Pretend We're Over

by Ella Miles

  “Happy wedding day,” Oaklee says, and then she lifts the bottle to her lips.

  I do the same.

  As does Boden.

  Sebastian just stares at his glass like it’s piss we are asking him to drink.

  Boden and I finish our glasses in one chug. Oaklee stops halfway through drinking what’s left in the bottle and stares at Sebastian. “Drink!”

  He startles, coming out of his daze. He opens his mouth like he’s going to say something but then thinks better of it.

  Boden even opens his mouth and is about to snatch the drink from his friend when Sebastian tosses his champagne back in one gulp.

  Oaklee smiles like she just got Sebastian to drink poison, before finishing her bottle.

  I can’t help but feel like I’ve been left out of something very important, as Oaklee lowers the partition and tells the driver to head to the hotel.

  5

  Sebastian

  I broke my sobriety.

  I had a drink.

  Champagne.

  God, I can’t believe that champagne is what I broke my sobriety with. That stuff was disgustingly sweet. I swipe my tongue around my mouth, trying to dispel the liquid there, but there is no use. I’m going to taste the disgusting sweetness judging me forever.

  I should have said something, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice. The way Oaklee was looking at me with a vengeance. She knows why I don’t drink; I’m a recovering alcoholic. She knows I run a freaking recovery center for goodness sakes. But she blames me for Boden’s actions.

  Maybe she has a right to—I’m Boden’s best friend after all. I should have said something. Put a stop to his idiocy, or told him to call off the wedding.

  But I didn’t.

  Although, I didn’t do what she’s accusing me of either. Last night, I left shortly after Millie did—close to midnight. The party went on until three or four in the morning. I don’t know what Boden did, but I wasn’t there. I wasn’t by his side, but I sure didn’t have another woman’s tongue down my mouth. The only tongue I want is currently sitting a few feet away from me, fuming.

  Millie seems sweet and kind, but the glares she’s shooting my direction tell me not to ignore what she would do for her friend. I’m the enemy, and she will toss a grenade my way if I’m not careful.

  So I took my punishment. I drank the alcohol. I ended over a decade of perfect control. I’ve seen addicts fall off the wagon before—when the pain got to be too much, when the cravings became too strong, when the peer pressure got to them, and they thought one drink wouldn’t cause them to backtrack. I’ve never seen any of them be able to take one drink and not go all in. That’s why they call it an addiction. We can’t stop after just one.

  I’ll have to deal with the consequences for myself later, whatever they are. However big the setback, this is just a setback. I won’t let it become anything more.

  Oaklee finishes her bottle, satisfied that I served my punishment. Thank God there was only one bottle of champagne in the limo. She’d have me chug a bottle to get back at me if she could. It’s not a mystery why she’s taking her anger out on me instead of Boden. She may hate what he did, but she still loves him. Being mad at me doesn’t hurt her. Being mad at Boden changes her entire life. Once they talk, they will realize there is nothing to fix. Boden doesn’t love her the way she deserves.

  Fuck marriage.

  Marriage is an antiquated institution in today’s age. We don’t need to be legally tied to another person to raise kids or show our love. Love rarely lasts a lifetime anyway.

  Marriage is something we do to make ourselves feel better. To pretend that our significant other will never leave us, no matter how big of an ass we act like. They are trapped, stuck with us forever. It’s all a lie. People have no problem getting divorced; the only hold up is the paperwork. But that isn’t enough to keep people together.

  Marriage doesn’t work—Oaklee just figured that out before it was too late. No amount of pretty dresses, fancy gifts, or playing princess for a day was enough for her to go through with it in the end.

  After some rude directions from Oaklee, the limo pulls up in front of the Paris hotel. I didn’t know where the happy couple was staying tonight, but I guess it makes sense that the Paris hotel seemed like the most romantic choice to them.

  I step out of the limo, and Boden follows me. He looks straight ahead as he walks inside and up to the front desk to check-in without a word.

