about.
âHey,â I said.
His jaw slacked.
âNice reaction,â I added. âApparently, the dress is a hit.â
âI ⦠umââ He shook his head. âFuck. Youâre ⦠Fuck.â
I laughed. âWell. That pretty much covers it.â
âSure. Exceptâ¦â His gaze narrowed on me. âYou said holiday attire. Formal, yes. But that dress is likeâ¦â He shook his head, looking thoroughly confused. And in awe. âAre we going to be on TV or something?â
He had a natural way of cutting the tension. I adored that. Yet I still had a very uncomfortable conversation with him ahead of me.
âKyle, thereâs something I didnât tell you about this little get-together.â
I took his hand and dragged him into Daneâs office, closing the door behind us.
âI know this is going to take you by surpriseââ hit him like a ton of bricks was more like itââbut this evening is incredibly special to me.â
âAri.â He eyed me skeptically. âWhat the hell is going on?â
âDonât freak, okay. I know what Iâm doing. And I know this is going to throw you for a huge loop, but I needed you to be here tonight. As my best friend. As my best ⦠man.â
I held my breath as he gaped.
Many, many seconds inched by. Before I passed out from lack of oxygen, I pulled in a gulp of air, then blurted, âSay something!â
He seemed to try to speak. He just wasnât successful at it.
I told him, âI understand this is a shock. But Dane proposed last night and so here we all areââ
âLast night?â he suddenly demanded, coming around quickly. âAs in ⦠last night ?â He shook his head, started to do some pacing of his own.
Iâd never seen so much tension from so many people over an impending marriage. Even the Delfinos hadnât worn out the rug when theyâd learned twenty-year-old Meg was pregnant and her father, Anthony Delfino, had issued the shotgun-wedding scenario to Sean.
âTake a few deep breaths,â I said. âYouâll feel better.â
He halted abruptly, spun around, and glared at me. âAre you out of your mind?â
âFirst ⦠donât yell at me on my wedding day. Second ⦠no, I am not.â I grabbed his hand again and said, âI invited you here for a reason. There are only a few people who will know about this, and I want you to be one of them. Dane approvedââ
âOh, he approved, did he? As if you need his permissionââ
âHe knows you will keep our secret,â I insisted.
Ripping his hand from mine, Kyle threw his arms up in the air and, in an exasperated voice, asked, âArenât you tired yet of all the secrecy, Ari? What is it about him that makes you think itâs okay to keep everything about your relationship under wraps? Normal people donât do that, you know?â
I remained calm, because he deserved to have this outburst. Iâd done favors for Kyle, such as getting him the job at the Lux. Heâd done favors for me, like staying with me after Iâd been roughed up by Vale.
Kyle and I truly did banter like siblings, even though he took it in a different lightâmore of a flirtation. Iâd always been clear on my intentions. He knew Dane was it for me. End of story.
And Kyle had chosen to stay friends, to stay my closest friend. As much as Iâd suffer if he walked away, the choice had always beenâand always would beâup to him.
âI want you here,â I said. âIt means the world to me. If you donât want to be on my side with this, Iâll totally understand. But I always fight for you, Kyle. Because thatâs what best friends do.â
He grunted. âFuck it all, Ari. I swear, I will never figure out what the hell goes on inside your head.â
His pacing resumed. I knew this
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