Page 19 of Into the Light

“What? What does that even matter? And it wasn’t a lie, exactly, it was an assumption. He saw you with a woman.”

“Yeah, I had dinner with an old friend from Boston. The same one I ran into the night of my birthday.”

“Oh.” My face was a beet now. Past red and onto purple.

“And you can’t tell me that douchebag didn’t have ulterior motives by telling you that. He saw us together the other night. Probably wanted to make sure I was out of the way so he could pounce.”

“Well what does that even matter, anyway?”

“I guess it doesn’t, but Derek doesn’t know that.”

“Well I invited him to be my guest at the wedding, so you better play nice tomorrow.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Yes, why?”

“Because you can do so much better than that asshole.”

“What’s your problem? You don’t even have a reason for disliking him.”

“You are who you hang around, and his friend was a fucking psycho.”

“That wasn’t his fault.”

We both became silent for the last twenty steps, neither knowing what to say.

“Right. Well, whatever,” I said as he approached my door. Raf slid me down his body until my feet touched the ground. I ignored how good it felt to be that close to him and how hot it made my skin.

“Annie is just a friend,” he blurted out. “One I haven’t seen or heard from in a million years. We were just catching up.”

Joy filled my heart but I played it cool. “Okay.”

“And yes,” he said, “Ididmean what I said in that speech, but it’s complicated. I really can’t be with anyone. Because I also meant it when I said I’m no good for anyone.”

“Raf—”

“Just,” he held a hand up as he gathered his thoughts. “Believe me when I say that.”

I shook my head, my face falling. “I believe you think that. But that’s all.” I unlocked my door and headed inside. When I turned around to close the door, Raf was still standing there, looking at me.

“Lock this,” he said, gesturing to the door handle.

I did.

eight

ELLIE

I stoodat the back door of the ballroom, off to the side, and waited for my cue to walk down the aisle. Sara had just left, floating away like a magical siren. I looked down at my own dress, making sure it wasn’t tucked into my underwear or anything. But it was perfect.

The flowy dusty rose chiffon draped over my body and stopped just above the floor. A slit in the side gave a view of my leg up to mid-thigh as I walked. Even with my short stature, the dress looked gorgeous and I thanked god I had a sister-in-law with excellent taste. I turned to Alex and squeezed her hand.

“You make a beautiful bride. I’m so happy you’ll officially be my sister.”

She squeezed my hand back and blinked in rapid succession, trying not to cry. “I love you, El. I’m happy too.”

I fought back my own tears as I turned around and, at the hand signal from Jessie, the wedding planner, set off down the aisle. The sight of the room caught me off-guard, despite seeing it earlier. Now that it was filled with our loved ones, all in their Sunday best, and the lights were turned down for ambiance, it was breathtaking. Candle-lit lanterns hung from the ceiling, casting light and shadows every-which-way. Fabric the same dusty rose color as our bridesmaids dresses draped the walls and on the altar at the front. The flower arrangements I remembered from Alex’s photos lined the front of the room. And there in front of them, were the men in my life. My eyes went straight to my brother, who looked so proud, so strong, and so happy, I could cry.

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