Meet Me at Midnight

03 | Say that again

Stella

I can't let him get his slimy hands all over Grace. Sarah would kill me.

The one job I had this weekend was to keep Grace under control and her getting mixed up with Nick was the last thing we needed. Grace is trouble, but Nick is worse.

But now... standing so close to him, I regret my decision.

Maybe I should just let him and Grace go off and do whatever it is they do. At least then I wouldn't be stuck here with him in this dimly lit hallway with his hard body pressed against mine.

"You think I'm jealous?" I rebut, laughing at him as if he was the most repulsing thing I've ever seen in my life, which is clearly a lie. I hate to admit it, but Nick is hot. Like I'm talking 90s heart throb hot. The worst part, though? He knows it.

"You sure are acting that way," he smirks, his eyes tracing the outline of my lips. He leans in closer, forcing me to step back until my back is flat against a wall. The sudden contact shocks me and I shiver.

Is he going to kiss me? Surely not.

He reaches up, brushing a loose strand of my hair away from my face and tucking it behind my ear. My breath hitches. His hands linger and caress my cheek for a second before he suddenly pulls away and leaves.

He just leaves. Walks away like nothing just happened.

"What the f**k?" I mumble under my breath. I glance down at myself, horrified that you can sense whatever just happened between us just by looking at me. I dart off, desperate to find a bathroom.

I need to wash Nick's scent off of me.

I glance around desperately for an escape. I see nothing, so I just take off in any direction and hope for the best.

"Where are you running off to in a hurry?" Sarah's voice stops me in my tracks. Lucky because I almost tumble straight into her. She holds out her arms, grabbing onto my shoulders to steady me. "Are you okay?" She leans down, looking into my eyes, hers full of concern.

"Fine, just really need to find a toilet," I lie.

She points behind me with a chuckle. "Well, lucky I stopped you because you just passed one."

I turn around and see a massive sign that I somehow missed.

"Thank you!" I call out, running off toward the sanctuary. Unfortunately for me, Sarah follows. She knows me well enough by now to know when I'm full of s**t.

"Want to tell me what's going on, or are you going to make me guess?" She teases, leaning against the tiled wall, crossing her arms so casually. How can she be so calm when I'm feeling so flustered and thrown off?

"You can try to guess, but you'll never get it." I smile back, daring her to try. There's no way in hell she would know what just happened.

"Nick got to you, didn't he?" She sighs, and I stop to look at her. The only sound in here was the running tap water. She walks over, leans around me, and turns the tap off.

"How did you know?" I question, genuinely shocked.

“I saw you and him, you know...”

"You know what?" I say, not patient enough for her games right now. She looks at me with a suspicious grin, her eyebrows doing a weird dance that honestly makes me uncomfortable.

"Spit it out," I demand, my impatience winning out.

She sighs, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms across her chest. "I saw you two flirting, like up close and personal."

I gulp and feel my heartbeat racing. "No, that isn't what was happening, I swear. You know how much I hate that guy." I try to play it off and keep my cool, but I know she isn't falling for my pathetic attempt.

"They say love and hate are so similar. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."

Rolling my eyes, I turn away from her and wash my hands. Why does she have to marry someone who comes with such big baggage? And not the normal baggage you expect. If I had known when she met Andrew how annoying Nick was, maybe I would've tried to distract her away from him.

Eh, who am I kidding? I love her and Andrew together. They're perfect. It makes me sick.

"I promised you I'd get through this weekend with Nick, and that's what I'm trying to do. He's making it hard, but we only have a few more days left." I sigh and turn to face her again. She smiles at me sympathetically.

"Okay, fine, I'll leave it alone," she grins mischievously, which sets off alarm bells.

"What's with that smile?" I question.

"We have a busy day ahead of us so get yourself sorted and meet me in the lobby in an hour, kay?" she leaves before I can respond. She mentioned nothing to me besides her bachelorette party tomorrow night.

An hour later, I round the corner to the lobby when I smell it. Like I mean literally smell it. The air was full of cheap perfume, roses, and wine. I gag a little, fighting the urge to cover my nose and scrunch my face in disgust. Too many potent smells going on at once are my nightmare.

I spot Sarah, standing at the front of the crowd, excitedly explaining something. Her eyes light up with every word and her crowd of followers hangs on her every word. I join in and get a little closer to find out what is going on.

"Now normally there would be strippers, too much alcohol and a lot of dancing, but not today. Not my bachelorette party."

I chuckle, crossing my arms, waiting to hear the but -

"But, there will be plenty of cocktails!" she throws her hands in the air screaming like a teenage girl getting asked to prom. Sighing, I give in and laugh, smiling along with her. I guess today my job is to watch out for Sarah and keep her as sensible as possible.

"What are the guys doing today?" Grace wraps her arm around Sarah's shoulder, pulling her in for a hug. They embrace and start swaying side to side, Grace giving in and dancing along with her cousin.

"They have something planned. I'm not sure what." Sarah shrugs.

I let out a disgruntled sigh and mutter, "What a relief. A day without Nick." But my words are not quiet enough, and both Grace and Sarah turn to look at me, their expressions varying between confusion and amusement.

"What's that?" Grace asks, clearly not understanding my comment.

I put on an innocent facade and respond, "Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself."

Sarah smirks, a teasing glint in her eye. "Or maybe you're trying to hide something." Her tone is light, but the comment still throws me off. My jaw tightens as I level her with a sharp look.

"No," I say firmly, my voice clipped. "I'm not hiding anything."

"If you say so. I wonder if Nick would say the same about your complicated relationship." She winks playfully, but now I'm starting to think my best friend wants to ruin my life. I know she's playing it up for the crowd and I'm normally the one who can handle it, but not when it comes to him. I think she forgets that sometimes.

"Complicated?" Grace's eyebrows shoot up, her interest piqued. "Do tell!"

I groan internally. The last thing I need is Grace getting involved in this mess.

"It's nothing, really. Ancient history."

Sarah, sensing my discomfort, mercifully changes the subject, a silent apology. "Alright ladies, let's get this party started! First stop: mimosas and manicures!"

The group cheers and we file out of the lobby towards waiting limos. As we pile in, I find myself squished between Sarah and Grace.

"So," Grace whispers conspiratorially, "What's the deal with you and Nick? Spill."

I roll my eyes. "There is no deal. We just... had a moment. It meant nothing."

Grace's eyes gleam wickedly. "A moment, huh? Sounds juicy."

I sigh, realizing Grace will not let this go. "Fine. If you must know, Nick and I had a... heated exchange in the hallway. But it was nothing, really. Just him being his usual arrogant self."

Grace leans in closer, her voice low. "Heated exchange? What exactly happened?"

I glance nervously at Sarah, but she seems engrossed in conversation with the other bridesmaids. "He cornered me, got all up in my personal space. For a second I thought he might kiss me, but then he just walked away."

Grace's eyes widen. "Oh, my god. And you're telling me there's nothing between you two? Mind if I have a shot?"

"There isn't," I insist, but my voice lacks conviction. The last thing I want is Grace and Nick hooking up. Not because I'd be jealous, but for her own sanity. He would ruin her life, just like he did mine.

"It was just Nick being Nick, trying to get under my skin."

Grace smirks. “Sounds like he succeeded.”