Page 79 of Words We Didn't Say

I crooked my arm. The worry pinching between Eden’s brows disappeared. Glowing with a supercharged smile, she took up my offer by hooking her arm through mine, and she marched through the doors into the crushing attention with her head held high.

“Zach!” she squealed, pointing across the room. “There’s the quartet!”

Her nerves forgotten, Eden fluttered around the gallery. She nibbled canapés off white spoons. She dragged me from sculpture to sculpture and sipped martinis like a classy French maven. When someone wandered past, she was never afraid to introduce herself, bubbling effortlessly, striking up easy conversations, and charming the pants off everyone.

I was the awkward—but wrinkle-free—lump standing next to her. I didn’t mind.

Eden was having the time of her life. She sparkled. She was in her element. Walking around with her on my arm made mychest puff out more than when I’d won the sixth-grade spelling bee. I-n-d-o-m-i-t-a-b-l-e. I grinned. Maybe the universe had tried to warn me about Eden.

She paused as we strolled along a row of ugly paintings. “What do you think the artist thought when they painted this?” she asked, nibbling the edge of the dainty quiche perched in her fingers.

I tilted my head. A plain white canvas splattered with blue dots and a red line. Did you need to think much to paint something like that?

“Ah, well…” I knew nothing about art, but I’d stood next to Chris at a couple of these functions and picked up a few keywords. It was time to unleash my inner wanker. “I feel this piece is a dialogue about consumerism in modern society. The single red line, in particular, highlights the battle line drawn between capitalism and the collective spirit of community.”

Eden’s mouth dropped open.

The older woman standing next to us turned. “Yes.” She nodded with approval. “Yes!Such a thought-provoking critique of this piece.”

Eden just stared.

I flashed the older woman a smile and scooted Eden the hell out of earshot. I stooped just a little, my lips grazing the shell of her ear, and whispered, “I made that up. That painting looks like an over-enthusiastic toddler slapped it together.”

Eden giggled and butted her shoulder against mine. “You’re just full of surprises, huh?”

We paused in front of another painting, not even glancing at the swirls of gold but enjoying the quiet space, just the two of us. Eden’s cheek dropped against the sleeve of my jacket. I couldn’t help tucking my chin into the molten waves of chocolate I knew she’d taken hours to perfect. She sighed and shimmied closer. Bliss.

“There you are, Zach.”

Chris was all smiles, swaggering towards us, his arm draped around the slim waist of his fiancée. The doctor preferred watching her own careful footsteps rather than daring to glance up. I guess I wasn’t the only person suffering in introvert hell.

“Glad you could make it,” Chris said, leaving off the ‘for once’ dangling in the air between us. We shook hands before he gestured to the woman glued to his side. “I’m sure you remember my fiancée?”

“Of course. Lola.” I offered my hand. A handshake seemed right, but what did I know about gala etiquette? “It’s good to see you again.”

Her glasses were turned down to her pointy heels, but when Chris nudged her, she lifted her chin to offer a wobbly smile. Tentatively, she reached out, but when her shawl slipped off her shoulder, Chris’s head snapped to the side. Why was he glaring at her like that? She jerked her hand back without touching mine.

Awkward.

Brows furrowed, unsteady, I lowered my hand and turned a confused smile at Eden. She didn’t smile back. Her attention narrowed on Chris. I knew that expression—the subtle scrunch of her nose and the grimacing smile. Eden hated his guts.

“Thank you for inviting us.” I weaved my arm around Eden’s waist to settle my hand on her hip. “Chris, Lola, this is my...” Girlfriend? Future wife? The reason I got up each morning? “Eden.”

Lola chirped a soft hello.

Chris’s brow lifted slightly. No movie star smile. “A pleasure to meet you.” No handshake, either.

The smile he got back from Eden was nothing short of showstopping, but it was the same one I’d seen in her paparazzi pictures—one hundred percent fake.

“Yes, apleasure,” she said.

I winced. I knew that voice, too. It was the arctic tone she’d blasted at me after I’d screwed up by sending her those stupid roses. Did Eden and Chris know each other? If they did, they certainly didn’tlikeeach other.

Eden turned to the doctor with a real smile. “Lola, tell me where you found this gorgeous gown of yours!” Her gushing praise was genuine, too. “I haven’t seen anything like this in the boutiques.”

“I found it at, um…” Tiny blue eyes peeked out from behind enormous glasses. “The vintage store in Potts Point.” Lola managed a timid smile. “They have some wonderful bargains.”

“Frugally chic. I love it! See this?” Eden twirled to model the intricate lace on the back of her gown. “A rental. I adore fashion, but the designer price tags are outrageous for a one-off. The two of us prove women can look fabulous on a budget.”

---