I shrugged. “Maybe he knows she’s a slut and that’s what he likes. Quick, fast, and easy, you know?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, probably. But fuck him. Let’s just go to the rehearsal dinner and have fun. We never get to see one another anymore.”
“That’s what happens when you pack up and move halfway across the country.”
She laughed and jabbed me in the side with her elbow. “For what they’re paying, you would’ve moved too.”
The elevator doors opened, and I held out my arm for her to take. I guided her out of the elevator and toward the exit, where we stopped to get the valet to bring around the car. As we waited outside by the entrance, it felt like we were being watched. I glanced around us, but couldn’t find anyone staring. Deep down, I knew it was only my conscience, but I told myself that Evelyn was up in the room, watching every move I made from the balcony.
What was the point in making her jealous of Mellisa? I wanted to give her a shot of her own medicine. I wanted her to know how it felt to be together one moment and then, in the next, be with someone else. I had grown tired of seeing her with Chase, and I wanted to teach her a lesson once and for all.
Not only that, but I hoped that by making her jealous and pissing her off, it would make her pull away from me. If she did, I wouldn’t have had the chance to go through with my plan, and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to make the decision myself.It was an impossible decision anyway, one I’d gone back and forth on since the beginning.
The valet pulled the car around, and I opened the passenger door for her. She slipped into the seat, and I closed it before walking around the car and taking my place behind the wheel. From inside the car, I glanced at the building in front of me, looking at all the balconies that I could scan quickly. I wasn’t exactly sure which one was ours, but many of them had people on them, so I couldn’t be sure if she was watching or not.
I shifted into drive and stepped on the gas, driving toward the hotel where the wedding was being held. On the drive, Mellisa went on and on about how her life was going in New York City since her move six months prior. I didn’t really listen to a word of what she had to say, because I was too lost in my thoughts.
I wondered what I’d be walking in on later. If Evelyn were pissed at me for bringing her to paradise just to make her babysit the kid of the woman I was going out with. I wondered if she’d try getting even. Would she find some loser on the beach to make me jealous? It wasn’t hard to make me jealous, especially when she was involved. Somewhere on the drive, I realized that it would probably be better just to call the whole fucking thing off, but how the fuck could I do that? Things were already set up, and I couldn’t back out on Mellisa. I had to let the weekend play out, whether I liked it or not.
When we arrived at the hotel, we were shown to the beach where the wedding was to take place. Mellisa left me with the other guests while she went to talk with the bride about her role in the wedding. I sat back and watched them practice the wedding, where they walk out, where they stand, what they do and say. When they were finally done, we all moved into the restaurant where the dinner was set up, buffet style.
The bride and groom moved around the room, chatting with their guests while everyone helped themselves to food and drinks. Since seating wasn’t assigned, most people split off into friend groups, leaving me to sit with Melissa and some of the people we had gone to college with. I was prepared to see her ex, but I wasn’t ready to see mine.
Anna walked into the room with a man at her side, and it felt like the entire planet stopped spinning.
“Oh shit,” Mellisa said, stealing my attention. “I had no idea she would be here, Elliot. I swear.”
I waved my hand through the air, dismissing her worries. It had been years since I had last seen the woman who had broken my heart. “Don’t worry about it. I’m going to get a drink,” I told her, getting up and walking further away from Anna.
Part of me hoped to get through the weekend undetected, but at the same time, I didn’t want to be the one hiding. I wasn’t the one who delivered us to our end. She was. She should’ve been the one hiding, scared of facing me. Not the other way around.
At the bar, I ordered a shot of whiskey. When it was delivered, I threw it back and ordered another. I was waiting for the second glass when every hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
“Well, well, well… If it isn’t the one who got away,” Anna said, coming to a stop beside me.
I glanced over at her, offering a tight smile and a nod. “How are you, Anna?”
She smiled. “Good. And yourself?”
“Great. I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” I said as the bartender put my glass in front of me.
She shrugged. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here either. I mean, the last I knew, you didn’t keep up with anyone we went to college with.” She glanced around. “Who are you here with, anyway?”
“I came with Mellisa,” I told her, nodding in her direction.
Her brows lifted. “Mellisa? Are you two…?”
“We’re just friends,” I said before she could finish.
She nodded. “I see.”
“I saw you walk in with Travis. Are you two…?”
“Just friends,” she blurted out.
“What happened to Gabe?” I asked softly. “Didn’t work out?”
“There you are,” Travis said, coming to a stop beside Anna, effectively ending the conversation.
