by Ted Evans
I arched an eyebrow at her, feeling like this conversation was very ironic. It wasn’t quite the same as it was now, but the gist of it was much the same as when she’d told me about Chris, after I’d met him a couple times when he was still her boyfriend. I didn’t like it, but she managed to talk me into it. I had no intention of talking my sister into going along with my decisions. She was my little sister, and besides my mom, one of the important women still in my life, but she didn’t rule my decisions.
“She might not see me again after yesterday,” I said nonchalantly with a shrug. “So you don’t have to worry yourself so needlessly.”
“Did you do something to her?” she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at me.
“I didn’t,” I said with a helpless shrug, ignoring the thin string of guilt that tugged in my chest. “We really only went for drinks, and then she got in a cab. I’m not sure she got back okay, but I couldn’t exactly follow her.”
More like I wanted to follow her, but she was entirely too quick and I didn’t know where she was staying while in the city. I didn’t think it was with Nora, so maybe a hotel?
What would I have done if I could have followed her?
My thoughts ran wild. Would I…have followed her to her room and invited myself in? Probably. I would have tried to continue what I started at the club, and I wondered if Brooklyn would have objected or not. I would have peeled off her jacket, then that red dress that clung deliciously to her curves, and taken her to bed…
My body heated up as the fantasy continued. I picked up a glass of wine that had been poured for me already and took a sip. Brooklyn wasn’t the only one still sensitive. From just a kiss, she had left me half hard in my pants. I had tried dating a few times since we broke up, but I could never stand the women my mom tried to set me up with, and I never even attempted to touch them. So, I’d grown intimate with my right hand over the last few years to deal with my frustration and I soon grew bored of one-night stands and wanted a little more connection to come. Like fucking close my eyes and blink a few times and have a relief that would blow my mind. No one. No woman had ever done that for me. But just because I got myself off often didn’t mean I was pent up. Feeling her soft, warm body pressed against me, her taste on my tongue, and her scent in my nose… It was exactly what I’d been waiting for.
“Abe, I hope you’re listening to me,” Maria said warningly.
I looked up at her, pushing away those fantasies. I felt a little uncomfortable, shifting, only to hold still when it made my pants at my crotch tighten up even more. I was feeling a bit aghast at my lack of control. What exactly was I thinking in front of my little sister?
“I heard you properly this time, Maria,” I reassured her. “But there’s no need for you to worry.”
She narrowed her eyes, not looking reassured at all. “You’re still planning on seeing her, aren’t you?”
“If I can, I’m not going to give up the chance,” I said honestly. “I know what happened before a lot better than you do, Maria. Maybe I’ve changed.”
I wasn’t entirely sure about that, but the one thing I was definitely sure of, was how Brooklyn made me feel, and how she was one of a kind. Getting into other relationships always felt like I was just trying to replace her, and every single time it didn’t work out, anyway.
“Listen to me, Abe,” Maria said, abandoning her food and leaning back in her chair like I was, crossing her arms over her chest. “When I met Chris, I never thought we would get so close so quickly.”
I frowned, wondering why she was suddenly talking about him. I opened my mouth to object, but she held a hand up and stopped me.
“Now Chris is the kind of man that knows what he wants and goes for it without hesitation. He’s the kind of man that is committed, the kind that a lot of women would want simply for that quality alone. Do you know what he said to me when he proposed to me? That he was sure he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Can you compare that to yourself?”
I rolled my eyes at my sister’s naiveté. I didn’t doubt that Chris was committed, but I was sure he was only after one thing, and that was our family’s money. While I didn’t know what he did, and he did seem to have some funds, his level was nowhere near our family’s.
Still, as I thought of how quickly he moved, I couldn’t help feeling some disappointment in myself. He looked older than I had been back then—another reason I didn’t particularly like him for my twenty-one- year-old sister—and he had made the decision for marriage so quickly. Whatever he was really after, he wasn’t the kind of man that hesitated, that was for sure.
Yet I strung Brooklyn along for three years, and she must have thought we would end up married, only for the end result to end in the way it did. I should have handled things better back then, I knew. But, that didn’t mean I was going to stay away from Brooklyn completely now.
This time, I was determined not to give up so easily. I wasn’t just going ahead mindlessly, impulsively. Every moment since I saw her, I’d been thinking about it, and I wondered why we couldn’t work something out.
Chapter Seven
Brooklyn
I sat aside and watched as Nora spoke with the wedding planner she’d hired. We weren’t walking much today, she just had this meeting to attend to, and she’d wanted me to accompany her so I couldn’t refuse. Besides, I didn’t have that many free days left, and the reason I took so much time off was to spend time with her, even if it was just sitting back as she handled her matters.
As much as dealing with an overly hyper best friend was annoying, I knew I would miss her when I left.
My cell vibrated in my purse. I was reaching for it, when a sudden touch on my shoulder startled me, and I looked up to see Nora sit down in the chair across from me.
“Hey, there,” she said, smiling at me. “Sorry to leave on your own like this, bored.”
