Page 130 of When Stars Collide
“After their first date, Luke and Elle became inseparable—like annoyingly so. Elle would come back to our dorm late at night, forcing me to have no choice but to converse with others for social interaction. Sometimes she would wake me up in the wee hours of the morning, which was a pretty risky move on her part. She doesn’t know this, but I was going to let her have it one night when she came in late. But no sooner had I opened my mouth, than I saw the smile on her face and I just couldn’t be angry with her anymore. For what was probably the first time in her life, Elle was truly happy.
“Luke healed something in Elle. He made her see herself for the incredible person that she is. He gave her the confidence she never had and the unconditional love she should have had from the beginning. Just seeing them together, I knew without a doubt they were made for each other. Then life happened and they were torn apart. Even Elle and I lost touch for a few months. When we reconnected again, I saw how much she had regressed without Luke and it broke my own heart. She tried to hide it, putting on a show to mask her pain, but I knew that as hard as she tried to move on, she never actually would. And I suspect neither did Luke.
“Then fate stepped in, setting forth the chain of events that have led us here today. When Luke and Elle found their way back to one another and reclaimed their love, I felt like my family had been reunited, for that is what they both mean to me. They’re my family. Luke and Elle have a love story like no other. Seriously, someone should write a book about it.”
I raised my glass, waiting a moment for everyone else in the tent to join me.
“So, without further ado, a toast to Elle and Luke. May your romance continue to flourish, showing us all the meaning of true love. May your patience be unlimited and your dreams attainable. May you continue to defy the odds, no matter how insurmountable. May your children be ridiculously tall, good-looking, poet-doctor hybrid kids with incredible heads of hair. And, last but not least, may your marriage play out more like an episode ofThe Waltonsthan an episode ofSnapped.”
A chorus of, “Hear, hears!” rang out around the tent as I put the glass to my lips and took a sip of the sweet champagne.
I leaned down and wrapped an arm around Elle, whispering in her ear,“See, that wasn’t so bad.”
“Thank you,” she whispered back, rubbing her eyes.
“I love you.” I glanced up at Luke. “You’re all right, too, Hutchins.”
I sat back down just as the DJ’s voice came back over the speakers. “Okay, now it’s time for the best man to give his speech. Peter Monroe, when you’re ready, the floor is yours.”
Right then, I realized the microphone I used was sitting in front of me. Grabbing it, I passed it to Elle for Luke to hand off to Peter. The thing about Peter was, among the people he knew well, he was as introverted as the day was long. But get him in the middle of a crowd of people he barely knew, and his nerves really started to kick in. It was exactly that, his nerves, that kept him glued to his chair for longer than it should have taken for him to stand.
“I’m going to start out by saying that I agree with Mena in that this is the last time I’m doing this, too.”
He cleared his throat and exhaled a sharp breath before starting again. Like me, he had no sheet of paper in front of him. He was going in completely off the cuff.
“Anyone who knows me knows I have a tendency to say the wrong things. In fact, I feel like I should have my own Cyrano de Bergerac whispering to me from underneath this table, so I don’t screw this up too badly. But I don’t, so here goes nothing.
“I’ve known Luke for basically my entire life. We grew up together, went to school together, worked together at Burger Paradise until we both quit. Okay,Iwas fired after two weeks for insubordination. Luke quit because, shocker, Burger Paradise was anything but paradise. We ran track together, received our driver’s licenses together, even had crushes on some of the same girls at the same time. Luke had more game than me. But not much more, so don’t go getting a big head there, Luke.
“I tell you this because after over twenty years of friendship, I’ve come to know Luke well. Some would say even better than my own family. I would say even better than myself. And in knowing Luke, I’ve noticed that he is the embodiment of three specific qualities: drive, honesty, and compassion. Luke is the type of person who obtains a medical degree just so he can be the one to provide the care and support his father needs. He’s the friend you can call in the middle of the night who will come and sit with you just to talk, no questions asked. He’s the type of guy who volunteers at animal shelters and drops whatever he’s doing to help his best friend move, despite how exhausted he may be. Oh, and he’s pretty dreamy, too.”
Luke shook his head as Peter turned to wink at him.
“Growing up, I always thought Luke had it all. Turns out, I was wrong. Because he didn’t have it all, until he met Elle Sloan.”
Violet placed a tissue in my hand, motioning for me to hand it to Elle. Finding Elle’s hand just as it was making its way back down from wiping away a tear, I carefully tucked the Kleenex between her fingers.
“Elle brought out something in Luke I’d never seen before. She made him happy. That isn’t to say he was never happy before. As anyone who knows Luke can attest, he’s always been an annoyingly jovial fellow. Elle just amplified that joviality by a million. She ignited a fire in Luke, a passion so intense you could see it on his face. It was sweet and so goddamned irritating at the same time that I found myself wishing I could have an opportunity to make others around me just as sick someday. And I did. Once.”
My jaw dropped, and I was surprised when it didn’t hit the table. Elle grabbed my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.
“And then, out of the blue, it was over. The fire in Luke burned out. If I’m being honest, so did the fire in me. Luke and Elle had been a part of some of the best memories of my life up to that moment. After they broke up, nothing made sense anymore. Luke was withdrawn most days. Over time, he and I drifted apart. We weren’t nearly as close as we once were. Then I received a phone call from Candy, and I went to be by Luke’s side at the hospital. It was touch-and-go for a while. When he woke up, I honestly thought he was going to send me away; so, imagine my confusion when he woke up and asked for Elle, believing it was 2008.
“When Elle came to the hospital and entered the room for the first time, I saw the life return to Luke’s eyes, and I knew, I just knew, that everything would be all right. Turns out, I was right.
“As Elle will tell you, I gave her a tough time when she told me her reason for breaking it off with Luke, and it wasn’t until only recently that I understood it. You see, when you love someone—truly, deeply love them—you want only what’s best for them, even if what’s best for them doesn’t involve you. In Luke and Elle’s case, they found their way back together again. Today, they realized their happily ever after. Maybe, one day, so will I.”
Peter raised his glass, along with everyone else. With a shaky hand, so did I.
“To Luke and Elle. May your love endure all the triumphs and tribulations that come with marriage; and may Elle forever resist the urge to smother Luke in his sleep, because let’s face it, man, you snore like a chainsaw.”
“Hear, hear,” I said, along with everyone else, my voice coming out robotic as I sat stunned. He could have told me all of this. Why did he have to choose his speech to Luke and Elle to speak to me?
Luke stood up, and he and Peter hugged. “I need a few minutes, man. I’m going to step out for a bit,” I heard Peter mutter to Luke.
The hell you are.
“Everything okay?” Luke asked.
