Emily won the
costume contest dressed as Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII. Dean managed to
sneak me away for a quickie in the afternoon.
Yup, a perfect day.
But as night rolled over the city, everything came crashing
down.
“You got married?” My head felt light. Was I going to faint?
Maybe if I bonked my head really hard, I could forget what I just heard.
“Yes!” Emily squealed and bounced on her toes. She held out
her left hand. The diamond glittered as it caught the fluorescent light. “It
was so romantic.”
Russell, in full fancy steampunk regalia, kissed his new
wife on the top of her head. “We found a Pastafarian who was legal. He
performed the ritual by the fountain outside the convention center.”
Beside me, Dean made a choking sound somewhere between a gasp
and a laugh. I refused to look at him. If he hadn’t been distracting me when
Emily texted with the invitation to come to the wedding, I would’ve been there
to stop it. This was insane!
“A Pastafarian? Seriously? The Church of the Flying
Spaghetti Monster can now legally marry people?” This had to be a joke. Please
let it be a joke!
“Yes! We’ll have to get a marriage license, of course—”
Emily stopped and then pouted. “Wait. You’re not happy for me?”
I repressed the urge to explode. Be calm. Talk some sense
into Emily. Her marriage to that smirking villain wasn’t really official yet. “Emily,
this isn’t like you. You didn’t have time to think this through. You were
caught up in a moment. You’re going to regret it later.”
“Not like me? It’s totally like me!” Emily stomped a foot
and sniffed back a few tears. “It’s just not like you. That’s why you don’t
understand. We’re in love.”
From squealing giggles to angry tears in ten seconds flat.
That was Emily. I gritted my teeth. “You can’t be in love. You just met him.”
“Love knows nothing about time.” Emily’s voice rose close to
shrieking. People stopped and stared. “Besides, we’ve known each other for a
long time online. We share the same passions, the same dreams. We’re compatible
on every level. You’re my best friend. You should be happy for me. I’m happy
for you that you’re having fun with Dean even though we all know that’s not
going to last.”
It hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. My eyes widened.
Dean laid a hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off. “What the fuck? This
has nothing to do with my relationship.”
Emily wiped her cheeks and folded her arms. “It has
everything to do with it in your mind. Since you can’t have happiness, you don’t
want me to have it.” She nudged Russell and started to walk away. “I don’t want
to talk about this anymore. It’s my wedding day. I want to have fun.”
“You’re being absolutely ridiculous! That—” villain,
bastard, asshole, “Russell has filled your head with idiotic notions.”
Emily spun around and pointed a finger at me. “Don’t you
dare say a thing about my husband.”
Russell slipped an arm around Emily’s slender shoulders and
turned her away. The brim of his hat cast ominous shadows over his face, and
his expression was unreadable except when he gazed down at his new wife. His
face softened with true affection and sympathy.
Gorram. He really did love Emily.
The crowd dispersed as Emily and Russell walked down the
convention center corridor. I didn’t move to follow. I didn’t want to fight
anymore. My shoulders sagged as I let out a long breath.
“Are you all right?” Dean hesitantly placed a hand on my
lower back.
I turned and hugged him. Tight. Did everyone really think we
wouldn’t work out? That it was just a con fling?
Russell had probably told everyone that I was going to break
it off with Dean since that’s what he’d said to do. In fact, he likely
fictionalized the whole thing, saying how fragile Dean’s heart was and how I
was the bitch who was going to crush him. Certainly he whispered all that crap
into
costume contest dressed as Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII. Dean managed to
sneak me away for a quickie in the afternoon.
Yup, a perfect day.
But as night rolled over the city, everything came crashing
down.
“You got married?” My head felt light. Was I going to faint?
Maybe if I bonked my head really hard, I could forget what I just heard.
“Yes!” Emily squealed and bounced on her toes. She held out
her left hand. The diamond glittered as it caught the fluorescent light. “It
was so romantic.”
Russell, in full fancy steampunk regalia, kissed his new
wife on the top of her head. “We found a Pastafarian who was legal. He
performed the ritual by the fountain outside the convention center.”
Beside me, Dean made a choking sound somewhere between a gasp
and a laugh. I refused to look at him. If he hadn’t been distracting me when
Emily texted with the invitation to come to the wedding, I would’ve been there
to stop it. This was insane!
“A Pastafarian? Seriously? The Church of the Flying
Spaghetti Monster can now legally marry people?” This had to be a joke. Please
let it be a joke!
“Yes! We’ll have to get a marriage license, of course—”
Emily stopped and then pouted. “Wait. You’re not happy for me?”
I repressed the urge to explode. Be calm. Talk some sense
into Emily. Her marriage to that smirking villain wasn’t really official yet. “Emily,
this isn’t like you. You didn’t have time to think this through. You were
caught up in a moment. You’re going to regret it later.”
“Not like me? It’s totally like me!” Emily stomped a foot
and sniffed back a few tears. “It’s just not like you. That’s why you don’t
understand. We’re in love.”
From squealing giggles to angry tears in ten seconds flat.
That was Emily. I gritted my teeth. “You can’t be in love. You just met him.”
“Love knows nothing about time.” Emily’s voice rose close to
shrieking. People stopped and stared. “Besides, we’ve known each other for a
long time online. We share the same passions, the same dreams. We’re compatible
on every level. You’re my best friend. You should be happy for me. I’m happy
for you that you’re having fun with Dean even though we all know that’s not
going to last.”
It hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. My eyes widened.
Dean laid a hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off. “What the fuck? This
has nothing to do with my relationship.”
Emily wiped her cheeks and folded her arms. “It has
everything to do with it in your mind. Since you can’t have happiness, you don’t
want me to have it.” She nudged Russell and started to walk away. “I don’t want
to talk about this anymore. It’s my wedding day. I want to have fun.”
“You’re being absolutely ridiculous! That—” villain,
bastard, asshole, “Russell has filled your head with idiotic notions.”
Emily spun around and pointed a finger at me. “Don’t you
dare say a thing about my husband.”
Russell slipped an arm around Emily’s slender shoulders and
turned her away. The brim of his hat cast ominous shadows over his face, and
his expression was unreadable except when he gazed down at his new wife. His
face softened with true affection and sympathy.
Gorram. He really did love Emily.
The crowd dispersed as Emily and Russell walked down the
convention center corridor. I didn’t move to follow. I didn’t want to fight
anymore. My shoulders sagged as I let out a long breath.
“Are you all right?” Dean hesitantly placed a hand on my
lower back.
I turned and hugged him. Tight. Did everyone really think we
wouldn’t work out? That it was just a con fling?
Russell had probably told everyone that I was going to break
it off with Dean since that’s what he’d said to do. In fact, he likely
fictionalized the whole thing, saying how fragile Dean’s heart was and how I
was the bitch who was going to crush him. Certainly he whispered all that crap
into
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