The Rebound

The Welcome Dinner

Tiana

Most of the wedding guests started arriving today… Kylie and Stan were busy welcoming everyone. I didn’t really feel like I want to mingle with Bryan’s family more than I had to, so I decided to just stay in the cottage… until I had to meet everyone for the welcome dinner that Kylie and Stan were hosting tonight.

I ordered room service and just lazed away the whole day… trying not to think about Bryan.

While I was soaking in the hot tub, my mind started drifting to Bryce. I imagined if he was here, we’d be f*****g all over this tub. I felt excited knowing that we would be sharing this cottage tomorrow. My body was getting turned on with just the thought of it. So, I decided to give him a call. But after three attempts, he was still not picking up… I decided to just let it go. He’s probably busy with work. A few hours later… I had just gotten out of the shower when I hear my phone ringing… and it was Bryce.

“Hey.” I said, answering his call.

“Hey beautiful. Sorry I missed your calls. I was stuck in meetings the entire day.” He said.

“I figured.” I reply to him.

“Why’d you call? I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. I miss you, Tiana.” He says.

“Well…I was in the hot tub earlier… and I just remembered you.” I tell him honestly.

“You did?” He said, sounding pleased. “Were you naked when you were thinking about me?” He adds, teasingly.

I laughed. “No, I wasn’t!”

He chuckles. “Well… I can’t wait to soak in the hot tub naked with you again.” He says.

Seeing that I remained silent, he continues… “So, what are you doing right now?”

“Well, right now… I’m naked. You called just as I came out of the shower.” I giggled.

“You’re such a tease, Tiana! I can’t wait for tomorrow.” He said excitedly.

For some reason, I wasn’t as excited anymore… as I thought I would be to have Bryce here tomorrow. And I think he could sense it.

He asks, “You okay, beautiful? You don’t seem as happy that I’m going to spend time with you.”

I pause and hesitate. I know I shouldn’t be doing this with Bryce, of all people. But I really needed someone to talk to right now. I grab a robe and sit on the bed.

“Hmmm, Bryce… I know this may not be appropriate… but can you be my friend for now? Just a friend. I just really need to talk to someone. And I can’t talk to Kylie… I don’t want to ruin her wedding weekend.” I tell him quietly over the phone.

“Whew. I thought you were going to ask me not to come.” He chuckles. Probably noticing that I wasn’t laughing with him… he adds with a serious tone, “Go ahead, Tiana. You can tell me what’s bothering you. We are friends.”

To be honest, I felt a little sour as he emphasized that we were friends. But I couldn’t dwell on it because I really had to speak out my mind. “Well, you know Bryan, my ex is here, right? And I’m not sure if I told you… but he’s Stan’s cousin. Stan is Kylie’s groom.” I explained to him.

Hearing no response from him, I asked, “Are you still there, Bryce?”

“Yes, Tiana. Go ahead… I’m just listening.” He replied.

“Well… his family is also here. I’m actually pretty close to them… specially his sister. They really treated me like family when were together. And I really don’t know how to face them. I’ve been holed up in the cottage the entire day trying to avoid them. But I can’t avoid them tonight… Kylie and Stan have this welcome dinner for their guests. So… I don’t know what to do or how to act around them.”

I know!! Of all people, I tell Bryce. But I really needed to talk to someone… it was driving me crazy. And for some reason, I really felt comfortable being myself with Bryce.

“Well, for starters… why are you avoiding them? It’s not as if it’s your fault that you and Bryan broke up. So if anyone, Bryan should be the one ashamed to meet his family. Has Bryan told them about your break-up?”

”Well, not yet. But I told him last night that he had to tell them himself.” I said.

“Wait. So you met Bryan last night?” Bryce asked.

I found my eyebrows arching. Bryce sounded like he was disappointed that I spoke to Bryan. Hmmm… But I realize…Who am I kidding? This is Bryce Andrews were talking about here. So, I just shrug it off. I'm probably just imagining things. 

“Yes, we had dinner with Kylie and Stan. And well, we had to talk… because Kylie made me promise I’d tell Bryan you were coming.” I explained.

“So what did you tell him and what did he say?” He asks curiously.

“Well, I said I met somebody… and that I asked him to be my date for the wedding.” I tell him.

“And?” He prods.

“Well… he was shocked, of course. He said that it didn’t take me long to find someone else. And of course, we argued because I said at least I waited until we were broken up. Then, he got pissed because he realized he’d really have to tell his parents… and he didn’t know how he was going to tell them. Imagine, he had the nerve to ask me if we could wait until after they got back to New York before he would tell them? Can you imagine, he wants me to pretend that we’re okay? Such an asshole, really.” I felt my voice rising… I was getting riled up again as I recall what Bryan had said last night.

Bryce was silent for a while before he says. “I wouldn’t mind it if you used me to remind your ex that he’s an asshole. I mean, I’d be proud to be your date tomorrow, Tiana. But I’m also wondering... if it would it make things better for you if I didn’t come tomorrow?”

I was taken aback. I didn’t expect that from Bryce. “You’d do that for me?” I ask him quietly.

