Page 89 of Eye of the Hurricane
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Katherine
Come home with me after the wedding.
I groan, trying to think of something else. Anything else. When I finally clear my mind enough to go out there it’s just Katherine, her family is nowhere to be seen.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was just us?” I ask.
“Because I didn’t know when they’d be getting back.” She laughs. She’s sitting at the kitchen counter with her hands wrapped around a coffee mug.
There’s an urge to walk over and kiss her. Preferably on the mouth but I’d settle for something as simple as the top of her head or her cheek. I don’t, because it’s obvious what last night was.
She was stressed and feeling like she couldn’t keep control over the stressors in her life. She needed the stress relief and the transfer of control. We’re back to just faking it now. Despite how real and effortless all of it seems to feel.
I pour myself a cup and take the seat next to her. She seems more relaxed today but still not her normal self.
“What’s the plan today?”
“Well, we’ll spend the morning and afternoon getting ready. At five the ceremony starts, so we need to be there around four thirty. Then cocktail hour will be at the reception venue around five thirty. Reception goes until ten. It’ll be a long day and a lot of time with my parents. I’m sorry.”
“I knew what I signed up for when I agreed to this months ago. We’ll put on our best show,” I assure her.
“What if they don’t buy it?” she whispers to me. Which makes me laugh because we’re the only ones in her house.
“They’ll buy it.” I nudge her leg with mine. “Let me make you breakfast.”
“That’s where my parents and brother went, they’re getting breakfast and bringing it back here,” she tells me.
“What can I do to take some of the burden from you today?” I ask.
“Did you remember to match your suit to my dress color?” she asks.
“Of course. It was the only thing you asked of me.” A soft smile appears on her face.
“That’s all I needed you to do.”
“But what else can I do? Let me take some of this on,” I plead with her. She thinks on it for a moment.
“I don’t know. I’m just stressed.” Right as I’m about to tell her that that’s why I’m offering to take some off of her plate, her family walks in the door. Somehow I feel like I’m about to be judged for still being in pajama pants and a T-shirt.
Sure enough, her mom narrows her eyes when she looks me up and down. She doesn’t have to say a word, I know what she’s thinking. And frankly, I’m fine with it.
“Katherine, I got you an acai bowl, I figure you might want to eat light so you can keep your best figure in your dress tonight,” she announces to the whole kitchen, placing the bowl in front of her. Katherine lets out an exhausted sigh, opening the container to eat it. My blood boils but I bite my tongue.
For the entire first half of the day, Katherine stays tight to my side. Which is probably helping to sell the dating thing but is very unlike her.
A million things need to be done before the wedding andwe seemingly do all of them. We passed several hours worth of time and it’s finally time to get ready. We all get ready in our respective rooms.
I keep trying to catch glimpses of Katherine but since we all started getting ready, she’s been shut up in her bedroom the entire day. I’m dying to see her dress.
She dresses up every day. Her idea of casual is some people’s idea of formal. I can only imagine what dressing up looks like on her. She walks out of the bedroom and I don’t have to imagine anymore.
Whatever I thought, any idea I had of how good she might look? Throw it away. Burn it.
She looks unequivocally ethereal. The type of stunning that brings you to your fucking knees. I don’t think I’ve taken a single breath since she walked out of the door.
My eyes are glued to her. She’s the only thing that exists right now. I can’t even form a coherent thought to compliment her the way she deserves. There isn’t a word in the English language that would bring justice to the sight before me.
