“Are you going to talk to him later?” Amy pressed.
“I don’t know,” I hissed back. “Maybe.”
She nodded, her eyes still on Van, but thankfully she didn’t have time to ask any more questions. The wedding processional was starting. We all turned to see the bridesmaids making their way across the sand, and finally there was Adrienne, looking so beautiful in her long, white gown.
She smiled at us as she walked past, and when I turned to follow her up the aisle, I looked up too soon and found myself looking right into Van’s blue-eyed gaze. He wasn’t watching the bride. His eyes were on me. Neither of us looked away for several seconds, but he was the first to break eye contact and shifted his gaze to Adrienne as she passed by him. Then he turned back around to the front for the rest of the ceremony, leaving me wondering what he was thinking.
Everything was beautiful, and Adrienne looked so stunning as she said ‘I do’. For most of the ceremony, my gaze was on her and CJ, but every now and then I’d sneak a glance at Van, only catching his profile, feeling more nervous as each second passed. I knew once the ceremony was over I’d have a chance to talk to him, but what would I say? Would he even talk to me, or would he continue to ignore me like he had been?
After the ceremony, we had an hour before the reception started to give the bridal party time to take pictures. I was in the process of asking Amy and Troy if they wanted to head to the hotel bar to kill time when I felt someone come up behind me.
I knew it was Van before turning around, so I wasn’t exactly surprised when I turned and saw him, hands shoved into the pockets of his suit pants.
“Van! Hi!” Amy said, stepping forward to hug him.
I’d forgotten how much they liked each other. Van always had a soft spot for my little sister, and she adored him. She’d been really upset when we’d broken up.
“Ames,” he said cheerfully. “It’s been a long time. How are you?”
I thought I saw her wince when his arms tightened around her, but it might have been my imagination.
“I’m good. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Van shrugged and flashed her a coy smile. “It was sort of a last minute decision.”
“Well, I’m glad to see you – oww! Not so tight.”
I looked over to see Amy glaring at Troy who was holding her hand tightly and giving Van a look like he wanted to murder him. I wondered if he was some sort of Westside hater or if he just didn’t like that another guy was talking to Amy.
“Everything okay?” I asked them.
“We’re fine,” Amy said, tugging her hand free from Troy’s.
He looked annoyed as he slid his arm around her shoulder pulled her against him in a possessive sort of way. He was very obviously jealous. I thought it was a little judgmental of him to feel that way after how he’d acted toward me, but I also knew it wouldn’t be appropriate to say anything right then. I wasn’t sure Amy had even caught on to the fact that he’d been flirting with me.
“So, are you here alone?” Amy asked Van, making Troy scowl even harder.
I knew what she was doing. She’d always had an attachment to Van that existed outside of what he’d done to me. She’d wanted me to forgive him years ago and give him a second chance, and I had a feeling her opinion on the subject hadn’t changed. In fact I had a feeling it had grown stronger over the past few months, which was probably my fault. I knew it had been hard for me to hide how I felt about Van, and if anyone could see right through me, it was my sister.
“Uh, no. I’m not here alone,” Van said, and my heartrate spiked as he looked over his shoulder.
I expected to see a hot, leggy blond who looked like every other girl he’d ever dated, but I was relieved when I only saw Marshall standing a few feet away. As my heartrate slowed, I waved to him, never having been so grateful to see Van’s bodyguard.
“Who’s he?” Troy asked in amusement. “Your boyfriend?”
“That’s Marshall, my bodyguard,” Van explained when he turned back to us. “He’s not my date.”
“Your bodyguard,” Troy snorted. “What do you need a bodyguard for?”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw two young girls eyeing Van in question, probably wondering if he was who they thought he was. That was why he needed a bodyguard.
“I’m just that big of a deal,” Van said so passively that it made me want to laugh.
