Page 116 of Crash & Burn

Mia

Cityscape just took the spot of my new favorite place. Not counting Lenny’s and my apartment, of course, but obsessed is an understatement. While I love our usual spot, I have been itching to go out ever since our karaoke night, and this is the first night since then we could all get together.

The rooftop bar looks over the city, pulsating with energy below. The warm, gentle breeze of the August night brushes against my skin. Twinkling lights lining the space, casting an intimate ambiance over the comfortable lounge seating we’re at.

Around us, you can hear the mingling, the laughing, and clinking of drinks, and the horizon is filled with a tapestry of illuminated skyscrapers, the lake, and the mesmerizing starlit horizon.

I take a moment to let it all sink in, taking a page from Eddie’s book, and following the conversation around me.

Drew and Annie are updating Luke and Eddie on the wedding plans for Drew and Emmett’s wedding so far, talking about the colors Drew picked for Annie, Lacey, Emma, and I to wear, and I still can’t believe I get to be a part of not only the planning process but her special day.

Drew isn’t having her bridesmaids or Emmett’s groomsmen stand up with them for the ceremony, so I’ll still be able to do the pictures for the ceremony.

They chose a venue not too far from where we are downtown right now, a hall with a small stage and a dance floor, and we are all staying at the hotel next door to the venue to get ready for the day and to stay at for the night.

“So girls will be in black, surprise, and guys will have black suits with a white dress shirt,” Annie explains.

Spending so much time with her and Drew to plan, I like that the three of us couldn’t be more different. Our styles, our upbringings, our interests, even our music tastes are all so different, yet when I’m with them, there is no need for me to recharge my social battery.

While I know Annie’s aesthetic for a wedding wouldn’t be like Drew’s, this planning process has shown how perceptive Annie is. She was vocal about not loving the black, gold, and forest green Drew picked, but she was also the one to put together a vision board that was somehow exactly what Drew was picturing in her head.

Getting to know Annie, I have learned that her hard, unapproachable exterior is only for people she doesn’t trust. She has opened up about what happened to her in high school, the bullying having a lasting impact on her on top of her family issues, but it truly explains why she holds people at arms-length until they prove to her she can trust them.

Once she trusts them, she is your ride-or-die for life.

Drew goes on to explain how the ceremony will be just the wedding party, and the reception will be everyone else when Eddie reaches his arm over the two-seater lounge chair we’re in.

Since we left the concert, he has beentouchierthan we have agreed on. Yes, we do care a little less about the PDA with our friends, but I won’t be free of my guilt until we get the chance to talk to my brother.

“Emmett, did you decide on your groomsmen?” Annie asks him. She is wearing a blue corset top with white jeans and her long brown hair is glistening under the twinkly lights hanging above us.

“Yes,” Emmett grunts, taking a sip of his drink. He has his arm around Drew who has her red wine hair twisted in a clip with a black tank and jeans.

“Care to share with the class?” She retorts, using one of Drew’s lines, so unaffected by what could be perceived as a bad attitude if you didn’t know Emmett well enough. In all reality, he cares more about marrying Drew than planning the wedding, but he wants her to have whatever wedding she wants.

“Eddie, Luke, Cal, and Mateo.”

“See? That wasn’t so hard.” Annie reaches over at pats Emmett on the knee, ignoring his death stare. Drew leans back and laughs, and Eddie chuckles in my ear, somehow closer than he was a few moments ago.

“Wait,I’mgoing to be a groomsman?” Luke exclaims. He is seated next to Annie, his thigh touching hers.

“Guess it’s your lucky day, Lukey-poo,” Annie says, turning to him. She swipes the condensation on her glass and flicks the droplets of water at him.

“Okay, calm down, kids,” Drew says. “Eddie, did you talk to the guys about playing at the wedding?”

“Yeah, we’re all set to play for your guys’ first dance and a few songs at the reception.” His attention is on Drew, his usual smile in place, but I feel his arm behind me move, bringing it to rest on my thigh. “The wedding is a week before we leave for tour, so it works out great.”

I feel my body heat, Eddie’s hand on me in front of everyone, and I don’t know how to respond.

“It’ll be a fun night,” Annie says, her eyes finding mine with a raise of one eyebrow. I turn to see Drew and her eyes flicker to Eddie’s hand on my thigh.

“Tons of fun,” Luke echoes, taking a sip of his drink. I see him and Annie exchange a glance, and I instantly feel like I’m on display.

“So,” I start, needing to shift the conversation, so we aren’t all focused on the elephant in the room. The attention goes to me, but I don’t know what to say.

“How did the pictures turn out for that shoot you did with that all-girl band?” Drew swoops in and saves the day, and I thank her with my eyes.

“Good! It was a nice change of pace doing an all-girl shoot versus the usual all guys.”

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