I laughed and my body welcomed the emotion, embracing it like an old friend it hadn’t seen in years.
“There’s the smile I love.” Dean nudged my arm with a grin.
“Are you still working at that magazine?” Cole asked, flicking an unopened bag of chips across the table.
“Yeah. They extended my internship another semester.” I smiled, feeling the excitement course through my veins as I talked about my passion.
“And they’re sending you on an assignment!” Melissa squealed.
“They’re what? You didn’t tell me that.” Dean cocked his head to the side as his face pinched a little.
“She just found out, Dean, don’t get all pouty about it.” Melissa pretended to whine and he threw a grape at her.
I nudged Dean with my arm. “I think it’s a test. They said they want to see what kind of emotions I can evoke in readers with my pictures.”
“What kind of what?” Brett’s mouth twisted in confusion.
“You’re such…an idiot.” Cole teased, shaking his head.
“They said they wanted to see how I viewed the world.” I shrugged my shoulders. “So they’re giving me a chance to show them.”
Cole leaned over the table toward me. “That’s so cool. Do you think they’ll hire you?”
“I don’t know. I guess if they like what they see, but I still have a lot to learn. The photographers they have on staff are mind-blowingly talented. I only hope I’ll be that good someday. Plus, their main offices are in New York. The only people they have in LA are the head of sales, a research and development exec, some freelancers, and me.”
“Would you move to New York?” Brett looked stunned, lettuce and meat falling out of his open mouth.
My eyes met Melissa’s as curiosity crept across her face. “Why not? You only live once, right?”
“Because it snows there, that’s why not!” Melissa shouted and jutted out her bottom lip.
“New York seems pretty cool.” Brett shrugged before finishing off a sports drink and tossing it toward the plastic can a few feet away. When it hit the edge and fell to the ground, everyone at the table broke into laughter and shouting about how much Brett sucked.
I almost felt normal.
And then the moment passed.
Jack was engaged to marry someone else. He had sex with a strange girl without using protection. Something he had never done before us.
Us.
“Hello?” Melissa waved both arms like she was signaling a rescue chopper.
“I’m sorry, what did I miss?” I asked and the table roared with amusement once more.
I glanced at my phone, noted the time, and started to gather my things. “I have to go. I have class in ten minutes and it’s on the other side of campus.”
“I’ll walk you.” Dean stood as I did, his actions causing the table to fall silent as we left.
“You don’t have to walk me to class, Dean. I’m fine.”
“I know, but I wanted to talk to you,” he said, each step perfectly timed with mine.
“What’s up?” I glanced sideways at him as he tugged at his brown hair the same way Jack used to do.
“I just wanted you to know that I’m going to the wedding.”
My legs started to tremble as his words surged through me with ferocity. I stopped walking and silently begged myself not to lose it. “Of course you are. You’re his brother.”
“I know, but I feel like I’m betraying you somehow. Standing up there with Jack, it’s like saying that I agree with what he’s doing. And I don’t. I don’t agree with it for one second, but he’s my brother and I love him.” He lowered his head as he kicked at the ground with his foot.
I threw my arms around him, squeezing hard until he returned the friendly gesture. “I love you for caring about me, but of course you should be there for Jack.”
“I just wish I could talk him out of it.” He tugged at the corners of his eyes, a yawn escaping.
“Are Gran and Gramps going?” The question alone forced my knees to resume trembling.
“They’re not. Gran can’t fly for that long and Gramps refuses to go without her.” He shrugged. “But honestly, I don’t think they have the heart to watch him go through with it.”
“Does Jack know they aren’t coming?” I suddenly found myself caring for Jack’s well-being.
“He knows. I think he’s relieved, actually. He feels like he let them down, you know? He’s dealing with a lot of guilt right now.”
I swallowed hard as my throat burned with repressed emotion. “I’m gonna be late to class. I have to go. Thanks for telling me.” I turned on my heel and walked away as fast as my quivering legs would move me.
*****
I paced in the living room, my body a bundle of nervous energy as I waited for Melissa to get home from night class. The door flung open as a gust of wind practically blew Melissa inside. She pushed her small body against the door, shutting it with a loud slam before turning to face me, her hair tangled across her face.
“I hate the wind.” She jutted out her bottom lip and blew a huff of air against the pieces covering her mouth.
I frowned. “Me too.” I plunked down on the couch and picked nervously at the edge of a cushion. “I need to talk to you.”
“So talk.” She flipped the kitchen light on, searching the cupboards for her bag of butter-flavored pretzels.
“I want to go out there.”
