The Difference Between Getting and Needing

f o r t y

But keeping a secret as big as marriage? Couldn't even compare to stealing vodka from my parent's stash and replacing it with water when I was sixteen and getting away with it despite the fact that water had the capability of freezing while vodka did not.

I was wired from the minute Gus, Ziggy, and I left our apartment that weekend. We were on the road by 7:30 on Friday night and the two-hour drive to Clearloft felt like it took either a week or ten minutes, I couldn't decide. All I could think about while Gus and I bounced from topic to topic during the car ride was what the fuck I was even going to say to my family.

When we arrived at my childhood house and were warmly welcomed in by my parents and Asher, I said nothing. I kept a tight smile on my face, then made up an excuse about being tired. Therefore, Gus and I took turns showering and the night ended with us and Ziggy falling asleep in a pile in my old tiny bed in seconds.

In the morning, Duncan came over with Madelyn and joined us for breakfast. I still said nothing. We spent the rest of Saturday getting ready for the ceremony that didn't start until six o'clock. And I said... nothing.

There wasn't a single good time I could think of to bring up the elephant in the room that followed me around everywhere like an oversized ball and chain. Ideally, I wanted to break the news to everyone simultaneously and with Sutton missing for a majority of the weekend, I chickened out. The big ass bandaid I wanted to rip off in one go was hanging on by a thread that resembled my sister, who I wouldn't be seeing until the most inconvenient time – at the ceremony for my dad.

Gus and I were both fed up about it. We were in my bedroom, getting ready in our own ways with fifteen minutes until we had to leave for the ritzy venue where the ceremony was being held. His way of getting ready was much less time-consuming and stressful than mine.

"So uh... when are we gonna tell them about us? Or are we just never gonna say anything at all?" He asked from where he was lounging on my bed in his sweatpants.

"I don't know," I sighed, dropping the last chunk of hair I had wrapped around my curling wand. I ran my fingers through it a few times and carelessly spritzed my head with hairspray in hopes that the loose waves would hold up for the night. "I mean, everyone will be at the dinner tonight but I really didn't want to do it there. I don't wanna take the spotlight away from my dad."

"We're telling my parents tomorrow at brunch whether it's a good time or not. They need to know," he said matter-of-factly. As if I wasn't the one that planned the brunch with his mother in the first place.

"Yeah, you're right," I agreed. "Maybe... after the ceremony? I'm sure it won't get done that late. I could try to corral everybody into coming back here and then we make the announcement."

Gus snorted at that idea. "I think if it hasn't happened by now, it's not going down this weekend. We're gonna have to do it another time."

I watched him in the mirror as he rose from the bed and shuffled over to where I sat at my makeup desk. He stopped right behind my stool, his hands landing on my shoulders while our eyes met in the reflection.

"I just need you to know that I'm here for you all the way," he assured me, even though I didn't need the reassurance. "No matter what either of our parents says about this. Or if Sutton tries to shank us. It's me and you, and that's all that matters."

"I know you are," I smiled, twisting myself around in the matted fur stool and tilting my head up to look at him. "One thing at a time, right? We'll see how it goes over with your parents and then we can go from there with mine."

"Exactly."

I studied the fond smirk on his face, then elbowed him out of the way so I could stand up. We both still had to get dressed and now with only ten minutes to spare, I knew my mom would leave without us if we weren't downstairs in five.