For a few seconds I forgot that things were weird between us. He’d always been good at putting douches in their place, and in the case where it was Troy, I appreciated it even more. It told me he recognized the same things I did, and I wasn’t crazy to think Troy was so wrong for Amy. I had no idea what she saw in him.
“I don’t get it,” Troy said in confusion.
“Never mind, man,” Van told him.
Then he turned to me, but I was distracted when I saw a tall blond sloughing through the sand toward us, like she was on a mission. I started to warn Van that he was about to get approached by a fan, but before I could do that, the blond tucked her arm into the crook of his elbow and looked up at him. She didn’t have to look far since they were almost the same height.
“Sorry, that was my agent,” she said to him. “So, what’s the plan? Are we getting drinks?”
Van’s gaze was still fixed on me, so the girl followed it when he didn’t respond to her. She looked familiar to me, but I was having trouble placing her. I figured she was an actress of some sort after hearing her make the comment about her agent. I’d probably seen her in some movie at some point, but she wasn’t anyone I knew outright.
“Hi, I’m Veronica,” she said cheerfully. “Are you friends with Van?”
Even though the sun was still shining, and it was a beautiful, warm day, I suddenly felt cold all over. As soon as she said her name, I knew exactly who she was. Veronica Isaac, a reality star who’d gone viral because of her outspoken demeanor, her tendency to show off her ample assets, and her willingness to do pretty much anything that would gain her notoriety or earn her a paycheck. That was the girl Van had apparently chosen to bring as his date.
In that moment, everything I’d been thinking about and planning to do and say, every hope I’d let myself have was gone. Van had brought a date, and I was now in the last place on earth I wanted to be.
I felt my eyes narrow infinitesimally at Veronica as she sized me up with a smile on her face. She might have looked friendly and harmless, but I knew girls like her, and they were ruthless. They were the kind of girls who didn’t get along well with other women. They were caddy and would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. Was Van what she wanted? I hated that thought so much, especially if he wanted her too.
I was suddenly so angry with myself for letting him slip away. I’d told him I was dating Jamie, and then I hadn’t corrected what I’d said. I’d let him believe it. I’d pushed him away, and I’d pushed him right I into the arms of a girl I could never compete with. I was such an idiot, but hell if I’d let anyone see it.
Straightening my shoulders, I forced a smile on my face and said to Veronica, “I’m Elisa. I’m on the Westside PR team, so I know Van. This is my sister Amy and her boyfriend, Troy.”
“Holy shit, you’re Veronica Isaac,” Troy blurted out.
Veronica smiled at him. “I am. Thanks for noticing. It’s so nice to meet you all. You guys up for grabbing a drink with us?”
I didn’t like the look I saw on Van’s face as Veronica suggested that. I had a feeling the last thing he wanted me doing was crashing his date. And quite honestly, it was the last thing I wanted to do. I’d gladly leave him alone – so I could go wallow in the fact that I’d screwed myself over.
“I think we’re okay on our own,” I said, answering for the collective group before Amy could chime in and say we’d love to get drinks with Van and Veronica. I absolutely wasn’t doing that.
“Suit yourselves,” Veronica said, shrugging slightly. “I just figured I’d ask.”
A somewhat awk
ward silence ensued for several seconds until a ringing from Veronica’s tiny clutch had us all looking in that direction.
“God, what does he want now?” she grumbled, rolling her eyes.
I watched her pull her arm from Van’s as she dug into her bag and drew her phone to her ear with what I was sure was a well-practiced flourish. She stepped a few feet away and jammed her finger into her exposed ear before she said hello.
“Dude, you’re here with Veronica Isaac?” Troy gushed to Van, who was suddenly his new best friend. “How the hell did you score that?”
“We’re just friends,” Van told him, subtly brushing him off before he turned to me. “Why don’t you guys grab a drink with us?”
I felt my eyes get wide at his suggestion. “Seriously?”
He shrugged, a small smile twisting his lips up at the corners. “Sure, why not. We have an hour until the reception. Besides, I heard you all talking about getting a drink when I walked up.”
