by Monroe, Max
Before Cap can fire off a sarcastic retort, Ruby changes the subject completely.
“Oh hey, Lena, I’ve been meaning to ask you about something you mentioned when we grabbed lunch the other week.”
I tilt my head to the side, and she continues, “Didn’t you say you went to the Amalfi Coast before you came home from Milan?”
“I did.”
“Did you like it?”
“I loved it. We stayed in an amazing resort in Positano.”
“Is it honeymoon worthy?”
“Oh my God, one hundred percent,” I answer honestly. “A perfect honeymoon location, in my opinion.”
“Wait…you went to Positano?” Cap asks and furrows his brow. “When did you do that?”
“Uh…toward the end of my trip,” I say, but my response doesn’t seem to appease him, so I elaborate. “It was just me and a few of my design school friends. We went to celebrate the passing of exams and to relax before our internships started. Though we didn’t stay too long, it just enough time to chill out for a week or so and enjoy the beach.”
“When was this?”
“A few weeks before I came home. We texted.”
“Where did you end up staying?” Ruby asks, and my lungs tighten up at the unwanted path this conversation is heading down.
“Uh…just some resort near the coast,” I lie, but no way in fucking hell am I going to say Cruz Resorts right now. I’ll save those details for after Milo and Maybe’s wedding, when I finally find the nerve to tell my brother the truth.
“Now I’m remembering. The day you tried to give me a fucking heart attack by joking about Baghdad.”
I roll my eyes, but he blathers on. “The instant you decided to leave Milan, you should’ve told me,” Cap says, going all big bro on me. “And, at the very least, given me all of your travel info, for fuck’s sake.”
“Oh, get over yourself,” I say with a dramatic roll of my eyes. “I don’t have to keep you updated about every little detail, Dad.”
Ruby laughs, but Cap just keeps looking at me like he wants to say something else.
Luckily, the restaurant staff gives us the signal to sit down at our assigned tables because dinner is going to be served, and I don’t hesitate to extract myself from my brother’s weird mood and head to the table where the rest of Maybe’s bridesmaids are sitting.
It doesn’t take long before everyone is seated, and servers carry out trays of tonight’s meal and begin to place them in front of everyone.
Steak and lobster and all the damn fixings, the meal is fit for kings.
But when I look up from my plate and search for the one person who’s on my mind, my gaze locks with familiar blue, and I’m momentarily distracted by the view.
Across the room, Theo sits at a different table with my brother and Ruby and a few of their other friends.
Discreetly, I flash a secret smile in his direction, pull my cell phone out of my purse, and send him a message.
Me: You’re looking mighty handsome tonight.
Theo: You’re the most beautiful girl in the room.
I bite my lip to fight my smile.
Me: Are you flirting with me?
Theo: Most definitely.
Me: Want to flirt with me some more after dinner?
Theo: Name the time and place, and I’ll be there.
Me: When they bring out dessert. Meet me outside on the little patio at the back entrance.
After he reads my message, he lifts his eyes from his phone and gives one sexy wink as confirmation, and I flash a little smirk.
See you soon, handsome.
I stand outside on the little patio of the restaurant that’s hidden between vines of ivy and willow trees, and when two familiar hands gently grab my hips, I smile.
“This gives new meaning to a secret rendezvous,” Theo whispers into my ear and kisses the back of my neck.
I turn on my heels to meet his eyes. “I take it you made sure the coast was clear before you came out?”
He nods. “You might as well start calling me Jason Bourne.”
I laugh at that and stand up on my toes to press my lips to his. “I’ve missed you tonight.”
“Me too,” he whispers around our kiss. “It’s tough being secret spies.”
I break our kiss when a giggle jumps from my throat. “Now I understand why they’re always so lonely. Living a double life is hard.”
Theo smirks down at me. “Other than the loneliness, are you having a good time tonight, honey?”
“I am.” I nod. “Although, this restaurant is making me want to go to Paris.”
“You like Paris?”
“Are you kidding me? I love Paris.” I pull out of his arms to do a little twirl with my arms stretched out and my head back before settling back into them. “If I could live in one city in the world, it’d be there.”
“Really? Why?”
“Why not?” I reply. “The culture. The little cafés and terraces on every corner. The coffee. The people. Truthfully, it’s quite possible I’m adopted, and my biological parents are Parisian.”
He chuckles. “I’m going there soon. In fact, I leave in about two weeks.”
“What?” I playfully shove at his chest. “Don’t joke about something like that.”
“I swear.” He shakes his head. “For a club opening.”
“Cruz Nightlife is opening a club in Paris?”
He nods. “And Venice, too.”
“Oh, delicious croissants and cheeses. Take me with you.”
“Honey, I’m pretty sure we need to get one very important thing straight,” he says and reaches out to brush a loose curl behind my ear. “Any trip, no matter what the reason, you are always more than welcome to join me. Welcome and wanted.”
“I’m officially making this a rule and adding it to the list.”
“Please do.”
“So…if I can manage a few days off with Loro, I can tag along with you to Paris?”
He smiles so big it makes my cheeks hurt. “It’d make my fucking trip.”
