head toward me. “What’s wrong?”
I try to keep my smile in place, but my eyes have another agenda at the moment, and it includes making my mascara run like hers did earlier. If I try to speak, I know I’ll turn into a blubbering idiot and ruin the evening.
She pulls me into a hug. “Soph, what is it? Is it Luke? Did he bail on you?”
I swipe at my cheeks, still attempting to put on the show most needed right now. This is Mia’s rehearsal dinner. Tomorrow she gets married. We’ve worked so hard to get all the crazy pieces in place. The last thing I want is to be a low spot in her special time.
I give a vigorous shake of my head. “No. I mean, I don’t know. But it’s not what you think.”
She leans back to look at me. “Then what is it?”
I fill her in with a brief version of what Kinsley shared.
A myriad of emotions flow over Mia’s face as she processes what I said. “That’s excruciating. Is he still coming to the dinner?”
Unable to speak, I press my fingers against my lips and shrug. The ache in my chest for Luke is almost unbearable.
I lower my hand and take a deep breath. “I don’t know. His sister said he had someplace to be, so maybe?”
“Did you text him?”
“Not yet. But I will now.”
“Good. I can ask Ethan to try texting him too.”
I grab her wrist. “No. You two focus on your evening. I already feel bad about bringing you into this as it is.”
Mia’s eyes widen. “Soph, you’ve kept me from going over the deep end throughout this entire process. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be AWOL at the moment.”
Our giggles echo off the bathroom walls, mine sounding more watery.
I nudge her toward the door. “Go. I’ll be out in a sec.”
“Okay.” She squeezes my arm. “But let me know if we can help.”
I nod, but have no intention of ruining their evening. Somehow, I’ll figure out a way to be in two places at once. After I shoot a text to Luke, I clean up my face, again thankful I listened to that nudge to bring my make-up bag.
More guests arrive. I try not to check my phone every ten seconds, but it’s getting harder the longer I don’t hear from Luke. And he’s obviously not coming here because dinner’s halfway done and still no sign of him.
After I give my obligatory toast as the maid of honor and Ethan’s brother does his as the best man, Mia pulls me aside.
“Any word yet?”
“No, nothing.”
“Any idea where he might be?”
I pause, thinking about our day at the beach and how much Luke said it helped him decompress. Could that be where he is now, trying to figure things out?
“Maybe.”
