The Cages You Build

Chapter nineteen-Wedding

David idly flicked a piece of lint from his suit, trying to appear more calm than he actually was. What was taking so long? He'd been waiting in Mia's living room for over five minutes. She wasn't one to waste time in getting ready so he could blame it on the fact that Christina was in the room with her, probably making sure not a single hair was out of place.

They weren't late for the service so his anxiety was borne more out of nervousness than any desire to be on time. Olivia's wedding ceremony was to begin in the early evening.

David's foot tapped against the floor. The wedding would be a social event of some sort. His college buddies might be there. He was curious to see how they were faring and hoped he would appear to advantage.

He glanced at his wristwatch and let out an impatient sigh. If he stayed here one more minute to fret...

Mia hurried into the living room, stuffing her phone into her purse and mumbling apologies. "Chris is so nitpicky. Sorry I took so long."

His mouth stayed open as she walked toward him. Was that Mia? The pale pink dress she wore fit like a glove. He didn't know what she'd done with her hair but it accentuated her face perfectly. It was a wet look, parted in the middle and tucked behind her ears. When she turned around to reach for something, he sucked in a quick breath.

Whoa.

He didn't realize she was speaking until she snapped her fingers in front of his face. "David!"

He sat up with a start, feeling his face go hot. "What?"

"Are you ready to go?"

When he continued to stare at her, her brows furrowed. She held her arms out to her sides so he could get a better look. "Is it too much?"

He crossed his legs. "No. It's perfect," he said hastily.

Christina breezed in. "I know, right? It was all my doing."

The presence of another person in the room snapped him out of it. He stood and wiped his palms on the sides of his trousers. "We should get going."

Christina scoffed, moving forward to touch Mia's arm. "Have you told her how great she looks?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "You look...nice," he finished lamely, feeling at that moment like the greatest doof in the world.

He noticed the way Mia's shoulders sank as she searched through her purse. It took all of his self control not to stare at her as the three of them exited the apartment. Christina would go back to his apartment while they headed straight to the wedding. After saying goodbye to her, David opened the passenger door of his car for Mia. When she brushed by him and he caught a whiff of her perfume, his head swam.

Discomfited by the assault of new and frightening sensations running through him, he let his fingers slice through his hair. It was going to be one long, long night.

Getting in the car, he allowed a moment of silence.

"You look very nice." He felt so idiotic.

"You said that already."

He glanced at her to find she'd averted her gaze to the window. He bit his tongue. He couldn't exactly say what was on his mind. You look hot. You look gorgeous and I can't breathe properly and this feels strange but heady and I want to...

He let out a sharp breath and kept his eyes on the road. He was overwhelmed. He hadn't expected this. He hadn't known he'd be getting Mia, the supermodel. But he should be used to this, shouldn't he? They'd been friends for years and he'd seen her in different ways. Funny how he wasn't immune to her anymore. Even if she wore a sack... she'd still take his breath away