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It’s been almost two hours since we started brunch, and Lily and Felix are still missing. The incorrigible couple finally shows up, snickering like a pair of school kids. Under our suspicious gazes, they take their seats at the table as if nothing is out of the ordinary… and begin to put on a little show.
“Would you like a little sugar in your coffee, Mrs. Alonso?” Felix asks in a syrupy voice.
“Two sugars and a lot of milk, Mr. Alonso!”
I heard wrong. I must have heard wrong.
One glance in Basile’s direction, and I realize that my ears haven’t deceived me.
Beside me, Clem and Niels sit there, open-mouthed and horrified.
“Is this a joke?” I blurt out suddenly. “Lily, tell me this is a joke!”
It’s Felix who answers, without even looking at me. “It sure isn’t!”
With that, Lily raises her left hand and extends her fingers. A cheap wedding band, set with a huge, fake pink diamond, encircles her ring finger.
“We got married!” my sister confirms cheerfully.
By my side, Vadim reminds me to breathe.
“Lily, for fuck’s sake, when are you going to grow up?!” Basile hisses, as shocked as I am.
She shrugs her shoulders and stares at her enormous plastic gemstone, smiling.
“We just wanted to see the Graceland Wedding Chapel… And then we got caught up in it all.”
Those two dumbasses look at each other, and I notice… a certain awkwardness.
“Don’t be buzzkills. You guys would have loved it,” Lily says, faced with our dismayed expressions. “There were two Elvises! A young one in a gold suit, and an old one in a sequined jumpsuit. It was insanely kitsch. And rock’n’roll. And romantic. I couldn’t resist!”
Except that the sheepish look she gives me confirms that she is aware she got carried away. That she’s not so sure of herself. Or rather, of him.
“Fe, what is this bullshit?” Vadim demands. “Did you really have to drag Lily into this mess?”
“What the hell has it got to do with you guys?” his best friend counters, in a weak attempt to defend himself. “It’s our business, isn’t it?”
“Lily, you know this is a legal marriage, right?” Vadim presses on.
“Yes…?” she responds, without much certainty. Then, after seeing my raised eyebrows, she adds, “We love each other, and we got married. I really don’t see the problem!”
She gets up and starts to back away, but pauses when Basile speaks up.
“Lily, can you imagine what our parents are going to say? You’re going to be in deep shit, and so are we!”
“If the marriage hasn’t been registered yet, we can still have it annulled,” I say suddenly, thinking out loud.
Lily stares at me with tears in her eyes, as if I have somehow betrayed her. But Vadim flashes me a look that tells me not to give up, to go all the way to protect my sister.
“Lily, you know I love you, and I want what’s best for you,” I tell her quietly. “You might not realize it, but this marriage isn’t a good idea.”
“Felix isn’t ready for this,” Vadim adds softly.
The groom doesn’t even deny it. Apparently, he finds this catastrophic situation highly amusing.
“Felix, can you say something? Aren’t you annoyed by what they’re all saying?” Lily scolds.
