Best and Honor

Chapter 5

I rub the lotion down my freshly shaved skin and breathe it in reminding myself that I'm almost one more day closer to returning to my predictable life in California. Tonight is supposed to be casual so I'm sliding on my favorite sundress over my matching lacey underwear. The dress is a soft lace that falls to the top of my thigh and loops around my neck in a halter style. No bra is possible since the top is more like a bikini than anything you might wear to a work meeting. A thick band of lace connects the triangles to the rest of the snug fitting fabric and a gold loop sits delicately just above each breast.

Having my skin sun-kissed is helping to make the bright teal color of the dress stand out. I have my long hair curled and pulled off my neck in a ponytail with my bangs swept to the side to soften my face. A small touch of make-up and of course the perfect shade of pink shimmer lip-gloss complete the whole look.

I stand back from the mirror to make any last minute adjustments and worry for a minute if maybe the dress is a little to revealing for a wedding event. Who am I kidding? If I had to put money on it, Rachel will be wearing less fabric than me. I slid on my silver sandals and grab my small clutch. As I reach for the door to my hotel room, my phone chimes with a message.

Andrew: Evan has already been drinking. Thought you should know.

I stare at the screen as my heart threatens to pound so hard it might crack a rib. This will be the first time in four years that I will see him in person. Rachel of course has had his image plastered all over her Facebook page and Instagram since the moment she told me they had begun dating, so I have an idea of what he looks like now. Maybe I just need to put myself on the same playing field.

Twisting the small top of the vodka bottle is getting easier. I'm not sure that's a good thing. I tip it up and drink it down, feeling the burn drop down my throat and create a ball of heat in my stomach. If one seemed to help, maybe two would totally do the trick. It's worth a shot. By the time I finally step out of my room, my limbs are warm and relaxed and I feel a small flush of heat in my cheeks.

The bar they chose is in a hotel a small walk from the one we're staying it. I take the strand to get there and offer my ID to the bouncer at the door. I turned twenty-one a few months ago and barely even use my ID in California since going out isn't on the top of my list when I'm working long hours. The bouncer takes a little longer than necessary to make sure my picture matches my face and the last time I checked, my legs were not featured in my DMV photo. He hands it back to me with a smile and I tuck it back in my clutch.

The music is on so loud I can feel it vibrate in my body. I stand on my tiptoes so I can see over the crowd to find the wedding party. It looks like most of them are gathered around a few tables in the back corner. I drop back down flat on my feet and take a big breath before pushing my way through the mass of hot bodies to get to the corner. When I finally step out of the crowd and stand at the far outskirt of the group, my eyes meet Evans and my heart completely sinks.

I can't tell you what the feeling is. At first I thought is was longing, like my soul misses him, but then it began to feel more like regret or embarrassment. Most accurate would probably be a mixture of a few emotions and none of which feel good. His smile falls for a second and his eyes sweep over my body. I've changed in the last four years, what once was the body of a teenager is now the well taken care of body of a woman.

I take a step closer and his smile returns as he opens his arms to give me a hug. I turn my head to the side and catch a glimpse of Andrew as he looks at me over his drink. There is a warning in his eyes but I don't know if it's for me or Evan. I feel Evan's hot breath on my ear as he slurs, "Fuck Sophie, when did you grow up?" As the heat leaves his mouth and fans out across my skin it becomes ice water, chilling me down to my bones.