“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Turning to take my seat in the front row, I see a flash of a familiar face. It can’t fucking be, can it?
It is. Lucy is here. Sitting just a few feet behind me.
Her eyes lock on mine, and she looks as shocked as I feel. Her pretty face is white, like she’s seen a ghost. Suddenly aware of where I am and the fact I’m standing here like an idiot, I break my gaze away from hers and take my seat.
I hardly pay any attention to the vows being said. All my willpower is drained trying not to turn around and look at her.
What the hell is she doing here? My mind races as I try to process the situation. Seeing her is so unexpected that I didn’t pay any attention to who she’s here with. “Hey, you know the brunette sitting back there?” Leaning closer to my younger brother, Beau, I drop my voice so nobody can hear me over the sound of the officiant as he speaks. He looks around in the direction I just nodded.
“The gorgeous one with legs that would look fucking great wrapped around my back?” he asks, thankfully missing the fact that his answer has me going rigid, every muscle tensing. He must miss the frustrated flex of my fists because he keeps speaking. “That’s Lucy. She runs Flex with the guys, why?” He glances at me, confusion on his face. Thankfully, the ceremony comes to an end, and I’m saved from explaining why I’m asking about her. We all stand and clap as the happy couple share a not at all appropriate kiss. My mind is too preoccupied to care all that much right now.
I’m wracking my brain trying to remember if we discussed her job at all over the weekend we spent together. Nothing stands out, though. There wasn’t a whole lot of talking going on. Between fucking ourselves stupid, we pretty much just slept and ate.
If she is who I think she is, it wasn’t all that long ago that she was coming on to TJ. While he was with my sister. What kind of idiot was I to think there could have ever been anything but sex between us? And if I'd known then who she was, I wouldn’t have given her a passing glance.
I’m grateful that I've managed to avoid speaking to her so far. I’m still pissed at the way she spoke about me. I’ve had to keep a tight hold on that anger over the last two months. I felt it slip every time I saw her name on my phone in those first few days, and there was no way I was interested in hearing whatever bullshit she might have come up with to excuse what I heard.
The reception is in full swing, the music has been turned up, and there’s even a few couples on the makeshift dancefloor, but it looks like my luck has finally run out when I'm at the bar getting myself and Beau a drink.
“Can we talk?” Her voice is soft and unsure, but it does nothing to soothe the anger that’s coursing through my system like red hot lava.
“Better get me another whiskey,” I tell the bartender when he puts the glass down in front of me, as I completely ignore Lucy.
“Please?” She tries again, this time reaching out to touch my arm. The contact burns, even through the material of my shirt making me jerk my arm out of her reach. I finally turn to look at her, and that’s yet another mistake.
Why does she have to be so fucking beautiful? Her chocolate eyes stare up at me, and it looks like she might have been crying. I drop my eyes away from hers, wishing I didn’t find her so fucking attractive. She’s been on my mind for weeks now, my head full of visions of her naked and under me. I can’t keep having these kinds of thoughts about her. I don’t want to have these thoughts of her all the damn time. The anger in me collides with the desire for her, turning my insides into a knot of confusion. I feel the pressure of it building inside of me, and I’m not sure I can keep it tamped down for much longer.
“Not interested,” I clip, frustrated that she’s not getting the hint and leaving me alone. I turn back to the bar and the second shot of whiskey the bartender just dropped off.
“I know things didn’t—”
“No,” I growl, cutting her off sharply. “We are not doing this. Not here, not now. It’s my little sister’s fucking wedding day. But I guess you don’t care all that much about that, now do you?” I sneer.
Tears fill her eyes, and her chin wobbles as she stares at me a beat, undoubtedly trying to decide if she really wants to keep pushing this. She finally seems to understand I’m not budging. Without another word, she turns and rushes off. I stare after her as she goes, watching until she disappears in the crowd. I feel like a fucking dick for dismissing her that way, but she just wouldn’t fucking stop.
“What the fuck was that?” Beau asks, stunned. I might be a bit rough around the edges most of the time, but I’m never outright rude like that. Especially to women. My mom would be spinning in her grave if she ever knew Ij0qaaa acted like that.
I don’t have it in me to lie to him; instead, I tell him everything. From seeing her walk in to Fuzzy’s, to those incredible few days, and I end with overhearing her trash talk me to whoever was on the phone.
Through it all, Beau listens without interrupting. He’s silent for a beat, and once I'm finished, he lets out a long, loud laugh.
“You’re so fucked,” he chokes out, slapping me on the back.
“How the fuck did you work that out? Were you not listening at all?”
“If you didn’t like this chick, you wouldn’t give a shit what she thought.” Giving me another slap on the back, he picks up his bottle of beer and starts to walk away.
“Like I said, you’re so fucked, big bro,” he calls over his shoulder, and the fucker is still laughing at me as he goes.
“Good Luck, I think you’re gonna need it!” Giving me a salute with the bottle, he turns and disappears into the small group of people standing at the edge of the dance floor watching TJ and Bree have their first dance.
He has no idea what he’s talking about. I might have liked her for a minute, but that was before she showed her true colors. Now I want her to stay far away from me.
***
I’m standing outside waiting for my Uber to get here.
The party is still going on out back, but it’s been a long day, and I’m more than ready to get out of here. Avoiding Lucy has been exhausting, especially since she was all I saw, no matter where I turned. I take a deep draw on my cigarette. I’ve been craving a hit of nicotine all day, but I knew my family would be pissed if I came in smelling like smoke.
“You can’t leave. We need to talk.” And there she is again. I’m too tired to argue with her, the venom from earlier soothed by plenty of whiskey.
“I’m already leaving, and I told you how I feel about talking to you.”
“I know, but—”
“Did you know who I was?” I cut her off, asking the question that’s been on my mind since I saw her earlier today.
“What?” she breathes out, seemingly caught off guard by my question.
“When you asked me to take you home that night, did you know who I was? Did you know that Bree is my sister?”
“I had no idea!” Lucy exclaims loudly. “You let me think your name was Lucas!” she adds on a hiss. I search her face for any hint that she’s lying, but all I see is surprise mixed with a touch of trepidation.
“I swear to god, Lucy, if I find out you were using me as some pawn in your fucked-up game to get TJ back, I will make your life miserable.” Her eyes narrow as anger chases the hurt from earlier away.