Page 6 of The Wedding Season
“And my tolerance for your resentment has matured like a stinkycheese.”
“Is that whatsmells?”
He laughs. “It’s either that or our rotting souls. No wait, we sold those when we sold our firstscripts.”
“Speak foryourself.”
His friend Sam joins us. He nods at me, and immediately glances over atMaya.
“You remember my friendSam?”
“Hey.” He tries to keep his eyes fixed on me for two seconds, before looking back towardsMaya.
“Hi Sam—hey Sam, this is my roommate Maya. Maya!” I call out to her and wave, so she can escape Hugo Boss guy. She hurries over, like it’s anemergency.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
Sam and Maya are staring at each other. They aren’t even smiling, they’re just looking at each other in some weirdly intimateway.
“Do I know you?” Maya’s voice is unrecognizable to me all of asudden.
“I’m sure I’d remember if we’d met before, but you seem familiar to metoo.”
“Interesting.”
They keep looking at each other. Scott and I exchange looks. He’s noticed this weirdnesstoo.
“We should go grab seats, dude,” I say to Maya, tugging on herarm.
“Come sit with us, you guys!” she says to Sam, while squeezing myhand.
I gently dig my fingernails into the flesh of herpalm.
“You’ll thank me later,” she says under herbreath.
“You’ll be dead later because I’m going to murder you,” I whisper, through my forcedsmile.
Chapter 3
* Erin*
It was a lovely ceremony—JewishModern, with a really cool young rabbi. My eyes got all watery when I saw how Jeff was looking at Laurie. He’s always Mr. Agent, but standing there in front of his bride and his loved-ones, he was Mr.Laurie.
It’s impossible not to imagine what it would be like to be up there, marrying someone you’re committed to spending the rest of your life with, in front of the most important people in your life. When I imagine it, I still picture myself standing in front of John Cusack aka Lloyd Dobler fromSay Anything. I’m a brain, trapped in the body of a game show hostess. I’m wearing an off-white silk charmeuse slip dress and a fresh flower halo and I’m barefoot. He’s wearing his beige trench coat over an ironic dusty blue tuxedo. Instead of reciting vows, he’s holding up his boom box andIn Your Eyesis blaring from the speakers, because no words will ever mean more than that.Ever.
Lloyd Dobler has ruined my life. No living human male could ever be as sweet and devoted a boyfriend as he was, and I could never write a romantic comedy hero as lovely as him. It is my cross tobear.
I could feel Braddock aka The Anti-Dobler looking over at me when I was wiping my eyes. I didn’t meet his gaze, of course, but the nerve of him.Yeah, I’m human, I cry at weddings. Look away.Sheesh.
Maya was right aboutone thing. Of course they seated Scott and me at the same table. Also seated at our table are Laurie and Jeff’s B-list relatives. When they asked how I know the bride and groom, I told them that Laurie is my literary agent. They asked if they would have read any of the books I’ve written. I explained that I write screenplays for movies. They got very excited and asked which movies I wrote and when I told them that none of the scripts I’ve written have been produced yet, they looked confused and sad forme.
“A studio bought your script and they won’t make it into a movie? Does Laurie know about this? Can’t she do something?” “Yes. Laurie knows. It’s quite common, actually. A surprisingly small percentage of the scripts that are bought ever getmade.”
This is how most conversations about my career have gone with my ownrelatives.
When they asked Braddock the same question, he told them that he wrote the last season ofFriendsand they asked to take a picture withhim.
