Chapter 36

            “Dude, you can’t just walk into the ladies’ room,” Nick joked as he came up behind AJ and stopped him before he could follow Annie into the bathroom. “I know you’re a horn dog for that girl, but let her go to the bathroom in peace, would ya!”

            AJ forced a smile, knowing inside that there was nothing to smile about. Annie could tell there was something wrong with him and he had snapped at her when she asked him what it was. He hated how he had treated her and she didn’t deserve it. She also didn’t deserve for him to kiss her best friend or admit feelings for her a week before their wedding, but he was still dishing that at her as well.

            “Come on man, let’s go back into the reception. She’ll be out in a minute and then you two can grind on the dance floor all night until you head up to your hotel room,” Nick teased as he threw his arm around AJ’s neck and tried to drag him away from the bathroom.

            “No Kaos, you go ahead. I am going to wait here for Annie. I want to talk to her.”

            “Alright, well don’t take too long, this is my wedding you know! Next week, it’s all about you, but tonight--”

            “Yeah yeah, tonight is all about you. I get that!” he joked back, slapping Nick in the back of the head. “I still can’t believe the wild beast has been tamed.” Nick laughed and walked back into the reception. He knew the first dance would be coming soon and he couldn’t keep his bride waiting.

            Alex leaned against the wall and waited for Annie to come out of the bathroom. He wasn’t going to tell her why he was so jumpy, but he did want to apologize for the way he had treated her. A minute later the bathroom door opened and Annie walked out, pausing for a minute when she saw him, as if trying to decide whether to come out and talk with him or run back into the bathroom again.

            “Annie, I’m sorry,” he started before she could make up her mind. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you when you were just trying to find out what’s wrong.”

            “What is wrong?” she asked him again, taking a few steps towards him. “Ever since the speeches you have been acting funny.”

            “I, it’s just, well,” he started, trying to find the right thing to say. “I guess all this wedding stuff is making me wonder if we have everything set for next week. I’m just worried that we are forgetting something or that something isn’t right.” Something definitely isn’t right, but you can’t possibly know that.

            “Oh baby, our wedding is going to be perfect. It’s not going to be like this and you know that. We didn’t have nearly as much stuff to try and get ready as Andrea and Nick did. We decided simple was better, and it will be. Trust me.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. “It could just be us and a justice of the peace and it wouldn’t matter. The only thing that matters is I am the only girl in your heart, the only girl you want to be with, the only girl you’re ever going to kiss for the rest of you life.”

            She leaned into him and rested her head on his chest. His heart wrenched in his chest as she said those words. This isn’t fair to her. I know that I love her, but I’m not even sure we should get married next week. I need time to figure everything out. I have to tell her the truth.

            “Annie, there’s something I need to tell you,” he began slowly, knowing that what he was going to divulge to her would not only break her heart, but ruin any chance for them as well as ruin her friendship with Andrea. “I think we should

postpone--”

            “There you are,” Veronica said as she walked into the hallway and saw Annie standing there. “Uncle Rick and Aunt Mary are looking for you. The ‘family’ dances are going to be starting and they want all of us there.” Veronica, Annie and Andrea’s cousin, was referring to the father/daughter dance which Annie and her dad would be participating in along with the bride and her dad. “And Laura wants to talk to you.”

            “About what? Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” Annie was whining, but she didn’t care. Her sister Laura always had something dire to talk about, no matter where they were or what they were doing.

            “She wants to finalize her travel plans to Malibu with you,” Veronica said laughing. Annie rolled her eyes, thinking to herself that she has her own travel plans to worry about and how her sister is getting there really doesn’t matter to her as long as she is there.

            “I’ll be right there,” Annie said, shooing her cousin away. She turned her attention back to her fiancé. “What were you saying you wanted to postpone?” she asked, nipping at his chin and running her fingers through his short brown hair.

