by Lara Swann
She coughs slightly and looks away from me, pulling my wandering mind back from the jacuzzi to finally notice the strange not-quite-subtle looks that everyone else seems to be sending our way.
“What’s that about?” I murmur to Cassie.
They can’t have that much of a problem with a little chaste morning kissing - I mean, I’ve seen Beth and Neil doing worse, and with the comments we got yesterday at breakfast…
“Probably confusion. I’ve got a good idea of the rumors Beth might have spread after that awkward-as-hell moment last night. Enough that watching us kissing like that probably surprised them.” She gives me a sidelong smile, still talking quietly. “They weren’t the only surprised, either.”
I grin back, then turn so I’m fully facing her and take her mouth in a more dramatic gesture, kissing her again and nipping lightly at her lower lip. If I’ve got an excuse to do this, no way in hell I’m not going to take advantage of it.
I wait until I feel her slightly indrawn breath and then step back.
“Good thing we practiced last night, then.” I smile wickedly, keeping my voice low. “Can’t have them thinking that about us.”
The slightest hint of red appears in her cheeks.
“Yeah…practiced…” She says, and I know she’s recalling exactly what happened after Beth left…and how the last thing it felt like was practice.
That brief, enjoyable moment between us is interrupted by Maria’s sharp, clipped voice, and I turn around to see her and Beth glaring at each other. I blink, hear something about Beth wanting Ellie and Lucas to stay out of the way of the party, and then Cassie tugs on my hand.
“You know…I’m not really hungry anymore.” She glances across to where Mark and Henry are sniping at each other at the table full of food. “Want to get out of here?”
My stomach rumbles and I look mournfully over at the freshly cooked bacon laid out.
“Err, sure…just one moment. I’ll catch you up.” I say.
I push in between Henry and Mark, making some inane comment about the beautiful weather - of course it’s full-on sun, this is springtime in Arizona - and pretending not to notice the way their dirty looks have turned from each other onto me.
Score one for having full permission to act like a jerk. Who knows, maybe being pissed at me will get them to forget their irritation at each other.
I quickly fix a couple of bacon rolls and raise them in toast to the two men scowling at me before turning to find Cassie looking at me with a mixture of amusement and exasperation - an expression I know all too well. I grin back, and then rejoin her side to head away from the breakfast chaos.
“Really, Josh? You needed two of those?” She asks with slight incredulity.
“Sorry babe,” I say, “I don’t think we’re far enough into our fake relationship for me to give up breakfast for you.”
“Shhh!” She says, but she’s trying not to laugh. “Not this close to my family - you don’t know who might hear that.”
I grin and glance around. “I think we got away safely.”
Cassie sighs and looks back to the decking around the house. “Yeah, I guess so. They’re going to be distracted all morning anyway.”
“Pool then?” I suggest.
“Yep.” She nods. “Celebrations are always a terrible time to hang around my family.”
I laugh. “Sure, that totally makes sense.”
She nudges her shoulder against mine as we walk together, and I wrap my arm around her waist. “Mmhmm…I’m sure you’re starting to get my point about them.”
“Maybe…that thing with Matthew almost threw me over the edge.” I agree. “I was this close to punching the guy.”
“You know, that might’ve been better than boring me for hours with property talk.” She laughs.
“And you’re usually the one holding me back, Caz…” I raise an eyebrow at her, but I’m enjoying that image too much to profess any innocence myself.
“There are always exceptions.” She grins at me, then glances sidelong at the sandwich I’ve started eating. “I think you might have been right about breakfast, though. Now I’m away from that stress, skipping it doesn’t seem quite such a good idea.”
I just smile, and hand her the extra I brought. “Yeah I thought so, Caz - this one’s yours.”
Her gaze heats as she takes it from me, and our eyes meet for a few moments longer than they should. I tuck her hair behind her ear and lean forward to kiss her forehead.
“Just trying to be a good fake boyfriend, Cassie.” I murmur, then turn to head over to the sun lounger I claimed yesterday.
I feel her eyes lingering on my back, and it takes a while for her to make a move to join me.
* * *
“Where’s all the real food?” I complain loudly.
Beth turns to me with a glare, interrupting her non-stop conversation with a couple of her friends to correct me. “This is good food, Josh. The sort of thing you probably should be eating, instead of all the shit we usually get. Wholesome, healthy food for once. The best catering firm in Phoenix’s specialty menu - worlds apart from small-town diner crap…but I can see how it might be too sophisticated for your tastes.”
I’m too distracted by the ridiculous spread in front of me to point out that LA probably beats Phoenix for cutting-edge food trends.
“Quinoa cake…celery sticks…chia seed yogurt…” I mutter. “How the fuck is this party food?”
Beth has already airily turned back to her friends, and Mark shakes his head next to me.
“Hey, I see your point man, but it’s Beth’s party.” He gives me a disapproving look. “Just let it be.”
“I’m glad I have the liberty to be a dick about this.” I murmur to Cassie as she takes Mark’s place at the table - I’ve been standing here for god-knows-how-long and I still haven’t found anything I want to put on my plate. “Because really…some things are too much to ask of me.”