“I just think it’s an odd question considering you’ve pretty much been avoiding me for the past two weeks.”
I watched his smile falter a touch before he said, “I wasn’t avoiding you, Lis. I was giving you the space I figured you wanted. I know how new relationships are, and I figured you wouldn’t want me bugging you. Where is Jamie anyway?”
“I’m not dating Jamie,” I told him, and watched the confusion wash over his face.
“You’re not?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m not.”
“But you said you were dating him.”
“I know.”
“Why – oh,” he said, nodding at whatever realization had just struck him. “Got it.”
He was pissed.
“Van, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lie to you.”
He laughed non-humorously as he said, “Right.”
I started to respond, but a hand on my forearm stopped me. I turned to look at Amy, wondering why she ever felt this was a good time to interrupt.
“El, we’re going to head up to the hotel. Do you want to meet us at the bar?”
I realized she was giving me time alone with Van. She thought it was what I wanted, but with Veronica pacing nearby, her phone still pressed to her ear, there was no way I could have the conversation I wanted to have with Van. Not that it mattered anyway.
“Yeah, sure. Whatever,” I told my sister.
I should have told her I’d go with them, but for some reason my feet felt glued to the sand, as if walking away from Van wasn’t an option, regardless of the fact that he was with a date. I couldn’t leave. So instead I watched my sister and Troy walk away, his hand on her lower back, guiding her across the sand.
“I don’t like that guy,” Van said, forcing me to turn and face him.
“Who? Troy?”
His gaze was fixed on Amy and Troy. He’d always treated Amy like she was his little sister too, and I think he felt a protective, older brother vibe where she was concerned. It had been like that from the first time they’d met when she’d been a senior in high school. I’d been dating Van for a few months. He’d been back in L.A. for just two days, so we’d made plans to hang out. I’d gone to his house in the Hollywood Hills, and we were probably ten minutes into a heavy make-out session that would have definitely led to more when my phone started ringing incessantly.
It was Amy, and she was in tears. She’d been dumped by the guy she’d been dating for two years. She was a wreck, so even though I hated to leave Van, I knew I had to go. Our parents were out of town, so Amy was home alone. When I’d told Van what was going on, instead of telling me he’d see me the next time he was in town, he told me to tell Amy to come over.
I’d looked at him like he was crazy as I processed his words. When I’d asked if he was sure, he told me he had a sister, and he knew how hard first break-ups could be. He said to tell her to come over, we could watch movies, order Chinese food, and she could sleep in his guest room if she wanted.
I was pretty sure that was the exact moment when I fell in love with him. I never told him, but I knew that was it. He was so selfless and sweet that I was practically speechless. No other guy had given my sister as much regard, and I knew I’d be forever indebted to him for how he acted that night. Things only got better when Amy actually got there.
Van ordered Chinese food and about nine varieties of Pinkberry, and the three of us sat around his coffee table while Amy talked about her relationship and what a jerk her ex-boyfriend was. When Van threatened to kick his ass for her and she laughed, I knew it was exactly what she – and I – needed to hear. Van was a keeper, and we both knew it.
I only wished he hadn’t ended up treating me exactly how Amy’s boyfriend had treated her. It would have made things so much better in the long run. But regardless of what he’d done to me, I don’t think Amy ever lost the big brother love she’d felt for him, and it was apparent that Van hadn’t either.
“What’s that guy’s story?” Van asked me.
I shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I just met him. They’ve only been dating for a few months.”
“He’s not good enough for her,” he said firmly, making me smile in spite of Veronica’s presence and all that it meant. Van and I were having the most normal conversation we’d had in a long time. There was no pretense or hidden agendas. It was just us talking like we used to, and I begged Veronica’s agent to keep her occupied so I could have a little more time with the Van I’d fallen for so many years earlier.
“What don’t you like about him?” I asked Van.
I could guess what he was thinking. I hadn’t liked Troy from the start either because there was just something creepy about him, but I desperately wanted to keep the conversation going.
