Page 49 of Holiday Wedding
“Me either. Have a safe flight out tomorrow.” I hug him back, saying, “Love you, Teddy Bear.”
“Ditto, Sissy.” Then he’s gone, high-fiving people as he makes his way behind the bar.
Helen’s drink gets dropped off. She tries it and licks her lips, murmuring, “Delicious.”
I settle onto my seat next to her. Her eyes follow my brother as he works, flashing smiles at customers and shaking mixed drinks in chilled metal containers. I almost warn her away from him, then stop myself. They’re both adults. Let them figure it out. If I butt in, how am I any different from Mom when she got upset about my dating Caleb?
Thinking of him reminds me to check my messages. I don’t want to miss his call, which would be easy to do since it’s loud in here. My notifications show nothing yet.
“Waiting to hear from Caleb?” Helen guesses.
I’m still staring at my phone. “Hmm. Yes.” There’s a picture of Caleb on my home screen, one I took when he wasn’t looking. In it, he’s in bookworm mode, lying on the couch in his penthouse with a novel in his hand and his white-socked feet crossed. My favorite part about the photo is the book he’s reading. It’sPride and Prejudice.I touch the image, longing for him.
Just a few more days and I can kiss that handsome face. Our flight leaves tomorrow afternoon. I smile at the thought of seeing him, but that grin fades as I remember those comments at my lecture.
Your work will be discredited.
Change the trajectory of your career.
That’s what the middle-aged lady said. Is she right?A flare of resentment strikes. It’s unfair that all my hard work, my accomplishments, are eclipsed by Caleb’s fame. It’s not his fault, I understand that, but still, it’s difficult not to feel bitter.
“What’s it like? Being engaged to him?” Helen asks, leaning her elbow on the bar. She turns her stool toward me. I appreciate the question, happy she’s not asking for details about Caleb but rather my experience with him.
“It’s amazing—and complicated.” I sigh, thinking back to Caleb when I left, how tight he held my hand during the drive to the airport. “He’s wonderful.So smart and hardworking. People don’t understand how much he rehearses or how he spends hours perfecting a recipe. He’s a good listener too. Lets me tell him all about my day. Every gross detail from the hospital. He likes learning about that stuff.” My heart warms as I describe my fiancé. This is what I need. To remember all the great things about him.
“I’m glad for you,” she says, swiveling her stool side to side and sipping her drink.
I search Helen and find only sincerity. “Thanks. It’s hard sometimes, though. We can’t do activities like a normal couple, and everyone treats me differently now. You saw at the lecture.”
Helen listens quietly. “He’s so famous. It makes you famous, too.”
“It’s weird to me.” I shake my head. “I get why Caleb’s well-known. He’s accomplished a lot, but that’s him. Not me. We’re two separate people.”
She purses her lips. “That’s not how you’re perceived, though. His fame rubs off on you.”
“I guess you’re right.” I take a sip of water. “Did you know followers post marriage advice for us on Caleb’s social media accounts?”
“Really? What do they say?” She leans in, like she wants to take notes, which makes me giggle.
“Most of it is nonsense. Caleb thinks I’m crazy for even reading it, but I figure there’s got to be some gems of knowledge in there. The people writing him are married, so hopefully they’ve figured it out?”
We chuckle together. “I read a couple of good ones. One lady wrote that in marriage you fall in and out of love many times, always with the same person, which I thought was interesting. A man said to argue naked because that way you won’t stay mad for long.”
Helen laughs, covering her mouth with her hand. “I’ll have to remember that.”
An idea comes to me, a lightbulb going off over my head. “You should come to my wedding, unless you’ll be with your parents?”
For a brief moment, her face lights up eagerly, but then it shifts into something cooler, more restrained. “I’m not going to California yet. I have to pack up my apartment in Manhattan, but I couldn’t intrude—”
“Yes, you can,” I interrupt. I like her. She’s sweet and thoughtful. I’ve been so busy with medicine and then Caleb that I haven’t had time to make a lot of friends. Inviting Helen to my wedding will help cement this new friendship. “I’m serious. Please come.”
She debates with herself silently for a minute, which only makes me like her more. Most people would jump at the chance to go to the “wedding of the century,” but not Helen.
Finally, she says, “Okay. If you’re sure, I’d love to attend.”
My phone vibrates with a message from Caleb, the one I’ve been waiting for. I’m happy to see his name on my screen, but there’s a moment of unease when I flashback to how people asked about him during my presentation.
Still with Helen,I text.Call you soon.
