Say I do

chapter 13

"I really think that she is pregnant." Tiff mumbled before she took a sip of water out of the water bottle. Lia glanced at Felis and wondered why her friend was so adamant that she was expecting. "Maybe she's just against drinking, you know not all people are alcoholics like you." She told her friend and they were waiting to do the rehearsal once again. It had been three times that they had practiced and in all honesty, Lia didn't think it was that serious. Walk down the aisle, with you partner, going with the pace of the music. How hard was that really?

"Tis a shame, I just chose to have that lifestyle." Tiff told her and she made eye contact with the best man. "That man, as good looking as he is, not that great in bed." And Lia turned to look at her friend. "Oh my god...when...Tiff." She shoved her friend. The best man was Felis' cousin and leave it to her obnoxious friend to put out to the only guy off limits. "While you were off playing the hokey pokey with your love's brother, I didn't miss out on much." She said sipping her water again.

Lia recalled her friend not being this jaded. It was the past year that she became this way and she had to blame it on the stress of school and home. She wondered if maybe there was something going on with her friend that she wasn't telling her.

Before she could ask, Jonny sat right next to the pair. Lia turned her head the other way as to not notice him but he talked right through her anyways. "This kinda blows. I'm hungry." He said and sat back drinking his water.

Lia saw Tiff look past her and she made a face. "Is your friend that mad at me? Look I apologize, will she even look at me?" He asked more towards Lia than to Tiff as if she wasn't sitting right between the two. Tiff smiled and gave a questioning look to her friend. "Okay, I'm not going to get in the middle of your love spat, so laters." She said and walked away to go talk to the best man.

Her mouth was open as her excuse and savior left her alone with the person she didn't want to see at the moment. "I am sitting right here." She turned to sit straight but didn't bother to look at him. "Then talk to me."

She turned to look at him and he was watching her with an intense gaze. "That was insensitive. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I just don't understand what your feelings are." he told her.

Lia breathed out some air and took a deep breath. "Accepted, but I'm not explaining. So don't ask."

At that moment, Ben walked over to the couple and sat on the other side of her. "You guys doing okay?" He asked and Lia nodded. "Question is, how are you? We're doing a few days left." She changed her tone and gave all her attention to him. She didn't hear or see Jonny leave behind her.

He breathed out a big deep burst of air. "I'm starting to freak out to be honest. Everything is happening so fast, it felt like yesterday that we just got engaged." He told her and they both glanced at his bride-to-be who was talking to her parents. The Kellars were standing in the same conversation and that was a sight to see as this was one of the times that the two sides were talking.

Compared to the Kellar's homely look, the bride's family held an air of aristocracy to them and Lia believed that it was because her family had money and that was the reason as to why the wedding was supposed to be extravagant. Ben and Felis were from two different worlds. He was from a middle class family, whereas she was from money. It was odd that the two of them had gotten together but love is supposed to conquer all right?

Not long after the rehearsal, the bride's family had reserved a spot at one of the local restaurants for the party to eat. Jonny and Tiff took the the usual spot on either side of her. Everyone at the table had joked and laughed about things Lia didn't really care to listen to. All she could do was watch Ben and the way he interacted with his fiance.

Could Ben really be in love with her? She still haven't had the time to interact and really talk with Ben alone and watching him interact with her, well she never dated Ben but from his past relationships, he was attentive and always in love. But they both spoke with the people they were comfortable with.

Tiff was talking to the best man and she had to admit that she was eavesdropping on their conversation. She knew from her friend that she sounded bored but the guy didn't know that. As a matter of fact, as good lucking as he was he wasn't the brightest. But he still seemed to be nice, being the cousin of Felis, maybe Tiff was thinking about giving him another try in bed as to why she was entertaining his dull stories.

If that was the case, she was probably going home tonight. Peeking a glance over to Jonny who was also in conversation with his parents, well her and Jonny's friends-with-benefits relationship, would she even consider that a form of a relationship?

Lia had to admit that she was still slightly ticked off to what he said the day before but he had a certain point. How was she able to harbor feelings for his brother when she hadn't seen him in a long while.

Everyone moved on with their lives when they left for college and loving Ben didn't stop her. She may have missed her chance years ago, but she had one last one to have him at least acknowledge how she felt before he would be indefinitely out of her reach.

"Hey." Jonny nudged his elbow into her side and she glared at him. "The heck?" She hissed to him, abruptly being forced out of her daydream. "My mom wanted to know if you wanted to come over later, you and Tiff. I guess your parents are coming over to play board games and do old people stuff." He told her and she looked at the Kellars who were eating and his mom smiled at her.

She guess she'll go home with her parents after the board game stuff.

"Oh I wanna go too!" Ben said.

It was eleven at night and it was an intense game of poker. They skipped the nice fun stuff and went into a cut throat game of cards. Surprisingly the small get together consisted of everyone at the dinner rehearsal. Even the bride's parents came over to get in on the fun and he was smoking a cigar with Mr. Kellar and even her own father.

Her mom was making snacks with Mrs. Kellar and Tiff was watching something on t.v. with cousin of Felis. Lia knew his name Luke, but they both liked to refer to him as Felis' cousin. They felt it gave him an insignificant person feeling.

Jonny was still in the game along with all the men. The females either gave up or just weren't into cards that much. That and it seemed like everyone wanted her out so bad that they teamed up on her to the point that she gave up all her chips or lost it to Jonny. Those jerks.

Lia left and went over to the kitchen to see what her mom and Mrs. Kellar were making and they were baking cookies, gossiping as if they were young teenagers when they were closer to menopause. "Hi sweetie, can I get you anything?" Mrs. Kellar asked and she only shook her head. "They ganged up on me." She sat at the stool that was located at the island. Her mom mockingly hugged her and gave her a kiss. "You should know by now that men are assholes." Her mom told her and Mrs. Kellar nodded her head in agreement.

She pouted her bottom lip like a child and rolled her eyes. "Are you and Jonny seeing each other?" Mrs. Kellar asked out of the blue and Lia had to stop her jaw from falling open. "W-what...why?" She asked.

Mrs. Kellar smiled and she glanced over to her sons playing cards. "You two seem to be getting close. And your mom caught you both kissing the other night." She said so nonchalantly.

Lia felt her face go warm and she stared at her mom. Oh god, she hoped her mom didn't catch them having s*x on the couch. She knew her parents were heavy sleepers and her dad was a snorer that could almost drown out any sound, so her mom either took sleeping pills or she wore ear plugs. "No we aren't." Was all Lia could reply, hoping deep down that she wasn't caught doing the freaky with her best friend's brother.

"Such a shame." Her mom said and she took a sip of coffee. "I think you and Jonny would look good together." Lia gave a quick glance to him. He was good looking don't get her wrong, but he got on her nerves with everything that he did. And she thought that he did that stuff on purpose.

"Why? He's a jerk to me. And he always picked on me when we were younger." She told them. They gave a knowing smile and she felt like they knew something that she didn't. "But you both bicker like a cute old couple. And Jonny is such a good boy. He helped us pay off our mortgage. He visits often unlike our other kids, and he helps out your father with things that aren't easy for him to do anymore. His lifestyle isn't the best decision he makes regardless, but he's still a good boy." Mrs. Kellar said.

"He is a good guy isn't he." Lia said thinking. He did visit often than she and Ben did. Her mom always had nice things to say about Jonny whenever they did speak. "But- I just can't." Lia trailed off.

Mrs. Kellar drank some of her drink and then she put the mug down on the counter. "But we understand, sometimes you just can't choose who you fall in love with."