I sighed and leaned back in my seat, crossing my legs and arms as I arched an eyebrow at her. “You know, if you’re sorry, then you could have just left me alone to sleep. Why did you have to wake me up this morning, huh?”
“It’s not like I woke you up early, for once,” she retorted. “You were practically out of bed when I showed up, and I fed you both breakfast and lunch, so be a little more grateful, would you?”
I rolled my eyes, but had to concede. She’d been a bit more considerate today. I’d drank enough yesterday to have a bit of a hangover when I got up, and after sleeping in, she’d picked me up and gotten me some meds and greasy food to wake me up from the hangover. Being the good friend she was, she didn’t even ask about what happened last night, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bring it up. The kiss from Abe, not what I did after that. Just thinking about it made me blush.
“I’m not all that bored,” I said honestly. “This is a nice place, all peaceful with a good view.”
She nodded, looking around. “I wanted to have my wedding at this hotel, originally. It’s beautiful, especially the garden. And I love that it’s in full view from here, I figured we could just have the ceremony under here, then cross over to the garden for the early part of the reception, then move further into the hotel for the after party at night…”
The idea she painted was a nice one. We were technically still inside of the hotel, but the outside wall had been pushed back on the first floor and replaced with glass. We were under shade and we could still feel the breeze blowing in from outside, not to mention the gorgeous garden. If I could, I would have loved to have my own wedding done at the hotel as well. The only negative was the cold weather.
“So, why don’t you have it here?”
She sighed. “That’s what I’m trying to deal with the planner today. Pretty much everything else is ready at this point, I have another venue and they wouldn’t say no to me, but I still really want to get this place. She’s good, though, and she’s trying to get me a good deal.”
“Is it the money?” I asked, frowning.
“No, not the mone
y. I mean, it’s quite expensive, true, but with what you get, I think it’s very reasonable. Getting a place that looks this good in New York City isn’t easy, you know.”
“So, the problem is…”
“I’m not really sure. I don’t think there’s anything happening here on the date of the wedding. The planner didn’t really make that clear, but she said she would handle it.”
“Are you done yet?”
“No, she’s bringing over some documents for me to look over.” She frowned at me, looking concerned. “If you don’t want to stick around, feel free to go, okay? You can go back and sleep, or something. Or take a tour around the city, I’m sure you’d love that.”
Yeah, I would have loved a tour, except I wasn’t a native and I didn’t want to just drive around all over the place. I didn’t know where to begin taking a tour in the city, Nora had promised to take me when she asked me to come over, but there was never time. Before I could remind her of this fact, and the fact that she was the only native that I knew, the planner was back and calling her over. Nora waved at me then hurried back over to their seats. I just watched her go with a sigh.
Then, an idea came to mind. Technically, she’s not the only person here that I know.
It was probably a bad idea, but I pulled my cell out and hesitated. Would Abe even be interested in giving me a tour? It was Saturday, but he should still be busy with work, right? Did I even want to go anywhere near him again? The thoughts swirled through my mind, and I absent mindedly turned on my cell’s screen, only to be surprised when I checked and saw I had a message.
From Abe.
It must have been the vibration from before Nora distracted me. I unlocked the screen and opened up the text. It was a simple hello, and I bit my lip as I typed out a ‘hi’ and hit send. My hands tightened on the cell, my heart beat picking up speed. I felt like mocking myself, because I was acting the same way as I was before he and I got together, a young girl getting a text from someone she has a crush on.
You’re better than this, I chided myself. Not to mention older.
Besides, yesterday was supposed to be the only time I would see him again. Especially after how the night ended. I didn’t want him to think I was desperate and still waiting for him after so long. It would be too humiliating. So cutting off contact before he figured out my lie would be the best thing to do. But when my cell buzzed with another message, my heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t not check it.
“Are you busy?”
I tapped the edge of the cell with my nail as I looked up at Nora. She and the wedding planner were engrossed in some documents and would probably stay that way for a while. It was just texting, so I didn’t have to move…
“Currently free,” I sent back. “What do you need?”
“Just wanted to chat. How are you feeling today?”
“Okay. I got to sleep in, so I’m happy. Hope you weren’t hung-over?”
I waited for a bit, but there was no immediate answer. I bit at one of my nails as I waited for the new message to come in, swiping my finger on the screen to keep it from blacking out. When the text came, it made my face heat up.
“Am I allowed to talk about last night?”
I gulped down the lump in my throat. I knew it was impossible, but I still wondered if he knew what I’d done after I’d left him yesterday. I had gotten myself off once in the tub, and later again in bed right before I fell asleep.
“What about last night?” I typed back.
“… What did you do when you got back home?”
My heart beat painfully in my chest, and I couldn’t bring myself to reply this time. After a couple minutes, the cell buzzed again.
“Don’t tell me you don’t remember the kiss.”
“How could I forget?” I typed and sent impulsively, only to want to hit myself afterwards.
We continued texting for a long while. A lot of it sounded a lot like flirting, and he kept bringing up last night, which made me wonder if it was moving into sexting territory. I did calm down after a while, and I was able to even smile a bit, feeling nostalgic for the good old days when we would text each other all day, before we even got together. A few times, I giggled, remembering to muffle the sound because I wasn’t alone and I didn’t want to bother Nora.
