After Melanie gave me her pep talk, I was so motivated that I immediately tried to find a way to talk to Justin alone. But that once again seemed almost impossible. Their rehearsal dinner was fast approaching and preparations had been going on all day. And more and more people were arriving, most of them looking as wealthy as Mr. Perfect himself.
Not to mention that I got to witness Scott - god, I seriously hated that name - constantly whispering in Justin's ear, stroking his hair, kissing him and touching him the way I used to. And it was driving me absolutely nuts. Gouging out my eyes seemed like a very good idea.
And on top of all that, the people who were supposed to have my back and knock some sense into Justin willingly participated in said preparations. Either they had some hidden agenda they didn't tell me about or they were all fucking traitors. Michael was the only one who really seemed to be on my side.
"I have an idea, and you're either going to love it or hate it."
"Spit it out," I replied, ready to take any distraction from what was going on.
"How about we get out of this giant house for a while and go somewhere where they have real booze?"
"You want us to get drunk?" I laughed. "Sounds great. Let's go."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, let's see what this city has to offer. I'll definitely appreciate a different view," I said with a glance at Justin in his fiancé's arms.
Hoping no one would notice us leaving, we immediately headed for the door, but of course there was one pair of eyes that never missed a thing.
"Where are you boys going?" Debbie's voice made it clear that she was very curious about our intentions.
"Ma, you've got your eyes everywhere." Michael laughed.
"And you're still surprised because...?" I asked genuinely, arching my brows.
"Stop playing games with me and tell me where you're going," she insisted.
"Oops, guess we're in trouble," I let out a chuckle.
But then I noticed we had caught Justin's attention, he was obviously trying to be subtle, but I could see he was trying to listen to what we were saying. He could say whatever he wanted, but I could tell he still cared no matter how hard he tried to hide it. Or at least I hoped that was the case.
"We're just going out... to see the beauty of this big city..." Michael said with a grin.
"You're going to get drunk, aren't you?" She put her hands on her hips.
"Well, not to get drunk, just to celebrate our future newlyweds, right Brian?" He tried to be funny, but I just wanted to slap him.
But then I was actually surprised to see that Justin smiled. God, I loved that smile of his so much.
"Jesus Christ, just shut up," I snapped at him. "Deb, we're going to get a few drinks, but don't worry, we'll be back just in time for the party," I grabbed Michael's shoulder in an attempt to leave with him.
"You guys going somewhere?" Scott suddenly stopped us.
I slowly turned around to look at him, trying to control my facial expression while doing my best not to tell him it was none of his fucking business. "Yeah, we are," I nodded.
"Oh, can you do us a favor while you're out?"
"Sure," I replied, not showing my annoyance. "What do you need?"
"There's a liquor store about twenty minutes away, could you stop there and buy a bottle of wine? Specifically 1994 Chateau Musar... it's mine and Justin's favorite. We had it on our first date. I can't imagine tonight without it," he smiled at Justin lovingly.
And I was this close to throwing up. I bet he enjoyed rubbing that information in my face. But from what I remembered, Justin never drank wine... in fact, he kind of hated it. He was always more of a margarita type. So this was surprising to say the least.
"No, you really don't have to do that," Justin suddenly spoke up. "I'm pretty sure they have other plans, Scott."
"It's not a problem," I said quickly. "I wouldn't want your rehearsal dinner to be ruined because you don't have your favorite wine... that you had on your first date," I rolled my lips in, looking amused.
"See, Justin? They don't mind. I'll write you the address of the store."
"I have a better idea," Debbie said suddenly. "Why don't you go with them, Justin? At least you can spend some time with your friends," she smiled.
I didn't know what was funnier, the immediate change in Scott's facial expression or Justin turning instantly pale or the fact that everyone in the room fell silent and waited for Justin's reaction.
But then I realized what Debbie had actually suggested and my smile disappeared. I mean, I was finally about to get the alone time with Justin that I craved, but it also meant that this was quite possibly my last chance to make things right with Justin and I didn't want to screw it up.
"Well, I guess Debbie's right, you should spend some time with your friends. I mean, you and Brian have barely said a few words to each other, so I'm sure you have some catching up to do," Scott said, probably surprising everyone, me and Justin the most. But for some reason I didn't believe his intentions were good. I mean, he knew who I was, even if he was trying to play dumb, so why would he take that risk? Unless he knew I had no chance of winning.
"Okay," was all Justin got out, obviously still in shock, processing the situation.
"Just be back in time for our dinner." Scott leaned in to kiss him.
"I promise," Justin smiled and then looked at Michael and me. "Give me ten minutes, I'll go change... and then we can go."
"Sure thing," I nodded.
I tried not to show it, but inside I was panicking and my heart was about to jump out of my chest. This was it. This was my chance. Don't fuck this up, Kinney.
"Don't fuck this up," Debbie suddenly whispered to me. Was she reading my mind?
"I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best," I chuckled.
"I sure hope so. Justin needs to be reminded that you are the love of his life."
"That's probably easier said than done."
"You'll find a way," she smiled.
And I really hoped she was right. But then Justin came back, sexy as hell, and I knew I was going to have a hard time controlling myself.