“For you and me both, Tiana. I was really looking forwarding to spending time with you. But I don’t think we would enjoy each other’s company anyway if you didn’t really want me there. And if my being there will complicate things for you, then I don’t have to go.” He explained.

I must say that was really sweet of Bryce. I take a few minutes to decide. “No… I want you here, Bryce.”

I realized whether or not Bryce was there… I couldn’t stand being with Bryan… especially not with Valerie here as well. So either way… his family would still know things were not okay between us. I would make sure that Bryan told them the truth behind it. And with Bryce there… I knew Bryan would have no choice but to tell them the truth.  

I know I should feel bad that I was using Bryce… but he offered to make Bryan regret what he did. Besides, I figured, he was just here for the s*x anyway… and I had no problem giving that to him. Because honestly, even if my mind was preoccupied with Bryan… my body was giving me away. Just the sound of my name rolling out of Bryce’s mouth was turning me on.  

We say our goodbyes as Bryce has another meeting to attend to… and I had to get dressed for the welcome dinner.

I kept my hair up in a loose bun. I applied light make-up on my face.  I was wearing a wine colored maxi dress that perfectly hugged my curves… the neckline was a low v that perfectly cupped my size C breasts, and the back was basically non-existent except for a few pieces of string that held the dress together. I knew Bryan’s family would get the shock of their life. They weren’t used to me wearing these kinds of clothes.

When I was dating Bryan, wearing anything with a low neckline, anything tight or short was not allowed. He said he was doing it all for me. I never really got it… because when he started pursuing me, these were the kinds of clothes I was wearing. For one, I liked them. I worked f*****g hard to keep my body the way it is. So I liked flaunting it. Which brings me to my second point, it boosted my confidence when people were checking me out. Who doesn’t like that right? I mean, it’s a different thing when people start to perv. But it’s my body… people should respect it whether I’m showing some skin or not, right?  But anyway… I followed Bryan because I was tired of arguing with him about my clothes. So, these kinds of clothes… were reserved for days that I knew I wasn’t going to see him.

Just thinking about that made me sad. I realized that in the 8 years that we were together… I had to change myself a lot for Bryan.  

And since we weren’t together anymore… I decided I would wear what I really wanted to wear…. And he can wipe off his own drool!

As I reach the pool area, where Kylie and Stan are hosting a welcome dinner for their guests… Bryan’s sister Kay comes running to me and throws her arms around me.

“Tiana!! I missed you!!” She says as pulls me into a tight hug.

I hug her back. “I missed you too, Kay!”

“I’ve been looking for you all day! Bryan said you were busy helping Kylie with something.” She says as she pulls away from me.

My eyes widen at Bryan who was standing right behind her. He shrugs at me and walks away. f**k… he hasn’t told Kay about our break-up. I’m assuming he hasn’t told his parents as well because I could see the huge smiles on their faces as they were walking towards Kay and me.

“Darling! It’s been so long since we’ve seen you.” Martha says as she pulls me into a tight hug.

“Hi Martha!” I tell her quietly, hugging her back. She lets me go and Kevin leans over to pull me into a hug as well.

“Kevin!” I say as I hug him as well.

"Nice to see you, Tiana." Kevin says.

“I really thought you and Bryan would get married before Kylie and Stan would.” Martha says. “Where is that boy anyway?” She adds, scanning the place for Bryan.

“Well… we all know that Stan always finishes first.” I joked. Like I always do, when I’m feeling nervous.

All four of us laughed. Stan is a competitive swimmer… and he always wins first place.

“That is true.” Kay chuckles.

And all I could really do was nod and politely smile at them. This sucks. I really loved Bryan’s family. They’ve always made me feel like I was a part of their family. And they were genuinely really good people. And here I was, feeling really awkward with them… and Bryan, the asshole… is nowhere to be found.   

“Ti! There you are!” Kylie says as she taps my shoulder.

“Oh hi Ky!” I tell her. I pull her into a hug and whisper to her ears, “Save me!”

“I know.” She whispers back.

Thankfully, Kylie rescues me from Bryan’s family. She tells them that she needed my help with something.

“Thank you for saving me.” I tell Kylie, breathing a sigh of relief, as we walk away from the Stuarts.

“I saw that pasted smile on your face... I knew you need rescuing. Now, go and kill Bryan!” She chuckles. “By the way, you look hot!” She adds as she walks towards Stan to entertain more guests.

I smile back at her and begin to look for Bryan. I find the asshole by the bar, downing his scotch.

“You better tell them about us, Bryan.” I tell him as I take the seat beside him. I ordered a glass of vodka for myself.

He turns his body to face me. “I’m sorry. I really am. Can’t we just go back to the way things used to be, Ti?” He begs.

“We already talked about this, Bryan. That’s not happening.” I tell him, as I take a big sip of my drink. Honestly, seeing how deflated Bryan has been about this... I'm not that angry at him anymore. But I just can't bring myself to forget seeing him on top of Valerie. Where is that girl anyway? I see her across the pool flirting with one of Stan's friends. 

Bryan finishes his drink and stands up. “I’ll find a way to tell them before your date arrives tomorrow.” He says quietly before he leaves.