3. River
CHAPTER 3
River
“What the fuck is on your head, Skipper?”
Kennedy holds her hotel room door ajar for me to come in, but I can’t stop staring at the contraption on her head. Seriously, what the fuck is that? She looks like George Washington right now.
She turns around, but not before I see her roll her eyes. It’s Kennedy’s favorite pastime when I’m around. I sort of live for those reactions from her.
“Why are you here, Riv?” Her tone is dripping with irritation, and it just fuels me forward.
“You’ve been summoned.” I want to add, ‘ by the devil herself ’ because lately, that sweet girl my best friend fell in love with is starting to grow horns on her head. Maybe she’s spending too much time with Kennedy.
I walk through her room, taking in the tidiness of her clothes. Good thing she’s not in my room because it’s got things thrown about.
“Doesn’t the dinner start at seven? It’s six fifteen right now.” She looks at her phone, her brows furrowing.
“Yeah, I don’t ask the questions, especially with the possibility of getting my head bitten off. Do you know what’s going on with Sam?”
“Honestly, I think she’s just stressed. She was fine up to a few weeks ago, and now she’s just always so upset.” She grabs a bag and makes her way to the bathroom, and like a magnet, I follow her.
“Seriously, were you summoned to walk around my hotel room like a fucking puppy?” Her irritation is my content. I smile at her, and she huffs out her annoyance.
“Can we get back to your head? What is that thing?” I point at her head, and I can’t even hide the confusion on my face. There’s a weird rod that’s got hair wrapped around it. I move along behind her to take in the entire thing with a little closer inspection.
“They’re heatless curlers. I’m trying something new.” She plops the bag on the counter and opens it up as makeup spills out.
“I’ve never heard of them,” I say, still inspecting the device she’s sporting.
“Wow. You’re not in tune with all the new hair products available for long, flowing hair? That’s surprising, Riv, with all the hookups you have.” The sarcasm just rolls off her when it comes to her interactions with me.
“Do I sense jealousy, Skip?” I smile and wink. I get rewarded with yet another eye roll.
I watch her, fascinated by her beauty. Despite a decade since meeting her, she still carries the attention of everyone in a room. She turns heads whenever she moves through a space, her beauty overwhelming at times. I can’t say my blood doesn’t boil each time someone stares a little too long, but I push those feelings aside whenever I open my mouth. I don’t know what life with Kennedy is like without making a comment that seems to get under her skin.
For the first few years, having this banter with Kennedy rolled off the tongue. I was good at keeping myself irritated whenever she was around, but since Ashton and Sammie have been engaged and I have had to see her more often, I’m starting to crave these interactions. I have noticed I want to see her, and I want to get a rise out of her. She’s strong, confident, and smart. She’s the whole package, but it’s too bad she hates my guts.
“Earth to River.” She pulls me from my thoughts, and I think I was just caught staring at her.
“Take a photo. It will last longer,” she scolds, then goes back to swiping the lipstick across her lips. Her soft, pillowy lips. Snap out of it, River!
Fuck, I think I'm digging myself a deeper hold here, whatever these feelings are that are creeping up with Kennedy. Unfortunately, I can’t explore it because I can tell I’m alone in this emotional spiral that’s taking place. I’m starting to feel a pull toward her, and she’s still dowsing herself in River repellant.
“So how much longer? You know I’m scared of your best friend, and I’d like to live to see another day,” I tell her, hoping I’m covering up my feelings well with my response. I can’t come off as too nice, or she’ll sniff this out of me and realize my feelings are shifting when it comes to her.
“I can be ready in a few minutes. Let me just pull the curler out.” She begins pulling the hair ties out from the bottom of the weird hair contraption and unravels the hair. Soon enough, her long, blonde locks are on full display, and now my thoughts are deviating to imagining my hand grabbing said hair and holding it back as I fuck her mouth.
Damn it. I can feel myself stiffen behind my zipper. It’s going to be a long night.
* * *
I’m seated across from Kennedy at the table, the dinner full of laughter and memories being thrown about our favorite times with the bride and groom.
I look over at Ashton, and he’s looking my way, a pensive expression on his face. I lift my whiskey in salute, and he does the same, taking a sip and moving his gaze across the table. I wonder if he’s noticing the way I can’t keep my eyes off Kennedy for long throughout this dinner. I better figure out how to get this attraction under control.
Things were done in a different order than usual with Sam and Ash. The rehearsal dinner took place last night with everyone in the wedding and close family members that came out early to begin the festivities, but tonight is simply a celebration between the bride, groom, and wedding party. All of us have known each other for years, and it’s been nice to catch up. I let my gaze wander across from me for the hundredth time tonight.
“Dude, you’re being fucking obvious,” my brother whispers next to me. I look at him and try to hide my annoyance.
It’s hard to keep things from Clay. He noticed something was off with me when it came to Kennedy a few months back, and I confided in him, telling him how my feelings were shifting, yet I was alone in this turn of events.
Clay is usually the romantic between the two of us, but he’s recently divorced, and this change in marital status has sort of hardened his heart. Abby, his ex, is the love of his life. I can’t even say it in the past tense because she remains his heart and soul.
