The car ride is tense and quiet. I’m not sure who’s more anxious; him or me, but we turn the music up and smoke the joint, keeping the conversation to a minimum. We pull into the long, winding driveway a few minutes past six.
“Thisis where the party is at?” he asks, eyes wide as he takes in the grounds.
“Yeah, Scottie’s family is loaded,” I mutter, pulling my car out front, where the valet crew stands.
The house is crowded as we walk in through the front door. The double banister staircase in front of us is blocked off with velvet rope, the white marble flooring is spotless, not a scuff in sight, and there’re servers walking around with trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres.
“This is absurd,” Travis mumbles, scanning the area. “Who is she marrying? Bill Gates’s son?”
Chuckling, I say, “Pretty much.”
I spot Ally across the room at the same time she spots us. A smile spreads on her face as she ambles over. “Matty!” She gives me a tight hug before turning her attention to Travis. “Hi, I’m Alondra, but you can call me Ally.”
Travis takes her hand, shaking it. “I’m Travis. Nice to meet you, Ally. Congrats on your engagement. You look beautiful.”
Ally preens under the compliment. “Well, aren’t you the sweetest. Thank you.” She throws me a look that says she’ll be asking about him later. I told her I was bringing a date, but didn’t give her any details. “There’s a bar through that door,” she informs us, glancing over at me. “And appetizers are being passed around, but we’ll eat in a little bit. I gotta go mingle, but have fun, you guys. It was nice to meet you, Travis.”
He looks over at me, amusement dancing in his baby blue eyes. “She seems nice,” he mutters. “What the fuck happened to you, Matty?” He laughs at himself for that one.
“Oh, you’re so funny,” I deadpan. “Let’s get some drinks.”
The bar is easy to find. It’s in the formal living room, and despite the crowd, we’re able to get our beverages in no time at all. With our drinks in hand, we make our way to the far corner of the room.
“So, is your family loaded too,” he asks before taking a sip of his vodka soda.
“No,” I reply with a laugh. “Not even close.”
“How’d they meet? Your sister and her fiancé.”
“They went to high school together.”
Travis’s eyes go wide. “They’ve been together since then?”
I nod. “Yup. She was a cheerleader, and he was the class clown. Their story reminds me of some small-town romance book.”
“That’s sweet, though.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“How is his family so wealthy?”
I don’t miss the way our bodies have naturally gravitated toward one another. We’re practically shoulder to shoulder as we chat and people watch.
“His dad is the CEO of some huge pharmaceutical company.” The words leave my lips the moment my eyes land on the very person I was hoping to avoid all night. My heart stutters in my chest and my throat tightens.
Shit.
What’s worse, is Robbie’s spotted me too, and he’s heading this way. I should’ve warned Travis, but now it’s too late. He says something in response to what I said, but I don’t hear it over the buzzing in my ears.
“Mateo…” My name is spoken in a sickly sweet voice that has bile rising in my throat.
“Robbie.”
“I didn’t know if you’d show up.” Robbie stops directly in front of me, a whiff of the cologne he always wears wafting over to us. I clench my jaw.
“It’s my sister’s engagement party,” I state plainly, pissed at that assumption. “Why wouldn’t I show up?”
“Because you’re never at events our families do together anymore.” His eyes drag over to Travis like it’s the first time he’s noticing him beside me. Every muscle in my body goes rigid. “And who is this?”