  Oaklee and Millie enter next. Oaklee rips her veil from her head as she enters the lobby and looks around at all the people staring at her. Even in Vegas, people still stare at a woman in a big fluffy white dress.

  “I’m going to get a drink,” Oaklee says, marching toward the bar.

  Millie nods but doesn’t follow her. Instead, she stomps over to me.

  “This is all your fault,” Mille says, pushing a finger into my chest. One little touch sends zings through my body, firing me up, making me want her more. She’s so bossy and determined and…

  “Did you just growl at me?” Millie folds her arms and takes a step back. I can see the heat in her eyes. I may not have noticed the sound I made involuntarily, but her body sure did. I let my eyes glide down her. Her nipples have pebbled, her eyes heated, and she’s biting on her lip aggressively like she’s angry at herself for finding me attractive.

  I smile wide. “I most definitely did. Want to hear me do it again?” I make a bold move, swiping my hand through her hair and gripping her neck to pull her closer.

  For a moment, her body takes control instead of her mind. She lets me hold her. Lets me pull her until our bodies are flush against each other.

  We fit perfectly. Most women are too short, too skinny. But Millie’s body curves into mine, filling every hard inch of me with her softness.

  It’s unnerving how well our bodies fit, when it’s so clear that we don’t belong together.

  “No, focus.” Millie swipes at my arm, forcing me to let go of my hold on her.

  I put my hands in my pockets as I stare at Oaklee with a fruity drink sitting at the bar. She’s mindlessly drinking through the straw as she stares off into space.

  I glance behind me, where Boden is taking his damn time getting a room.

  It’s clear to me what needs to happen next, but I want to know what Millie thinks.

  “Do you think they belong together?” I ask.

  “Yes, of course.”

  God, she’s a romantic.

  I roll my eyes.

  “Do you?” She pushes back.

  “No. I thought this marriage was destined to fail after six months. I’m glad they figured it out before signing the damn papers.”

  Her head snaps back like I just crushed all her little romantic dreams. “But they’ve been together five years. They met in grad school and started dating their final year. They moved to Santa Barbra together. Traveled the world together. They belong together.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” I shake my head.

  “So you don’t believe in love?”

  I sigh. Now she wants to get all philosophical on me. And the more I talk, the more I show how different we are, the more likely it is that we will be spending the night apart. I’ll be with Boden trying to keep him from blowing all his money gambling or on strippers. She’ll be holding Oaklee’s hair back after she drinks too much and keeping her from drunk dialing all her exes.

  Either way I slice it, tonight is not going to go well so I might as well tell Millie exactly what I think.

  “I believe love between two adults doesn’t last. Oaklee and Boden were in love at one point. But people grow, they change, their annoying habits set in and they realize that whatever love they felt has a limit. Fairytale romance doesn’t exist. The only love that is real and everlasting is between a parent and child.”

  Millie glares at me. “You’re so cynical. Just because you haven’t found love, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. What about your brother? Isn’t he happily married?�
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  “Kade and Larkyn are the exception to the rule. And they only truly work because they have kids and work hard to make it work. They don’t stay together because of how in love they are.”

  Millie raises an eyebrow. “Who is the woman, and what did she do to hurt you?”

  I chuckle. “Why do you think I was hurt by a woman to feel this way?”

  “Just a hunch.”

  “Well, you’re wrong.”

  “So what do we do with Oaklee and Boden? Get Boden a stripper while I hope there is enough alcohol for Oaklee to drown out her pain?” Millie asks with plenty of snark.

  “No, we lock them in their suite together and force them to hash things out.”

  Millie blinks rapidly at me.

  “What?” I say.

  “You just surprise me, that’s all. I assumed you thought their relationship was a lost cause.”

  “Oh, I think it is. But I’m not the one who gets to decide. They have to decide if the relationship is over or not. They have to be the ones to decide if we call the limo and drive back to the wedding or if I call Kade and tell him to send everyone home.”

