“Not yet, but the night is still young.”
“True that.”
Since college, Jake and I have been each other’s wing men. He’s also been the best business partner any guy could ask for. He’s my ride or die. With my marketing and financial skills and his tech brain, we’ve been very lucky to become one of the most desired tech startups in the country.
“Hey, I didn’t want to bring this up since it’s that day—”
“Then don’t,” I warn.
“But I think you should know. It might make you feel better about everything.”
Based on Jake’s apprehension, I can only imagine he’s referring to my very own Voldemort. “Lay it on me.”
“I saw Amber out with her friends last night.”
Amber. A name I haven’t heard in a long time. A name that I wish I’d never heard. A name which will live in infamy.
I shrug. “That’s not new. So what?”
“She was dancing with some random dude…but word on the street is she’s engaged to another guy.”
I chuckle. “Funny you should mention that.”
“Why?”
“I got an invitation to her wedding today.”
“Today?” His eyes are wide with shock. “Of all days?”
“Yep.”
“Bitch. That’s some nerve…”
Do I think it’s a coincidence that I received this invitation on what would have been our anniversary? No. Do I care? Fuck no. Not anymore.
“Yeah, I got one, too,” he says skeptically. “You planning on going?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Not in a million years would I voluntarily lay eyes on that snake. I wish Ineverhad.
He laughs. “I can somewhat understand why she invited me, since we were once friends, but why do you think she invitedyou? Because she wants to see if you’ve moved on. That’s my guess.”
Whether she invited me out of curiosity, pity, or pettiness is irrelevant. Even when we dated, she loved to create drama. She thrived on the chaos of it all. If this is another one of her ways of showing me what I’m supposedly missing out on, I’m not interested. And I’m not going to give her the satisfaction of knowing I’m still single.
“You’re probably right, but I just don’t give a fuck. She can think whatever she wants.”
“Maybe you could take someone as your plus-one and pretend you’re an item,” he suggests.
“Why the hell would I want to stoop to that level?”
“Because one of us needs to attend.”
“Why? I can’t see any compelling reason either of us needs to be there.”
“Because I’ll bet Maya Thompson will be.”
Maya Thompson, another name I haven’t heard in such a long time. When I was still with Amber, she introduced me to Maya—the top PR guru and fixer in Texas—as a college friend.
Not long after that, the entrepreneur came to me with a business proposition that would have benefited her long list of who’s who clients with amazing social media stats and KH Industries with massive revenue. The collaboration would have skyrocketed both our companies’ influence and reputations. At the time, the deal was critical to getting more eyes on our platform and a leg up on our competition.