Page 8 of Harrison's Wedding

Gabriel and Ariana sit down to my right where Heather was a minute ago, and he asks me, “Is she justtryingto be a bitch?”

I bristle at him calling Heather a bitch and I narrow my eyes at him.

“Don’t call her that, Gabriel,” Ariana says before I can respond. “She’s hurt. I did the wrong thing, and as soon as I get the chance, I’ll be happy to tell her that. Just give her time.” She turns to Hayden and me. “I want to apologize for the way I left, guys. It wasn’t okay to ignore your calls and messages. I really am sorry for the hurt that I caused.”

I look at her, her mouth is curved downward and she has a slight frown on her face. I remember how much she hurt us all, not just Gabriel. A part of me is worried about Heather, because she’s clearly holding onto that hurt. Still, I’m willing to give Ariana another chance, and if Gabriel’s back together with her, she will be around a lot, so I smile at her encouragingly to let her know she is welcome. Well, as far as I am concerned, at least.

“I accept your apology, Ariana,” I tell her, and put my arm around her shoulders to give her a quick hug. “You can’t change the past, and it’s good to have you back.”

“Me, too,” Hayden says, standing up to walk over to Ariana and hug her as well. “It’s nice to see you two together again.”

As Hayden sits down, my parents, Heather’s mom, and her brother enter the VIP. They walk over to us with big smiles on their faces.

“Happy birthday, Harrison!” Heather’s brother, Jake, grins at me.

“Thanks,” I say, smiling back at him.

“Where’s Heather?” he asks.

I sigh internally because her not being by my side draws attention to the issues within our friend group. I look down at her where she’s sitting at the bar with a drink and looking at the people dancing. I smile at the sight of her, though, because she’s the most beautiful woman here tonight.

“She went to get a drink,” I tell him.

“Oh, cool. Sorry Chloe’s not here tonight; the morning sickness is still causing her havoc. How have you been, though? Enjoying your big day?” He grins at me.

I feel for the ring box in my pocket and nod at him. “Definitely. It’s not really the sort of party I’d have planned, but I’m having fun.”

“I saw Seb on the dance floor,” Jake smirks at me.

Something in his expression makes me look down to try and find Sebastian. The dance floor is packed, so it takes me a few moments to find him.

When I do, I shake my head and laugh. “Sebastian Fox. Can’t live with him, can’t have a band without him.”

He’s grinding against the redheaded woman as they dance. His arms are wrapped around her and he has her pulled tight against him. He lowers his head to her ear, and I see his lips move. She spins around to face him, and they start making out.

“Classic Seb,” Hayden says, watching Sebastian with the woman.

The conversation moves on, and I talk to my family about what’s going on in their lives. Jake and Hayden go to get everyone a round of drinks, and I notice as I look down at them that Heather’s still sitting at the bar. Sebastian’s disappeared, though, so I’m sure he’s taken the woman somewhere quieter, and I doubt I’ll see her again.

I miss Heather, and I’m thinking about going down to see her when I’m pulled back into the conversation by a question from Heather’s mom. “Are you and Heather free in two weeks’ time for a family dinner at my house with Jake and Chloe?”

I check my calendar to confirm that we are and I’m talking logistics when Sebastian approaches Heather down at the bar. I watch as they have a short conversation before she finishes her drink, and he takes her to the dance floor. I’m grateful that she’s got company because it feels wrong having her sit alone while I’m up here with our friends.

I watch as Sebastian spins her in a circle and she throws her head back, laughing as her dress flares out around her.

Gabriel is talking to Jake, who has sat down next to him, and Ariana follows my gaze to the dance floor, commenting, “They look like they’re having fun.”

“They do,” I confirm.

I look at Ariana and she looks sad. The frown is back on her face as she asks quietly, “Do you think Heather will forgive me?”

“I hope so,” I say, and give her a reassuring smile.

I’m honestly not sure, and it’s strange being unable to predict my angel’s reaction to something. We met during my junior year of high school when my family moved to Chicago from Pittsburgh. I think I fell in love with her the first day we met when she helped me get to know the school. Over the course of that year, we became best friends.

She had a boyfriend, and I pretended that I wasn’t madly in love with her for the longest time. I met Sebastian, Hayden, and Gabriel at a music camp between my junior and senior years, which was when we formed Cruise Control.

Heather was our unofficial fifth member, helping us sell merch at our gigs and basically being a roadie for us. By the time she broke up with her boyfriend, though, I had a girlfriend. Eventually, we were both single, and we finally got together at her twentieth birthday party. We’ve been happily together for the last ten years, and tonight I hope that we’ll take the next step in our relationship.

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