A weekend. In Paris. With Theo?
Surely, I can talk Loro into letting me rearrange my schedule…
Once Theo and I sneak a few more kisses and head back to our separate tables, I don’t hesitate to pull my phone out of my purse and start laying the groundwork.
Me: You wouldn’t happen to need me to, say, go to Paris for a few days and, like, do some internship-related things, would you?
Loro: I need you to bring back a dark-haired, dark-eyed man named Pierre with a tight ass and firm pecs.
I grin as I read his text message.
Me: Is there quite possibly anything else that doesn’t put me at risk for kidnapping?
Loro: You want a few days off to go to Paris with your secret boyfriend?
Me: Secret boyfriend? I don’t have a secret boyfriend.
Loro: Don’t lie to me, lovely. Between you leaving my studio in nothing but a Burberry trench coat and stilettos, and the texts that make you smile like you’re on dental gas, I know you have some sort of secret something.
Am I that transparent?
Loro: I’m more than okay with you going to Paris for a few days because I might have you do a little internship-related work while you’re there, but you need to do one thing first.
Me: And what’s that?
Loro: Admit the truth.
Me: Fine. I do have a secret something, but we’re not using labels at the moment. We’re just getting to know each other and kind of seeing where it goes.
Loro: Damn, I’m good. Who is it? Should I know who he is?
Me: Uh…I’m not sure? Maybe?
Loro: How long do I have to sit here before you tell me?
Me: We’re kind of keeping it under wraps at the moment.
Loro: And why is that?
Me: Because we have mutual friends.
Loro: Lena, you’re killing me over here! Just tell me already. I swear on Coco Chanel’s grave that I won’t
tell a soul.
Me: I’ll give you some hints. He was at New York Fashion Week. At your show, in fact.
Loro: I saw a million people there.
Me: He was wearing the amazing Versace suit you loved so much.
Loro: Wait…was this the hot-as-fuck billionaire that came with your brother?
Me: Yes.
Loro: Does…uh…your brother know about this????
Me: Not yet. But soon.
Loro: Oh shit, girl, you know how to live! I’ll pray for your safety because the flames are close.
Yes, I know. I’m playing way too close to the fire.
And very soon, I’m going to be engulfed. I just have to find a way to tell my brother about Theo and me.
But at least I now have a weekend in Paris with Theo to look forward to, right?
Who knows, maybe I can time it just right so that I tell Cap the truth right before I’m out of the country for a few days…
Theo
“I kept thinking and thinking about what I wanted to say,” Lena starts into her maid of honor speech. “Just hard-core brainstorming on what this speech would entail, and then it hit me, I can’t believe my best friend is getting married in thirty minutes.”
Laughter fills the swanky venue that is occupied by over two hundred guests attending Milo and Maybe’s wedding reception.
The bride and groom are all smiles as they sit at the head table with the rest of their bridal party, while Lena stands beside Maybe with a glass of champagne in one hand and a microphone in the other.
She looks downright stunning in a black silk dress. The fluid material hugs her curves in an understated kind of way, merely hinting at what lies beneath. Her blond curls are secured in a loose bun, and a few loose strands hang down and highlight her gorgeous face.
I’m having a hell of a time keeping my eyes off her.
“Before I really get into the meat and potatoes of what I want to say,” Lena continues, “I’d first like to thank Chicken Soup for the Soul and three shots of vodka for making this speech possible tonight.” She flashes a cheeky grin at the crowd, who appear to be just as entertained by her as I am, though I know that can’t be true. No, it takes real time to build this kind of an obsession.
“Okay. I’m kidding. I didn’t have enough time to find a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul before the wedding started, but I did have vodka.” She winks, and Maybe’s father chortles in his seat.
“Had to have some of that myself, Lena! It ain’t easy giving your baby girl away!”
“Bruce Willis, Maybe’s father and fellow vodka lover, everybody!” Lena grins toward him but then frowns when she looks back out over the rest of the reception crowd. “No, not the Bruce Willis from Die Hard, but Bruce Willis, the flower man from Chelsea. Sorry for any disappointment that might have just caused some of you.”
Both Maybe and Milo chuckle, and Maybe’s father takes it all in stride, joining in on the hilarity with a few belly laughs of his own.
“So, Maybe and I have only been friends for a few years now, but there is no doubt she is the best friend I’ve ever had.”
“Aw,” Maybe coos and looks up at Lena with a soft smile.
“And I think we can all agree she is adorable. Which is also pronounced will make situations very awkward,” Lena teases. “But it was that adorableness of hers that made me certain I had to be friends with this girl. I’ll never forget that day at Jovial Grinds when I walked up to her and all but demanded we be friends.”
“Oh, you demanded,” Maybe chimes in.
“Okay, so I demanded.” Lena shrugs and laughs. “And since that day, we’ve been inseparable.”
Maybe snorts. “Until you left me for what felt like forever to go to Milan!”
Lena rolls her eyes and grins. “Okay, so since that day, but minus the nine months I went to Italy, we’ve been inseparable. Better?”
“Yep.”
“Shall I continue the speech?”
