Page 26 of The Worst Guy Ever
“What am I supposed to do, ban condoms? That’s not the message I want to give them. And anyway, what does it say that it’s the most action I’ve had in months?” she pouts dramatically, but I know there’s a sadness underneath it. She hasn’t mentioned Max for a while, but I’m loath to bring him up here where she won’t want to get into the details. Instead, I wrap an arm around her shoulder.
“Olive?” I ask, nudging the bowl closer to her. “I’m not allowed to eat them all.”
There’s some commotion in the hallway, then Kara comes running into the kitchen, sliding to a stop next to the kitchen island, one hand held up in front of her face.
“I’mengaged!” she shouts at the top of her lungs.
Megan and I jump up, but before we can react there’s an unholy scream from the other side of the kitchen and when I look up Rob is bouncing up and down, hands against his cheeks, mouth wide open.
“Oh, Kara,” he runs over, lifting her and spinning around. “Oh my God, I’m so happy for you, sweetheart.”
Luke appears in the kitchen doorway, smiling softly at the scene in front of him, and Rob drops Kara, pushing her aside to embrace his friend.
Megan gets to Kara first, so I hang back, unable to look away from the boys who’ve gone quiet in the doorway. Luke’s face is pressed into Rob’s shoulder, and Rob cups the back of Luke’s head with one hand, the other rubbing up and down his back.
When they pull apart, Rob wipes tears from Luke’s eyes with the pad of his thumb. His shoulders shake and he rubs his own face too, pulling Luke back in just as Megan drags me into a hug with her and Kara.
“Congratulations, babe.” I squeeze her tight and lift her hand. I’ve seen the ring already because Luke asked me to help him find a designer, but here on her finger, it’s even more breathtaking. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” she says, then drops her voice to a whisper as she leads her head against mine. “Thank you for helping. It means so much to me.”
“I had no idea he was doing it today,” Megan says. “Was it a big surprise?”
“The biggest. It was a complete shock.”
She must have gotten over it quickly because she’s definitely sporting sex hair right now. I fix where it’s all wild at the back, and guide her to the dining table.
“Come and have a drink and tell us everything.”
“So while we have you all here, we have some things we’d like to ask for your help with,” Luke says over dessert.
“You’re obviously both my bridesmaids,” Kara continues, “Rob, you’ll be best man. We want to have the wedding and the reception at Moonshine. We’ll hire a local band and some street food trucks to come and cater. Megan, I’d love your help with some of the admin, and Hattie and Rob, we’d be so grateful if you could be in charge of a joint stag and hen do. Nothing big, just us five and our families.”
Oh shit.It’s a good job I love this woman because I can’t think of anything worse than organising an event with Rob Billy Big Bollocks Morgan telling me what to do.
“Hang on a second,” Megan interrupts, “you only got engaged five minutes ago. How have you decided all this?”
“We planned it all in the car on the way over,” Kara says, as if that’s a completely normal thing to do.
“But…weddings take a long time to plan.”
“We’re getting married in May.”
“That’s only two months,” Megan shrieks. As a teacher, she’s a hardcore planner and her brain must be working overtime.
“We don’t want to wait any longer than we have to,” Luke says, his eyes full of love as he tucks Kara’s hair behind her ear. He pulls her closer to his side and plants a soft kiss at her temple. “I’d marry her tonight if I could.”
Even my cold dead heart can’t resist beating a little faster at that.
By the time we’re onto after-dinner drinks, Rob still hasn’t spoken to me, and it’s gone from unsettling to infuriating. My need to butt heads with him is an act of self-harm at this point, but I’m powerless to resist it. I corner him in the hallway on his way back from the bathroom.
“For a man who doesn’t believe in marriage, that was a pretty convincing performance earlier.”
“Huh?” he says, adjusting the front of his shirt.
“All that shrieking was a bit much, though. Thanks for the tinnitus.”
“Excuse me for being happy for my friend.”
