9. Romeo
Romeo
This was so much better than a couch. I arrived at the chateau, and the valet greeted me with a hot towel and a drink called an Arnold Palmer.
I sipped on it as the house staff showed me to my room, which I foolishly thought was a royal suite or something.
It wasn’t. It was just the bare minimum, which, to the people here, was something far more extravagant than I had ever seen before in my life.
It looked like a palace; my room was the size of Rachel’s entire apartment, with silk bedding and large French doors that looked out into a garden covering acres of land.
I snapped a photo and sent it to Rachel.
She replied with a heart emoji and a middle finger emoji.
Dropping my bags off, I heard an enthusiastic knock at my door. It was Gustav, already letting himself in.
“Ro!” he said with a bright smile, opening his arms, pulling me into a hug.
It had been a few years, but he looked like the same Gustav to me; tall and lean, swooped back hair with a handlebar mustache. He was still him—ears pierced, tattoos up his neck—happy as a clam. I couldn’t get over his smile. Fucking contagious and silly.
“Gusty,” I said, reaching in for a hug, and it almost made me feel emotional as he held onto me tightly, like reuniting with a brother that I'd somehow lost.
“It’s so good to see you! I’m so glad you’re here, man,” he said as he let go, punching my arm.
“I’m glad to be here. Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I said, and realized it was true.
Even when I had planned on attending as a guest, I was still trying to mentally jump through hoops to try to at least make it to the reception on Halloween night.
Now it just felt like I was meant to be here, and for more reasons than one.
“Come on, everyone’s downstairs. We’re gonna hit the corn maze today,” he explained, guiding me down the stairs.
We walked down the huge spiral staircase where people were mingling and standing around.
My eyes kept ping-ponging from different places, too much to see too quickly—an extravagant chandelier, the array of Gothic decor in the foyer already set up for us guests, Neoclassical artwork lining the walls.
Then—there she was. She was talking with Tallulah, although she looked a bit distracted.
She was wearing a completely different kind of fit than the night before which—don’t get me wrong—still totally worked for her.
The way her eyes widened when she saw me after almost barreling into me—I couldn’t help but smirk.
Seeing her in the daytime hit differently—even as she was scowling at me.
And I could see the way her scowl turned into something different for a split second.
Was it surprise? Shock? If I hadn’t been so sure that Ivy Jade hated me, then I would've interpreted her expression as a look of excitement—excitement, albeit, that lasted for a second, exploding like a firecracker, then fizzling into nothing.
I didn’t think Ivy Jade would be that thrilled to see me, but the way she reacted? I kinda liked it. It may have been slightly negative, but it was humorous enough to make me want to poke at it further. To garner a reaction—good or bad.
Once we were on the bus, Ivy Jade sat as far away from me as possible. I lay low in the back, elbow resting on the window, giving her all my attention. She looked so absorbed in her own world, focused on something on her lap.
God, was I being a creep? Was this stalking?
I couldn’t stop my eyes from narrowing on her with interest, feeling like I was some creature waiting for her to make a move.
Maybe that was the High Jynx in me—my ability to lurk in the shadows and watch, anticipating a moment to take action.
Only I didn’t want to scare Ivy Jade. I just wanted to sit next to her.
Suddenly, a few people from the bridal party began to laugh beside me.
Everyone talked and acted completely normal.
I tried to appear engaged in conversation, nodding mindlessly as Gustav and Tallulah shared a story about their recent trip to Cancun.
They were talking about margaritas and beaches, but I couldn’t be bothered with Mexico, not when I had Pennsylvania in front of me, its crimson leaves fluttering near the window where Ivy Jade sat.
I cleared my throat, adjusting my position in my seat to get a less conspicuous look at her.
Now I could tell she was reading a book in her lap, the pages splayed open as she chewed the cuticle on her thumb.
‘Little Women?’ I read the book cover. Really? There was no way.
I tried to look closer, taking in the peculiar page art she stared at. She wasn’t reading ‘Little Women’ at all.
I almost laughed. She had a fake dust jacket over her book, covering the original title that was so clearly visible on the page header. I’d recognize that knight logo anywhere—her beloved ‘Unmasking My Bright Knight.’
It was weird that she was hiding this from everyone, but maybe I wasn’t the right judge to make that call, considering I was secretly moonlighting as a clown without anyone knowing.
