Chapter 15 The Wedding
The Wedding
“How do I look?” I asked Saturday morning, straightening my suit and tie for Kellan and Josh’s appraisal. I’d borrowed the clothes from Grey. Luckily, we apparently wore the same size.
“Like you’re going to a wedding with someone you’re not dating,” Josh said.
I ignored the snide remark. We’d been over it.
We all acknowledged that it was strange to go, but no matter how much we talked in circles about it, I’d decided that since I had already agreed to, it would be a dick move to back out.
Kellan and Josh and promptly decided that I was a dumbass and that Grey was the actual dick for springing the whole thing on me with less than a week’s notice.
“What do you think, Kellan?”
“If Grey doesn’t jump your bones, I will.” Kellan winked.
“Again, we’re just friends,” I reminded him. Despite my insistence, my face grew warm at the thought of Grey doing anything close to what Kellan had suggested.
“Friends can sleep with friends.” Kellan stretched with a yawn. “Anyway, I’m going to take a nap. Actually studying for finals for once is kicking my ass.”
With that, he got up and left Josh and me alone.
“How are you doing?” Josh asked once we were alone, his nearly permanent look of concern deepening into something close to downright fear for my life.
I shrugged. “I’m fine.” It wasn’t convincing even to my ears.
But what could I say? That I’d spent the past few days freaking the fuck out about a stupid invitation from my stupid just-friend?
I couldn’t admit that because, with all the effort I’d put into convincing Josh and Kellan that I was fine to go to the wedding, I’d managed to dig myself into isolation and couldn’t risk asking for help for fear of ruining my pride.
Plus, I definitely didn’t have the time to tell him everything I was freaking out about.
The panic over meeting Grey’s mom, what his family would think of me, what the whole thing meant in the grand scheme of my relationship with Grey was just the tip of the iceberg.
I forced the thoughts away. Everything would be fine. I was just overthinking, as usual.
Josh looked like he wanted to call my bluff, but at that moment, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
It was a text from Grey. I’m outside.
“I have to go,” I said.
Josh nodded, swallowing whatever words of concern he’d been about to speak. “Good luck,” he said, then, in a singsong voice, “Make good choices!”
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my suitcase and left the apartment. I didn’t need luck. I was just going as a friend’s plus-one to a wedding. Everything would be fine. It had to be.
Grey was waiting in a car in the parking lot of my apartment complex.
He looked incredible in a suit. Something about the dark fabric on his skin made his cheekbones more prominent, which made his eyes seem deeper and more contemplative.
The suit clung perfectly to his frame, drawing my eyes to his slim waist and broad shoulders.
It was difficult to make myself do something other than gawk at him like an idiot. Forcing my body into motion, I loaded my suitcase into the trunk of the car. The plan was to go to the wedding then stay the night at a hotel in town before driving back the following day.
Ever since that plan had been made, my stomach had twisted into uncomfortable knots at the thought of us staying the night anywhere alone.
We would be sharing a room. He would probably want to shower, which would involve him getting naked.
The idea of rivulets of water streaming down his bare skin appeared unbidden in my mind’s eye.
Off. Limits, I told myself and pushed the forbidden thoughts from my head. Josh had been wrong to tell me to make good choices because it was too late for that. Agreeing to go to this wedding in the first place was the mother of all bad choices.
He let out a low whistle. “You look sexy as hell.”
“You don’t look half bad yourself” was all I said in return. I shouldn’t encourage his comments, but I couldn’t help it if they made me feel good.
Grey smiled then put his car into drive and pulled away from the curb.
I watched my apartments in the side mirror as we drove away, a sense of impending doom building in my chest. I took a steadying breath.
I knew what our relationship was. Grey had made it abundantly clear, and so had I.
We’d held that line for weeks at this point.
So, why does I feel like I’m walking a tightrope over a flaming net, seconds away from falling and being burned?
“You okay?” Grey asked as he pulled onto the highway.
“I’m perfectly fine,” I said with a small smile. Nerves built in my chest. I needed a distraction. “How far away is this anyway?” I drummed my fingers on the window, hoping it came across as nonchalant and not the pure nervous energy that it was.
