Chapter 10
Ava
Wedding Day
Present Day
Sydney and Colin’s wedding ceremony couldn’t have gone any better than if I’d planned it myself.
I watch as two of my best friends twirl around on the floor, completely lost in each other, to Parmalee’s Gonna Love You.
This song is so fucking beautiful it brings tears to my eyes, and I realize that I have not consumed nearly enough alcohol to make me forget all about the fact that I was once almost in this exact spot.
Fucking Eric. He’s not worth the tears, honey.
I swipe an errant tear and chalk it up to the emotion of the moment.
They look so happy and are freaking perfect for each other.
I know Jenna’s up above smiling down on us today.
I look down the length of the table at all my friends, happy to see them all happy. Jane comes up and sits down in Sydney’s chair next to Holly.
“So, have you seen any potential yet, Ava?”
I see Mark’s head tilt as if he’s suddenly interested in our conversation. Nosy much?
“Potential?” I ask her, not knowing where she’s going with this.
“Yeah, you know, face-riding potential?” She grins wickedly, and Mark chokes on his drink.
He sits up and straightens his tie, then loosens it slightly like it’s suddenly too tight.
We’ve mostly steered clear of each other since the combined bachelor/bachelorette party a few weeks ago.
It’s been good for us. Things kind of got clouded there for a little bit.
“I haven’t much started looking. Help a girl out?”
Holly and Jane clap gleefully as they start scanning the crowd. They settle on the table with all of Colin and Mark’s old college friends.
Holly goes straight in for the kill. “Oh…dark blondie on the right with soulful eyes. He looks like he might be a good time.”
Mark groans.
“Nah, not her type. She likes em tall and dark. I think the one two seats over with the slightly scruffy five o’clock shadow.
Now that screams fun. It’s been so long since Garrett let some stubble between my thighs.
He always tries to be so thoughtful.” We all giggle and see Mark squirming in his chair.
He lets out a low expletive which only makes us giggle harder.
“Mark, what’s those guys’ names? You went to college with them, right? Who’d give the better face ride?” Jane asks, knowing that she is totally fucking around with him on purpose.
He rolls his eyes and looks at me intently.
“Why are you intent on riding someone’s face?” he asks me with raised brows.
“Who was it earlier that said I could use a good fuck?”
“Merda…”
“I don’t speak Italian.”
“Neither one of them. Excuse me, I need a drink.”
We all laugh hard as he walks to the bar.
“Merda means ‘shit’ in Italian,” Holly snickers, looking at her phone. Count on one of them to whip out the translator.
Over the next hour, I watch and contemplate going over to the table of college guys but get distracted watching Mark hit on the gorgeous girl at the bar with long black hair instead.
I catch eyes with Colin a time or two, and he smirks back at me like he can read my mind.
I freaking can’t stand that I’m getting jealous when I have absolutely no right to be.
It’s fucking stupid. I’m going to get the courage and go talk to those two guys.
Surely, one of them is more than capable of nixing my dry spell.
???
Mark
An hour later…
Sitting at a table with a few old college buddies, I enjoy laughing about the good old days almost as much as keeping Ava from coming over here to talk to the two guys they were scoping out earlier.
I look around and notice the crowd thinning out.
Several people have snagged Colin and Sydney off the dance floor to shower them with hugs, goodbyes, and their final congratulations.
The newlyweds cannot keep their hands off each other, but I’ve never seen Colin so happy.
I was pretty hesitant about how fast things had moved between them at first, but now I realize that they were just brave enough to acknowledge what they knew in their hearts to be true and didn’t waste a damn minute on the bullshit. I’m really happy for them. I envy that.
I look down into my nearly empty drink and decide maybe I’m not drunk enough.
I’m glad the venue is directly next to our hotel.
I can get as drunk as I want. I’d had a solid lead on that dark-haired beauty earlier, and I even got her number, but…
things just didn’t really pan out. I could’ve just pulled my usual crap.
I mean, it was working fantastically, but fucking Ava just had to keep staring at me.
She really hates my guts. I don’t blame her though.
I made her feel insignificant. That’s on me.
I haven’t done a whole lot to redeem myself either.
