Page 54 of Kiss Slay Replay

“The hors d’oeuvres were good,” Wyatt says. “You didn’t get any of those little hush puppy things? No mini quiche?”

“There was mini quiche?” Cassie says with a mouthful of iceberg.

“Well, cheers,” Evan says, lifting his glass of Chardonnay.

“Cheers,” Wyatt says. “Happy to be here with you all.”

“Cheers, friends!” Luke says.

Cassie grunts, raising a blue-cheesy fork.

“Hear, hear,” I say.

We clink glasses and I sip my wine, ease back into my seat, dismissing the manic voice in my head that tells me, Look, quick! Look out the window.

—

Dinner is served family-style. We pass around giant wooden bowls of grilled peppers and pesto orecchiette, platters of roasted chicken and herb-crusted salmon and crispy tofu. None of the food is hot, but it all tastes good. We each take second helpings. Cassie sobers up, and Evan gets wine drunk.

After all the plates have been cleared from the table, Luke stands and stretches. I assume he’s preparing to dance, but then he grabs his glass of champagne and says, “It’s showtime.”

“You’re giving the toast?”

He points at me. “Bingo.”

Cass stares regretfully into her empty wineglass. “He’s an infuriatingly good public speaker.”

“No, I know. I just—”

“My husband would have made a great politician if he didn’t love drugs so much.”

“Please. That’s practically a requirement,” Evan says. “The problem isn’t the drugs; it’s that he’s honest. And has no filter or sense of social decency. I’m excited for this.”

Cassie sneaks a hit of her vape, exhaling into her lap.

“Hello!” Luke says, stepping into the middle of the dance floor, holding a wireless mic. He has an easy command of the space. “My name is Luke Hyde, and I’m honored that Stephanie and Jason have asked me to speak tonight.”

“He is very charismatic,” I say. “Maybe he should have been an actor.”

“He can’t be anyone but himself,” Cass says.

“Will you two shush?” Evan says. “I’m trying to listen.”

“I was there at the party when Jace first laid eyes on Steph. I’d only known him for about two weeks at that point—we were roommates our freshman year. My first impression of him? Strong, silent type. Always.” Luke makes a serious face—lowers his brows, frowns. “Which was fine, because I could talk enough for the both of us. Right, buddy?”

Jace shakes his head. Steph giggles. Her eyes shine—she’s got that Steph sparkle. A glass or two of wine. She’s a lightweight—that’s all it takes.

“He’d be trying to fall asleep or do an assignment and I’d be like, Hey, man, what’s your favorite color? Who’s your favorite Mortal Kombat character? Do you like ice-cream sandwiches? I’d get one-word responses. Green. Scorpion. Yes. Do you want to go to a party tonight? No. It took some convincing to get him out of the dorm. I think he probably only agreed to shut me up. I told him, ‘You’ll thank me later,’ and here we are.”

“Thanks, dude,” Jace says.

“He saw her from across the room and he locked in. Everything changed. His posture. His demeanor. He smiled! He laughed! She brought out the best in him in an instant. Because that’s what Steph does. She brings out the best in everyone, because she is the best of all of us. Sweet, patient, secretly mischievous. A perfect match for Jace, who can protect her, look out for her, save her from falling for phishing scams and stop her from adopting every rescue animal in New England. They have the same strange sense of humor, which is good because none of the rest of us gets it. And that’s cool! We don’t need to. Watching you two laugh makes us laugh. Watching you two happy makes us happy. We’re all lucky to be here today. We thank you for this evening, for this weekend. It’s not easy to stay together when you’re finding your way in the world and figuring out who you are. To grow up together,” he says. He raises his glass. “Love isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes bravery and trust and vulnerability and hard work. Communication and sacrifice. Commitment.”

I shift in my seat. I wish I’d brought my cigarettes.

“Even for the two people who made me believe in love at first sight. Even for two people who are meant to be together, cosmically, like you guys are. Your commitment to each other is inspiring. It’s an honor to bask in the light of your love. To the happy couple. To love!”

“To love!” the crowd says.