Danielle signals for the waiter. “Amelia what are you having, I have to leave in thirty minutes to start my shift at the hospital, so let’s get this good news rolling.”
“A glass of champagne please,” I say to the waiter before he even makes it to our table, and he makes a U-turn back to the bar.
I stand at the other end of the table trying to bite down on my giddy smile.
“Who the hell orders champagne at a pub?” Priscilla rolls her eyes.Great, the bitch is back. “Wait a minute, what the hell is THAT?!” she says, pointing her red acrylic nail at my left hand.
In that instant my glass of champagne arrives, and all of the women’s eyes almost bulge out of their heads. “Well, I asked you all here to let you know … that I’m engaged!” I beam while extending my left arm and wiggling my fingers.
The twins are the first to jump up and scream. “Omg I can’t believe Sebastián proposed!” Xioana yelps.
“When did he propose?” Roselyn says as she makes her way towards me and pulls my left hand into hers, to further inspect my ring.
“Amelia got engaged before me,” Priscilla whispers into her drink, which makes me snort. Hard.
Danielle asks the waiter for a bottle of champagne—on her.
Vanessa, being the mama bear that she is, leans in and gives me a hug, whispering in my ear so no one else can hear, “I’m so happy for you Amelia. You know I love you, so I have to ask. Are you sure you’re not rushing this? That it’s not a part of your grief?”
If anyone else had asked me this I might have been angry, but not coming from Vanessa. She has always been my protector in the cousin crew.
I answer loudly enough so everyone can hear.
“So, as you know, Sebastián and I have been on and off for the past two years. When Mami got sick, he was there for me as a friend, because that was all I could really handle at the time. After Mami passed away, we kept spending time together, and one thing led to another …” I say while looking at my ring, not yet prepared to see everyone’s faces in case they’re judging my decision.
I continue, “So when we decided that we wanted to give it another shot, I made a comment of no longer wanting to be on the rollercoaster of constantly being on or off anymore. So, he suggested we get off the rollercoaster and get married. He bought me the ring earlier this month, so now it’s official. We’re thinking about getting married by the end of the year, something small and intimate. He starts his specialty program at Lenox Hill in the new year, so the timing just makes sense.”
I look up so see all the ladies nodding and smiling, even Priscilla, although hers looks forced. I keep scanning the crew until my eyes land on Evan and see that he’s lost most of the color in his face, his mouth pulled into a deep frown staring at his beer.
The bottle of champagne arrives and everyone else is poured a glass. When I’m about to make a comment about Evan’s look of disdain, he looks up and locks eyes with me. His usual bright blue eyes seem to have now taken on a darker color. He lifts his fresh glass of champagne in my direction and plasters on a smile. “To the bride and groom.”
“To the bride and groom!” Everyone cheers and sips. Except for me.
* * *
Half an hour goes by, and our small crowd has slowly dwindled to just the twins, Evan and me. The twins are deep in conversation about how they plan on tackling graduation season, so I take the opportunity to move over and sit next to Evan, who has been quietly nursing a glass of scotch. He keeps his eye on his drink as I settle into my new seat.
“So … I’m guessing you’re not a fan of my news,” I say cautiously.
He finally lifts his gaze to meet mine, and there is a storm brewing in his eyes. His irises not yet deciding if they want to be glacial blue or stone gray.
He clears his throat, then asks me, “Why him? What’s so special about this Sebastián guy?” he mutters.
Okayyyyy.
“What do you mean? We’ve been together for almost two years, and the timing is just right. He’s starting his cardiology specialty next year and I’ll be turning 30 soon, so it just makes sense to get married now.”
He cracks an unexpected smile and nods his head back and forth, then takes a sip of his scotch. “That’s funny, because in that little explanation you just gave me you said nothing about loving him.” He chuckles darkly.
Where the hell did that come from? And who the hell does Evan think he is talking to me about love?
“Excuse me? Of course I love him. That was implied!” I start. “And who are you to judge my decision to get married? Last I checked, Page Six had photos of you with another Instagram model. And that was just the flavor of the week,” I exclaim.
“Just because I get photographed with people, doesn’t mean I’m sleeping with them!” he shouts. At this point the twins halt their own conversation and quickly perk up to listen to ours. In any other circumstance I would just walk away and avoid making a scene, but I’m too heated in this moment to stop. Plus, my therapist says it’s important for me to feel my feelings, so I let them rip.
“Ok fine. Then answer me this, when was the last time you were in a serious relationship? And before you answer that, don't give me a bullshit spiel about not having time for a relationship because you’ve been too busy becoming a billionaire, that story is overplayed in every rom-com.” I roll my eyes.
“What does it matter how long it’s been since I’ve been in a relationship? At least I’m not forcing myself into one to fit a stupid societal timeline. Call me old fashioned, but I do want to marry for love someday, and not settle for what’s left on the table out of desperation.”
