Her eyebrows shot up as she looked at me. I shrugged. What could I say to her, really? That I wasn’t really a best man, just a best man in secret? Everything really good between us since Jen had come along had been a secret.

“Well, you two have fun, I should probably get home and get some rest.”

I felt my eyes about pop out of my head and I made a little motion with my head to try to get her to take it back. How was she supposed to get the signal when she wasn’t even looking at me?

“Kent, we’ll meet you outside in a minute.” I handed Kent my guitar and then pushed him towards the exit.

He laughed as he stumbled. “Alright, Elly, geez.”

I turned back to Stacy who wore a look of confusion. “What’s the matter?”

“Are you kidding?” I glanced over my shoulder to be sure that he was gone. He was. Thank god. I turned back to Stacy and frowned, “If you leave me and Kent alone while under the influence of alcohol bad things are going to happen! Remember last Christmas? He kissed me!”

Stacy looked around and so I did too. People were staring, so I guessed I was being a little too loud. I softened it down and put my hand on her shoulder, “Please? Please don’t go yet,” I begged.

She sighed and shrugged my hand off. “Fine. But if you two start making out I’m leaving.”

I held my hand up in defense. No way was that happening. He was getting married in less than a week. I felt my stomach clench.

In less than a week he was going to be married.

Chapter Twenty-Five

After the beers arrived Stacy wasted no time in starting the conversation, “You were so awesome. What was that second song though? Did you write that? I’ve never heard it before.”

I sipped my beer to give myself a moment to breathe. I was having beers with Kent, like we were actual adult friends. He was sitting across from me and he looked delicious in a dark blue sweater. I couldn’t get overexcited though because he’d just asked me to be in his wedding. Or a part of his wedding. He was getting married.

Remember that, Elly! He is getting married!

“It’s a song from Kent’s favorite band, A Perfect Circle. He’s in looooooove with them.”

He had talked about them so much in Art History class last year. He would hum their songs anytime he walked from one place to another. It was cute for him to be so into a band. Normally he would hum the theme song to whatever video game he was currently into. At least that’s what I remembered from high school.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kent smiled. “That’s the best rendition I’ve heard. It gave me tingles.”