Writer's Note:
This chapter is a lot tamer than usual. If you're looking for quick sex skip this one or go check the previous installments if you've not already read them :)
I scan the line of people waiting at the airport's arrivals gate, expecting to find Maddie waiting for me, probably with a shitty cardboard joke sign. And a big happy smile, her texts have turned downright horny in the past few days of our week apart.
Instead, I clock a slightly taller blonde in aviators, chewing gum and dressed like a Florida weather warning. Sweatshirt, athletic shorts, flip-flops. No sign.
I've not seen Claudia, Maddie's older sister, in person for a few years. She waves me down, already grinning.
"Hey, handsome," she says, pulling me into a no-choice bear hug. "Long time no see, kiddo!"
"Claudia!" I manage once I can breathe again. "Wasn't expecting you here."
She's already filing out of the terminal, clearly trying to outrun the rest of my flight's passengers. I try my best to keep up, even with my suitcase clattering behind me as I sidestep a toddler licking the floor.
"Yeah, Maddie was supposed to grab you," she explains as we approach a sunbaked SUV. "But there was a massive change of plans. Hop in. I'll fill you in on the way."
The car smells like baby powder and is a general mess. Checks out for a mother of three in her early thirties.
I throw my bag in the back and slide into the passenger seat.
"So, what's the big emergency?" I ask as Claudia pulls into the traffic of the busy terminal.
"You really didn't hear, huh?" She snorts. "Paige got dumped by her boyfriend. Over text.
While
she was flying down there with your parents. She had a meltdown in the airport when Maddie came to pick them up, who is now on Paige-duty."
What?
"I didn't even know she had a boyfriend," I say, deadpan.
Then I remember what Maddie and I had agreed to. We said if Paige asked about us, we'd stop dodging. Be honest. Finally face the music.
I flick my phone out of airplane mode, already bracing myself.
Immediately, I'm hit with a barrage of texts.
Maddie: CHANGE OF PLANS
Maddie: WE ARE LYING TO PAIGE
Maddie: I REPEAT: WE ARE LYING OUR ASSES OFF
"Welcome to the 'older siblings kept in the dark' club," Claudia sighs beside me.
What the fuck does she mean by that?
"Anyway, I'm just glad all you Millers made the effort to come down here. I don't know how I'd survive this wedding without someone to gossip to," she goes on, oblivious to the panic crawling up the back of my neck.
She clicks her tongue, glancing out the window. "Daniel's new bride is a total bitch."
"That's no way to talk about your future sister-in-law," I joke, trying to cover the stress in my voice.
Claudia winces and mimics shooting herself in the head, popping her gum to make the noise.
"Are your kids at the hotel?" I've not met her youngest yet. That could be a fun distraction.
"Nope, they're back home with their dad. Thank God," she tugs her aviators down just enough to wink at me, her wicked grin curling wide. "Three whole days without changing a diaper? That's the dream."
I've never noticed how much she looks like Maddie. An older, somehow even more confident Maddie.
And I'm always a little disappointed she took out the septum ring she used to rock back when she was babysitting me.
"I plan to spend the weekend buzzed on sparkling wine," she says. "You're welcome to join. I can't wait to see what the neighbors' kid looks like drunk."
"I graduated like a year ago," I snicker. "I you try to keep up, you'll be the one blacked out under the table."
She laughs. "I don't need you unconscious. Just loose enough to pump some dirt on Maddie out of you."
I freeze.
"Come on," she says lightly. "You know what I mean. I wanna know about the mystery guy she's dating. The one she won't stop texting. You two live in the same city. You've gotta have some idea."
The breath I was holding leaves my body. It's a small miracle she needs to focus on a tricky intersection and doesn't notice my reaction.
I give a forced chuckle. "Yeah, right, because with my job and loan repayments, I have time to keep up with a college student's love life."
"Crap, you were my only lead. I was gonna ask Paige, but...well. Kinda gauche now, huh?"
I spend the rest of the drive to the hotel silently thanking my guardian angel.
===
I'm leaning against the hotel's wide stone terrace railing, overlooking the dark garden below. The rehearsal dinner dragged on for an eternity, and it's nice to finally breathe in the cooler air.
Despite her earlier cynicism, Claudia shed a few tears during Daniel's improvised speech. She did keep her promise to get buzzed, though. I practically had to carry her to the elevator.
I take a long sip of my gin and tonic. The open bar is the gift that keeps on giving.