“Are you busy for the rest of the weekend?”
The question came as a bit of a surprise. We’d been goofing off for a few minutes, so the sudden question coming out of nowhere made me pause for a bit. I looked up at the still busy Nora, and decided I could be free tomorrow.
“Nothing, why?”
“I’m going to a wine tasting. Want to come with?”
His reply was immediate, and it made me widen my eyes a bit. At the speed of the invitation, and the fact that he was inviting me at all. This meant that Abe…actually wanted to spend time with me, still?
“Where is this wine tasting thing?”
“It’s a little funny, but it’s in Long Island. I can get you a ticket and you can be there tonight, what do you say?”
I bit my lip, hesitating. There was a part of me that really wanted to go. I still cared for Abe, and I wouldn’t be seeing him after this whole wedding thing was done with, anyway. I’d just disappear and make him think that I was a married woman. For someone of his means, finding out that it was a lie wouldn’t be difficult, but maybe he would bury things, too, so we would both get a clean break?
Should I go…or should I not go. I felt indecisive, and with good reason. As much as I would like to pop over to Long Island, I would be there with Abe of all people. I wasn’t all that okay with him paying for my ticket, either, because it made me feel like I would owe him something. But, in a way, I could say he owed me something, too. And thinking that way, there was absolutely no reason for me to refuse.
“Brooklyn!”
I looked up at Nora’s call to see her walking toward me with a smile on her face. My eyebrows shot up and I smiled back at her as I rose up.
“I’m guessing some good news?”
“Yes! The total best! It’s not set in stone yet, the planner will get back to me, but my wedding might actually happen at this gorgeous place!”
“Your wedding is barely a week away. Isn’t this cutting it a bit close?”
She gave me a light slap on the shoulder. “I told you already, I have a place. But if I could get somewhere better, then why would I object? You could say this place was my original plan, but I secured plan B first. Oh, and I’ll leave you alone for tomorrow to do whatever you want. I need to go and talk to my parents and I’ll probably be there the whole day.”
“That’s all right,” I said slowly, picking up my purse. “I’ll think of something to do.”
As if to remind me I hadn't given a direct answer yet, my cell vibrated and I checked the newest message.
“If you’re worried about the ticket, you can just pay me back later. The wine tasting isn’t that big an event, but I’ve gone before and it’s amazing. You should come.”
I bit my lip and shot a quick text back.
“Sure thing. Text me the details on the ticket.”
“Who are you texting?” Nora asked.
I smiled at her as I put the cell back in my purse. “None of your business,” I said teasingly.
She narrowed her eyes, and I was sure she could guess, but she didn’t say anything and I didn’t, either.
Chapter Eight
Abe
I got the okay from Brooklyn, and then I was grinning to myself like an idiot. But I was already home, and alone, so it wasn’t like there was someone there to see and criticize me for it.
Tickets, I reminded myself, jumping up. Not to mention I needed to pack.
I went to my study where I still had my lap top open, though the screen had gone to sleep. I’d known about the wine tasting even for a couple weeks, and I’d planned on going solo because I didn’t have a date to bring to this one. Now that Nora was going with me, though, I couldn’t be happi
er. I sat down at my laptop and opened up the airports website, with my cell close by. On such short notice, the flight might have been filled, and I was ready to negotiate a deal.
Besides I told Brooklyn a little white lie. If I told her that we’re really going then she would never agree and I had a chance to make things right. I had been a coward until now, pretending that she didn’t mean this much to me. The setting had to be right to make up for six years of being a fucking fool.
Ten minutes later, I sent Brooklyn a text that I would be picking her up in half an hour. A minute later, she let me know where to pick her up. I frowned, wondering why she couldn’t just let me pick her up wherever she was staying. The place she wanted me to pick her up was close to the bridal shop, where we met, and I was fucking sure she didn’t stay anywhere near there. There were no hotels close by, and if I recalled that, Nora was about half an hour away from there.
Whatever. She agreed to go, so that was all that mattered.
I went to my bedroom to pack a suitcase. I hurried, and in fifteen minutes, I was done and heading out of my place. I’d called a driver already, and the limo was waiting for me outside. As soon as I stepped outside, the driver picked up my suitcase for me, led the way to the car and opened the back door for me. I sat inside and told him where to pick up Brooklyn from. Luckily, it was on the way. It was a little late in the afternoon, but we still managed to beat rush hour traffic.
My eyes were looking outside as the limo came to a stop, and I saw her. My breath hitched, and my heart started beating fast in my chest. I let the driver get her suitcase, and slid over as the door was opened to her. She sat inside, and I grinned over at her.
“Looking sexy as always.”
The dress she was in today was different from the last one. It was in a dark blue that reached down to her knees, showing off her sexy legs, and a pair of black strappy sandals on her feet. She had on a jacket that she’d had wrapped around her, but as she sat in the car, she let it go to fall around her. The neck of the dress was a low V-neck that showed off her cleavage, and my eyes naturally fell on it.
