Chapter Twenty-Eight
MIA
I was about to lose my shit. He was acting like a goddamn child. I wanted to yell and scream, tell him to grow up and get his shit together. That it wasn’t about him. But I couldn’t. Not in front of all of our friends.
Zack sulked all the way through Logan and Izzy’s bridal party pictures.
He hated that I’d brought Charlie here. But we’d been over this a dozen times in the last week.
Charlie and I were just friends, basically coworkers who got along well, and he had nothing to worry about.
I didn’t know what else he wanted me to do.
I’d RSVP’d I was bringing a plus one, and I’d asked Charlie months ago.
He’d already requested the time off, and it would be shitty to uninvite him a week before the wedding.
Zack was just going to have to get over it.
I crossed my arms and glanced over at him with a frown. He wouldn’t even look at me.
Adam stepped in front of us and narrowed his eyes. “What the hell is going on with you two?” When neither of us answered, he went on. “It’s like you’re back to hating each other.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and looked away. I didn’t hate Zack. That idea seemed so foreign to me now.
“It’s nothing. We’re fine. I’m just exhausted.” Zack’s voice was clipped, and eerily devoid of emotion.
Adam coupled a sardonic scoff with a look that said he thought Zack was full of shit. “Yeah, I’m not buying that. But you two better start getting along again or Lyla is going to be pissed.”
Between the night at the bar and now this, I was starting to feel guilty about making him hide things from his friends. Especially when it was obvious it wasn’t his style.
Once Adam was out of earshot, and I glanced around making sure no one else was close enough to hear, I spun on Zack. “I told you Charlie and I are just friends.” It was now the tenth time since we’d arrived that I’d told him this exact thing.
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” he bit out.
“God.” I huffed under my breath. “You’re being ridiculous.”
He shrugged. “Then just ignore me.”
That wasn’t my style, and he knew it. And I hated that he was upset, but I just didn’t know how to make it right.
“What did you want me to do? Uninvite him and come with you?”
He locked his jaw, and I couldn’t tell if he thought that idea was ridiculous or genius.
Before I got a chance to ask him, we were being called back to the reception. We followed the group back to the area where tables and a dance floor were set up, and Zack pretty much avoided me for the rest of the wedding.
As the minutes ticked by, my annoyance with him seemed to grow by leaps and bounds. And I was sensing Charlie was sick of hearing me vent about it. But he was the only one who kind of knew what was going on, and I needed to talk to someone about it.
“Let’s dance,” Charlie finally said, cutting off my latest rant.
I sighed and reluctantly followed him to the dance floor. Maybe moving around a bit and getting lost in the music would help the time fly by, and I could get out of there before marching up to Zack and tearing into him in front of everyone.
“You weren’t kidding,” Charlie said with a chuckle as we moved to a slow song. “Your boy looks like his head is about to explode.”
“Don’t care.” We were literally dancing with at least a foot between us. Zack couldn’t act like we were even being inappropriate. Not that I would with Charlie. I loved him, but like a brother. “That’s his problem.”
Charlie tipped his chin over my shoulder.
“Well, he looks like he’s ready to cut my dick off.
So that’s now my problem. I’m kind of fond of it.
” He chuckled. “Look, I’ll cover for you while you go figure out how to make it right with him.
” With a wink, he added, “That poor guy needs to know you’re his, no matter who you’re here with tonight. ”
I wanted to stomp my foot and scream. Because I didn’t really know what else I was supposed to do or say that I hadn’t already. “He just needs to get over it,” I grumbled instead.
“That’s likely not going to happen. Figure out a way to get through to him and make him realize he has nothing to worry about. For both of your sakes.”
I sighed and stole a glance over toward Zack. He rarely frowned, and the fact that he was so mopey was killing me. But the moment he realized I was focused on him, he quickly pulled his gaze away. How was I supposed to get through to him when he wouldn’t even look at me?
We ended our dance and walked over to the signature book table. Borrowing the pen, I jotted a quick message on a napkin then handed it to Charlie. “Wait a few minutes and then give him this for me.”
“Why? So I can get punched?”
“He won’t actually hit you. Not here. I know him better than that.” There was no way he would make a scene at his friend’s wedding, regardless of his own problems.
Charlie shook his head and started back toward the tables while I headed for the large open end of the barn the reception was being held in. As I angled for the door, I hoped I was making the right decision and not making matters worse.