Lib Novel Page 2
Of course, I’d planned on telling them… eventually. When I found Mr. Right, and knew he was the one, so they’d never question me or my choice, but now…
Now my parents were looking for any reason to remind me of my bachelor status, my eternal singledom after what had happened with Cody.
“I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head as I dispelled the unforgiving, awful memories. “I’m just… All this wedding stuff is getting to my head, I think.”
My sister squeezed my hand softly, forcing me to look at her pleading eyes, her sympathetic face.
“Does that mean you’ll come? I promise it’ll be fun. We’ve been so hell-bent on planning, I think we could all use a drink and some tunes, don’t you?”
Damn it.
“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride,” I said, flashing her with a smirk as I pulled my hand away. “Perhaps I could settle for one drink. But that is it! I swear, I—”
Giselle’s smile brightened as she nodded in response. “Seven o’clock at M’s Place. Don’t be late.”
CHAPTER 2
Grayson
The air smelled like stale nuts and beer, and I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose. I didn’t much care for bars in general, but bars like M’s Place were below even my lowest standards.
I didn’t begrudge anyone for owning their own business, but the place could have most certainly used a more sophisticated Queer Eye to spruce the place up and make it more comfortable.
It didn’t take long to find my sister and her wedding party, being as her laugh was like a dolphin call all on its own.
I made my way through the sea of folks, hot, sweaty bodies clamored together to watch one another drone out tone-deaf songs on stage.
I swear to god if someone sings Taylor Swift, I will lose my shit.
Casually, I strolled over to their two high tables pushed together.
“Grayson, so glad you could make it!” Mia said, coming over to give me a hug. While Giselle and I may not have run in the same circles, we spent a ton of time together outside of those circles, which meant sometimes there was overlap.
I hugged Mia, my gaze settling on the remainder of the party around the tables. Giselle’s neighbor, Julie, and her friend slash florist, Taylor, her fiancé Aaron, the best man, Riley, and the most nauseating couple I’d ever met, Lacey and Lane.
Mia’s earthy brown eyes sparkled in the low light as she smiled, pulling away.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t really have much of a choice, now did I?” I whined, and everyone chuckled.
Giselle rolled her eyes, just as our server came to our table with a platter full of waters. My eyes widened as I recognized the man, if only from passing events.
“Hey, Henry! I’m so glad you could wait on us tonight!” Mia said as she squealed with excitement at her brother.
Henry smiled affectionately, the corners of his lips turning up with, no doubt, practiced politeness.
His chocolate brown hair fell haphazardly into his amber eyes, his hand placed delicately on his hip as he greeted us.
I didn’t know the man well, and the last time I’d truly seen him was at Giselle and Aaron’s engagement party nearly four months ago.
He looked different, dressed down in a pair of jeans and a black M’s Place shirt with an apron tied around his waist.
For some reason, my cock stirred as my gaze settled on said waist, on the slender, toned muscles of his arms that his tight uniform shirt only drew attention to.
“Henry,” I drawled as his gaze caught mine.
“It’s Grayson, right?” he asked as he tapped his pen against his book.
“It is,” I said, shaking my head and dispelling all the weirdness that had somehow managed to set between us.