“Woo-hoo. “I shook an imaginary pompon in my hand and sat down beside him.
“And it’s funny because with all this future talk going on, all I can think about is my past.”
“What about it?”
“Just old times. About us.”
“What?” I asked. “What about us?”
“I don’t know. My mom was kind of getting into my head at the rehearsal. All that talk about you and me making the perfect couple.”
“She was just saying that to be mean to Scarlet.”
“I know, but that didn’t make it false,” Ian said. “You ever wonder why we didn’t ever get together?”
“Yeah. All the time.”
“We’re just alike—you and me. When I’m with you, it’s like I’m all alone.”
“Um . . . is that supposed to be a compliment?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
“Yes, crazy. I mean, like I don’t have to work to be around you. I’m just chilling. I know what you need. You know what I need. There’s no mystery.”
“Yeah. That’s how I feel, too.”
“Shit can get difficult with Scarlet sometimes. She’s so young acting. It’s like we don’t connect. I love her, but sometimes I feel like she might wear me out before I can wear her down. I don’t have to worry about that with you. You’re my equal,” he said and all I could think of was what Journey had said online about the right time. “Rachel, there’s something I want to say to you. And I don’t know how. Really how to find the right words.”
“Don’t marry her, Ian.”
“What?”
“Don’t marry Scarlet. I know what you’re about to say and I want to say that I feel the same way. I love you, too. You’re the man of my dreams. The man who loves music and art. The man who respects the spirit world. And I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want you to marry Scarlet tomorrow. Because I love you and I want you to marry me.“
“Rachel, I—” Ian tried.
“No, wait. You keep saying something’s missing between you and Scarlet. That you’re missing something. You’re right. She’s not your equal. Scarlet is just some schoolgirl. A pretty face who knows big words. She’s fake. A phony. All those lies about going to the Congo. It wasn’t even real. I checked into it. She was lying. She’s not right for you. I am. It’s me. I’m the one for you. I’m what you’ve been missing.”
“Rachel, stop! I—I wasn’t going to say that to you,” Ian said, getting up from the bench. “I was going to—how could you say those things about Scarlet? You looked into the program? You did that without telling me?”
“I was trying to protect you.” I got up and stood in front of him.
“Rachel, I wasn’t going to say that I didn’t want to marry Scarlet. I do want to marry Scarlet. I was going to tell you how important you are to me. And that I want you to be by my side as my friend for the rest of my life. That I wanted you to know that things won’t change between us.”
“You weren’t—”
“I’m in love with Scarlet. Even with her faults,” he said. “She loves me more than anything. And I’m going to marry that woman tomorrow. And you know what? I’m thinking after listening to everything you just said, maybe you shouldn’t be there.”
“What? Ian, I was just saying how I felt—”
“Yeah. That’s what I’m afraid of. If you felt all this time that Scarlet was lying to me—and you had proof—why would you keep it from me? Why wouldn’t you have told me sooner? You wait until the day before my wedding to break this shit out to me? You’re not my fucking friend. I can’t have you at my wedding.”
“Whoooa! Calm down, Ian. You’re going a little too far.” I tried to take his hand, but he snatched it away.
“No, you went too far this time.” He started walking away.
“But, Ian, you have to listen to me,” I tried, grabbing him, but he pulled away angrily
“No, Rachel. You listen to me. I can’t do this, stand in between you and my future wife and try to pick sides. I’m not that kind of man. If I marry Scarlet, I have to pick her side. And after hearing what you just said, I know you don’t support her, so you don’t support us. My mind is made up.”