Shit. I wanted to ask her about the dust jacket, but then again, I didn’t want to get sucked into a conversation that could inadvertently give me away as High Jynx.
Gustav looked back at me, draping his arm over the seat.
“How’s Megan? She wasn’t able to come?”
I shook my head quickly. “Nah. We broke up a while back,” I mentioned casually, as if it were no big deal.
Actually, it reminded me how out of place I was.
Staying at a chateau with a bunch of rich yuppies wasn't really my thing, not that it was Gustav’s either, but it was obvious he was used to this level of luxury.
This entire adventure was for rich people.
People like Megan… and like Ivy Jade. I tried not to get hung up on the similarities and focused on the book in her hand to distract myself.
Gustav’s eyebrows rose as his face fell. “Ah, shit. I’m sorry, man.”
I shrugged and plastered a fake smile on my face.
“It’s all good. Wasn’t meant to be.”
Ivy Jade glanced over her shoulder, locking eyes with me, but then rolled her eyes, scoffed, and looked away after I gave her a small smile.
God, she was such a brat. But like some sick form of self-torture, I wanted to get closer to her, to her attitude and angst. It felt like something I wanted to yank from her, to beckon those eyes back in my direction.
We arrived at the corn maze shortly after, everyone gathering around to take group pictures before venturing in.
We started in small groups, people talking amongst themselves, others purposefully walking faster to try to beat the other groups in a competition that didn’t really exist. I stayed with a group of guys from the wedding party, some of whom I had chatted with briefly before.
Some of them talked about which route was better to take so we could beat the ladies. Some of them talked about how hot some of the bridesmaids were. One of them, Vann, was chattier than the others.
“How do you know Gustav?” he asked as we strolled through the maze.
I looked up from the ground and glanced over at him. “We were good friends growing up. You?”
“I’m in construction. We met during a project a few years back. He’s a cool guy,” he responded.
I nodded. I wasn’t much of a small-talk kind of guy, so I dug my hands in my pockets, looking down at my feet.
Honestly, all I could think of was what to say to Ivy Jade next.
She was like a cat with her ears pinned back, ready to scratch me.
How could you calm someone down like that?
Or how could I make amends with her if I didn’t even know why she hated me so much?
“Any of the bridesmaids catch your eye?” he asked after a moment, then looked ahead at Gustav, who led the way. “Ivy Jade, Gustav’s sister…” He whistled and shook his head. “She’s a hot one, isn’t she?”
My face suddenly went hot. That wasn’t jealousy, was it?
“Well, she’s… something,” I said, not wanting to indulge him. My hand curled into a fist.
Vann gave me a look. “I guess it’s different for you, huh? You’ve known her for a long time?”
I wanted this guy to fucking leave me alone. “I don’t really know her anymore.” I shrugged.
“Any advice on how to hit her up?” he asked, oblivious. “She seems like a brat, but I don’t know… those can be fun,” he said with a condescending laugh.
Now I wanted to fucking punch the guy. Sure, Ivy Jade was a brat, but she was my brat, and that made all the difference. Some strange sense of protectiveness swelled inside me.
I gave him a mocking smile. “I heard she only likes guys with huge dicks, so I think she’s outta your league, man,” I taunted.
He stopped and turned, giving me a dirty look, the stupid condescending smile wiped from his face.
“Fuck off, man,” he said, then quickly walked ahead, finding someone else to annoy.
I was glad he was gone, but now I was alone, and I couldn't escape Ivy Jade consuming my thoughts. And to make matters worse, I was totally fucking lost in this maze.
I began to walk slower, taking any path that looked like it was headed north, the direction of the exit.
Each turn looked familiar, and I ended up feeling more lost as I kept running into dead ends.
I jumped a few times, trying to look over the corn, but it was too tall.
After a moment, I pulled out my phone to call Gustav, seeing if I could find him, and bam—someone collided into me, and I immediately knew who it was when I heard her shriek.
“Damn it, Romeo!” Ivy Jade huffed, her eyes wide and wonderful. She took a moment to collect herself, realizing what she had said before shaking her head. “I meant to say ‘darn it’… shoot, dang it! Ugh. Nevermind. Look what you did! You made me swear.” She shoved my shoulder, frustrated.
It was like a mouse trying to move a boulder.
“I made you swear?” I said, arching an eyebrow. “I’m amazed I’m able to ‘make’ you do anything, Ivy.”
Her pretty face twisted into anger. “It’s Ivy Jade!”