“Do you like her?” my mother asked.
Her question forced my eyes back to her. “No.”
“Yes,” Logan answered. “If you don’t, why does it bother you so much when I say you do? If you didn’t like someone, you wouldn’t even think about it. It’s because you like her and would rather not admit it that you get angry.”
“We just met each other—”
“I knew your father for two weeks before we dated. Four when he told me he loved me,” my mother added, giving me a look before she drank her water.
“For the last time, we are just friends.”
“Okay.” Logan raised his hands. “Keep staring at your just friend like she’s the only woman in the room. I’m sorry.”
When she came back to our table, she took the empty seat by me, not Logan.
I hated how she now smelled like roses because of all the damn flowers. She always smelled like fresh rain… What am I thinking?
“Your speech was beautiful, dear,” my mother said to her.
“Thank you.” She smiled, but it wasn’t real.
“What is it?” Something was bugging her, I could tell.
She leaned over, putting her hand on my arm. “Whatever you do, don’t look back. Hannah and Sebastian are sitting two tables over.”
My first instinct was to turn, but she squeezed.
“Don’t look. I was just going to leave, but I didn’t want you to not know. Seeing them together will just make us upset, and with the alcohol we will make a scene. Please, not tonight.”
Grabbing the water, I nodded. Attending had been a bad idea, I’d known it all along.
“Have you taken all your photos, Gwen?” my mother asked, leaning toward us.
She nodded.
“Then Eli, take her home. I will tell them you weren’t feeling well. It’s all right to not be here.”
“I’m fine, thank you. I did nothing wrong. Why should I run away? Today has nothing to do with either of them, that’s old news. I wish them the best.” Gwen watched as Nathaniel’s best man did his speech.
“Oh, thank you, but I didn’t ask for this,” she said when a waiter came over with a plate of steak.
“I did, for you. You didn’t like the fish, right?” She hadn’t eaten anything but bread and the broccoli off her plate while sitting with us. I figured she didn’t want to tell them to take it back and get something else.
She looked at me.
“What, don’t you like meat?”
“No, I do. Thank you, I was starving,” she replied before cutting into her food.
Even though I’d heard her tell me not to, I couldn’t help but tilt my head to the side slightly, scanning the room for them.
“Don’t, Eli,” she said, not even looking up before taking a bite.
How did she know?
Whatever. Sighing, I sat straighter. I hated weddings. They brought up both old and new awkward situations to fall into…like now, when everyone was getting onto the dance floor at the end of the speeches.
“Mother, would you like to dance?” Logan extended his arm, stealing my idea before I could act. He gave me a wink, and of course our mother accepted.