Page 33 of Kiss the Bride

Liv’s lips disappear between her teeth and my fists clench with the need to protect her from a mistake. But I can’t force her to give me the answer her family and friends expect, and I want to hear. But if she takes him back, it will be her decision and on her terms. I’ll respect it, and probably buy a one-way ticket to the otherside of the world. Slowly, I unclench each finger and resist the urge not to click them back in place.

“Hashecontact you?“ I don’t have to ask who she means and think back to the message. Crude and insulting—Liv doesn’t need to see it.

“Yes.”

“Can I see it?”

“No.” I answer, trying to leave no room for debate.

“Why not?”

“Because it was a question for me, nothing for you.”

“I want to see it.”

“Liv, please …”

“Hun—ter, don’t you think I’ve had enough secrets kept from me?”

“Oliv—i—a.” If she is going to pull this guilt trip and pronounce every syllable in my name as if they are countries, I can do the same. “It’s nothing you need to read, and if you are going to pull the secret shit on me, it will get old really soon.”

“Please?”

“Answer the question. Your father asked it, but he’s not the only one who wants to know. Should someone be telling Mitch to get on a plane, grovel at your feet and beg for you to take him back?”

“Yes.”

Fuck me dead and twice over.My heart crashes. Not sinks, because that would mean there’s a bottom to my pain. It crashes, through the floorboards, tunnels through kilometres of sand, and ends up alone on the other side of the world. I stare at Olivia, unable to speak. I mean, there are words, but they all get stuck in my throat.How can she still love him after what he did?

“He should spend money he doesn’t have, apologize from the pit of his soul, beg for my forgiveness, and then watch as I spit in his face.”

My heart richochets back into my chest and my lungs remember how to breathe again. “So,” I fake casual inquiry, “that’s anoto reconciliation?”

“Are you still asking for my dad?” Olivia’s eyes are dry and if I was a betting man, I’d put a dollar on flirty banter being somewhere in our future.

“Well, our friends are starting to pick sides,” I say, still keeping it casual, “so it would put them out of their misery.”

“He can have any friends stupid enough to want him. I don’t care.” Her voice starts to break as she collapses back into the bamboo pillows, snuggling the thin white blanket to her chest. “I don’t care. I don’t care.”

Just like that, Olivia turns, hiding her face in the pillow, her head finding the same shape she left only minutes ago. I drop toher side and stroke her head until the sobbing subsides, again. She cares. Damn, of course, she cares and I want to punch my own face for a momentary lapse in judgment, thinking we could get to flirty banter. Loving Liv means puttingherneeds first. Her needs, not my wants, and she doesn’t need me as the man who loved her. Liv needs me as the best friend who cares enough to put her first.

“It’ll be okay, Liv,” I say, pressing a kiss to her head before standing. “I promise that you are loved by your parents and friends. We’ll be there for you and with you. You’ll be okay.”

Operation Relationship Detox

Olivia

Rod was right: thesun will continue to rise. Whether I want to see it or not is up to me.

Having survived my first post-wedding-that-never-was day in honeymoon paradise, I wish I had the energy to frolic in the sun or at least walk down to the sand and sunbathe. But that would mean deciding what to wear, having a shower, and leaving the safe bubble of my bedroom. I don’t have energy for any of that. The world can wait, and I’ll trust that the sun will come up tomorrow and be as spectacular as it seems to be for everyone else today.

Sitting up in bed, I ignore all the missed calls and texts. I avoid my social media accounts, unable to care about streaks, likes, or anything that seemed important a week ago. I resist the urge tocheck how many times my wedding video has been viewed. The best I can do is remove the video and send Pete a quick apology.

Liv to Pete:Sorry you found out that way.

Pete:Sorry you got to see it in person. RUOK?

Liv:Peachy. U?

---