“Hey,” he said as he rounded the bed of his truck. “I hope you weren’t waiting long.” He gave me a half smile before he pushed his hand through his hair.
“I wasn’t waiting long,” I lied. I had, in fact, been waiting thirty minutes.
He waited for me to join him, his eyes narrowed. “Why do I get the impression that you’re lying to me?” His tone was teasing as he leaned closer to me.
Suddenly, I was acutely aware of where he was, and more importantly, how close he was to me. My senses seemed heightened by his presence, and I was noticing things that I had never noticed before. Like his cologne. Since when did Asher smell this good?
“El?” he asked, and his voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“Hmm?” I asked as I glanced up at him to see that he was studying me.
“You okay?”
No. I wasn’t okay. I was certain that I was losing my mind. I shouldn’t be this attuned to him. I shouldn’t care where he was or who he was staring at, but my brain didn’t care about what Ishoulddo. It was having a field day doing whatever it wanted, and in this moment it wanted to focus all of my energy on interpreting my best friend’s every move.
It was exhausting.
“Yeah.” I forced a big smile. “I’m doing great.”
Asher paused, and his eyes narrowed as he studied me. Thankfully, he just nodded and extended his hand toward the storefront. “I’m glad you agreed to join me,” he said, following close behind me as we crossed the parking lot.
I decided to put all of my focus on getting to the front door of the shop so I could get away from him as soon as possible. Once we were inside, I could pull away and give myself some time to truly digest what was happening between us.
Deep down, I had a sinking suspicion that I knew exactly what was going on, but I was too scared to allow myself to acknowledge what my feelings meant. I needed some space and time to process.
Asher held the door open for me as I entered the shop. I kept my gaze forward even though every cell in my body was drawn to him. I wanted to peek over to see if he was looking at me, too, but I fought that urge. I was going to keep my attention on why we were here. To get him a tux so he could look good as the groom…for his wedding.
That thought was like an ice bath to my emotions.
Asher was engaged to another woman, and he seemed to have every intention of marrying her come Saturday.
My stomach twisted at that thought. I was losing Asher in just a few short days.
An older man, about fifty, started walking toward us. He was wearing a suit, and his black hair was slick against his forehead. “Good evening. I am Ralph. How can I help you two?”
“Asher Wolfe. I have an appointment.”
Ralph nodded. “Yes, Mr. Wolfe. We’ve been waiting for you.” He extended out his hand. “Right this way.”
Asher started to follow Ralph, so I followed behind Asher. I could hear their small talk as we walked through the racks of suits to the back, where a pedestal stood surrounded by mirrors.
“Oh, this isn’t my fiancée.” Asher’s voice broke through my thoughts. I glanced up to see him shaking his head. “This is my best man.”
Ralph did a double take. “Best man?” he asked as he eyed me.
“Ella’s my best friend,” Asher said.
We were standing in a small circle in the fitting area. Ralph was studying me, and I could see his questions forming on his face. Not wanting to get into the nuances, I just smiled at him. “Can I grab one of those chairs?” I asked, nodding toward the row of chairs to the left.
“Sure,” Ralph said. “Do you not need a tux as you are the best man?”
“I’ll probably wear a dress,” I said with a smile. And then I suddenly realized that Ineededa dress. I’d been obsessing over articles and why every time I was around Asher, I didn’t feel right. I’d completely forgotten that I needed a dress.
“Crap,” I whispered under my breath.
“Everything okay?” I glanced up to see that Asher had stepped closer to me, his eyebrows knit together.
I forced a smile. “Everything’s great. I just…” I shook my head and offered him an apologetic smile. “I just forgot that I need a dress. I’m your best man, and yet I have nothing to wear.”
