"I have to go."
He ignored me and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
It took forever to get around the stupid hotel.Even though I jogged through the halls and into the lobby, it was still almost ten minutes later before I found Nicole outside by the taxi stand.
"Finally," she hollered when she saw me."I think he's going to start charging me by the hour.Get in."She pointed to a black limousine waiting at the curb.
"A limo?Again?"
"It's my wedding weekend.I'm traveling in style."Nicole flipped her hair and ducked her head as she slipped into the car.I followed, sliding along the leather seat until I was at the opposite end of the huge space.
"What's wrong?"Nicole asked.
"Nothing, I'm fine."
"No, you're not.You're never late, ever.Something's wrong."
I sighed."Andrew and I had a little argument this morning.It's nothing."
"Spill."
"He's mad because we never spend any time together.We haven't had sex in ages."
"Like how long?"
"I don't know...a few months."
"A few months?"Nicole sat straight up in her seat."Lexi, that's awful.No wonder he's grumpy.What's the problem?"
"Honestly, I have a really hard time being attracted to him sometimes."
"You have to be kidding me," Nicole said."I mean, Andrew's hot, Lex."
"I know he is.It's just..."I struggled to find a way to tell her that my husband's tendency to totally neglect our son was a complete turn-off for me and was destroying our marriage bit by bit."Maybe it's just me."
"It's definitely not you," she said."Maybe it's—"
"So," I said, desperate to change the subject, "what's on the agenda today?"
A grin lit up Nicole's face."Dirty lingerie."
"What?I thought we were shopping for the wedding."
"We are," Nicole said."I need something fun for the wedding night."
"Right.We'll find you something pure and chaste."I grinned.
"Screw chaste," Nicole roared."I want dirty."
We both broke into giggles while the driver closed the privacy screen.
Nicole wasn't kidding when she said she wanted dirty lingerie.After a quick trip to Victoria's Secret, she declared all the silky and lacy garments were "too pretty" and "not slutty enough."So we made our way to Fredrick's of Hollywood where, upon entering into the red and black store, Nicole announced, "Now this is what I'm talking about."
I tried to help her choose something wedding appropriate, but it soon became clear that her idea of wedding appropriate and mine were totally different.She steered clear of anything white or cream.Her color of choice was black, not red, because it would clash with her hair, but she selected a few items in various bold shades as well.
I found a plush chair outside the waiting room and settled in as she started trying things on.
"So, what's Ryan doing today?"I asked her through the curtain.