And we stared at each other.
That night was crystal clear in my mind, and I remembered every detail of the dress she wore, of the way the diamonds from her ring sparkled. I remembered the unease on her face that I hadn’t noticed until I understood why she was nervous. I remembered the sound of her voice like an echo in my mind that had never faded.
But then I turned away and acted like I hadn’t see her at all.
Emerson didn’t notice. “It’s nice. Ryan and Camille seem happy.”
“Yeah, they do.”Ryan had made a seating chart, probably to make sure I wouldn’t get stuck anywhere near Kevin or Tabitha to keep me from having an unexpected outburst and making a scene at his rehearsal dinner.
Emerson sat beside me, and I tried to focus on her instead of how uncomfortable I felt being around the two people I despised—in the same situation as the last time I was with both of them at the same time.
I thought it was amazing I was there at all.
Emerson didn’t ask me which of the guys was the one I had a problem with. She talked to me about Lizzie, about the Christmas gifts she’d picked out for her, and what their plans were over the winter break.
I listened—but only partially.
Our earlier fight was no longer on my mind because I was more stressed out by my current situation.
Once dinner was finished, the evening would conclude—and then I could get the fuck out of here.
The champagne had been depleted and the plates were clean, so the waiters started to clean everything up. People rose from their chairs and started to mingle before they filed out. Emerson and I waited to say goodbye to Ryan and Camille, but people kept bombarding them before we got a chance.
“I’m going to use the restroom. I’ll be back.” She left my side then walked into the building.
Now I was alone, and I felt vulnerable. I almost asked her to wait until we got home, but then she would ask why I would make such a ridiculous request, and that would segue into a conversation I didn’t want to have.
So, I said nothing and stood alone.
Just as I feared, Tabitha moved in.
I didn’t look at her.
She stopped in front of me and waited until I actually looked at her face.
I shifted my gaze to hers, feeling the hate burn inside my chest, the memory of that night playing back in my head. If I’d never overheard their conversation, she and I might be married right now…and I’d look like an idiot who had no idea she let my best friend fuck her. Before anything could happen and I could lose my temper, I made a preemptive strike. “We’re here for Ryan and Camille. So let’s just be quiet and ignore each other, alright?”
She continued to stare at me like she had no idea what I said. There was no ring on her finger, so she hadn’t married someone. Or maybe she had and she was divorced…because she couldn’t keep her legs closed. “I just… I wanted to apologize—”
“Why? It was ten years ago. I’m over it.”
“Well, I never really had a chance. You wouldn’t take my calls—”
“I didn’t realize I was obligated to do so. You were obligated to be faithful to me, and you weren’t, so…do I really owe you anything?” I hadn’t talked to her once since that night. I ran out of there and blocked her number. She tried to see me in person a few times, but I didn’t let that happen either. Now I had the chance to say everything I never got to say, but I’d rather not say anything at all.
She flinched at the insult. “Kevin told me you were still pretty angry—”
“I’m not angry about that. I’m angry that you both continue to try to talk to me when I have no interest in speaking to either one of you. We aren’t friends, Tabitha. Now, walk away before I raise my voice and do something I regret.” I kept my hands in my pockets and scanned the area, seeing more and more people file out so we didn’t have as much of an audience. Ryan and Camille were busy talking to a family member, so they didn’t notice what was happening.
“I understand,” she said quietly. “I just want you to know that I’ve regretted my actions for the last decade. You were the best guy ever, and I see everything you’ve done in the past ten years, and I know I really missed out on something special. I threw away the best thing that ever happened to me, and I hate myself for it.”
“So, you don’t regret what you did because it made you a shitty person, but you regret that you missed out on a guy who ended up a billionaire—got it.”