we’d met for coffee and doughnuts before work at least once a week. I hadn’t seen him since he’d come over to ask me to be in his wedding.
He squeezed my arms. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
I shook my head and forced a little laugh as Gabe led me into his apartment. He’d hired my mom to decorate it for him after he bought it, and it was done in what I liked to call “minimalist yuppie.” Glass tables, clean lines, and black, white, and gray furniture that was all positioned to face his extensive high-definition entertainment system that got channels from as far away as Mars. A far cry from the flea market delight of my own apartment.
We sat at his glass-topped dining room table, and I fiddled with my rainbow-colored gloves for a few minutes before looking up and into Gabe’s concerned eyes. “Nothing’s wrong. I…had a really good time downtown the other day. I’ve just missed hanging out with you.”
His face relaxed a bit. “Me, too. You sure that’s it? Did you and What’s-His-Name have a fight?”
“His name is Landon.” I glanced at him sternly. “And no, we’re doing fine.”
“Sorry. So do you want some coffee?”
I shook my head. “No, thank you. I’ve already had three cups.”
“Three? Geez, Vi.” He looked away, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Gabe’s eyes were my weakness.
I drew a long breath and set my shoulders back, feigning strength. “I want to talk about that night.”
Silence. We sat in our seats, just breathing in the coffee-scented air. Gabe and I both knew what I was referring to.
“All right,” he finally said, his jaw clenched.
I looked out the window. “I want to tell you the truth about what happened between Cameron and me.”
That name tasted rotten on my tongue, and I had to swallow the bile that rose in the back of my throat. This conversation was going to be about as pleasant as smashing my fingers with a hammer, but I had to do it. No way I was going to get through this wedding if I had to stand next to Cameron. Gabe had to decide which one of us he wanted in the wedding party more—Cameron or me.
“First off,” I said, “when were you planning on telling me that Cameron is in your wedding?”
Gabe’s eyes met mine. “I was going to, but Alicia beat me to it.”
I looked up at him, opening my mouth to explain what was troubling me, but every word that came to the top of my throat just toppled back down. Over Gabe’s shoulder, I noticed that there were a handful of black picture frames that my mother had picked to go on his dining room buffet. I’d been bugging him to get pictures into those frames for the past year.
Three of the six frames were filled. One was of Gabe and me at his twelfth birthday party, our heads thrown back, laughing hysterically. One was of Gabe and Alicia, shortly after he’d proposed. Her eyes were bright with tears, and she looked unbelievably happy, as did he. And the last was of Gabe and Cameron Hakes, their arms thrown over each other’s shoulders, both of them sweaty, a basketball under Gabe’s muscular arm.
The chair beneath me suddenly swayed, and I felt sick.
Gabe frowned at me. “Hey, what’s going on? Are you all right?”
I stood, nearly knocking my chair over, and stomped over to the picture. After flipping it facedown, I turned to face Gabe, my arms wrapped around my middle. “I just want to know why Alicia brought Cameron up in front of everyone at brunch.”
Gabe’s eyes flashed. “She brought it up at brunch?”
“Of course she did.”
He groaned. “I guess she thought it was better to get it out in the open. So you’d know that Cam was in the wedding, too.”
“How can you still be friends with him after everything that happened?”
“The same way I’m able to be friends with you, I suppose.” He looked at me with pain-filled eyes. “Vi, why are we discussing this?”
I dragged a hand through my hair. “You need to understand what went on that night. Just because we never,
He squeezed my arms. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
I shook my head and forced a little laugh as Gabe led me into his apartment. He’d hired my mom to decorate it for him after he bought it, and it was done in what I liked to call “minimalist yuppie.” Glass tables, clean lines, and black, white, and gray furniture that was all positioned to face his extensive high-definition entertainment system that got channels from as far away as Mars. A far cry from the flea market delight of my own apartment.
We sat at his glass-topped dining room table, and I fiddled with my rainbow-colored gloves for a few minutes before looking up and into Gabe’s concerned eyes. “Nothing’s wrong. I…had a really good time downtown the other day. I’ve just missed hanging out with you.”
His face relaxed a bit. “Me, too. You sure that’s it? Did you and What’s-His-Name have a fight?”
“His name is Landon.” I glanced at him sternly. “And no, we’re doing fine.”
“Sorry. So do you want some coffee?”
I shook my head. “No, thank you. I’ve already had three cups.”
“Three? Geez, Vi.” He looked away, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Gabe’s eyes were my weakness.
I drew a long breath and set my shoulders back, feigning strength. “I want to talk about that night.”
Silence. We sat in our seats, just breathing in the coffee-scented air. Gabe and I both knew what I was referring to.
“All right,” he finally said, his jaw clenched.
I looked out the window. “I want to tell you the truth about what happened between Cameron and me.”
That name tasted rotten on my tongue, and I had to swallow the bile that rose in the back of my throat. This conversation was going to be about as pleasant as smashing my fingers with a hammer, but I had to do it. No way I was going to get through this wedding if I had to stand next to Cameron. Gabe had to decide which one of us he wanted in the wedding party more—Cameron or me.
“First off,” I said, “when were you planning on telling me that Cameron is in your wedding?”
Gabe’s eyes met mine. “I was going to, but Alicia beat me to it.”
I looked up at him, opening my mouth to explain what was troubling me, but every word that came to the top of my throat just toppled back down. Over Gabe’s shoulder, I noticed that there were a handful of black picture frames that my mother had picked to go on his dining room buffet. I’d been bugging him to get pictures into those frames for the past year.
Three of the six frames were filled. One was of Gabe and me at his twelfth birthday party, our heads thrown back, laughing hysterically. One was of Gabe and Alicia, shortly after he’d proposed. Her eyes were bright with tears, and she looked unbelievably happy, as did he. And the last was of Gabe and Cameron Hakes, their arms thrown over each other’s shoulders, both of them sweaty, a basketball under Gabe’s muscular arm.
The chair beneath me suddenly swayed, and I felt sick.
Gabe frowned at me. “Hey, what’s going on? Are you all right?”
I stood, nearly knocking my chair over, and stomped over to the picture. After flipping it facedown, I turned to face Gabe, my arms wrapped around my middle. “I just want to know why Alicia brought Cameron up in front of everyone at brunch.”
Gabe’s eyes flashed. “She brought it up at brunch?”
“Of course she did.”
He groaned. “I guess she thought it was better to get it out in the open. So you’d know that Cam was in the wedding, too.”
“How can you still be friends with him after everything that happened?”
“The same way I’m able to be friends with you, I suppose.” He looked at me with pain-filled eyes. “Vi, why are we discussing this?”
I dragged a hand through my hair. “You need to understand what went on that night. Just because we never,
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