Elijah (MxM)

Chapter Twelve

The next day I showed up to the bridal shower fashionably late, my flowy button-down tunic tucked into tight pants with fancy black boots. I left a few buttons undone, revealing a tasteful amount of chest. I played with my necklace anxiously as I walked down the steps into the venue. If there had been one more chandelier, you'd think it were the actual wedding. People muddled about, wearing fancy clothes and drinking fancy wine. It looked so—Catherine, I could tell Elijah didn't make a single decision. I held my gift under my arm, wrapped haphazardly by me. It was a cookware set that Catherine had sent me the link to, stating she didn't trust me to pick something. I didn't blame her, I was planning on buying them a pair of oven mitts. I set it down on a table towering with gifts, wondering how many damn people she invited. I didn't think my sister had that many friends, but I guess I didn't know too much about her personal life.

I heard a thump from next to me and turned to see a man setting another gift on the table.

"I hope no one else bought them cookware." He said, more to himself than anyone else.

"Oops," I responded.

He looked at me with piercing blue eyes. "You're kidding."

"I'm not actually." I sucked through my teeth. "But don't worry, there's gotta be at least five more of these in there." I patted my box.

He laughed, dipping his dark curly head.

"You know, I hope so." He eyed me, looking me up and down before taking a breath.

"I'm Will." He offered me his hand.

I hesitated slightly before shaking it. "Kit."

His grip was warm and gentle, holding me briefly before letting me go. "Who're you here for?"

It took me a second to understand what he meant. "I'm Catherine's brother. What about you?"

"A friend of Elijah's." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Oh?" My eyebrows quirked up, realizing something. "You're Will, Elijah's ex."

"That's right." He laughed in surprise. "I'm surprised he told you."

I crossed my arms over my chest, chuckling nervously. "He mentioned it in passing, I guess I just have a good memory."

"Right." He smiled at my awkwardness. "No need to worry about your sis, it was a long time ago. And he seems happy, so—I'm glad."

Will had this boyishly handsome thing about him, with his piercing eyes and soft features I could see why Elijah was attracted to him. He was younger than I had imagined, and prettier too. I don't know why I was picturing someone tall and masculine looking like Elijah, clearly, that was not his type. Will looked like someone I would normally go for, and I couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing. I felt like I had changed so much in the past few months.

"I'm not worried," I said with a grin.

"Well—good." He smiled with crooked teeth. It definitely added to his charm.

"Kitty!" I heard Ricky before I saw him, immediately rolling my eyes. He patted me on the back, hard. "How're you? How was your weekend?"

I shot daggers at him with my eyes. "Fine, Ricky. How was yours?"

"Oh, you don't care." He turned his attention to Will. "Wow, Will—it's been a long time."

"Hey, Ricky," Will responded, both of them going in for a hug, laughing along with each other. Vivian popped up behind them, wrapped in a beautiful bright blue dress.

"Will!" She exclaimed, joining in the embrace.

Will stepped back to look at her. "Have you put a ring on her finger yet, Ricky?"