Vegas Knot (✔️) | Love Travels #1

Twenty-Five

Enrique stands in front of me, and every part of me wants to hold him, but I bite my lip. "I'm thinking maybe we should renegotiate." And maybe here isn't the place to do it because he's clearly drunk or something, saying 'I love you'. But I don't really have a choice, so I press on, folding my arms across my chest.

His face falls, but he nods. "That's fair. You should know I didn't mean to lie to you. I just didn't know how to say it. I—"

"That's a question for another day. Today we need to talk terms."

"What kind of terms are you looking to renegotiate?" His fingers gently twist together as he refuses to take his eyes off mine.

"Well, first, I'm going to need to know what I'm getting into. I know I agreed to come spend time with you, but I didn't agree to any events. So what are we talking about here? Sister's wedding? Work outing? Lying to the town gossip?"

A gust of air escapes his lips and he messes up his beautiful hair by running his fingers through it. He fails, though, because a piece falls back into his eyes like it always does, bringing a smile to the edge of my lips.

I really want to say something, but I'm starting to learn from Enrique that silence sometimes is necessary. Who'd have thought?

The air bits my arms as I wait for his response, but I make no move to warm them up. I need him to know I'm serious.

Finally, barely above a whisper, he says, "It's so cliche. High school reunion."

The urge to laugh pushes up inside me, but I squash it. "That's it? Why didn't you just say so? It's not like a high school reunion is dangerous. Though I'm going to need a guarantee there will be good food at this thing or I'm going to have to negotiate some other compensation."

"Compensation?" He looks at me, eyebrow raised to confirm I'm joking.

"Yes. I'm thinking chocolate."

"I can get behind that. Anything else?" He wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses my temple. His eagerness to agree to my terms has me thinking there must be more to this than he's letting on, but I can get through a week at his house and a high school reunion no problem. I've always kind of wanted to show up at random reunions and pretend I used to go there, so this could be fun.

I glance up at Enrique to answer him and his eyes are far away, looking toward the tent, jaw relaxed into a small smile. Maybe this is fate or the universe or whatever giving me my chance to have a marriage that lasts. So I answer his question.

"Not yet. But I reserve the right to change my mind."

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you, Bianca." He kisses me again and I follow him blindly toward the dancefloor, half forgetting where I am.

* * *

Enrique swirls me around the tent for must be at least the thousandth time tonight, my shoes long ago abandoned in a corner.

When the upbeat polka finally winds down, I drag Enrique to a nearby table and start taking out my hairpins. My updo is starting to fall out anyway and I need the wisps out of my face if I'm going to see.

I'm fighting the last pin, but it must be stuck in a knot, because it's winning. I've twisted my arm at an unnatural angle, trying to get a better grip on the stubborn pin when Enrique's hands cover mine, stilling my struggle. "Let me help you with that," he says, drawing one of my curls around his finger and tugging gently. Did they turn on the heater in here or something?

My hand falls to my side as Enrique guides me to stand to full height. He hovers just behind me, close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating off him, but far enough away that the only points of contact are his fingers disentangling the pin from my hair.

Breathing is suddenly very difficult, and I try to move as little as possible so as not to make the removal of my pin any harder than necessary.

"There," Enrique says, reaching around me to put the pin on the table with the others, brushing against my back as he does so. "All done."

I don't know what comes over me, but I pull his hands around my stomach and turn my head to kiss him.

There's something about weddings, I swear.

Next thing I know I'm wrapped in his arms, lips pressing into his and fingers pulling at his dark hair. He returns the favour, stepping closer to me still and wrapping his own fingers in my now loose curls.

I have the sudden urge to let my hands fall down his back and—

I snap back, wrenching my own hair from my head as his arms struggle to adjust to the sudden distance.

"Sorry," I mumble, unsure how to explain what just happened.

"Hello, lovebirds," Carla sings from across the room. "You know that silence means the wedding's over. We can go home now."

"We can?" I'm not sure who I'm speaking to anymore, but I turn away from Enrique to face Carla.

"We can," Lorena responds, eyes digging into me to figure out what's going on. I'd better prepare my answer for when we get back to the hotel.

"You have everything you came with?" Enrique asks, resting his hand on my lower back. His eyes are hesitant, but he seems to accept the situation when I don't shy away from his touch. Something about his eyes right in this moment makes me want to tell him my deepest, darkest secrets.

"My shoes," I answer. "And I think I lost my purse at some point."

Lorena holds them up and demands we follow her down the winding path until we reach the SUV that is set to carry us back to our hotel.

It's so late, and we're all so tired, that not even Carla argues about who's sitting where. We just pile into the vehicle in the order we arrived. Once my seatbelt is on and the interior lights go dark, I can't keep my eyes open anymore. Conversation continues in low murmurs around me as Enrique and the girls discuss how amazing the wedding was. My eyelids are heavy and Enrique's thumb rubbing the back of my hand lulls me into a relaxing sleep.

Next thing I know, Carla and Lorena are arguing about who's going to wake me up.

"Last time I tried to wake her, she slapped me across the face!" Carla whines.

"And last time I woke her she almost ripped my nicest shirt."

"So, which one of us woke her last? Whose turn is it?" I can hear Carla put her hands on her hips. She knows she's won.

"It's all right," Enrique whispers. "I'll get her up to bed. You two can come along to make sure she gets into some more comfortable clothes before she sleeps."

"There's no need," I mumble. "I'm awake."

"Oh, thank God," Lorena sighs. "Welcome back."

Enrique says his goodbyes and kisses me on the cheek and then the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning to catch our flight," he says with a smile. "I'm glad I could get onto the same one as you."

"Me too," I say before I have time to think.

That is a mistake. Because as soon as Enrique is out of earshot, the girls start grilling me. The short walk to the elevators feels a hundred miles long.