Page 10 of Best Man Speaking

Standing up, I’m grateful the semi I sprouted during our banter had disappeared as soon as Hallie left the table. I make my way into the dimly lit hallway and lean up against the wall, making it my prerogative to not actually apologize because I’m not sorry. Not at all.

She might be pissed, but it’s the most fun I’ve had in ages.

Hallie opens the bathroom door, her lips once again the dark crimson they’d been when I’d first arrived.

“Is it your aim to always have your lips match your shoes?” I gesture down to the dark red boots on her feet.

“Is it your aim to always sound like an asshole each and every time you open your mouth?” she quips as if sarcastic barbs live on the very tip of her ridiculously sharp tongue.

It makes me want to bite it.

I laugh, a genuine smile finding its way to my face. “Only when I speak to you.”

Hallie doesn’t smile at me. “Finally an answer I can agree with.” She tilts her head to the side, considering me. “What are you doing back here anyway?”

She hasn’t moved from the doorframe of the restroom, leaving it safe for her to head back in and lock the door on me at any point. I don’t pose that sort of threat, but I’m glad to see she’s unwilling to risk it.

I don’t move from my position on the wall, keeping my arms crossed in front of me, right where she can see them. I might be here to antagonize, but I’m not here to be a creep in a secluded space.

“I’ve been told to come back here and make amends.”

“And how do you think you’re doing so far?”

Her question is posed in a tone of disbelief, and I love the sound of it.

“Not well, actually. I don’t have it in me to apologize for something I’m not sorry for.”

“Well, that’s something I’m more than aware of, so if there’s nothing else, I’d like to get back to the table to get on with this shit show of a night.”

I shrug. “Okay then. I just thought I’d make sure I hadn’t hurt your feelings too much.”

This gets me a laugh from her, but I regret it instantly as it sounds hollow.

Unlike the fire in the banter from only moments ago, this sound is ice.

“No, Marcus, I don’t think you’ll be hurting my feelings. Now, how about you lead the way outta here, and I’ll go smile at my best friends like there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with the three of you tonight?”

I eye her, taking in the bland expression falling over her features.

“What, you don’t trust me at your back?”

“No, I don’t trust you won’t put a metaphorical knife straight through it.”

“The cold climate in Scotland really did put a chill in you, didn’t it?” I turn and lead us back out into the bustling dining area.

I catch Hallie still momentarily from the corner of my eye, and I smile at the confirmation received.

“You have no idea,” she mutters as she follows behind.

Generally speaking, if I were at a meal as awkward as this, I’d already have my car keys in hand, the obvious jingling providing the worldwide signal of “I’m ready to leave.”

Instead, the four of us sit in silence. I don’t feel uncomfortable, not in the slightest, but I’m not oblivious to the tension.

Softly at first, but growing in volume, a rock song plays beside me. Hallie fumbles in the handbag on her lap. Who even has personalized ringtones anymore? Or keeps their phone on loud, for that matter. Apparently, someone who’s also looking to make a quick exit.

Pulling out her phone, Hallie doesn’t immediately silence it like I thought she would. Instead, she smiles and excuses herself, picking up the call and heading for the exit. She leaves her bag sitting on the seat beside me, passport poking out, dismissing my theory that she’d staged an emergency call to get her out of here.

Shame.

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