Anyway, her staring got the busty beauty’s attention and scared her off.
Hell, I wouldn’t have wanted to deal with the potential drama either if I were her. She was just here for a good time.
Over the past sixish months, I had hoped things would get better.
That Ava and I would at least learn to tolerate each other.
There were a few moments. I snort into the last of my drink just before I swallow it down.
Yup, definitely not drunk enough. Making my way to the bar, I signal for the bartender.
Wouldn’t you know, the she-devil herself just so happens to be right here getting her own drink as well.
At least she was smart enough to grab some water.
“Did your conquest for the evening run off to powder her nose, or did you epically fuck something up again?” Ava practically sneers.
If I didn’t know better, she almost sounded jealous. Oh, but I do know better. She loathes me. The feeling is basically mutual.
“Green doesn’t suit you, Ava,” I toy with her, knowing damn well it gets under her skin. She guffaws, turning those big brown eyes toward me, and I have to blink twice. Fuck, I’m more drunk than I thought.
“You think I’m jealous? Of some twit? Get over yourself.”
“Jealous I’m at least capable of getting laid.”
“Fuck you,” Ava grits quietly between her clenched teeth.
“No, thank you,” I grit back, standing from the place I’d been leaning against, crowding her space.
The fire in her eyes is a sight to behold, and I decide to walk away before I do something stupid like suck that bottom lip she just dropped to the floor in between my teeth and drag her off to an empty room.
Say what? Where the hell did that come from?
I shake my head, dispelling that stupid fucking idea, and walk back to the table with the guys.
I plop down into my chair and work my tie off, loosely draping it around the back of my neck.
That’s better. Ava spares me one more glare before stomping off toward her spot about fifteen feet away with an iced water and her refilled glass of wine.
I unbutton the cuffs of my sleeves and roll them up to my elbows, not giving a damn if they look stylish.
I’m flipping burning up in here. I lean back in my chair, an attempt at being more comfortable, and unbutton the top button of my shirt, huffing as I look over at the woman who’s got me on the fucking edge of…
I don’t even know what. Insanity. That’s the best word for it.
I notice her watching me closely from between Holly and Jane leaning toward each other discussing something with such enthusiasm I could get dizzy watching their fingers and lips fluttering about.
Our eyes lock, and she rolls her eyes while taking a big, long sip from her straw.
The movement of her lips rounding around the tip of the straw weirdly piques my interest. I sit up a little straighter, darting my eyes back to the guys and whatever it is they’re discussing.
I lost track before I went to get my drink and haven’t much been interested in the logistics of whatever corporate bullshit they’re still jabbering about.
My eyes peek back over at the girls and watch as Ava rests her cheek against her palm, twirling her straw around in circles within the glass.
Her dainty fingers slide up and down the straw, the sight automatically shooting my brain into dark corners it has no business taking Ava into.
She leans down to suck up another sip, and I have to look away, but not before our eyes catch again for a millisecond.
I am walking along a very fine and dangerous edge.
It’s just the fucking alcohol. Sure, keep telling yourself that.
When I glance back, I notice her looking at my forearms while I’m adjusting the cuffs I just folded a couple minutes ago.
She’s watching too hard for my liking. I don’t know what to think about it.
We’ve danced around this crazy energy between us since the party weeks ago, and I thought we were mostly past it.
I hear a throat clear and look to see several pairs of eyes watching me expectantly as if they are waiting for an answer from me. Shit. Did they ask me something?
“I’m sorry, what was the question?”
“Where’d that hottie you were chatting up earlier go?
” the guy next to my old friend Brian asks.
For the life of me, I can’t remember his name.
Brian is the tall, dark, and handsome one Jane was discussing with Ava about having face-riding potential.
If he touches her, I’ll kill him. My inner Mark makes the shocked face gasp before going smugly quiet. Fuck you too.
“Ehhh… I don’t think either of us was feeling it.” Thanks again, Ava.
“Too bad… You should’ve sent her my way.” I huff in return to his answer and glance back at the girls. Jane and Holly have their heads thrown back in laughter, but Ava, for some reason, only has eyes for me.