After All

Chapter Twenty

PART TWO

FIVE YEARS LATER

"You sure you have everything?" Cassie called from our living room. She was curled up on the old threadbare couch we'd first purchased when we moved in together. The couple above us was moving out, having bought a townhouse in the suburbs to go along with the wedding rings they now wore. The wife was so desperate to part with her husband's bachelor items, she sold them for barely anything. And we were more than happy to scoop them up. As usual, Cassie had a notebook in hand, a trashy reality TV show blaring in the background.

"I think so," I zipped my suitcase shut. It took all my strength to pull it off the bed. Thank God for the invention of luggage wheels. After quite a bit of twisting, huffing, and blowing wayward strands of hair out of my face, I managed to maneuver it through my tiny bedroom doorframe.

"Wow, I'm pretty sure you brought fewer clothes with you when we moved into college freshman year," Cassie tore her eyes away from the TV when I entered the room.

I laughed. "You're probably right. But this is a four day wedding extravaganza. There are events scheduled every day and outfits, shoes, and accessories needed for each one. And I have a feeling Rebecca's family comes from quite a bit of money. I want to at least feel like I fit in with everyone."

"I still don't know how Rebecca managed to plan such an elaborate wedding in North Carolina while living in New York."

"Seriously. She's a rock star. She didn't even take a day off from the gallery to do it."

"Wow, that is impressive."

A message came through on my phone, interrupting our conversation. I dug it out of my jeans pocket and glanced at the screen. "My car to the airport is here." Slinging my carry-on over my shoulder, I leaned down to give Cassie a hug. "Alright lady, I'll be back on Monday."

"Umm, aren't you forgetting something?" Cassis sat up straighter on the couch.

I looked down at myself and glanced at my bags. I ran through the checklist in my head. "No, I think I have everything."

She nodded her head towards my open bedroom door.

My eyes shot open wide when I finally remembered what, or more specifically who, she was talking about. Completely mortified I'd forgotten, I flew back into my room. A figure lay sleeping on the left side of the bed. He was snoring, loud and deep, in the most off-putting way. Though considering I'd forgotten he was there, I guess I hadn't been very impressed to begin with.

"Tyler," I flung the covers off his back and poked him in the side. "You've got to wake up."

He rolled over and his eyelids fluttered open. "Hey, you," he smiled, his dimples appearing on either side of his lips.

I studied his face for a moment. He really was hot. It was a shame I was never going to see him again.

"You've got to get up, Tyler," I said, ignoring his greeting.

"It's Travis," he answered, pulling himself up and unable to mask the look of disappointment on his face.

"Sorry," I mumbled, not as embarrassed as I should have been. I'd had a string of relationships since college, none of them lasting more than a few weeks at most. I was always the one to break it off. Cassie assumed I was just being picky, but the truth ran a little deeper than that. After what had happened with Ryan, I'd refused to be hurt like that again. It was much easier to break it off early, than stick around and have my heart ripped out.