Just a Memory

Checkmate

27

I knocked on the door to Kyle’s apartment. His wedding was tomorrow, and I felt guilty that I had abandoned my plans to spend the whole week with him and Vivian to sell my place in L.A.

A woman about my age opened the door. I recognized her as Vivian, but before I could say anything, she wrapped me in a hug. “Brett, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” she said.

I hugged her back. Vivian was really pretty. Her hair was a mix between brown and black and her eyes were light brown, almost glowing. “It’s nice to meet you too. How did you know it was me?” I asked her.

She laughed. “Kyle hasn’t shut up about you. And his mom sent over his high school yearbooks,” she explained. “You look exactly the same.”

I nodded, not sure if that was a compliment. I wasn’t the best kid in high school, and I was not proud of how I looked then either.

She led me inside their shockingly large and entirely unfurnished apartment. I scanned the empty rooms. “This place is really nice,” I said, noting the woodwork and painting.

“This place is empty,” she chuckled. “All of our furniture is coming right after our honeymoon. Kyle said it’s going to be a pain the ass to return to such a mess.”

“I never got to formally congratulate you two,” I said. It was true, as I had only met Vivian a few minutes ago.

She waved her hand. “You’ll have plenty of time tomorrow,” she said, smiling. I still felt bad, because I was the best man and was only now meeting the bride. “Did Reece come with you?” she asked.

The question was innocent, but given all the anger and remorse I had felt for the last week and a half, I felt attacked.

“She’s,” I started, with no knowledge of how I was planning on finishing the sentence. I could feel my eyes watering. Hold it together Brett, I scolded myself. You just met your friend’s fiancée, you don’t want her thinking you’re some unstable prick.

After a few tense seconds, Vivian put her hand on my arm. “Are you okay?” she asked. I tried to nod, but my head refused to move.

Kyle opened the door and greeted Vivian with a very passionate kiss. I missed when I could do that to Reece. Now it just looked sappy and I felt vengeful.

He stood next to me. “Hey, when did you get here?” he asked me, greeting me with a punch on the arm.

“A few minutes ago,” Vivian answered before I could, with a worried glance in my direction. I silently thanked her for the extra seconds I used to regain my self-esteem. I couldn’t ace Kyle if I was sobbing into his shoulder. Reece, maybe, but she was the reason for my tears.

 “Why don’t I run downtown and pick up some lunch,” Vivian suggested. “You guys can talk without me interrupting.”

Kyle kissed her goodbye, and she ran out the door. He stared at the closed door seconds after it shut. I missed being in love like that. “So,” I started, “how have you been?”

The answer to that question was obvious, as he was getting married tomorrow. Did I ever seem that happy with Reece, or was our relationship hell from the start? It had to have been okay at one point. Too many things had changed since they were.

Kyle talked all about how he met Vivian, and although I had heard the story before, I smiled along and let him be happy. Then towards the end he said, “You should’ve been at that party we all went to yesterday. Why didn’t you come sooner? You told me you were coming up a week early.”