            I can’t do this to her. I love her, and in the end, that’s all that matters. I know that I don’t feel the way for Andrea that I do for Annie, so I’ll just have to let this little infatuation run its course. I am marrying this girl in front of me and we are going to live happily ever after. “I think we should postpone our flight to Malibu another day. Leaving tomorrow is too soon. There will be so much for Andrea and Nick to do and get everything done and I think we should stay and help. We can take the same flight they do and we’ll still get to Malibu in time to finish what we need to do.”

            She smiled at him, wondering if that was really all that was bothering him. She shrugged her shoulders, deciding that it didn’t really matter anyway. “I think that’s a great idea. And I know that Nick and Dre would love the help.” She kissed him on the cheek and took him by the hand, pulling him back into the reception hall. They walked in as the DJ was announcing the first dance.

            Nick and Andrea, hand in hand, walked onto the dance floor and wrapped themselves in each others arms. To every person watching them, they looked absolutely perfect. Even though Andrea was a foot shorter than her husband, and when most people would have rested a head on a shoulder hers was resting just below his chest, they still looked like they were a perfect fit.

            As Nick twirled his bride around the dance floor and everybody oohed and aahed, Alex said a silent prayer, asking for direction and help. If I am not supposed to be with her, please let the ache in my heart stop when I see her with him. If I am not supposed to kiss her, please stop my lips from burning when I get close to her. If I am not supposed to love her, please stop her from being so loveable.

            He continued his pleas throughout the rest of their dance, the father/daughter dance, and the mother/son dance. It was only when the DJ announced the bride/best man, groom/maid of honor dance that knew he could not petition a miracle any longer. He walked onto the dance floor and smiled at the beautiful bride who had his heart and mind so confused. She smiled back at him and took the hand he had extended for her. He pulled her close and they swayed in unison to the music.

            “Listen Alex,” she began, talking quietly into his ear over the music. “I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that kiss didn’t affect me. It felt really nice, but that’s the problem. I just married your best friend, and you’re marrying mine next week. We can’t do that to them. But we also can’t continue to hang out and pretend like nothing happened with this tension between us.” She stopped, allowing him to interject.

            “So what are you saying? We can’t really avoid hanging out together, seeing as how the aforementioned weddings are taking place.”

            “I know that, and that’s why I’m wondering if it’s just a ‘I know I can’t have you so that’s why you’re so irresistible to me’ type of attraction going on. I mean, neither one of us was thinking like this a few weeks ago, it just came on all of a sudden.”

            “So again I ask, what are you saying?”

            “I’m saying that maybe we should just give in to how we are feeling, and see what happens.” She stopped, shaking her head a little in frustration. “This isn’t coming out right. What I’m trying to say is you know how we kissed, and we both thought it was so great, but maybe we just think that because it’s fuel to the fire. What if we were to kiss again, knowing that if there really is something there you don’t have to marry Annie and my marriage can always be annulled or I can get divorced. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

            Alex looked at her like she was absolutely crazy, but the more he thought about what she was saying, the more he understood what she meant. “Like if we don’t deny each other, maybe the desire won’t be there and we can go on with our happy little lives and pretend the way we are feeling now never happened?”

            “I know it sounds funny, but yeah. Haven’t you ever done something you knew what wrong but did it because you knew it was wrong?”
           

            “Yeah, I have. But do you honestly think that any amount of convincing each other that kissing again wouldn’t be wrong would actually convince us? We know it’s not right, you’re married and I’m about to be married, and it’s not like our relationships are with people that don’t matter. She is your family, he is my family, she’s your career, he’s my career, you know? I don’t think that would work.”

            “You’re right, it wouldn’t.” They both let out exasperated sighs and continued dancing.

            After about thirty seconds of silence, Alex started to speak again. “I truly think the only think that’s going to help is time. Time to see if the infatuation dies, or if more feelings grow. I know its cliché, but only time will tell.”

            “I was afraid you were going to say that,” Andrea admitted with a smile. “I just feel so horrible keeping this from Nick.”

            “I know exactly how you feel. I feel like such an asshole.” The continued dancing in silence until the song ended. After they parted each other’s arms and went to their respective significant other’s sides, both of them had a new outlook on the situation.

            Time…they both thought simultaneously, unbeknown to the other.