The Bridesmaid

24|Confessions

Natalia arrived at the cafe shortly after leaving Anthony's apartment. She found Tyler sitting in a table in the back. He had already ordered and Natalia was shocked to see her usual order waiting for her.

"You remembered," Natalia said as she sat down.

"How could I forget? You always used to order the same thing in Vegas," Tyler shrugged.

Natalia nodded as she ate her food. She didn't want to pry, or make Tyler uncomfortable, but she had to find out more for Jessie's sake.

"So Jess tells me you decided to go home," Natalia said as she ate a fry.

"Yeah, I am," Tyler shrugged, "I haven't seen them in a while, and I just think it's time to face them."

"You don't think they'll not go to the wedding, right," Natalia asked.

"To be honest with you, I really don't know. They seem mad this time. It's not like when Jess moved to Chicago and they eventually got over it. It seems different," Tyler explained.

"And you? Do you support Jess," Natalia asked as she recalled her conversation with Anthony.

"I care about my sister. I may be her little brother, but I still get overprotective. When I first met Kris, I liked him. He was a chill guy, and he still is. I have a lot of respect for him," Tyler shrugged.

"That doesn't answer my question, Ty," Natalia said in all seriousness, "Do you support the wedding?"

Tyler took a sip of water as he looked at Natalia intently.

"Kris has been in the MLB for two years. Before that, he was in the minors, and before that, he was at school. He was with Jess through all that. He's never not been with Jess," Tyler explained.

"I'm not following," Natalia said as she moved her straw around her cup of water.

"It's like I said, Kris is a great guy, but it's a whole different ball game for both of them now. Before, Jess just had to fight off social climbing high school mean girls. Now, she has to fight off a whole lot more because he's managed to capture the attention of women across the country. There's always going to be temptation, and when temptation hits? Well, I'd hate to see that happen," Tyler said.

Natalia sucked in a breath as she said, "You couldn't be more wrong, Tyler. Kris isn't that type of guy. He would never do Jess like that. He loves her too much."

"You're the one that doesn't get it, Natalia," Tyler quipped, "It's like I told you the other night when we talked about Anthony. Anyone could just swoop in. They're young, good looking, successful millionaires. What girl wouldn't try to take that?"

"I'm not saying girls won't try anything," Natalia said with a roll of her eyes, "I'm not stupid. I know that there are girls who try to get with them. They're jersey chasers. We've seen them. But Kris wouldn't act on it. It's one thing for girls to make advances, but it's another for Kris to initiate. Don't get it confused."

Tyler shrugged as he sipped his water.

"So that's your answer then? You don't support the wedding," Natalia asked.

"Nat-"

"What are you doing here then? If you don't support the wedding," Natalia cut off.

"Because if I don't, who will," Tyler yelled.

The cafe seemed to quiet down after his outburst and Natalia cleared her throat.

"I see," Natalia said as she grabbed her napkin and threw it on her plate.