Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kris and Nate’s wedding was beautiful. The music was on point. The food was delicious. And the guest list? So star-studded it made the Met Gala look like a middle school prom.
Sammy couldn’t enjoy any of it.
He stared across the dance floor at where Olivia was dancing with Courtney and a couple of guys from the latest hit teen drama. Despite playing high schoolers, the guys were all in their twenties, and one of them was standing way too close to Olivia for comfort.
“What’s that I smell?” Luke Peterson sniffed the air. “Déjà vu. New cologne, Sammy?”
“Ha ha,” Sammy said, unamused. “Might want to brush up on your humor alongside your skills on the field.”
The burly ex-rugby player—another friend from study abroad—currently assistant- coached the men’s rugby team at the University of Wisconsin Madison.
“Meow.” Luke stuffed a mini hot dog in his mouth. “Since when did you get so snarky?”
“Leave him alone.” Nardo pushed his glasses up his nose. “He’s busy wallowing.”
“I thought it was Kris’s wedding. Didn’t realize it was Gang Up on Sammy Day.” Yes, Sammy was being a moody boor, but everyone expected him to be happy-go-lucky all the time and that was just not possible. He had good days and bad days, and the latter had outnumbered the former recently, so sue him if he was a little grumpy.
Like a coward, he’d switched flights so he and Olivia wouldn’t be on the same plane to Italy. He couldn’t do it—sit next to her for thirteen hours nonstop without being able to touch her, kiss her,bewith her.
Of course, he’d landed in Florence more miserable than when he’d boarded, which was quite a feat, considering he’d been in hell since he and Olivia broke up.Again.
“All I’m saying is, we’ve seen this movie before.” Luke gulped down his champagne. Kris would have a heart attack if she saw him chugging Moet, which was not meant to be chugged; fortunately, she was too busy with guests to pay attention to the trio skulking by the appetizer table. “You, Liv, heart eyes emoji, drama, blah blah blah. I dunno what happened, but can’t you two take a page from B&F’s book, make up, and make out? Cuz all these longing glances and melancholy are bumming me out.”
You could always count on Luke not to mince words.
“B&F?” Nardo stepped aside so a pixie-faced actress famous for her gritty indie roles could reach the fruit plate.
“Blake and Farrah,” Luke clarified. “Look at ‘em. They’re disgusting, but at least they’re not depressing.”
The guys’ heads swiveled toward the couple in question, who were dancing and staring adoringly in each other’s eyes. The saccharine-sweet displaywaspretty disgusting.
Sammy had never been more jealous.
Deep down, he was a commitment guy. He’d had one-night stands and the occasional fling before, but he craved the stable relationship, the family, the proverbial white picket fence and kids. He’d much rather have a strong, lasting connection with one woman than dozens of flimsy ties with women who didn’t care about him and who he’d probably never see again.
The problem was, he’d driven away the only woman he’d had that kind of connection with—because he was a massive idiot. The fact that he’d done it because he’d thought it was the right thing to do did not change the scale of his idiocy.
Sammy’s eyes drifted toward Olivia again. The actors were gone—thank God—and she was whispering something to Courtney. She wore the same yellow dress as all the bridesmaids, but she was the one he couldn’t take his eyes off of. She glowed with a light that had nothing to do with her outer beauty and everything to do with her inner being, and Sammy was certain that if he were ever to go blind, he would still find his way back to her. He didn’t need to see her to know where she was; she was his North Star, his guiding light.
What have I done?
He felt sick.
“Yoo-hoo!” Luke waved his hand in front of Sammy’s face. “Earth to Sammy.”
“I’ll be right back.” Sammy edged around his friends, his long, purposeful strides eating up the dance floor until he reached where Olivia and Courtney were standing.
“Told ya. Déjà vu,” he heard Luke say before he left.
“Shut up, Luke,” Nardo said.
Courtney saw Sammy first. Her blue eyes widened a fraction of an inch and she nudged Olivia, whose smile fell when she turned and saw who stood behind her.
His heart twisted.
“Hi.” She looked wary.