“You know how much I love you, don’t you?” she asked, giving him another hug. She didn’t know how she’d have gotten through those first days without him. He’d lain with her on Janet’s bathroom floor for two days. They hadn’t said anything, he’d just comforted her. He’d been her best friend, and it had helped more than anything else.
“I love you too, Lily.” He hugged her back, and she made up her mind to talk to him, but she didn’t want him to take it the wrong way.
“Adam, I need to talk to you.” She leaned against the balcony railing. “I’ve wanted to say this for a long time, but I didn’t because I thought you were happy.”
“Have you reconsidered my proposal?” The hope in his eyes hurt. She didn’t want him to hurt like she was hurting.
“No, Adam, it wouldn’t be fair to either of us, and you know it, but I do want to talk to you about Sue.”
He sighed and settled down beside her.
“The only thing I want is for you to be happy, you know that.”
Adam nodded.
“Are you happy, though? The very fact that you were willing to dump her for me says a lot. Are you marrying her because you want to, or because you feel it’s what’s expected of you? Are you going to be happy with her five years from now, ten?”
“I honestly don’t know, Lils,” he said. “The closer the wedding gets, the more nervous and anxious I get. I start to question myself. Sometimes I think she manipulated me into asking her. I felt so pressured.”
“Promise me that before you stand before God and all our family and friends, you’ll think about what you’re doing. Promise me you’ll call this off if it’s not going to make you happy. Please, Adam.”
“I promise.” He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Let’s get back inside. Janet wants to show you all her wedding stuff. She has it all over here for some reason. I’m not sure why.”
Janet attacked as soon as they came back into the main room. “I’m so sorry, Lily, I didn’t know until Mike told me. I swear I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay, Jan.” I laughed. “It’s fine, really. Now what’s this I hear about wedding stuff? And why is it all at a frat house?”
Jan looked madder than a wet hen. “Mike was trying to fix the sink and ended up flooding the apartment. We’re both staying here until it gets fixed.”
“Oh, my,” Lily murmured. That sure sounded like something Mikey would do.
“Come on, I’ll show you everything I’ve picked out so far. I need help with the flowers and the bridesmaids dresses…”
“It’s a party, Jan!” Mike shouted from across the room. “Let’s party!”
She shot him a death glare, and Lily giggled. Janet started muttering about stupid men on the way up the stairs. The three drunken guys who stumbled down the stairs past her suffered the same look. They didn’t waste time in getting out of her way. Lily laughed as she followed Jan down the hall, listening to her ramble on about colors and flowers.
Nikoli had his lips plastered to the blonde when he heard them. He’d know Lily’s voice anywhere. He tore his mouth from the girl’s and stared in horror as the door slowly opened. Jan looked up, her expression going from shock to outright rage when she saw him with his hands under the girl’s shirt, his knee pressed up against her. It was Lily he saw, though.
Her eyes widened. They went from him to the busty blonde he’d shoved up against a wall. Her eyes, while they had been shuttered, now pooled with pain and hurt. A single tear escaped before she turned around and walked away.#p#分页标题#e#
Nikoli cracked. Seeing her again, after all these weeks, all the lies he’d told himself laughed in his face. The pain he’d seen in her eyes, the pain he’d been responsible for putting there not once, but twice, was a the slap upside the head he needed. He loved her. He’d tried so hard to convince himself he didn’t, but she haunted him. He loved her, and dammit, it was time he told her. It was time he put them both out of their misery.
If she’d have him after this.
He started cursing and detached himself from the girl, meaning to follow Lily, but the little bit of fluff in the doorway stopped him.
“How dare you!” she shrieked. “Do you know what you did to her? Do you even care that she laid on my bathroom floor for two days? Do you care that she sobbed so hard she lost her voice? Who the fuck do you think you are, Nikoli Kincaid? You’re nothing but a worthless, no good…”