“Go out where?” She turned and squinted at me in confusion.
“Alabama. I need to see him, Melissa. Or maybe he needs to see me? I don’t know, but what if I can stop the wedding?”
“Why would you want to stop the wedding?” Her head cocked to one side as she crunched on a pretzel.
“Because.”
“Because why, Cassie? This guy cheated on you. And he lied.” Leave it to Melissa to press the issue, forcing me to examine my heart.
“I know. And I always believed that cheating was an unforgiveable act. That once you broke down that foundation of trust, it could never be rebuilt. But I was wrong. I don’t want him to marry someone else, Melissa. I don’t know that I can get past what he’s done, but I’m willing to try.”
She stared at me like she’d known this all along and was simply waiting for me to figure it out.
“So why are we still talking about it?”
“Because I don’t have the money for a ticket.” I sighed, plucking at the frayed edges of the throw pillow. “And I was wondering if I could borrow some? I’ll pay you back, I swear.”
“How will you pay me back? You don’t even have a real job.” Even though she was telling the truth, I still wanted to smack her.
“I didn’t say I’d pay you back next week, but I will pay you back.” Irritated at her reluctance, I squeezed the pillow to my stomach, trying to push back at my emotions.
“I’m just messing with you. Let’s go book you some flights!” She tossed the bag of pretzels into the air before heading into the bedroom. I laughed as they spilled out onto the floor.
“And a rental car. And a hotel,” I shouted.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve got it covered. Get in here!”
*****
The lights at the baseball stadium flicked off as the last of the fans pulled out of the gravel lot. The opposing team piled onto their bus and the engine roared to life with a loud puff of smoke. I stood next to my rented Ford Mustang and watched as the home team players sporadically filed out of the locker room. My legs were shaking like crazy, my nerves completely frayed.
I noticed Jack immediately. He was freshly showered, his black hair still dripping wet. A smile crept across my face and I knew without a doubt that if my eyes could sparkle like stars, they would have. Seeing him almost brought me to my knees.
I watched as his eyes scanned the parking lot for his car, before they stopped on me. He looked away and then quickly jerked back, his hair spraying water from the force of the turn.
“Kitten?” He dropped his bag, running.
“I hate when you call me that,” I half shouted with a smile.
“What are you doing here?”
I leaned my back into the car as he kissed the side of my face and then stood far too close. I felt my stomach drop to my knees. And my knees drop to my feet. And my feet…well, they could barely stand. He wrapped his arms around me and I nuzzled into his neck, breathing him in. I stopped my fingers from running through his wet hair. I stopped my hands from gripping the back of his neck and pulling him to me. I stopped my mouth from attacking his.
God, I missed him. What was left of my broken heart belonged to him. Every jagged shard had his name written all over it in permanent black ink.
He gently pulled back from our embrace before asking me again, “What are you doing here, Cass?”
“I just…” I hadn’t thought about what I was going to say, which was really stupid. I’d just been so consumed in the process of getting to Alabama so I could see him, I hadn’t really thought through what I was going to say once I got there. “I just wanted to talk to you.”
“You could have called.” His teasing tone was so familiar, bringing memories crashing back that made my throat start to burn.
“I wanted to see you in person.”
He suddenly shifted his weight and his eyes widened. “Are you okay? Everything is okay with you, right?”
I smiled at his protectiveness. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
I watched as he regained his composure with a shaky breath. “That’s good. I don’t know what I’d do if something ever happened to you, Kitten.”
“Like if I was marrying a complete stranger tomorrow?”
His body stiffened. “Is that why you’re here?” I watched his shoulders and head drop as the realization hit.
“Jack. It’s a mistake. You shouldn’t do this. Please don’t do it…don’t marry this girl.” My left hand balled into a fist and rested between my br**sts. “I’m begging you. I am literally begging you to not do this.”
I started crying. The ugly, uncontrollable kind of crying. His eyes glistened and I watched him blink back his own tears.
“It’s too late. Her whole family’s in town.” His face pinched with pained emotion.
“It’s not too late. Tomorrow at whatever time you’re supposed to marry her is too late. Tonight isn’t. Please.” I reached for his shirt and gripped, balling it tightly in my fist. “Please don’t do this to me.”
“I’m sorry you flew all this way.” His eyes looked away from mine.
“So that’s it? You won’t even consider not going through with it?”
“I already made my decision.”
“Do you love her?” I asked, my heart beating as if the next pulse depended on his answer.
His body suddenly pressed against mine as he cupped my face with both hands. “You’re so beautiful.”
I struggled to breathe. “Do you love her?” I choked out the words.