Van shook his head. “He’s a jerk.”
“I think you might be right,” I agreed.
“I am. You should stay away from him,” he insisted as I saw Veronica heading in our direction. “And see if you can get Amy to break up with his ass. He doesn’t deserve her.”
I smiled at the intensity I heard in his voice. I liked it so much more than I should have.
“I’ll work on that.”
“You should,” Van insisted.
“Right, so I’m going to go meet up with them,” I told him, gesturing over my shoulder. “I guess I’ll see you at the reception.”
Van expression faltered, and he shifted his gaze to see Veronica only a few feet away. “Yeah. I’ll, uh, see you there,” he said flatly.
“Have fun with your date,” I told him, wishing I hadn’t said it as I turned and walked away.
It was snarky, and I knew it. I hated that I couldn’t hold my head high and be okay with the fact that Van brought Veronica to the wedding, but I was in a position where I was kicking myself for too many things.
I figured the best thing I could do was have a few glasses of wine, get through the night, and then make a hasty departure back to my apartment. I wondered how early I could leave and not be thought of as rude. I figured it would be at least a few hours from now.
Sighing as I trudged across the sand, my heels in my hand, I fought the urge to look back over my shoulder. The last thing I wanted to see was Van and Veronica, and knowing they were behind me was all the reason I needed to keep walking and not look back.
Maybe that was what I needed to focus on. Even though Van was very much present in my life, what we’d had was firmly entrenched in my past. Maybe it was best if it just stayed there.
Chapter Fourteen
Van
I wasn’t sure what to say as I watched Elisa walk away from me. I’d definitely read the situation wrong when I’d assumed she was with Jamie. How could I not, though? Aside from her telling me she was dating him, I’d seen them together too many times to count, and I’d heard that she’d been hanging out in his room on a regular basis, doing things I assumed I’d hate to know about. So with self-preservation in mind, I’d called up Veronica to see if she’d be my date.
She was j
ust a friend, and I didn’t have any real interest in her, but she was hot, so a part of me hoped that would make Elisa jealous. The other part knew Veronica was fun, which I had a feeling would benefit me once I saw Elisa with Jamie on her arm. I’d truthfully never expected her to show up alone, and I was very quickly wishing I hadn’t come at all. I had a feeling the night was going to be a disaster.
I’d actually never planned to attend CJ and Adrienne’s wedding. CJ was a friend of mine, but with our tour schedule, it seemed like attending would be more hassle than it would be worth. There was also the fear that there would be people attending the wedding who’d take more interest in me than the bride and groom – already I’d been asked to sign three autographs and take two pictures. It had been before the wedding, before any of the important stuff started, so I hadn’t minded, but I hoped no one else would feel the need to make a big deal about me being there. I didn’t want to be the cause of the focus being taken off of CJ and Adrienne. It was their day, after all.
With that in mind, I’d initially planned on declining their invitation. Then a month ago, back when I still thought I had a chance with Elisa, I’d overheard her telling Keri that she was going to the wedding. I decided then that I was absolutely attending. I mean, what better way to get her alone, in a place where she couldn’t just leave, and in a place where single people were known to make impulsive decisions in an effort to be as happy as the bride and groom. I figured it was the perfect situation.
Then everything had promptly gone to shit when I thought Elisa was dating Jamie. I was then left attending the wedding with Marshall as my date and no doubt looking like a complete loser. Or I figured I could ask someone to go with me. Enter Cam who’d initially tried to set me up with Veronica back in January.
Although my date with Veronica had been an epic disaster, where we both realized early on that we had zero chemistry, so thankfully we hadn’t slept together, we’d remained friends. She was also free this weekend, so she could attend the wedding. It was pretty much a no-brainer. I wasn’t exactly ready to bring a real date who might have expectations that I wouldn’t feel like living up to, so I figured bringing a friend would be my best bet.
Westside Series Box Set Page 58
