Is that all that we have

chapter 10

I decided on a light pink gossamer gown for the wedding. Brad was picking me up at 6 and we'd arrive together to end any suspicions the media would have. 

He pulls up in his black Porsche at 6 pm sharp, dressed in a tuxedo that just shows off his body. He clears his throat and looks me up and down. I silently curse the shivers that go up my spine. 

"Wow, you look incredible, Jen." He says softly. 

"Uhm, thanks. You-you do too." I say equally silently. Damn the sexual tension.

We remain silent the entire car ride to the hotel where they're having the reception, and Brad helps me out of the car. 

"Well, here goes." He whispers in my ear. 

We walk up the steps to the main entrance, hand in hand. My heart is beating out of my chest. We go and congratulate Brad's sister and her new husband, and go sit at our table. 

"Where's everyone else that's supposed to be sitting here?" I hiss under my breath at Brad. 

"I don't see any other name tags." He says. I groan. Exactly what I need. 

"C'mon, Jen, let's just make the best of it, okay? The last thing we need is another story in the tabloids." He says. I just nod wearily and sip (okay, gulp) at my drink. 

They do all the speeches and stuff, blah blah, and they finally serve dinner, which is an appetizing looking steak and a beautifully finished salad. 

"So, uh, how have you been?" Brad asks after many moments of awkward silence. 

"Um, I'm-I'm okay. The house feels empty, but uh, I'm surviving." I say quickly, downing more wine. 

"Good, good." He mumbles. 

"So where have you been staying?" I ask nonchalantly. 

"At a hotel near downtown." He says quietly. I just nod. 

They clear off the dance floor of kids hyped up on soda and playing with balloons and start to play some romantic slow dance songs. Slowly, all the couples make their way to the dance floor. 

"Should we? It would look weird if we didn't, wouldn't it?" Brad says, eyeing the couples beginning to dance. 

"Yeah... yeah, I guess." I say. 

He takes me by the hand and leads me towards the dance floor. At first, we keep stiff and awkward, but I can't help but lean into his embrace and rest my head on his shoulder. 

He strokes my back in little circles as we sink into the music, swaying with the rhythm of the song. 

We head back to our seats with little blushes on our faces.  

"That... that was good." He says quietly. I smile. 

"Yeah, yeah, it was." I say back. We continues to grin bashfully at each other. 

He moves over to sit next to me and suddenly I become hyper aware of the fact that our faces are incredibly close. 

He leans in and kisses my lips very softly. My thoughts scream PULL AWAY  but I just can't. Our lips mash together even more and I pull away breathlessly, our foreheads still touching. 

"This is a hotel, you know." He whispers in my ear. I can't help but grin. 

"We can't leave..." I whisper back. 

"Everyone thinks we're still together... it won't be awkward or weird." He says. "It's just one night, in case we do get divorced, like a goodbye night." 

I just nod.

We walk quickly, hand-in-hand, to the front desk, and Brad demands their only available room. It's a swanky hotel and will probably set us back a few thousand dollars at this month but at this point I don't even care. 

We make our way up to the room, tongues battling furiously, and he shoves me against the door roughly and kisses my neck. He fumbles with the key card and shoves me into the room, not even bothering to turn on the light.

I feel myself being pushed on top of a plush bed and Brad crawls on top of me, fighting with my dress as our mouths mash against each other.

...

I lay on top of Brad's naked chest, breathing heavily while he plays with my hair. 

"That was so good." I say quietly, and he laughs, which makes me laugh, so we end up laughing together for a solid two minutes. 

"Yeah, it was. I guess I never lost my charm." He says cockily, so I pinch him.

"Ouch! Bitch." He says playfully, and I giggle like a schoolgirl being teased by her crush. 

"Tiny dick." I say, and he gives me an offended look before flipping me over. 

"I can show you again..." He whispers in my ear seductively.

"Mmmm, maybe." I say, before sliding out from underneath him and returning to our cuddle from before. 

"I feel like we're back in 2002." He says. 

"Me too. Is that good?" I say. 

"I think so."

"Listen, I- um- this was great and all, but should we finish out our month before we think about getting back together?" I say. He nods. 

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. But, do you really think we're going to divorce, after all this?" He asks timidly.

I can't help but smile at his boyish naivete. "I don't know, Brad. You don't seem to understand how badly you hurt me, do you? I can't promise anything, alright?"

He nods and pulls the comforter more securely around us as we cuddle into each other and fall asleep.