Fly With Me | ✓

42

*

"Have you managed to sneak a bite of anything?" It was new for Everleigh to be asking other people that, crikey. But Florence looked like she was damn close to passing out after her family and friends photos and dinner was still an hour and a half away. Their cocktail hour appetizers were floating around with their caterers, but the guests seemed to be enjoying them.

Everleigh hadn't had anything to eat, either, but that was because she had been trying to see if Maverick was there yet without tipping Florence off that he'd missed the ceremony. She was certain it was an elephant in the room and Florence simply didn't want to bring it up herself again, but there was no denying the severe lack of him during cocktail hour.

"God, no," Florence said, pressing a hand to her stomach as she leaned back in the cushioned chair the lobby had. She had already kicked her heels off and traded them for a pair of white sneakers. Nobody would see them anyway, her dress reached down to the floor. "I'm fucking starving. But I'm too tired to even get up."

"I'll be back."

Everleigh hunted down a server, who she explained the situation to. The server offered to get Florence a tray of all their appetizers, and Everleigh graciously accepted. After following the server to the catering truck and accepting a tray with a couple bites of each appetizer, Everleigh made her way back up to where Florence had been sitting.

"Oh my God, I love you." Florence immediately sat more upright, taking the tray from Everleigh. "Thank you."

"Hey, hey, hey—" Everleigh snatched the tray back from Florence. "Some of these you need two hands to eat."

Florence was already grabbing a vegetable kebab from the tray. Everleigh grabbed the flowing, loose leg of her romper and pulled it under Florence's hands. If she got sauce on her bridesmaid outfit, so be it, not a drop was going to be spilled on Florence's wedding dress if she had anything to say about it.

Florence continued eating and only left a couple bites of appetizers on the tray, which Roman promptly ate as soon as he'd found Everleigh and Florence in the lobby. He kissed her on the cheek before diving into her leftovers.

"God, I'm starving," Roman said, mouth full of vegetable pakora. Bite barely stuffed in his cheek before speaking.

"You recognize it's your wedding so maybe you should eat the food you paid for?"

"You try eating while everyone and their fucking dog wants to congratulate you."

"You're literally chewing while you're talking to me. It's called multitasking."

"That's because your opinion of me is already at rock bottom, so I don't care." Roman grabbed the last kebab and practically ate it in a single bite. It took Everleigh everything she had to not make a comment about deep-throating.

"Where's your jacket gone?" Florence asked.

"Don't know," Roman said. "Don't care."

"Isn't it a rental?" Everleigh asked.

"I'll find it later during cleanup."

"Oh my God, we have to clean this shit up too?"

Roman swatted her in the shoulder. "No shit, Leigh."

"How am I supposed to know?" Everleigh asked. "I don't even want to get married."

"Speaking of marriage material," Roman said, coughing into his fist and nodding behind Everleigh.

There he was. Fucking finally. If Florence didn't kill him, Troy might've. He was not impressed that Maverick wasn't there considering the amount of time he'd known about it.