Their love was the strongest I’d seen until it wasn’t. Seeing her leave and watching him crumble has been one of the hardest things I’ve faced since our father passed away. His pain is mine, and I hope he can start looking forward instead of hoping things will work themselves out with Abby. She’s pulled away from all of us, not even attending the wedding. I understand she’s in a lot of pain from all the heartache she has had to endure, but my brother lived through the same pain, and he’s here.
“I’m trying, man. It’s just not that easy when the feelings are getting stronger. I mean, look at her.” I jut my chin in Kennedy’s direction. She’s consumed in a conversation with Jessa, her college friend. They’re both laughing, and I can see the tears forming from whatever stroll through memory lane they’re going through.
Soon, we hear the clinking of metal and glass, pulling our attention to the head of the table. Ashton and Samara stand up, their smiles genuine.
“We thought we’d take a moment to say thank you all for being here, not only tonight, not only for this amazing weekend we’ve been planning for months, but simply being the friends that walk through the fire with us. We are so incredibly grateful for the love and support through the years. Most of all,” he looks over at his bride, “we’re sitting here and realizing we couldn’t have asked for better friends to call our family. As you know, I did not grow up with the best of people to call parents. When I met Sam, I didn’t just gain a partner, but I gained a family in her parents. And we’ve gotten our found family in all of you. Thank you for putting your lives on hold to be here with us. We know things are busy for everyone, but having you here is really filling our cup. We love you all!”
I see tears coming down slowly from Sam’s face, and they raise their glasses and cheers. We all hoop and holler, taking our drinks and clinking them with those around us. I’m next to the couple of the hour and clink my glass to Samara’s. That’s when I realize she’s got water in her glass and not the trademark champagne everyone was given.
Kennedy’s gaze has shifted, and by the look on her face across from me, she’s connecting the same dots as me. We both look over at Samara and Ashton, who are smiling from ear to ear. When they take note of both of our faces, their smiles drop, and Sam looks like her eyes are going to pop out of her face.
“Sammie, I need to use the restroom. Please join me.” Kennedy doesn’t wait for an answer and throws her napkin down and pulls her best friend to follow her out to restroom.
Ashton takes the seat next to me and whispers, “Please don’t tell anyone. We just found out. That’s why Sam’s been acting so agitated lately. I guess the hormones are not quite making her glow in the way people describe. She’s sort of glowing like the devil holding his pitchfork in hell.”
I snort at his comparison, and he shudders. “Seriously, dude, don’t say a word,” Ashton says right as my brother puts a twenty in my pocket.
“Fucker, how did you know?” That’s coming from Clay, irritation marring his features.
“I don’t know. I just threw it out there, mostly as a joke.” I shrug. I honestly had no idea. I just made a joke last night when we were having drinks together.
“Shit, you knew?” Ashton says, his face paling. “Do you think other people know?” He’s looking around the table, and everyone is already at least two drinks in, if not more.
“Naw, I don’t think so. No one has said anything. I was just throwing theories out last night with Clay and guessed it as a possibility. He thought I was crazy to think it, so we made a friendly wager on it.”
“So you guessed I was going to be a dad and thought instead of asking, you would make a buck off me instead?” As much as Ash wants to act pissed, it’s not possible. You’d never guess this guy lived with insensitive parents the way his heart soars for others. I think he put a lot of effort into being his parents’ exact opposite, but whatever the reason, he really is a good person through and through.
“Why not? I mean, times are tough. May as well make some money when I can,” I tease, taking another sip of my drink.
“Please don’t tell a soul. No one knows. She’s just a few weeks along, and I just don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up.” His eyes drift to my brother, and Clay nods in acknowledgment.
Clay knows all too well how things can take a turn. We all absorb the past a bit in that instance, but I can’t help but turn to my best friend and congratulate him. “Dude, I can’t just sit here and not say something positive. I’m really excited for you. You’re going to be an amazing father. The best father.” And I mean every word of it.
Ash has always dreamed of getting married and having children. I remember him talking about it on the phone with me after he met Samara. He knew from their first date she was the one. Of course at the time, I thought he was full of shit, but now I see they complement each other well. I think he always wanted the opportunity to give a child the chance he didn’t have with loving parents from the start.
“Yeah, man, congrats.” My brother follows suit and smiles at Ashton. I know there’s pain in his words, his thoughts most likely deviating to his own experiences with a life he thought was going to be filled with babies and memories to build, but he can’t quite have the same optimism as Ashton right now. Luckily, he isn’t holding onto it as he looks at Ashton with genuine happiness for him.
The ladies make it back to the table, their eyes puffy like they’ve been crying.
“You two okay?” Ashton asks as he pulls the chair out for his wife-to-be. The moment Samara is seated, Kennedy pulls Ashton in a hug. I can see her whispering something in his ear, and I see her embrace pull him tighter.
When they pull apart, I see fresh tears coming down her cheeks. The way I see her smile grow, genuine happiness radiating off her, the genuine love she has for them is palpable.
Soon I get an elbow to the rib, and I look over at my brother. “What the fuck, Clay?”
“Wipe right here.” He points to the corner of his mouth. “You’re drooling, dumbass.”
Yeah, I’m royally fucked.