“Right.” He nods. “I notice you’re here with Drew.”
“He’s my date,” I blurt out. “And boyfriend.”
His demeanor changes, and his hands instantly recoil, clenching a fist beside his thighs. If the room had been silent, the grinding of his teeth would have echoed through the castle.
“You’re dating him? I always knew—”
I cut him off, placing my hand to block the distance between us. “So, I better get back before he comes looking for me. He’s very protective. See you around, Jess.”
Walking back to the table, my urge to use the restroom disappears, and I take a seat next to Drew, my body shaking. I whisper into his ear, “Okay, game on.”
His smile falters, and with a bothered-looking face, he places his arm around me in a romantic gesture. From the corner of my eye, I see Jess sitting back at his table. He looks livid. His eyes are doing that wild swirl, his nostrils flaring like an angered animal. Okay, I’m exaggerating slightly. I can’t make out his features from this far, but I can, however, see him drinking a beer in one go, then opening another bottle almost instantly.
Great! I turn to face Drew who’s busy talking to the bearded lady about heart surgery complications. Honestly, I can’t take him anywhere. To grab his attention, I squeeze on his thigh under the table. He jumps, then abruptly turns to face me. “What was that for?”
Placing my hands on his cheeks, I pull him in and kiss his lips. Closing my eyes, making it more believable, we kiss for a few seconds, no tongue, before I pull away. “I just missed you while I went to the restroom.”
“Uh… um,” he mumbles. “Okay. A little warning next time?”
“You don’t warn someone when you kiss them.”
He clears his throat. “Yes, you can. What’s wrong with doing that?”
“It’s called spontaneity. Look it up in the dictionary sometime.”
Honestly, men are hopeless. Is romance seriously a dying form?
More champagne is needed for me to get through this night alive. Drew continues to sit there dazed like a fool. For someone who screwed more girls than I can count, he sure is acting funny. And we didn’t even use tongue!
“Maybe you need to slow down on the alcohol a bit.” He takes the glass from my hands and places it back on the table.
I move it toward him. “Maybe you need to drink more.”
“I’m driving,” he reminds me. “Besides, someone needs to take care of you. Let’s face it, you’re not the best drinker in the world.”
Exhaling, I cross my arms at his snide remark. “I can hold my alcohol just as much as you.”
“Do I need to refresh your memory, Richards? Remember the night you went to that banana concert?”
“You mean Bananarama? Hello,” I exclaim. “They hadn’t toured in like… forever. If there’s any night to celebrate, that was the night.”
“I found you passed out in the janitor’s closet of our building with a bottle of tequila and your panties missing.”
“My panties were in my bag,” I remind him. “That was the week I had that bad cough and took some painkillers. It was unfortunate, that was all.”
“Then what about the time the police called me to pick you up because you were being a public nuisance and calling every guy on the street a cheater?”
“So, I’ve had a few incidents.” I use the word loosely. “I can control myself tonight, okay? I think you need to pull the cork out of your ass and unwind.”
Drew doesn’t make any further comments, and luckily, dinner is being served. This time, I make sure the waiter places the fish in front of me. Something edible. We enjoy our meal and converse with the other guests at the table until the MC announces the married couple’s first dance.
Mia and Troy gracefully dance the waltz to Inspiration by Chicago. It’s such a beautiful song. They look so happy and in love, and it raises the questions I refuse to ask myself. Will I ever find this type of love? Someone who rocks me to the core and who I can see spending the rest of my life with. A person who will challenge my intellect, yet at the same time, love me unconditionally, flaws and all.
Ugh. This is why I despise weddings.
“Shall we?” Drew stands, reaching out his hand.
He waits patiently, much like a knight in shining armor. Or a knight in a charcoal Versace suit. His eyes plead with me to join him. How can I resist his charm? Especially when I look around and almost every woman has her eyes on him.