  “Are you a counselor or psychologist or something? Because I think you would make a terrible counselor if you don’t believe in love or marriage.”

  “Good thing I’m not a counselor then.” And with that, I turn and walk away before Millie starts digging any more into my past. She doesn’t need to know my history in order to decide if she wants to sleep with me or not. That’s the only decision she needs to make, because that is all I can ever offer her.

  I snag the room keys from Boden and then whistle to Oaklee. “Let’s go.” To my surprise, all four of us end up in the same elevator together. I stare at the buttons as the lift starts ascending to the top floor.

  Please, mother of god, don’t let us get stuck on this elevator.

  6

  Millie

  I watch the numbers rise higher and higher as we head to the top floor. Boden sprung for the Napoleon Suite at the Paris hotel, and Oaklee showed me the pictures. It’s one of the most romantic rooms I’ve ever seen.

  Sebastian can be heartless all he wants, but all we have to do is get them into that room, and they will fall in love all over again. With the pretty decor, the champagne, the chocolate-covered strawberries, and the heavenly looking bed—there is no way they don’t fall head over heels in love again. They may not make it back to the chapel today, but they will salvage their relationship and get married in the courthouse or with one of those Elvis impersonators that are so famous around here.

  Everyone saw Oaklee almost get sick. We will just tell them she got sick, and they had a quick wedding before heading out on their honeymoon after Oaklee felt better. Everyone will understand that. There will be nothing for Oaklee and Boden to be embarrassed about. This was just cold feet. Just a big misunderstanding when it came to Boden kissing another woman. He was just drunk and trying to sabotage his wedding because he was scared.

  I smile to myself. This will all be fixed, just as soon as we get them to their honeymoon suite.

  The elevator stops suddenly on the 17th floor instead of the top floor, but the doors don’t open.

  “What’s happening?” Oaklee asks, her voice high-pitched and worried.

  Boden stares at her like she’s an alien.

  Sebastian closes his eyes; this is his nightmare. He then steps to the panel and hits the call button.

  “Hello?” a bright woman’s voice says through the speaker.

  “Hi, uh, we are in the elevator on the North side. And we are stuck,” Sebastian says.

  Oaklee sucks her pink liquid through the straw quickly now.

  Boden cringes.

  I stare wide-eyed. Good job, universe. You couldn’t just let us get to the room first before you started playing matchmaker.

  “I’ll send for emergency services immediately. Everyone remain calm. This does happen from time to time, and almost always, the elevator starts moving again before the emergency response team arrives,” the happy lady says like we aren’t stuck in an elevator.

  Sebastian releases the button and then turns, staring us all down individually like he’s assessing each of our ability to get this elevator moving again ourselves.

  “Don’t look at me like that, this isn’t my fault,” I say, snarkily.

  Sebastian ignores me and walks between Boden and Oaklee, who are standing about as far apart as humanly possible in the small space. I stand in the middle at the back, and Sebastian stands in the middle at the front, now facing all of us.

  “Well, since we now have nothing but time on our hands, I think it’s time you two talked to each other,” Sebastian says.

  My eyebrows shoot up. He’s going to get them to talk? Here? Really? Wait until we get to the fancy, romantic room where they will have no hope but to fall in love again.

  Apparently, Sebastian either can’t read my frustration or disagrees with my strategy.

  “I have nothing else to say,” Oaklee says, slurping on her drink until the last of the pink liquid is gone from the cup.

  Sebastian takes the cup from her hands.

  “Hey!” she says.

  “It’s empty.” Sebastian holds it up so she can see it’s empty. She folds her arms, no longer having something to hold onto.

  “Boden, I think you should start. Look at Oaklee and tell her how you feel.”

  Nothing.

  Sebastian takes a deep breath, and if possible, his voice gets quieter, calmer. All the muscles in his body relax as he speaks. “Tell Oaklee how it hurt to have her walk out on your wedding day.”