Maybe giggles. “Yep.”
“Once our friendship was set in stone, I had the pleasure of being on the sidelines when Maybe was falling head over heels for Milo. And I had the pleasure of watching these two realize that what they had was something incredibly special. There is no denying they are meant to be, and God, I am so happy for you, girl.” She smiles at Maybe. “And, Milo—” she looks at him “—thank you for taking such good care of my girl.”
“I’ll always take care of her.” Milo gazes down at Maybe with nothing but love and adoration in his eyes.
“I know you will,” Lena says. “But, Milo, I can’t end this speech without offering a little disclaimer…” She pauses, and her eyes turn serious. “If you ever fuck it up, I will murder you.”
And then she smiles.
“That’ll never happen!” Milo bursts into laughter and wraps his arm around Maybe’s shoulders.
“Okay, everyone,” Lena says and holds her glass of champagne in the air. “Let’s raise our glasses to the two most important people in this room.”
Everyone follows her lead, including me.
“To the bar staff.”
The entire room cracks up.
“And while we’re at it,” Lena adds, “let’s go ahead and cheers to these two lovebirds right here. Tonight, I’m thankful that my best friend found a man who helped her understand what DP really means.”
“Lena!” Maybe exclaims. “Oh my God!”
“What’s DP?” her dad asks the crowd, which only makes people laugh harder.
Milo is chuckling so hard that he has to wipe tears from his eyes.
“And I’m also thankful that, with Milo, Maybe not only expanded her vocabulary, but she found the kind of love that makes us all believe in it,” Lena says, and from across the room, her eyes lock with mine.
My heart expands in my chest, and I’m hit by the realization that I’m more than falling for this woman. I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere between our rendezvous in Italy and right now, I’ve already fallen in love with Lena.
I’m in love with her.
With her eyes still locked with mine, Lena lifts her glass. “Cheers to love and happiness, everyone! Congratulations to Milo and Maybe!”
The reception responds by cheersing their glasses of champagne in the air, and when I blink out of my daze and join in on the toast, I lift my glass to my lips and take a sip.
Unfortunately, just as I’m removing the glass from my mouth and setting it back on the table, I lock eyes with Cap.
He is staring at me from across the table. His brow is furrowed, and his eyes are scrutinizing. He glances back toward Lena, who is now giving Maybe and Milo hugs, before snapping his gaze straight back to me. His face is downright savage.
Oh fuck. He knows.
I don’t know how he knows or why he knows, but he fucking knows.
I can fucking feel it to my bones.
“The bride and groom will be cutting the cake now,” the DJ and MC for the evening announces into the mic, and everyone starts to stand from their seats and head toward the back of the room where the cake is displayed.
Everyone but Cap, that is, who is still staring at me.
“Uh…you okay there, bud?” I ask cautiously, and his firm expression doesn’t budge.
“Cap, c’mon,” his fiancée Ruby says as she stands up beside him. “Let’s go watch them cut the cake.”
“Where did your last nightclub open?” he asks, eyes still pointedly in my direction.
Shit. As a last-ditch effort to avoid a scene right now, I play dumb. “Uh…what?”
Evidently, I’m not that convincing as a doe-eyed idiot. “Didn’t you open a nightclub in Positano?”
“Cap?” Ruby questions and puts a hand to his shoulder as I swallow. “What are you talking about, baby?”
“I’m talking about the possibility that something is fucking up, but Theo isn’t telling me,” Cap spits, and Ruby looks at me in confusion.
“W-what is happening right now?”
“That’s a great question, doll.” Cap stands up from his seat. “Because it seems like something is happening between my baby sister and this dickhead right here, but surely, I’ve lost my fucking mind and I’m just seeing things.”
Shit. Fuck. Shit. I knew it. He knows.
“I’m just seeing shit right, Cruz?” he questions and steps around the table until he’s right beside me, Ruby following him nervously. “I mean, last night I find out that Lena went to Positano around the same time I know you were in Positano. Then, I swore I saw you two sharing some kind of fucking look during dinner last night, but I told myself I was wrong, you know?” He shakes his head. “No fucking way my good friend Theo would be such a shady-ass motherfucker, right?” I clench my teeth together against the awful, pounding pit in the bottom of my stomach. “But then, tonight, you’re looking at her like she puts your dick down her golden throat and she’s looking at you like you hung the goddamn moon and the stars, and suddenly, I’m having a real hard time telling myself I’m still just seeing shit.”
I do the gentlemanly thing and get to my feet, but other than that, I can’t make myself say or do anything. Lying to him isn’t a viable option anymore, but neither is laying it all out on the table. I mean, we’re in the middle of a wedding reception, and the bride and groom are over in the corner, cutting the damn cake. This isn’t exactly how I imagined this conversation going down.
“Cruz,” he implores. “You better fucking explain yourself before I fucking lose it.”
“How about we step outside and finish this conversation?” I suggest, glancing to the door.
“Why would we have to do that?” he tosses back, his voice rising uncomfortably. “Your answer should be a simple No, man, there is not and there never will be anything going on between me and Lena…right?”