Cheesy on the Eyes by Teagan Hunter Page 0,72
but she still wants me.
I step toward her, but as soon as I make the move, she darts away, disappearing into the crowd again.
“Damn,” Winston says. “Feels like I’m watching the Discovery Channel or some shit.”
“Why? Because she just ran away like a scared gazelle?”
“No, like I was pretty sure you two were about to do it like they do on the Discovery Channel. That was some intense eye-fucking.” He laughs, giving me a shove. “Go get her, you idiot.”
“It’s not really the appropriate place…”
“Come on, man. Weddings are supposed to be for romance and all that other sappy shit. Just go get her. Talk to her. Tell her you’re not backing down. You have nothing to lose.”
“I…”
All arguments I might make fade away because Winston is right. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Fuck it. I’m going after her.
I take off in hot pursuit, heading the way I last saw her go, and then the lights dim.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the DJ says over the speaker system. “Please join me in welcoming Mr. and Mrs. Jonas Schwartz!”
Whistles and cheers go up from the crowd as Jonas and Frankie make their grand entrance.
Great, now I’m stuck here.
Jonas grabs for the mic.
“Hey, everyone. Frankie and I wanted to thank you all for being here tonight to celebrate with us. We appreciate you tolerating our last-minute nuptials, and for that: open bar!” Everyone cheers. “We’re going to do things a little less traditionally. We want you guys to enjoy your night and free booze to the max, so we’ll be skipping first dances and speeches and all that boring stuff. You guys know us, so there’s no point in filling you in on all the juicy details. Let’s face it, this is a small town with a strong love for gossip, so we all already know them anyway. Let’s just party and have fun, because holy shit, we’re married!”
Jonas sweeps Frankie into his arms, kissing her hard. Everyone hollers and applauds again.
“Thank fuck. Weddings are so boring, man,” Winston says.
“Dude, you did all that traditional shit at your wedding.”
“Yeah, and I’d have saved a fuck-ton of money if I’d have just gone to the courthouse like I wanted.”
“But you did it for Drew,” I remind him.
“Yeah, and she was worth it.” He gives me a lovesick grin. “Want another shot? Because my ass fully intends to take advantage of that open bar.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’m good.”
“Suit yourself.” He claps me on the back. “By the way, man?”
“Yeah?”
“I found Thea.”
He gestures toward the dance floor, and the air leaves my lungs when I see her standing there in the middle of the room with a microphone in hand.
Everyone else seems to notice too because the room goes quiet, all eyes on her.
“Well, shit. You guys really know how to make a girl feel noticed, don’t you?” A light chuckle ripples through the space. “I know Jonas said there wouldn’t be any speeches tonight, but I’ve never been one to follow the rules.”
She exhales.
“I’ve always looked up to my younger brother. No, really—he’s like way taller than me. But it’s been more than that. The kid has never been afraid to take risks. Play football when he has asthma? Sure, why not. Shoot for the sky and try to get into the NFL? Yeah, he did that too. Then he did something really whacky—he fell in love. He put his heart on the line and he took the plunge. I’m so, so proud of him, and I’ve always wanted to be just like him when I grow up. Not playing in the NFL or anything because coordination is not my thing, but I want to be brave like him. I want to fall hopelessly in love like him. I want someone to look at me like Frankie looks at him when he says something about her ankles—whatever that means.”
Another long exhalation. “Last month, I did something whacky too. I know some of you are probably sitting there with this look on your face like, Thea, we’ve known you since you were a baby. This isn’t a surprise.” The crowd laughs again. “You’d be right. I do crazy stuff all the time, like decide to be a mechanic when all the cards are stacked against me, or spend my non-working hours at a pizzeria even though I hate pizza.” She looks off to the side. “I don’t want to hear it, Simon.” He rolls his eyes but grins at her. She continues,