  Boden glares at Sebastian. “It hurt like hell. I don’t know what has gotten into her. She can’t just walk out on me on my wedding day! I thought we were in this together, forever.”

  “And I thought we had agreed to be monogamous,” Oaklee yells back.

  They look at each other finally, and they’re definitely about to kill each other.

  Good job, idiot, I mouth to Sebastian.

  He ignores me.

  “Thank you for looking at each other. Conversation works better when you are watching and listening to the other person’s feelings.”

  Both of them bare their teeth to each other like vampires about to suck all the blood out of the other. I don’t think this is what Sebastian had in mind when he said that.

  “Now, Oaklee, tell Boden how upset you were to hear that he kissed another woman last night.”

  “I didn’t—“ Boden starts but shuts up when Sebastian gives him a look.

  “I felt like he’s a lying cheating bastard! Like he never loved me at all,” Oaklee’s voice breaks as she says it.

  I reach over and take her hand in mine and squeeze three times, our secret signal to tell each other we love each other and are here for each other. We got the idea from a Taylor Swift song and have been doing it ever since.

  She squeezes back, sucking the sobs back down as she stands strong in front of Boden.

  “You think I never loved you? Really, Oaklee? I loved you with all of my heart.” Boden steps forward toward her.

  What is happening?

  “Loved?” Oaklee asks through a terrified hiccup.

  “Love—I still love you, Oaklee. I will never stop loving you. I fucked up. I thought you cared more about our wedding than me. I was stupid, and I made a drunken mistake. It doesn’t mean that I ever stopped loving you.”

  I blink as I look between the two of them.

  And then, before I realize what is happening, Oaklee releases my hand, and she jumps on Boden. His hands grab her ass. Hers go around his neck. Their lips hungrily devour each other in between I love you’s and I’m so sorry’s.

  And then past it all, I see Sebastian. He’s leaning against the doors with a smug smile and cocked head as if to say, I gave you what you wanted. I got them back together, now what are you going to do for me?

  I suck in a breath, but I can’t tear my eyes from him. I’
m hot and bothered. My panties are wet. My nipples hard. I want him.

  No, it’s just because I’m going through a dry spell. That’s all. Sebastian King is hot, and he knows it. But I have to be attracted to the man underneath in order to sleep with a man, not just find him physically attractive. He’s cynical and has a cruel streak, not the type of man I want in my bed even for one night. I bet he’s a selfish lover, making it all about him, not even caring if his partner comes or not.

  He strokes his stubbled chin with his hand. I know he shaved, but the stubble has started to grow back already. I can imagine it against my thigh, his tongue at my slit, his fingers in—

  “Millie,” Sebastian says, breaking my trance.

  “Yes?”

  “The doors are opened.”

  “Oh.” I look behind him and see that the doors are, in fact, open. Oaklee and Boden are long gone.

  I step off the elevator with Sebastian right behind me.

  “Where did they go?” I ask.

  “Not sure, we are only on the 17th floor, not their suite floor. They couldn’t have gone far. Let’s go to the room and hope that’s where they’re headed,” Sebastian says.

  “Just not on the elevator,” we both say at the same time.

  I smile and follow Sebastian to the stairs. We head up to the top floor and make our way to the corner suite. Sebastian puts the keycard in and waits for it to turn green before entering. I follow after him.

  There is no Oaklee or Boden. For one, Sebastian has both keys. And they weren’t waiting outside the door.

  I pull my phone from my bra.

  Sebastian stares at my chest.

  “Really?” I say, and he smiles before turning his attention on the beautiful suite I haven’t let myself enjoy yet. I’ve always wanted a fairy tale wedding. I’ve wanted a romantic honeymoon. What girl doesn’t? But I know it’s not in the cards for me.

  Once Sebastian has adverted his eyes from my chest, I dial Oaklee’s number. She doesn’t answer. I leave her a voicemail telling her we are waiting in the suite, reminding her of the room number, and to meet us here when they are ready.