“So dramatic, Katelyn. We’re going to have a nice, comfortable adult dinner,” Josie says with a wave of her hand. Am I being dramatic? I can’t help but think they’re trying to put us in these uncomfortable situations. Must we spend every waking minute together? We work together and now I’m on tour with the band and he’s everywhere I am and when he’s not, Liam and Josie are in my ear about him.
“Sure we are,” I say, as I take the only available seat next to Harrison. My intent is to sit on the edge, an easy escape, but that doesn’t happen. When I sit, my leg brushes against Harrison’s and as hard as I try, I can’t move it. If I were to move now, it would be rude. The booths are a bit on the small side, after all.
The waitress takes our order. For the first time since I lost Mason, I order an alcoholic drink. Maybe it will help me relax and enjoy the night. Now that I’m here, the idea of having an adult night is a somewhat appealing.
“We’re going to dance later,” Josie says when she catches me eyeing the dance floor. I shake my head.
“I haven’t danced in such a long time.”
“It’s like riding a bike,” Harrison says. I turn to find him gazing at me with such intent in his eyes. It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen a similar look. When Mason would look at me like that from across the room, I knew what to expect, but not so much when Harrison does it.
I look back at Liam and Josie, who are watching us like hawks. Liam shakes his head and whispers something into Josie’s ear. Whatever he says makes her beam with appreciation. I’ve never seen her happy like this, at least not with Nick. She was always content and just went with the flow, but now, she’s bouncing off the walls with excitement all the time. I want that.
“So the reason we are here tonight, besides having an adult night, is that Liam and I have a very important question to ask you.”
I pick up my Cosmopolitan and tip back the glass. I should probably sip the sweet liquor, but I need something to take the edge off. I’m so tired of feeling like I’m about to fall off the side of a building.
“What is it?” Harrison asks as he tips his beer back.
“Well, we’ve set a date!” Josie squeals. My mouth drops and Harrison starts laughing. He reaches over the table and high-fives Liam. I scramble to get out of the booth so I can hug Josie.
“I’m so happy for you,” I say into her ear as we hug. I wish Mason was here to see this. He wanted nothing more than for her to be happy, even if it meant she was marrying Nick. I’d like to think he’d be happy that she’s marrying Liam because they are meant to be together.
We sit back down and I wipe a few happy tears that have fallen. I can’t wait to see Noah in a tux. He’s going to look so handsome and dapper.
“When’s the big day?”
“We want to get married right after Christmas, but we’re keeping this among friends,” Liam answers without taking his eyes off of Josie.
“Well that doesn’t give us a lot of time to plan, doesn’t it?” I say as the waitress sets down our dinner. Liam and Harrison dig right in. I shake my head and pick up my fork, twirling a piece of pasta.
“Will you be my matron of honor?”
“Of course,” I say as I cover my mouth in that awkward you caught me with my mouth full moment.
“What about you man, can you stand up for me?” Liam asks Harrison.
“Yeah, man,” Harrison says with a nod. Why does everything have to be so simple for them? They didn’t even look at each other. It hits me like a ton of bricks that if I’m the matron of honor and Harrison’s the best man, that means we’ll be walking down the aisle together. We’ll have to share a dance. Is that why they brought us here tonight, to test our ability to dance together? I pick up my drink and finish it, signaling to the waitress that I need another. Liam catches my eye. I shrug. I don’t need any comments from the matchmaking duo that can’t take a hint.
As we eat, we talk about the wedding. Josie wants something outside and Liam wants a big party afterward. They both agree that 4225 West will not play at the reception. Liam says he wants to enjoy his bride and not worry about putting on a performance for anyone.
Harrison returns his arm to its previous position, resting comfortably on the back of the booth. I feel myself shifting. My body wants to sit in the nook he’s created, and for the life of me I don’t understand why. I’m not attracted to him. We are opposites and the tattoos… I can’t. I try to slide away from him without drawing too much attention to myself, but he notices. He shakes his head and removes his arm. My heart pounds and tension fills my body. I shouldn’t care.
“I’ll be back,” he says as he throws his napkin down on his half eaten plate of food.
“Where’s he going?” I ask. Liam turns his head as we both watch Harrison walk away from the table.
“I don’t know,” he says with a shrug. He picks up his beer and takes a sip, watching Josie the whole time. I try not to watch Harrison, but I’m curious. He stands at the bar and it doesn’t take a minute before a tall leggy blond is standing next him. Harrison turns and leans against bar. The woman moves closer. Too close if you ask me. Clearly they don’t know each other. She leans in and laughs at something he says. Her hand rubs along his chest and it doesn’t seem to bother him. He looks at our table briefly and catches me staring.
Harrison raises his eyebrow as he pulls her hand into his. He carries his beer in his other hand as he leads them to the dance floor. I look away. I don’t care that he’s going to dance with her. It’s none of m
y business. He’s single and free to do whatever he wants.
I signal the waitress again and order a round of shots for the table. When they arrive, only Josie does one with me. I don’t know why I ordered four. It’s clear that Harrison has left us to our vices for the rest of the night. I down my second as my eyes find him on the dance floor. The woman is draped all over him as they dance. His hand is on her ass. He’s pulling her to him and each time he does, her head falls back. Her hands rub up and down on his chest. My mouth drops when she slides his hoodie off and pushes her fingers into his dark locks that are cut short on the sides, but left longer on top. Not too long, just enough to grab a hold of. I’ve been waiting months and she’s known him for thirty-seconds and is already touching him. He says something to her causing her to nod as he takes her hand and leads them off the dance floor.
“Where’s he going?” I ask again.
Liam laughs. I turn and glare at him.