CHAPTER 2:FAMILY
1039 Words
Day 2. 8:00 AM. Wedding Day Eve.
Levi was at the coffee bar when Maya found him.
“You’re up early,” she said.
“I don’t sleep in other people’s houses,” he said.
“It’s a hotel,” Maya said.
“Same thing,” he said. He handed her coffee. Black.
She took it. “You remembered.”
“I have a brain,” he said.
She almost smiled.
Rule #1: No kissing. Still in place.
Rule #2: Leave early. Already broken.
He was still here at 8 AM.
Day 2. 10:00 AM. The Dress Fitting.
Zoe’s room. Bride chaos.
“Maya! Levi!” Zoe squealed. 6 months pregnant, glowing, in a robe.
Levi looked at the floor. “Hi.”
“Maya said you’re tech,” Zoe said. “You seem… quiet.”
“I am,” Levi said.
“Good,” Zoe said. “Maya talks enough for both of you.”
Maya threw a pillow. Missed.
Aunt Carol came in. “Levi, honey, you’re so tall. You’ll look amazing in photos.”
“I’m not—” Levi started.
“You’re standing next to her,” Aunt Carol said. “That’s enough.”
Maya sighed.
Day 2. 12:00 PM. The Broken Rule.
Aunt Carol: “Group photo! Couples!”
Maya froze.
Levi stepped in. Arm around her shoulders. Light.
“Smile,” the photographer said.
Maya did. It looked real.
Levi didn’t smile. He looked at her.
Click.
Day 2. 1:30 PM. Lunch.
Just them. Vineyard patio.
Maya picked at her salad. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Do what?” Levi asked.
“The arm thing,” she said. “The speech last night.”
“I meant it,” he said.
Maya looked up. “You’re bad at fake.”
“Good,” he said. “Because I’m tired of it.”
Day 2. 3:00 PM. The Doctor Talk.
Mateo found Levi by the vines.
“You don’t like weddings,” Mateo said.
Levi: “No.”
“Why’d you come?” Mateo asked.
Levi thought. “Because she asked.”
Mateo nodded. “She’s scared of being alone at this. Everyone’s pairing off. Baby, marriage. She’s the ‘when’s your turn’ girl.”
“I know,” Levi said.
“Don’t hurt her,” Mateo said. Not mean. Just real.
“I won’t,” Levi said.
Day 2. 5:00 PM. The Laugh.
Aunt Carol tripped over a cord. Wine everywhere.
Everyone gasped.
Levi didn’t. He grabbed napkins. Handed them to her. “You’re okay.”
Aunt Carol: “You’re so calm.”
Levi looked at Maya. “I’m around her a lot.”
Maya snorted. Loud. Real.
Levi blinked. He’d never heard that.
Her laugh. Unscripted.
Day 2. 6:30 PM. The Mom Talk.
Mom pulled Maya aside. “He’s nice.”
“He’s not,” Maya whispered. “He’s mean at work.”
“Then why is he here?” Mom asked.
Maya didn’t have an answer.
Day 2. 7:30 PM. The Toast.
Dinner. Everyone stood.
Mateo: “To my wife.”
Zoe: “To my husband.”
Dad: “To family.”
Then he looked at Maya. “And to the people who show up.”
He meant Levi.
Levi raised his glass. Didn’t drink. Just raised it.
Maya’s throat got tight.
Day 2. 9:00 PM. The Dance Floor. No Dancing.
Rule #2: No dancing.
But Zoe grabbed Maya’s hand. “You have to.”
Maya looked at Levi. “No.”
Levi stood. “Fine. One song.”
Slow song. Not romantic. Just… there.
He didn’t touch her waist. He kept his hands at his sides.
Maya danced anyway. Near him. Not with him.
Aunt Carol: “Aww.”
Levi shot her a look. Aunt Carol backed up.
Day 2. 10:15 PM. The Walk.
Vineyard. Night. Crickets.
“You broke Rule #2,” Maya said.
“You broke Rule #1 in your head,” Levi said.
Maya stopped. “What?”
“You’re thinking about kissing me,” he said. Flat.
“I’m not,” Maya lied.
Levi didn’t push. “Good.”
They walked. No talking.
Day 2. 11:00 PM. The Hotel Hallway.
Two doors. Side by side.
Maya: “Thank you. For today.”
Levi: “You laughed.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I did.”
Levi looked at her. Really looked. “Don’t make it a thing.”
“It’s not,” Maya said.
“Good,” he said.
He opened his door.
“Levi?”
He turned.
“Night,” she said.
“Night,” he said. Door closed.
Day 3. 7:00 AM. Text.
Levi: Rehearsal?
Maya: No. Wedding. 4 PM.
Levi: Right.
Maya: You okay?
Levi: I’m here.
Day 3. 2:00 PM. The Suit Problem.
Levi showed up in black jeans and a button-down. No tux.
Aunt Carol: “Where’s your suit?”
“Didn’t bring one,” Levi said.
Maya: “He looks fine.”
Aunt Carol looked at them. Then smiled. “He does.”
Day 3. 3:59 PM. The Vows.
Zoe and Mateo. Under oak trees.
“I choose you,” Mateo said. “Even when it’s hard.”
“I choose you,” Zoe said. “Even when I’m tired.”
Maya cried. One tear.
Levi saw it. He didn’t wipe it.
Day 3. 5:30 PM. The Speech.
Dad: “Does anyone have words?”
Levi stood.
Everyone looked.
“I don’t believe in fake,” he said. “So I’ll be real. I met Maya 6 months ago. She’s loud. She’s stubborn. She fights me in every meeting.”
Maya’s face went red.
“But she showed up,” Levi said. “For her sister. For her family. For me, when she didn’t have to. So I’m showing up too.”
He sat down.
Silence. Then Zoe clapped. Then everyone.
Maya didn’t clap. She stared at him.
Day 3. 6:00 PM. The Question.
Maya found him by the bar.
“Why’d you say that?” she asked.
“Because it was true,” Levi said.
“24 hours left,” Maya said.
“I know,” he said.
“Don’t make it weird,” she said.
“It already is,” he said.
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- Writer
