Page 129 of When Stars Collide
“My potentially giving a drunken speech doesn’t seem so bad now, does it?” I patted Violet on the back, just as cheers erupting throughout the tent heralded Luke and Elle’s arrival.
Elle had changed out of her wedding dress and was in an ivory, floor-length silk gown that allowed for more fluid movement. No matter what she wore, she always looked stunning. Everything just naturally hung well from her tall frame, whereas with me, if I wasn’t careful, I could look like I was wearing a burlap sack. What I noticed the most, though, was the small bump that her wedding dress had been able to conceal. A smile overspread my face as I realized that I was going to be able to be there for my best friend during what would be the most rewarding and trying time of her life. I’d been standing on the sidelines of the lives of those I’ve cared about the most for too long, and it was finally time for me to join the game.
Luke grabbed a microphone from the DJ and positioned himself in the center of the tent. “Thank you, everyone. Elle and I can’t express enough how grateful we are to all of you for being here to share our day with us. Your presence means the world to us both, and we hope you’re enjoying yourselves. There’s an open bar, so I can’t imagine that will be too difficult. But in the meantime, I’m told the food is ready, so I hope you brought your appetites, because Elle was in charge of the menu. Have fun and let’s eat!”
*****
I barely touched my food at dinner; not because my Chicken Française wasn’t delightful, because it was. However, every time I took a bite, my stomach would send a not-so-subtle reminder to me about my present situation with Peter. Just the thought of that situation was enough to make my stomach turn. Well, that and a combination of the tequila and schnapps from Violet. Still far from inebriated, I estimated that I was probably a half a mini bottle away from not caring anymore, which told me I needed to stop drinking, because it was Elle’s day and I needed to care.
During dinner, I took the opportunity to see how Peter was doing—maybe he was just as distressed as I was, his food untouched as he contemplated why he was giving me the cold shoulder.
Yeah, no such luck.
Halfway through dinner, Peter’s plate sat polished clean while he laughed it up with Luke like old times. I never wanted to stab someone with a salad fork more in my life.
“Here,” I pushed my plate to Elle, “you’re eating for two and I’m not.”
“Don’t you like it?” Her concern over the suitability of her dinner selection was so insistent I couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s not your food, it’s me. Trust me, it’s all kinds of delectable and amazing, Mrs. Hutchins.”
Elle smiled at the mention of her new title. “That has a nice ring to it.”
“I’m still partial to Sloan, but Hutchins will work, I guess.”
“What’s wrong? You’ve been really … off.” Elle followed my gaze to Peter. “Oh, yeah.”
“You noticed it, then?”
She nodded. “He’s been pretty much avoiding you. Yeah, I noticed. I was going to say something to him, but then I remembered how Monroe processes grief. He’s hurting now. You need to give him time.”
“He wouldn’t be hurting if he would just let me talk to him.”
Elle eyed me questioningly. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by an announcement from the DJ booth.
“With the conclusion of dinner, it’s time for the maid of honor and the best man to give the speeches they’ve prepared for Luke and Elle.”
“Oh shit,” Elle muttered, all color draining from her face.
“First up is the maid of honor, Mena Stasdaz … Straszaski … Straszask?”
“Close enough,” I answered him, standing up and accepting the microphone from the hands of the assistant he sent scurrying over to our table. I cleared my throat, digging up the speech I’d mentally prepared months ago. The last thing I’d wanted to do was write anything down on a piece of paper and read aloud from it. It was important to me to have everything I said right now sound organic and natural, because that’s how my friendship with Elle had always been—organic and natural.
I cleared my throat and proceeded.
“I can’t see Elle’s face, but I’d be willing to bet Daffodil’s entire cache of secret booze that she looks pretty terrified right now.” I reached down and patted Elle on the shoulder. “It’s okay, it will all be over soon. But don’t worry, I’m sure the same won’t be said about your marriage.” From out of the corner of my eye, I could see Elle squirm as Luke chuckled. “I mean, in all fairness, she knew what she was getting herself into when she asked me to do this.” Elle nodded with her elbows on the table, her hands covering her face. “Seriously, though, you guys better get this right, because I’m not doing this again. My feet hurt too much from these shoes.
“All right, enough with the hazing. On to the sappy stuff that brought us all here today.
“When I first met Elle, we were but lowly college students from two entirely different backgrounds, yet she and I were oddly also very much alike. Elle was insecure, afraid, and alone. I, too, was all those things. Except, where Elle chose to convey her feelings, I chose to bury mine deep down inside, expressing them through an occasional cringe-worthy—as Elle calls them—comment, or not at all. You know, like every other emotionally stable human being does. Still, despite the opposite way we chose to deal with our shortcomings, we hit it off right away, becoming fast friends—mainly because we had no other choice because, you know, we kind of had to live together.
“Over time, Elle and I got to know each other, and the stranger I had to shack up with in college became something much more to me. She became the sister I always wanted—aside from my own sister, of course, but that’s a completely different story altogether. As my newly acquired sister, I wanted nothing more than to help Elle overcome the hand she’d been dealt before our paths crossed. I wanted to see her escape from the shackles that confined her to her own insecurities brought on by the abuse she suffered at the hands of the people who told her they loved her. I wanted to see her reach the goals she set for herself; to succeed and overcome where the odds had been stacked against her. But most of all, I wanted to see her happy.
“Enter Luke Hutchins.
“Now, I’d like to take the credit for these two crazy kids hooking up, as I more or less set up their first date, and, actually, I will. Because had I left it up to them, they would still be in that coffee shop parking lot, making awkward small talk, all while stealing lustful glances at each other. So, I guess what I’m saying is, you’re welcome, you two.”
I winked at Elle and Luke, who both seemed only slightly less nervous than they had when I’d first began speaking.