She gives me an amused look and adds a slice of quinoa cake to her plate, heaping the rest of it with lettuce and salad.
“Hey, you’re a doctor - can’t you tell them that all this stuff doesn’t do shit for you?” I continue, aware that the glances around the table are starting to become hostile and not giving a fuck about it.
“I’m not a nutritionist, Josh - or even a qualified doctor, yet.” Cassie points out, then adds a load of…something completely unrecognizable…to my plate.
“Hey! I didn’t say I wanted…whatever that is.” I object, looking at it suspiciously.
“Quiche. And you can’t stand here all day, Josh. I was simply…helping you choose.” She pulls me away from the table as I scowl at it.
She’s obviously trying not to laugh at me, and I’m not entirely sure whether or not I’m putting on an act here.
We give way to one of Beth’s friends and gravitate towards the edge of the gathering. The room is decked out in elaborate white-and-pink banners, streamers and pom-poms, and the table of alcohol and cocktail ingredients easily rivals the health-food table in size and splendor. Beth is squealing enthusiastically in the middle of her group of friends, and Neil is standing off to the side talking to the couple of mates who seem to be the only people he’s invited. The rest of Cassie’s family is lining up to get food and talking quietly amongst themselves.
Beth’s party indeed.
At least we got to spend most of the day relaxing on the ranch before everyone arrived.
I look at everyone gathered in awkward groups and poke at the quiche on my plate, starting to wonder whether this whole thing is going to be standing around watching Beth and her friends’ increasingly loud-and-excitable conversation. But a few minutes later, the catering staff answer my question as they start circulating with champagne glasses.
I raise an eyebrow at Cassie as we both take one and she shrugs, apparently not surprised.
Am I the only one that sees the issue here?
“Health food and champagne at lunch…any bets on how l
ong before you’re under the table?” I ask lightly.
“I’m not that bad.” She shakes her head with a laugh, trying to work out how to hold a champagne glass, balance the plate of food and eat with only two hands.
“You only think that because you never remember it.” I grin, and set my plate aside to take her champagne glass for her.
Quiche wasn’t really me anyway.
She takes the opportunity to continue eating, but narrows her gaze at me. “Are you just doing that so I don’t drink it?”
“Would I do that?” I say perfectly innocently.
For some reason that only seems to make her more suspicious.
Before she gets a chance to answer, Henry makes a point of coughing loudly and expectant silence slowly rolls out from where Beth and Neil are standing together near the center of the room.
“I just wanted to thank you all for coming.” Henry begins, and I prepare myself for a long speech, wondering idly whether it’s rude to start drinking the champagne during it - then remembering that I’ve got the perfect excuse to be rude even if it is. “To celebrate Beth and Neil’s engagement with us. Adelaide and I couldn’t be happier that Beth is marrying such a fine young man, and I hope you’ll join me in wishing them all the best for their wedding and the future.”
He looks over at Adelaide, and then raises his glass in an obvious signal that he’s done. I blink, not even having had time to put my newest rude-boorish-behavior plan into action, and then Adelaide follows his lead.
“We’re very happy for you, darling, and to our future son-in-law as well!” She raises her glass, and then we all do the same. “To Beth and Neil.”
We repeat the toast, and I clink my glass against Cassie’s before taking a sip.
Neil wraps his arm around Beth’s waist and she squeals as he tips her back and kisses her dramatically, half of her champagne sloshing out of her glass and onto the floor. When they come up for air, all Beth’s friends cheer and she flashes a dazzling smile around at everyone.
The room disperses into muted chatter again, and I glance at Cassie.
“So…is that it?” I ask.
I don’t know whether to be relieved that we might be able to slip off pretty early, or disappointed that the much-anticipated engagement party is just going to be Beth getting drunk with her friends.
“Aeeee!” The ear-splitting shriek comes from the center of the room, and immediately seems to achieve its objective of ending every other conversation. “Hey, so, everyone!”
I look up to see one of Beth’s friends - a tall, pretty blond type - tapping her champagne glass and looking around the room.
“Since this is, like, to celebrate Beth’s whole relationship, and I’m one of her oldest friends, I’ve prepared a few little things.” She turns and looks at Beth with a huge smile. “To make you remember all the good times you’ve had, and you know, how you and Neil are just perfect for each other.”
“Ohhh Emily!” Beth sighs happily, then looks up at Neil, who kisses her again.
She grins back at Beth and then turns to everyone else. “So if everyone could gather round, and you know, join in…we want to make this really special.”
Cassie and I exchange glances, but oblige along with the rest of the family as we migrate to another pink-and-white bedazzled room - this time with large couches and old polished wood furniture.
“Do you know Beth’s friends?” I murmur to Cassie, watching as they follow Beth and Emily.
Cassie shakes her head. “No, I think they’re all from college. Why?”
“No reason.” I shrug.
Now doesn’t seem like the right time to ask whether she’s also getting the impression that they’re as vapid and shallow as Beth.
