Page 89 of Memories with Fire

Luke turns his head, glancing over the seat to me, flashing me his dimpled smile. Taking my hand, he lifts it slightly to look at it, his thumb running over the ring on my left hand. The one I’ve worn since that day in the hospital. Our promise to each other.

How that was only four months ago, I have no idea. It seems like another lifetime. Priscylla wound up in jail on a wealth of charges. Stalking, attempted murder, arson. It sounds like she might take a plea deal, but nothing has been finalized yet.

Luke and I have settled into a good routine since then. I had to take some time off work for my mental health, and because of the concussion, and while I still get headaches here and there, I’ve been back to work for a couple months now.

With my house destroyed by the fire, I ended up moving in with Luke. Our group of friends has joked that we wanted to be just like Savanna and Nate, but I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. They’ve done well for themselves in the year they’ve been together, especially considering we’re in Vegas for their wedding.

“Here we are,” the driver says, and I glance out the window at the building before us, my stomach filling with butterflies.

“Awesome, can I take the blindfold off now?” Quinn grumbles from the seat next to me.

“No, just wait,” I respond, opening my door while Luke ensures the tab is taken care of. I want to fully experience and appreciate Quinn’s reaction when she finds out what we’re doing. Getting out, I run around to the other side, not wanting to keep her impatient butt waiting. Pulling her door open, I take her hand and help her out of the car. “Watch your step.”

“Really, Hails? Watch my step?” she grunts with a snort.

I bite my lip to keep from laughing as she steps out of the car, adjusting her dress that has to be at least six inches shorter than mine. Quinn is dressed for a wild night in Vegas. Me, on the other hand, I’m dressed for a different kind of Vegas night in a midnight blue dress with silver sequins that glitter like stars. One that includes the man coming around the car to help me with Quinn. Not that I need the help, but it’s who Luke is, so I don’t object.

The three of us step onto the curb, Luke on one side of Quinn, me on the other. Despite her insane four inch heels, he can still see me over her head, and his eyebrows rise in question.

Are you sure?

Smiling as bright as the sun that still hasn’t quite set over the mountain, I nod, mouthing, “I love you.”

“Oh god, both of you knock it off,” Quinn complains. “I can feel you making googly eyes at each other and I want no part in it. Please, can we just find me a man with a monster cock to fuck?”

“Dang, Quinn,” Luke mutters.

At the same time I say, “Jesus, Quinn.”

“What? We’re in Vegas! It’s the city of sin, baby! And I am itching to sin,” she croons, dancing in her spot to some melody only she can hear.

“Okay, okay. You can sin later. For now…” I say while pulling the blindfold off.

Luke steps around her, joining me at my side as Quinn blinks against the brightness of Las Vegas in the daylight, and slowly takes in her surroundings. The creamy yellow building in front of us. The huge sign with “Viva Las Vegas”. The one beneath it that says, “Themed Weddings” and “Married by Elvis” on it. And of course, the one lit up above the door that says “Wedding Chapel”.

Quinn looks from the building to us, back to the building, and then all around the street, doing a full three-sixty turn. “What’s happening? Did Nate and Savanna decide to elope instead?”

Luke and I exchange a glance, biting back our laughter before I shake my head, and say, “No. Not Nate and Sav.”

Her eyes dart back and forth between us, the wheels turning, putting it together. Honestly, I thought she’d figure it out instantly. “You two? You’re eloping? You want to get married? Now?”

“Yes, but quietly.” My hand slips into Luke’s to keep our contact, but I step toward Quinn, taking her hand in my other. “We don’t want to steal Nate and Savanna’s thunder, but we also don’t want to wait anymore. No one can know.”

“Oh my god,” she breaths, her hand slapping over her mouth as her violet-colored eyes widen. “You were serious about not telling a soul.”

I nod.

“Oh my god.” She looks from me to Luke, and I feel like there’s some kind of silent conversation that passes between them where she both gives her approval, and threatens his balls if he ever hurts me. Then she’s throwing her arms around my neck, bouncing up and down on her toes and jostling me all around. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! My best friend is getting married!”

Laughter erupts from both Luke and me, his hand falling from mine so I can hug Quinn back. After we decided—on the plane on the way here—to elope, we talked about who we’d want with us. I knew we couldn’t have everyone here, so we didn’t take away from the wedding festivities this week for Nate and Savanna, but I didn’t need everyone.

The only person I truly needed was Luke, and we thought about it only being the two of us, but last night after we both got back from Nate and Savanna’s bachelor and bachelorette parties, I think he realized it would be more special if we shared it with at least one of our people.

Well, we tried to make it two of them, since Luke has gotten so close to Liam in the last few months, but we couldn’t track Liam down. He wasn’t at the pool with the rest of us today. Coincidentally, neither was Jordan.

My mom will be disappointed she wasn’t here, something else Luke and I talked through. We’re still not on the best terms, and while we’re working on it in therapy—both together and separately—I decided I don’t want to share this with her. Maybe one day Luke and I will decide to have a party and renew our vows and she’ll be there for that.

This moment belongs to us.

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