Chapter sixteen
SIERRA
The day is scorching hot, but the garden venue is beautiful.
Of course it is.
Everything is lush and expensive, polished and in its place, like it's been filtered through rose-colored lens, and most definitely arranged by Ruby or her parents.
There's a string quartet, the garden arches littered with white roses, and even a wooden gazebo set up for the ceremony. It's the kind of wedding that looks like it belongs in a magazine spread or one of the catalogues back at my work. Not in real life.
Not in Elias' life.
I stand between Jenny and Kyle near the back row, squinting from the sun and hating every second that I have to spend here.
But I remind myself that we all came for Elias.
To be his support system. Because right now, he looks like he wants to throw up as he stands in the shadow of the gazebo with a minister by his side.
He's in a black suit and a bow tightened at his collar, hands clasped together in front of him as he stares at the ground.
Kyle leans down and whispers, "You okay?"
"Yeah." I whisper back, keeping my eyes on Elias. His eyes flick over the crowd until they land on me and linger. It's long enough for me to know that he sees me, and long enough that I feel my chest tighten again.
Then he looks away.
Mia exhales slowly. "This is so crazy. I can't believe he has to go through with it."
Sebastian, two seats down from me, mutters under his breath, "We missed the chance to actually kidnap him."
Kyle snorts, then shakes his head, looking back at Elias. "True. It feels painful watching him like this."
"Look at him. So smug and proud." Sebastian scoffs, looking at Elias' father in one of the rows ahead. "He doesn't even care that he's ruining six months of his life."
Their conversation gets lost on me when I notice the bride walking down the aisle. She looks perfect. Everything about her screams graceful, elegant and poised. Her wedding dress is grand, and probably cost a fortune, and her appearance is without a single thing amiss.
The string quartet plays as she strides down in the middle, right ahead to Elias, and we all stand up.
Immediately, I feel the burn behind my eyes.
The tight ache in my chest deepens into an uncomfortable knot.
My fingers tremble, and I nibble on my lower lip, trying to keep my composure as the ceremony plays out.
Elias is just staring emotionlessly. His face doesn't betray a single thing.
There's no hint of love in his eyes as he looks at the front.
Ruby, on the other hand looks completely delighted.
Her smile is wide and her eyes sparkle with happiness, a snow dress hugging her figure as she holds up the boquet, accompanied by her proud father.
They can both go fuck themselves.
I know I shouldn't be thinking this, but my stomach is reeling from the emotional gut punches.
The following minutes are dull. The vows from Elias sound robotic, and he's still like a boulder throughout the entire thing. He refuses to even kiss her properly. All he offers is a small peck, and I catch Ruby's displeasure for a single second before she douses into a graceful smile again.
Later, at the reception, we find ourselves a quiet table near the edge of the dance floor.
Glasses of champagne start piling up, and it's clear that none of us want to celebrate or even stay sober.
Our table is more like a pity party, but instead of us feeling sorry for ourselves, we just feel sorry for the groom.
Eventually, he comes over and leans over the table, hands on the edge of it as he profusely lets out another long sigh. "Thanks for coming," he says, voice soft, eyes on all of us, but mostly on me.
"Come here." Jenny stands up first, sympathy in her eyes. She gives him a big hug, and the rest of us follow suit. It's our way of telling him that we're still here by his side.
"You got this, man." Sebastian murmurs to him as they tap each other on the backs.
Then I look up, and our eyes hold. Elias steps closer precariously and I stand up to wrap my arms around him. The scent of his cologne hits me and my throat tightens. Elias relaxes then, tightening his arms around me.
"Tell me if you need anything," I say softly, holding on to him a little longer than supposed to, but just enough so it doesn't get uncomfortable. He squeezes my hips before letting go and gives me the faintest nod.
"Are you gonna stick around for some more?" he asks all of us.
"Yeah, of course," Sebastian nods. "Until the end if we have to. We won't leave you, man."
Elias nods. "Alright. Thanks. I have to go back, but I'll join you in a bit."
He walks off toward the head table again.Jenny leans back in her seat, eyes following Elias while she twirls the champagne in her glass without drinking it. Kyle sighs, stretching his legs out beneath the table. Mia wipes her lipstick off of Sebastian's mouth with her thumb after their kiss.
Laughter breaks out from one of the nearby tables, and I glance to the side. Ruby stands there with her friends, and I can't help but watch her. She's now dressed into a simpler white dress. It's silky and it reaches her ankles. She's radiant, laughing as they all clink their glasses together.
"Okay," Jenny says suddenly, pushing back her chair. "If I sit here for another second, I'm going to drown myself in this champagne."
Sebastian stands with her, looking at the rest of us as if he's been waiting for someone to break this silence at our table. "Let's go dance?"
We all follow reluctantly, drawn more by the need to escape the bitterness than any real desire to dance. Mia pulls Jenny into an exaggerated twirl, and I let myself sway to the rhythm before Kyle sweeps me up.
Managing to bring our own fun into this, we gradually end up with smiles and laughter too, knowing that even if things go sideways, we still have each other. We're singing along to the songs and with our hands in the air, then Sebastian looks to the side, making me follow his gaze.
Elias, standing just off the edge of the floor, is watching us. His collar is loosened, suit jacket off, and for the first time all day, there's a small, almost imperceptible curve to his lips.
"Get your ass over here, man!" Sebastian laughs, waving him over and he joins us, now grinning wide.
"You guys are crazy," he laughs and we all form a circle, putting our arms around each other. Once again, it feels as if nothing has changed.
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