“Here, take my pic.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes but dutifully took the phone she shoved in my hands.
“You know you love it.”
“Hardly.”
I hid my smile behind the phone, watching her move and pose while I snapped picture after picture. Somehow, over the years, I’d become her Instagram boyfriend—the guy who climbs the tree and lays on the ground while holding all the bags just to get the perfect picture for Instagram. Not that I minded watching her move from pose to pose.
“Okay, now you come take one with me,” she ordered.
Not bothering to fight, I stood by her side and held the phone out to capture us both. I followed her lead through a range of motions, starting with a sultry stare that had us both laughing. When she looked off, lips pursed, and her brow raised, I snagged a piece of her dark hair and laid it over my mouth like a mustache.
“That’s the one. Pure perfection,” Rae exclaimed.
“What can I say? I learned from the best.”
She flipped her hair dramatically before heading out to our waiting car. On the drive to the hotel, she did her social media thing, and I pretended to answer emails but couldn’t keep my eyes off her. Something about her seemed lighter—like a switch had been flipped, or a weight had been lifted. Whatever it was, it made me want to be light and happy with her.
But when a message came through from my brother, all thoughts of happy vanished.
“What’s that frown for?” Rae asked, taking a break from her phone.
“Johnathan,” I muttered, the only explanation necessary.
Her face scrunched up in commiseration. “How is he?”
“Fine. Just asked me to place a bet for him while I was in Vegas, which I will most definitely not be doing.”
“Is he still married to that one girl…Krista?”
“Definitely not. Although, he married another woman, Corinne, soon after their divorce.”
“How did I miss that?”
“It was a little after graduation when you were traveling and honestly, another marriage isn’t much to talk about.”
She shook her head. “It’s amazing how different you two are. One who seems to marry every year without much ambition, and the other who says he’s going to wait for the one and has more talent in his finger than most people have in their entire bodies.”
“You know I only want to get married once,” I reminded her.
“I know, I know. No need to explain,” she said with a laugh.
I never went into the details of why I only wanted to get married once, but we’d talked about it before. She romanticized it like some kind of Disney movie and rather than correcting her about how it had more to do with standards than romance, I played along.
“Besides, we’re here,” she announced.
We hopped out of the car, and I passed a tip to the valet before we made our way to the front desk.
“Are you sure you don’t want to just share a room,” Rae asked. She waggled her brows and even blew an air kiss.
“And be assaulted by you?”
“Oh, come on. I’d make it worth it.”
I struggled not to react when Rae jokingly threw herself at me. It was a game to her, and in a way, it was a game to me too. A game of determination and willpower. Part of me wanted to take her up on her offer, just to watch her face when I pulled her to me and whispered in her ear all the filthy things I wanted to do.
But I didn’t. Instead, I scoffed as if I’d never dreamed of how she’d make it worth it.
“Fine,” she sighed. “How about a facial?”
“Hard pass.”
“Oh, come on. I brought your favorite—mango coconut.”
“I’d hardly call you forcing it on me that one time my favorite.”
“Ugh, fine. But you’re missing out.”
“I think I’ll survive.”
The concierge handed us our keys, his eyes bouncing between us to keep up with our banter.
“What time are we meeting?” I asked once we got on the elevator.
“Concert is at seven, and Parker goes on at nine-thirty-ish. The wedding is after that.”
“Okay. I’ll meet you down here before the concert. Just text me when you’re ready.”
“Okay, just stop by if you change your mind about that facial,” she called through the closing doors.
Shaking my head, I laughed all the way to my room. Just as I walked through, my phone vibrated, and I braced myself for a message from Rae, instead finding a message from my grandma. Skipping a text message response, I hit the phone icon and gave her a call.
“Hey, stranger.”
“Hey, Grandma. I just wanted to call and let you know I landed safely.”
“Good. Was it a good flight?”
“Perfect.”
“Oh, good. I’ll let Grandpa know.”
I smiled, imagining her walking through the house looking for him just to let him know I made it okay. They were the type of people that waited up until I let them know I made it home okay from their house. They stood on the porch, waving while I backed out, and didn’t go back in until I was out of sight.