Page 63 of Until Now
“Oh, I definitely think you should.” I tip the bartender and hand Elizabeth the glass. “Drink. Ti sentirai meglio.” Elizabeth practically downs the entire glass. “I didn’t mean chug it, but sure.” We fall into a pair of leopard print chairs in front of the fireplace. “I’m sorry Mom and Dad couldn’t be here.”
“I get it,” Elizabeth shrugs, playing with the hem of her white dress. “Are you getting along?”
“Not exactly, but I know they still wanted to come. Regardless of what is going on between us. Daddy just couldn’t get away from work.”
“It’s okay, it just means we get a better gift.”
“That is the upside,” I laugh.
“Hey, Nin,” Elizabeth says after a moment. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask you to be my maid of honor, you’re my sister. You’ve always been here for me and you guys took me in when everything happened. No questions asked. I just…I’m sorry.”
“Elizabeth Regina Cain, don’t you dare. This is your day and it should be exactly how you want it. Lola has been a great friend to you. I’m glad you asked her.”
“You are?” I roll my eyes, of course, I am. I don’t need to be her maid of honor to know how she feels about me. “I just worry. I don’t want you to be upset, you’re my best friend and—”
“Elizabeth, stop. I promise, I am not upset.”
“Thanks, Nin. Ti amo.”
“Ti amo di più,” I smile, but it falls when Elizabeth dabs her eyes. “Are you crying?”
“No, ugh!”
“Happy tears are the only tears I will accept this weekend.”
“It’s all just so much…I just can’t believe it’s here. This is everything I’ve ever wanted, but…”
“But?”
“I wish my parents were here.”
I squeeze Elizabeth’s hand gently. “They’re here. Just in a different way. But, they’re here.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Crash and burn?” Elizabeth finally laughs. “I'm happy for you. You and Josh, you’re great together.”
“Kind of like you and Nick?” Elizabeth smirks and my eyes grow wide. “Michaela hasn’t been able to stop talking about it. And then, Josh was telling me some more after his trip to Boston. Did you know Nick called him while you guys were in Denver? He won’t tell me what that’s about.”
Nick called Bub? Wait, does he have something to do with the sudden change? Surely, Bub wouldn’t have caused this.
“I know you’ve been busy, so I didn’t want to bother you. I was kind of waiting for you to tell me, but I couldn’t wait any longer.”
I down the rest of my wine.
“What happened between you two?”
“Well, we’re not together. Obviously.”
“But, from what I hear, you make a good pair.”
“It doesn’t matter. He has a new girlfriend in Boston.”
“That Sheyenne girl? She is not his girlfriend. Josh asked him about it when he was in town last week. Nick seemed pretty adamant nothing was going on.”
“Well, I don’t care.” I sound almost convincing. “He can have a girlfriend if he wants to. We aren’t together.”
“That’s not what I heard.”