Page 92 of Staying Selfless

“Love you, guys,” he says, but as he turns the corner to head upstairs, I watch his face fall in disappointment from Ali’s reaction tonight.

“You’re right,” I quietly say to my girl, leaning my head back on Logan’s shoulder once again. “This might end up being really fucking bad.”

Chapter 25

Logan

“Is there a certain color you’re looking for?” Ali asks as we wander into Nordstrom.

This is the third store we’ve tried today as I look for a dress to wear to Gabe’s wedding this weekend, but nothing has caught my eye.

I’m sure I already have an option in my closet, but I thought a new dress would be nice. Not only is this my first wedding with Eli, but it’s also Valentine’s Day weekend, and I don’t dress up very often.

“I don’t know.” I casually comb through the aisles of dresses, touching random ones as I go. “I guess I’m open to anything except white. Or pink. My red hair and anything pink just don’t mix.”

“You don’t technically have to avoid white, though.” Ali holds up a dress, examining it before quickly putting it back on the rack. “There’s no bride.”

I cock my head to the side as I look at her. “I didn’t think about that. Well, I’m going to avoid white regardless, just in case Gabe or Liam chooses a white tux.”

I pick up a lacy lavender dress, holding it out, wanting Ali’s opinion.

She analyzes it for a moment, popping her shoulders. “It’s worth a try-on at least.”

“What are you looking for?” I ask as I continue to rifle through the racks of clothes, adding a sky-blue number to my options.

“Nothing. I’m just here for moral support.”

“What are you going to wear then?”

“I don’t know, I’ll find something in my closet.” She keeps her eyes averted from mine. “This wedding isn’t that big of a deal,” she adds as if she were trying to convince herself.

Her words break my heart for Marc. This wedding might not be a big deal to Ali, but it is to him. When Eli brought me home for Thanksgiving, it said a lot to his whole family, and I’m sure Marc feels the same way about this wedding.

Ali continues to sift through the aisles of dresses, apparently not looking for herself, as I stop her, gently grabbing her arm.

“Ali, I’m going to try to say this in the nicest way possible, but if you’re dreading this weekend, I don’t think you should go.”

“I’m not dreading it,” she quickly states, but not elaborating more to convince me otherwise.

“Well, you’re not looking forward to it, and Marc is. I love you, but I love him too, and I’m afraid you’re going to hurt his feelings.”

Ali’s shoulders droop in defeat, right there between two racks of dresses, her face instantly shifting from emotionless to guilt-stricken.

“I don’t want to hurt him.” Her expression is full of concern. “But I’m freaking the fuck out.”

An older woman snaps her head in our direction, shooting my friend and me a dirty look. Apparently, she’s never heard the word ‘fuck’ before because the lady continues to stare at us with a pointed and judgmental glance.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Ali says right to her face, tossing her hands up in frustration. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” she continues to repeat as I pull her to the next aisle over, laughing as I do.

“Why don’t we pick some options, and we can talk about this in the fitting room,” I suggest.

I pull an emerald-green dress off the rack, always being drawn to that color, but quickly put it back.

“Um, try that on,” Ali states with furrowed brows.

“Really?” I hold up the dress again, giving it a second look. It’s absolutely gorgeous but a tad sexier than I should probably wear to a wedding. Plus, I wear green a lot. It’s one of my favorite colors, so I thought I would switch it up.

“You’re kidding, right? Absolutely try that on. That color with your skin tone and eyes? Maddison might have a hard time keeping it in his pants.”

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