Page 5 of Dana
Kate grabs me by the arm and leads me to the nearest chair. She sits me down. I look up at her as she paces back and forth. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. I feel like I’m a child again and I’ve just put my chocolate-covered hands on one of my mom’s favorite dresses.
“You?” Kate says. “And Dana? Are you kidding me?”
I shrug my shoulders. “It just kind of happened,” I say. “I went outside to get the flowers and that pebble and stuff and there he was and we were talking and the next thing I know I’m in his arms. I’m looking up into those big, beautiful green eyes and we’re... kissing.”
“Kissing?” Kate shrieks. “You kissed Richard’s brother before the wedding? What the hell, Eden?”
Someone knocks on the door. “Kate?” It’s her father. “You decent? It’s time to hit the road.”
“Just a minute, dad,” she shouts back.
I stand up, eager to escape this more than awkward conversation, but Kate stops me from leaving. “Eden, I can’t believe you’re doing this to me. You’re supposed to be my maid of honor. It’s my wedding day!”
“I really didn’t think it was such a problem,” I say. “I mean, I’m single. He’s single. What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal?” she says, turning her head to the side as if she’s asking the question to an imaginary person beside her. “The big deal is, he’s Richard’s estranged half brother. The big deal is, they barely even speak to each other. The big deal is, they had some massive falling out years ago when Dana’s father married Richard’s mother. Apparently, Dana burned a house down! I swear, you couldn’t have chosen a worse person to hook up with at my wedding. Not to mention all the stories I’ve heard about him. He’s dangerous, Eden. He’s a dangerous, selfish, horrible person, and I forbid you to see him.”
“Forbid me?” I say, trying to hold back the anger I feel burning inside me. “You're not my mother, Kate. You can’t forbid me from doing anything.”
She squeezes her temples. The next time she speaks, her voice is a lot calmer. She knows she overstepped the mark. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just...Dana? Of all people. Can’t you find someone more suitable? Someone who I’m not going to be related to in about an hour's time?”
I let out a long breath. I can totally see where Kate is coming from. The last thing I want to do is cause drama at her wedding. But ever since that kiss in the woods, I’ve barely been able to stop thinking about Dana. Hearing that he’s somehow dangerous, has only made things worse.
“Okay,” I say. “If it means that much to you.”
She hugs me again. “You promise?” she asks.
I close my eyes and resist the temptation to cross my fingers. Kate doesn’t know what she’s asking of me. Staying away from Dana is going to be the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do.
The thought of never kissing him again makes me want to tear my hair out.
But, best friends come first.
Girl code.
If Kate asks me not to get with her brother-in-law, I guess that’s what I’m going to have to do.
“Yes,” I say, “I promise.”
“Good.” She straightens up and has one last look in the mirror. “How do I look?”
“Perfect," I say. “Like a brilliant, sparkling diamond.”
4
Dana
I’m supposedto be watching Kate and my brother tie the knot, but I can’t take my eyes off of Eden.
The taste of her lips is still fresh in my mind.
I’ve never felt this way about a woman before.
It’s like I’m possessed. All I can think about is how it felt to touch her soft, round hips. Mental images of her naked body plague my thoughts.
But when I try to speak to her after the ceremony, she gives me the cold shoulder.
I can’t believe it. She acts like she’s never even seen me before.
