“I knew that was why you’ve been dreading this. Ever since you found out that he was actually in the wedding, your whole attitude about it changed.”
He was right about that. Something about knowing how closely AJ would be involved in the hoopla surrounding the ceremony – the meet and greet, the rehearsal, the reception, the farewell breakfast – it left me feeling uneasy. However, in that moment, realizing how supportive Jason planned to be in all this, I relaxed a little.
We freshened up for the meet and greet taking place downstairs shortly. I picked out a pair of gray, dress shorts that were shorter than I remembered them being, topped off with a white boyfriend-style blouse, leaving it unbuttoned a little at the top so that my layered silver necklace could show. I slipped on the matching gray blazer, stepped into a pair of silver sandals, and was ready to go.
Jason touched the soft curls I’d just tightened up with my flat iron and smiled. “You look…hot…like ‘maybe we should stay in’ hot,” he said, smiling wider now. Those smoldering green eyes of his always reveal more of their gold tint when he’s in the mood to go for some.
Shaking my head, I shoved against his back, ushering him toward the door. “Don’t start with me, Jay,” I warned playfully.
I stood beside him while he checked to make sure the door had latched properly, and then we walked the hallway hand in hand. He looked me up and down a few more times when he thought I wasn’t paying attention, forcing me to fight back a smile when he did. We waited silently for the elevator, and I was pleased that my nerves were at least less frazzled than before…for now, anyway. Maybe it was because the initial “reunion” was out the way for AJ and me, or maybe it was knowing that Jason had my back no matter how it all went down. Thinking about it, I squeezed his hand and stepped into the elevator behind him.
The lobby was much more crowded than when we arrived. Chatter and laughter filled the air as Jason and I stepped forward. Across the seemingly endless sea of people, I spotted Maisha. Her bright smile warmed my heart. It’d been almost a year since I’d seen her and my self-professed big brother, Terrell; however, it didn’t feel like that much time had passed because we still managed to talk a few times a week.
“Oh my gosh, girl! You look amazing!” She screeched, checking my outfit out from head to toe. “You been working out?”
I blushed. “Uh, no. Who has time for that these days? However, I do pretty much walk everywhere I go, living in the city.”
She nodded knowingly. “Well, clearly, it’s working for you.”
I smiled again when she leaned in to hug me. When we separated I couldn’t believe how happy she looked! She was practically glowing!
“Terrell’s gonna want to see you. He’s inside talking to my brother,” she said, pointing just through the double doors. I took Jason’s hand and wouldn’t look at anyone around me as we made our way to the front of the room where I saw Terrell. However…that feeling of electricity made the hairs on my arms stand on end, so I had a pretty good idea who else was in the room.
Terrell hadn’t noticed me yet. When I touched his arm lightly to get his attention, I was taken into his constricting embrace the next instant. It was pointless telling him I couldn’t breathe; he already knew and just didn’t care.
“Y’all made it!”
I smiled. “Of course! You had me at ‘free food’,” I joked.
Noticing Jason standing behind me, Terrell reached past and shook his hand with a polite, “Whassup, man?”
Jason nodded. “Not much. Ready for the big day?” He asked.