9. True Confession

The wedding day.

Everything was going perfectly. The venue was ready for us to arrive, the sky was clear to have the outdoor ceremony. I put on my dress. I tied my hair in a loose bun with braids and put on some makeup.

"Wow honey, this dress looks amazing on you!" mom exclaimed.

"Thank you. Don't you think it's too much?" I motioned at the skirt.

"It's perfect. You look like a princess," she said and kissed me on the forehead.

I ran into Connor as I hurried to my car. He looked me up and down. I subconsciously blushed as he stared at me intently.

"You look beautiful," he muttered.

He was wearing a black tuxedo with a red tie and black vest to match the bridesmaids. His hair was slick back in a formal style.

"You don't look too bad yourself," I said. Understatement of the century. Brad Pitt would like a beach bum if he stood next to him.

"Oh? Was that a compliment?" Connor smirked. "You think I look handsome?" he winked.

"Pfft...I didn't say handsome," I scoffed.

"But you were thinking it," he insisted.

"As if! Stop messing around. We are gonna be late," I said and proceeded to head out, but he grabbed my wrist.

"You can ride with me," he said.

"No...it's fine. I can go with my parents," I hesitated.

"Come with me. Please?" he said, almost pleading.

I thought about it for a minute. Maybe I should ride with him. I can try to get some information out that way. Maybe he'll confess about Jessica.

He was quiet on the way there.

"So...how do you feel about this?" I asked, hoping he'd say something incriminating.

"How do I feel about what?" he asked.

"About the wedding. About Jessica and Ansel," I said.

"I am happy for them," he said.

"You are? I know you loved Jessica, so it's okay if you aren't a hundred percent happy about it," I said.

"Jess and I were through in high school. She chose Ansel," Connor said. His eyes were sad. He was clearly not over her.

We arrived right when Jessica and her family arrived. Jessica locked herself in a room so Ansel couldn't see him since It was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding and all that.

I ran around the venue and supervised the caterers to make sure everything goes smoothly. It was almost time for the wedding to start, so I headed back to Jessica's room. I halted when I saw Connor going in the same direction.

"Hey, where are you going?" I asked.

"I need to see Jessica," he said. He had a serious expression on his face.

"What? Why? She is busy," I said.

"I have to tell her something, it's important," he said and started to walk again. Oh no, is he about to try to confess to her again? What was he planning? I grabbed his arm.

"No, you can't see her until after the wedding!" I said quickly.

Connor narrowed his eyes. "Why are you acting weird? What's wrong with me seeing her real quick?" he asked.

"Be...because...it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding!" I said excitedly.

He sighed. "You mean that stupid superstition? That only applies to the groom, silly. Everyone else can see the bride. Now out of my way," he said and proceeded to keep walking, but I jumped in front of him. We were so close our bodies were almost touching.

Connor looked at me for a moment, then smirked. "What exactly is going on here?"

"Um...well...I know why you want to see her. You want to tell her you still love her and break up the wedding!" I blurted out. There, sometimes the direct approach is the best. At least, that's what I told myself.

"Huh? Wait...you think I still love Jessica?" Connor looked surprised.

"Yes. I heard you talking to Ansel about it, and the other day I saw you with Jessica," I said.

"How much did you hear?" Connor asked. His face twisted into a frown.

"Everything. I know you don't care about how others feel, but you can't hurt Ansel. I won't let you!" I whined.

"Anya, that's not..." he stopped abruptly and smiled. "Okay fine...you got me. I was definitely going to confess my feelings to Jessica just now."

"You can't!" I screeched.

"I can, and I will. Connor Williams gets what he wants. I mean, why does he get to have the girl? I want a woman too," he shrugged.

"He is your best friend!" I gripped his shoulder. "You can't do this to him!"

"He is a twerp. Jessica can do a lot better. She should marry me!" he grinned. "In fact, I'll go propose to her right now! I bet she still loves me too. She told me she did," Connor chuckled.

"You...you're crazy!" I looked at him wide-eyed. He was worse than I thought.

"Out of my way, wench," he announced dramatically and pushed me aside and headed toward Jessica's room.

I ran after him, and before he could reach the door, I jumped on him and hugged him from behind. "You can't like her. I won't let you," my voice came out muffled as I had my face buried in his back.

He untangled my arms from him and turned around to face me.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't? I deserve someone too, you know. And we both know if you love something, you should go after it," he said. His eyes bored into mine as he waited for my answer.

"Well...you don't have to do this because...because..." I started to stammered as I looked for a good reason. He didn't care about Ansel or anything else. What can I do to stop him?

"Because what? I'm waiting," he challenged.

"Because I LIKE YOU!" I cried.

What the fuck Anya? I scolded myself. This was the best excuse I could come out with? He'll never believe me!

He stared at me intently then his lips twisted into a grin. "You what?" He looked at me with amusement. I knew he didn't take me seriously.

"I...um...I like you, and you shouldn't ask Jessica to marry you because I want you, so we should go out," I said hesitantly. Of course, I don't actually like him, but anything to stall him away from Jessica.

I expected him to laugh at me and continue to head to Jessica's room, but he smiled and grabbed my waist.

"Okay," he said.

"Huh? What do you mean, okay?" I looked at him quizzically.

"I accept your feelings and will leave Jessica alone," he declared.

Well fuck me...what have I done?