“Only a couple of hours,” Grey said. “Want to listen to some music?”
“How about some Dreamscape?” I said slyly.
“Shut the hell up,” Grey said, but he was smiling. He turned on some music from his phone, and sound filled the car.
Thankfully, it had the effect of dispersing my nerves, and before we’d made it ten minutes down the road, we began talking the way friends should be able to.
It wasn’t about anything consequential, mostly about how stressed we were about finals and how happy we were to be so close to done with the semester.
We would both be going home for the winter break, so the wedding was likely the last time we would get a chance to see each other until the new year.
That thought made me sad. It seemed like such a long time apart, but that shouldn’t bother me as much as it did—since we were only friends.
Still, ever since Grey and I had become friends, we’d seen each other several times a week, and it was hard to not be sad that it wouldn’t be the case for six weeks.
The drive passed quickly with the continued conversation, and soon enough, we turned into a pristine French-inspired villa where the wedding would take place.
Ivy grew over a pale stone building with a red roof.
Archways covered the stone pathway that led to the building’s entrance, and white lace accented everything.
It was beautiful and elegant—the wedding venue dreams were made of.
Grey steered the car into the line forming in the driveway.
Up ahead, valets helped guests out of their cars.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a valet,” I mused, propping my head against the window, ignoring the fact that it flattened my hair against my forehead.
The building was surrounded by a beautiful garden full of purples and whites.
It looked like a fairy tale. And if I closed my eyes, I could imagine being here with a person I loved.
My eyes snapped open. I wasn’t the type to wax poetic about love, not even to myself. It must’ve just been the romantic venue getting to me. For the briefest of moments, the silhouette of my love in my mind’s eye had looked an awful lot like Grey.
Our turn came to get out of the car, and I got out to wait as Grey handed the keys over to the valet before coming to join me on the stone walkway.
He held out an arm. “Shall we?”
I rolled my eyes but still hooked my arm in his. “You aren’t worried what people will think of you bringing me as a guest?” I asked, my tone teasing, but the question was serious.
“It’s a little late to worry about that now, I’d say.” Grey smirked at me.
Two bored-looking doormen at the building entrance swung the doors open to let us in.
People dressed in formal attire crowded inside.
The guests milled around, chatting among themselves.
I’d been to enough weddings in my life to recognize old friends and family catching up with each other.
Some of the guests gave Grey waves of acknowledgment, but no one immediately broke away from their conversations to greet him in person.
“Josh and Kellan thought it was weird, like your family might think we’re dating.” I glanced nervously around the room. If I’d expected everyone to stop and stare and point, I was disappointed. We were just two more people in the crowd.
We paused by the wedding guest book near the entrance and signed our names.
Grey laughed. “There are worse things. You think too much.”
“Someone has to do the thinking around here.” I gave him a playful nudge.
He laughed again, and I noticed a kind-looking, older lady walking toward us in a beautiful red dress.
I’d never met the woman, but it didn’t take the most observant person to notice that she and Grey shared the same nose and mouth.
Hell, they even had the same freckle above their left eyes.
She couldn’t be anyone other than Grey’s mom.
The second my eyes landed on her, dread washed down my spine.
I’d been stressing about meeting her ever since I’d agreed to come to the wedding.
What if I make an idiot of myself? What if she hates me?
I wanted to turn on my heel and run straight for the exit, through the doors, and back down the driveway.
I didn’t give a damn if it would make me look like a coward or if I had to make the journey back to school on foot.
I didn’t have anywhere to be until class on Monday.
I could probably make it back to campus by then.
But I didn’t have enough time to do much more than notice my heart skipping a beat in panic before she stopped in front of us.
“There’s my handsome son,” Grey’s mom said warmly. She wrapped Grey in a big hug before turning to me. “And you must be Ethan. I’m so glad you made it.” She then proceeded to give me a hug as if we’d met a million times before.
I froze at first, uncertain what to do with the sudden affection, but after a moment’s hesitation, I returned the hug. It turned out that my fears of meeting her had been grossly exaggerated. Go figure.
“Is Dad here?” Grey asked.