Page 23 of Never Going to Care

I know Piper won’t ever become a different person because she’s marrying Landon, but I know her time will be spent differently now. I don’t resent her for it. It should change.

She’ll have a husband and building a life with him should be a priority. I don’t begrudge her that. Which is why I stuff the emotion away and choose to be happy for my friend.

Who knows, maybe one of us will be next?

It’s a nice thought and causes Hale to pop up in my mind. I bet he’d look so fucking handsome at the end of an aisle waiting for me to approach in a dress I picked out just for our special day.

“I thought we should have one glass together and celebrate,” Stella says brightly before she pops the cork and we all jump a little, giggling as we do.

When we’re all holding our flutes, I hold mine up. “To our best friend Piper who is going to be marrying her soul mate today. We couldn’t be happier for you. Thank you for letting us share this special day with you.”

Piper’s eyes glisten as she stares at me with wide eyes before she narrows them. Her throat bobs as she swallows. “I couldn’t imagine doing this without you both. Thank you for being here by my side,” her voice is thick with emotion. She pins me with her eyes. “Thank you for helping me and keeping me sane.” As she looks at Stella, she grins. “Thank you for being like a sister to me.” When she looks back at me, she adds, “Both of you.”

We clink our glasses and take a sip, toasting to the happy couple and taking in the moment filled with sisterhood. We have a few minutes left before we’ll be walking down the aisle and we fall into the camaraderie we’ve always had. There is joking and laughing.

Suddenly, Stella’s hands reach out and grab one of mine and Piper’s. Her eyes are so earnest that I give her all my focus. “Promise me,” she breathes out, “we’ll still get together regularly and won’t forget about each other."

I'm taken aback for a moment by the passionate plea in her words. Piper’s voice is aghast, “Of course we will. Nothing is going to change.”

Stella’s shoulders slump and she frowns for a moment before she covers it. “Yes, it will and that’s okay. It’s supposed to.” Her voice drops a little as she looks at Piper, “After today you’re going to have a husband. You’ll be a wife. One day you’ll start a family, and your priorities will be different.” Piper’s mouth pops open, but Stella continues before she can say anything. “It’s a good thing, Piper. I’m not saying it’s not. It’s a wonderful thing.”

“She’s right,” I rasp. Piper swings her head to me, and her eyes soften. “It’s a wonderful thing. You should make sure you’re giving your all to your marriage. It’s the way it’s supposed to be. I think Stella just wants to make sure we don’t get left behind.”

“Never,” Piper’s voice is full of conviction, and I find something in my chest relaxing even though it was Stella who gave a voice to the same fears I had been too cowardly to bring up.

“You’ll be next,” Stella states while looking at me.

I arch an eyebrow, flummoxed for a moment at her statement. I gasp, “What are you talking about?”

Stella huffs out a laugh. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to ignore the way Hale looked at you the other night.”

“It wasn’t the first time,” Piper quips.

I look between my two oldest friends, women who I consider sisters and a lie slips out. “It’s nothing. He means nothing to me, and he won’t ever mean anything to me.” My voice becomes snippy, “He’s grumpy and rude and kind of an asshole.”

I don’t waver. I don’t let them in on how damn difficult it is to deny the way I really feel about Hale. I can’t even tell you why I did it and with so much conviction.

I can’t help but think it’s going to bite me on the ass, but that’s a problem for future Celeste to deal with and not me.

“You’re kidding, right?” Stella looks genuinely confused at my reaction and I shake my head no.

My friends let it go and it’s not long before we’re walking down the aisle with Piper not far behind us. It would be easier to concentrate on the beautiful wedding I helped my friend put together if I didn’t feel Hale staring at me the entire time.

I force myself not to run away like the hounds of hell are chasing me, but I manage it. Just fucking barely. I continue to focus on Piper, Landon and their happiness. It’s the only thing tethering me to reality and not fantasies I have no right to be having.

I get swept up in pictures and all the post ceremony stuff which needs to happen, knowing the guests are enjoying their happy hour at the reception. Stella slips her arm in mine as we leave the photographer with the bride and groom to pull me to the reception.

I desperately want to slink into the room unnoticed, but I can tell by the glimmer of mischief in Stella’s eyes that she’s not going to let it happen. I don’t have a choice other than to hold my head up high and strut in like I own the place.

Every movement feels fake as fuck.

I can feel Hale’s eyes on me, but thankfully I see Ezra standing there with a big grin on his face and I lock onto him. It’s the only thing stopping me from looking around the room to get another look at Hale. No man really should look as good as Hale does today.

He’s wearing a black suit with a white shirt. That would be enough kryptonite to take down Superman, but on top of it all, he’s not wearing a tie. As if that isn’t enough, and it really is, the first few buttons of his shirt are undone to let the dark swirls of tattoos on his chest peek out.

I can only hope I wasn’t drooling in any of the wedding pictures.

I drag Stella the rest of the distance to my brother, hoping against hope he can shield me from the heat of Hale’s stare. Ezra engulfs me in a hug immediately, his eyes, which are so like my own, twinkling.

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