"Hey, Roman," Daniel says softly, joining me with a whiskey in hand. "Today was so crazy, I didn't get a chance to thank you for coming."
Daniel Whitmore was my hero growing up. He was the cool teenage boy from the neighborhood who had a bunch of pirated games on his PS1 and a skateboard. I spent a decent chunk of my childhood just following him around like a stray.
Was I... his Maddie?
The thought makes my stomach flip. Jesus. No. Too weird. Never think that again.
I can still remember his first marriage to his high school girlfriend. He doesn't look that different; he is still tall and broad, but a little balder and softer around the middle.
"I should be the one thanking you," I say honestly. "This hotel's insane."
Daniel lands a firm hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad you're here. It's not often we get the whole family back together."
That's not nice to Claudia's husband and kids. Also, I want to insist that Maddie and I have no blood relation.
"Here," he adds, reaching into his blazer. He pulls out two thick cigars, holding them up with a grin. "Got a little something to celebrate."
We spend the next few minutes doing our best impression of a typical male friendship: shallow conversation, alcohol, and nasty-smelling cigars.
Thankfully, a feminine voice comes to our rescue.
"Evening, gentlemen," Maddie chirps, silhouetted in the soft terrace light.
She hops up onto the stone railing, legs crossed at the ankle. I hand her my drink on reflex. She sips without hesitation, her lipstick leaving a faint smudge on the rim before she passes it back. Daniel doesn't blink. Of course, he doesn't. He's Daniel. He's cool like that.
"Where'd you vanish to?" he asks.
"Ugh," she sighs. "Had to put Paige to bed. She's a mess."
"Yeah, I heard about the breakup," Daniel says gently. "That sucks. She's a sweet kid."
"Can I try your cigar?" Maddie cuts in, done with the subject.
"Knock yourself out," I answer with a straight face.
Just like I expect, she nearly gags on the first puff, then kills the taste with a long pull from my drink. Daniel doubles over, shoulders shaking with laughter.
"What's even the point of these?" she asks, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"I dunno. I like them," I mutter.
Maddie leans against me, supposedly for balance. Her palm settles on my stomach and starts moving in slow, affectionate circles. Out of Daniel's line of sight, of course.
"Is that a pool?" I ask, pointing toward the glowing blue shape in the middle of the hotel grounds.
"Yup," Daniel nods. "Pretty nice one too."
"If only my cheapskate brother had sprung for a resort with a swim-up bar," Maddie whines. "We could've made some real memories at this wedding."
"I'll let you pay for my next one," he shoots back, straightening his back. "It's heated, so feel free to have a dip, Mads. But remember, my better half expects you bright and early tomorrow. Don't go crazy."
With that, he puts out his cigar and walks away. "I need my beauty sleep. See you guys tomorrow. Big day!"
Maddie watches him go, eyes following over my shoulder. The second he rounds the corner, she leans in and kisses me.
"Missed me?" I ask a little smugly when she pulls away, emboldened by the jasmine scent in her hair.
"You have no idea." She doesn't even pretend to be cool. "Bridezilla's been on my case the whole week. I need some loving."
I bring a hand to my heart, like she hasn't just spent the week on what's basically a paid-for Florida vacation.
"Poor little Maddie had to try on a bunch of princess dresses."
She giggles. "More like a million ugly ones. Not my fault the other bridesmaids are flat. Anything they picked, I looked so slutty in."
She always manages to get my attention. But I know a thing or two about her as well.
"Walk in the garden?" I offer. "We can make out on a bench without being bothered."
"Lead the way." She plants another quick kiss and hops down.
I'm kind of disappointed we didn't get a minute to explore the place during the day. Even at night, the winding paths and the strange plants curling over them have an unshakable charm.
The quiet atmosphere is more proof the Whitmore family is getting older. At any other wedding, kids would be running all around this maze.
Despite her earlier words, Maddie ends up guiding me through the artificial jungle. We tell each other about our weeks, what our friends are up to, and what's waiting for us when we get back to the city.
Somewhere along the way, I realize this is the longest we've gone without seeing each other since I moved out of my ex-fiancée's place. The domesticity of it all is a scary prospect.
I catch the smell of chlorine before the blue glow pierces through the greenery. Of course she brought us to the pool.
It's tucked away, surrounded by thick vegetation, with a few lonely chaise lounges scattered around the edge. We can't even see the hotel from here. The only sound is the soft trickle of a fake waterfall.