One of them turns around and catches me looking her up and down - a pretty brunette who gives me a small smile and glances up at me from under her eyelashes. I return it with a polite smile and steer us towards one of the few couches that we could probably get away with not sharing with anyone else.
I have no idea what a few little things might be, but I want to be able to comment on this display to Cassie without having to be too cautious about what I say.
Not that you’ve held back too much so far…
I watch Beth and Neil together, wondering whether I’m being unfair to them both and too ready to dismiss this whole engagement party. The way they look at each other does seem genuine, and just because I’ve seen them both be snide and unpleasant to other people doesn’t mean that what they have isn’t real, even if it might lessen my interest in spending a whole day wishing them every happiness.
“What are you thinking about?” Cassie asks, picking up on exactly when to ask that question as always. “You have a strange look on your face.”
“I was just wondering whether they…really love each other, I guess.” I finally say.
To my surprise, she laughs and nudges me. “Because you’ve never experienced it?”
I look down at her, catching those eyes sparkling back at me and can’t help thinking that I could be perilously close right now.
“I wouldn’t suggest using them as a model.” She continues, saving me from needing to reply. “Maybe it is love, but it’s not what I’d want my relationship to look like.”
I want to ask her more about what she does see her relationship looking like, but before I get the chance, Emily takes over again.
“So first of all, I want to tell a little story about how Beth and Neil met…” She starts.
It’s one of those ‘cute couple stories’ - complete with a little bit of humor, some nudging and winking, and ending with an appropriate aww moment. So much so that I can’t help wondering how much of it is embellished.
“We should’ve hired Emily to create a how we met story for us.” I murmur to Cassie, and she has to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter, nudging me to try and shut me up.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her closer, smiling as she shushes me.
It gets less interesting from there though, and with Cassie’s warm body right beside me my attention starts to wander. I find myself playing with her hair and wishing I could bring her in for another kiss - and I haven’t had that teenage makeout-on-the-couch moment for a long time.
But it’s hard to sit and listen to all the sweet things Neil has done for Beth, recollections of their first few dates, and all those anniversary surprises - just how many anniversaries have they had anyway?! - without thinking about all the time I’ve spent with Cassie over the years.
Sure, maybe none of it was dating, but I think I’ve got more shared memories of the last couple of years than I do individual ones.
“You know, at least this is one area we can compete with any real couple - I could probably give dozens of these stories off the top of my head.” I interrupt Cassie’s polite attention again.
“Shh! You need to stop saying that stuff here.” She glances around at everyone looking over at Emily and Beth. “And you know, we’ve only been together for six months - how many of those stories work for that?”
“Ah, shit. You know I have no clue when anything happened.” I say, keeping my voice quiet. “And you can relax, baby, no one’s paying any attention to us.”
“You have no idea how good my family is at overhearing the most awkward things.” She says, but then continues in a musing tone anyway, apparently giving up on quieting me. “I could probably piece the time-line together for you, if I have a look back through my diary.”
“You have a diary of things we’ve done together?” I ask immediately, my attention sharpening with sudden interest.
“I have a diary.” She laughs. “Though, since I don’t write anything about work, I guess it probably is of the things we’ve done together.”
My heart skips a beat at the idea, but I cover it with a smirk. “Hah, I have to see that.”
“Not as interesting as it sounds.” She gives me a wry smile. “It’ll probably just be an account of all the
things you’ve done to piss me off.”
“Even better.” My smirk becomes a grin. “I have to know what’s most effective, after all.”
“Josh!” She snorts, and then I hear Mark cough from the couch beside us.
We glance up to see various dirty looks aimed at us, mostly from Beth’s friends, and I put my hands up in apology.
Whoops.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. We were just a little…distracted.” I say, not particularly remorseful. “Maybe all the champagne.”
“Well, if you can find it in yourself to pay attention for just a little longer, hopefully you’ll find our next activity more…engaging.” Emily says, with a bite in her voice.
That doesn’t sound good.
I manage to refrain from saying that, at least, and deliberately don’t look at Cassie.
From the way her shoulders are vibrating, I can tell she’s trying not to laugh - she obviously doesn’t care that much about interrupting - and I know that if I catch her eyes, neither of us are going to be able to hold it back.
“More champagne is a good idea, though!” Beth adds, completely ignoring my point.
As if they’ve been waiting just for that, the catering staff circulate again - with more champagne and a few nibbles. I consider our refilled glasses with suspicion, but Cassie starts drinking immediately.
“What?” She murmurs as she catches my look. “It’s good champagne - and it’ll make this more fun. I’ll ease off before it starts really affecting me.”
I get the feeling ‘more fun’ might still not bring it up to the level of actually ‘fun’.
I shrug and join her anyway - this is hardly the first night we’ve gotten stupid drunk together. And who knows, maybe she’ll actually take it easy this time.
“Okaaay!” Emily announces, and I wince again. I hope her voice decreases a few octaves by the time the alcohol hits. “Time for some games, guys!”
Cassie and I share a look.
Not good indeed.
“This first game is all about whether you really know each other! First, we want to get all the couples together…” She stands up and starts shooing people into place as I reach over and squeeze Cassie’s hand.
