Page 7 of Harrison's Wedding

“Yes! Thank you!” I frown at Heather, because I can tell that she and Sebastian are probably going to cause some kind of scene tonight. She catches my eyes and says, “I get it, Harrison, he’s happy. Great. It doesn’t mean that I have to think this is a good idea.”

“Well, I’m personally reserving judgment until I see for myself.” Hayden shrugs.

“Speak of the devil,” Sebastian says.

He nods his head toward the entrance of the enormous room. We’re behind some glass, but from where we’re sitting above the crowd, it’s easy to see Gabriel and Ariana, who have just walked through the door to the main area. They’re holding hands as they search around the room to find us.

Gabriel looks up to the VIP section and I wave at him. He smiles at me and waves back before leaning over to say something in Ariana’s ear. She looks up at us as well, then nods at Gabriel, and they head toward the bar, presumably to get drinks before they come up here.

“Do you want to dance, Sebastian?” the redheaded woman asks in a seductive tone.

Sebastian shrugs, then stands up from where he’s sitting to lead her down to the dance floor.

“I’m not sure he particularly wants to speak to Ariana,” Hayden observes once Sebastian is out of earshot.

I nod my head and say, “I doubt he’ll be able to avoid her forever; Gabriel will take her with him everywhere he goes now.”

“We’ll see,” Heather says ominously.

She leans into me and I put my arm around her shoulders, stroking the bare skin of her right arm with my hand. She sighs softly as she relaxes a little more before turning her face up to mine. I meet her lips with mine and kiss her passionately. Our tongues meet, and I put my right arm around her to pull her tighter against me as we kiss.

I release her when our kiss ends, and we go back to sitting side by side. I continue to stroke her arm as we look out over the room in front of us. I can’t believe I’m thirty, and that I’m going to propose to my angel tonight. The ring is in the pocket next to Heather, and I worry for a second that she might feel it there.

She doesn’t seem to have noticed, though, because she’s busy looking down at the people below.

“So,” she comments after a couple of seconds, “she does The Gauntlet, and she’s just totally chill with talking to A-list celebrities now, too?”

I follow her gaze, and it takes me a second to realize who she’s referring to. Gabriel and Ariana are talking to Darius Thompson and his wife. They have indeed gotten drinks from the bar, and all four people in their group are smiling while they talk.

“I guess so,” I tell her.

“Am I the only one who thinks this is totally bizarre?” she asks, sounding bemused.

“Maybe she’s changed, Heather,” Hayden offers with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Where’s Seb when you need him? I know he’d back me up,” Heather laughs.

No doubt he would, based on the conversation I was having with him earlier. As we all watch the group below, Gabriel and Ariana hug the movie star and his wife, then start walking toward us.

Heather gives a dramatic sigh as security lifts the rope to let them pass, and I’m hit with a wave of apprehension. I’m kind of glad that Sebastian isn’t here right now, since this would probably be worse if he was. Gabriel and Ariana walk up the stairs toward us, and it’s only a few seconds before they join our group.

“Hey, Gabriel. Hi, Ariana. It’s good to see you again,” Hayden says cheerfully as he stands up to give Ariana a quick hug before slapping Gabriel on the back.

“Thanks, Hayden. It’s great to see you, too. I missed you guys,” Ariana says as she smiles at him.

Heather snorts quietly next to me, and I use the arm around her shoulders to squeeze her quickly to remind her of her promise to play nicely tonight. I’m annoyed that she won’t at least give Ariana a chance.

“Do you have something you’d like to say, Heather?” Gabriel frowns at her.

“Not particularly,” she responds in a cool tone.

I feel her shrug her shoulders as she raises her chin to look at him. Gabriel is glaring at her, and nobody is saying anything. I don’t know what to say, but I do feel like Gabriel is perfectly capable of deciding who he wants to be in a relationship with.

Heather picks up her glass and drinks the last half of it in one go, making a face as she finishes it, so it’s obvious that the experience wasn’t pleasant.

“I’m going to get another drink. Does anyone want anything?” She looks around at the rest of our mostly full glasses, then continues, “No? Okay, cool. I’ll be back.”

I glare at her as she stands up, and she catches my eye. I don’t expect her to be friends with Ariana again if she doesn’t want to be, but the least she could do is be civil. She turns and walks away from us, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.

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