Page 81 of Doing It for Love

Theresa relaxes next to me in the back of the cab on the way home, her curly hair tickling the skin near the neckline of my shirt. I grab the phone in her hand and scroll through the feed. She posted a status earlier of “Advice for our soon-to-be bride!” with a lovely candid photo of me stuffing my face with a Toblerone. So much for walking off those calories.

“Did Jace post that?”

“Of course, but so did Helen and Nicki, which solidifies its validity.”

“Big words for you, especially since you’re buzzed.”

“Just buzzed. I only had the one glass.” She takes her phone back. “Do you think Landon will be home?”

“He better be.”

She laughs and scrolls to a comment and deletes it.

“What did that one say?”

“Oh, someone’s being stupid.”

“Was it Jace again?”

She shakes her head. “Someone pulling the ‘get out of it while you can’ card.”

“Cynic?”

“No, more like someone who thinks you should be older to make big decisions like marriage.”

I blow out a sigh, waving the hair that’s fallen from my ponytail away from my face. “Tell me honestly…is there a bet going on how long we’ll last?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“But you think it too, right? That I’m too young to get married.”

She shifts in her seat, adjusting the seat belt. “I don’t think you’retooyoung, I just think you’re young. And before you even give me that look I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I’ve told you before that I don’t ever want to get married, but for you and Landon? I can’t picture you without each other.” Her nose wrinkles in a mock-disgusted face, which I shove her for. “Why not start as soon as you can, right?”

“Right.”

“And it’s not like you aren’t doing everything that married couples do already.”

“What do you mean?”

She brushes her hair from her shoulder. “You live together. You share a bank account. You’re not even having sex as much as you used to.”

I smack her arm with a laugh. “I cut him off for a reason.”

“Yeah…to have crazy, hot sex like you had when you first got together, and not the boring ‘we’ve been together forever’ sex you’ve become accustomed to.”

Ouch. I know it’s true, but it sounds so much harsher coming from an outside party. Her words slam into my chest so hard she immediately grabs hold of my arm and says, “I’m sorry. It’s the champagne, the fact that he’s left you high and dry for a few days, and…that I’m going to miss you when you get married.”

I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, shaking my head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yes, you are.” She toys with the phone case, peeling it from the top then snapping it back on. “It’s going to be different. He’ll be your best friend. He’ll be the one you talk to, spend time with, make decisions with. And you’ll grow old together and have babies and move to LA when he gets famous and I’ll…”

I loop my arm through hers and rest my head on her shoulder. “I’ll always need you. Trust me. Especially when he’s being a dumbass.”

“Like today.”

“And yesterday.”

“And if he’s a dumbass tonight, I got your back.”

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