Page 93 of Gin and Bear It

“Chaotic?” I say.

“Yeah.” Kendra frowns. “Planning a wedding isn’t easy, much less doing it in just a few months.”

“I guess,” I say with a shrug. A woman in what looks like a bridesmaid dress huffs as she rushes across the room, something blue in her hand.

We catch up with each other, then with Jeremiah, who arrives a little later. I didn’t expect the wedding to start anywhere near on time, but once it creeps toward an hour and a half late, people get restless. Kendra even leaves the venue to grab the twins a snack because she runs out of the ones she always keeps in her massive purse.

“I’m going to find the restroom, I guess?” I say. Anything but stand around with an empty wine glass in my hand. It’s a cash bar and I’m not trying to get drunk before this thing starts.

“We’ll be right here,” Ash says, his hand skimming down my back.

The only upside to this whole thing is that Ash can hang out with my family. He doesn’t seem nervous or unsure. He just fits, like we’re real.

I wander around, trying to find the bathroom. This place is built like a labyrinth for no damn reason. It’s an event space—wouldn’t they want people to find stuff?

I make a turn and wind up in dead-end hallway. One door is marked dressing room and the other is a closet when I open it.

“Pick up the fucking phone and tell me where you are! You’re embarrassing us both!” Danika hisses loudly enough for me to hear her through the door. Then, something smacks against the wall and she bursts into a sob.

I freeze. Is she talking about Scott? Did he ghost her on their wedding day?

I wait for one of her many friends to swoop in and say something, but I don’t hear them. I press my ear against the door and all I hear is her crying. Alone. On her wedding day.

I don’t like Danika all that much, but crying alone on your wedding day is something I’d only wish on someone who actively hurt me.

But she barely likes me, even less so now that I “took” the hotel. I can’t go in there.

Unfortunately, I brush against the door when I try to retreat.

“Hello?” she calls out.

I sigh and crack the door. “Uh, it’s me. Jada.”

“What are you doing here?” she asks, sniffling.

She doesn’t tell me to fuck off, so I come in. It’s a dressing room, and she’s sitting at the vanity in her wedding dress. Her hair is done, but her makeup is completely wrecked. There aren’t enough ice packs or concealer in the world to hide her puffy eyes, even if someone did fix her makeup.

“I just heard crying. Is Scott not here yet?” I ask. I shut the door behind me.

“Fuck.” Danika sniffs and dabs at her eyes as if her makeup isn’t already wrecked. “No, he’s not. He’s not answering his phone, none of his friends are answering their phones. He’s not even picking up for his parents.”

I lean against the door, biting my bottom lip. I barely know the guy, but I’m not shocked. They were together for ages and he didn’t propose despite her making it very clear that’s what she wanted. Even I knew that and we aren’t close.

“Maybe he…slept in?” Slept into a coma?

“God, no. He went out last night. To the strip club. Which I didn’t like, but he said it was the very last time.” She blows her nose with an inelegant honk. “But usually he comes home. Usually he at least texts. He’s gone.”

I sit down at the seat in the corner. I’m used to handling my friends’ vent sessions, but they’re all in happy relationships. I don’t know what to do with this situation.

“I just wanted to get it done so he wouldn’t back out,” Danika says, her words slurring ever so slightly. The bottle of pinkish wine next to her is mostly empty. “This whole thing is half-assed and slapped together because I wanted it done fast. I just wanted him to give some kind of a fuck about it, you know? About our relationship in general. And he can’t even fucking show up. He can’t even text me to tell me he got cold feet.”

I don’t know what to say to that, if I could even speak. My heart breaks for her.

No one should have to beg for their partner to care about them. If they don’t give a shit about you, they aren’t worth being with.

Why is she with him anyway? He’s never, ever seemed all that into her. He’s attractive in a bland kind of way, but Danika’s pretty. She could pull a guy who at least has more personality than a coat rack. Or at least a guy who’s boring, but cares about her enough to show up.

“How did you do it?” Danika asks after taking a heavy drink from her water bottle.