is the one who has Theo tied in a knot.
Hmm, interesting.
I take her offered hand and give it a shake. “Hi. Yeah, it’s nice to meet you. Thanks for letting me crash your wedding. Though it’s not like I had much choice in the matter; he basically wouldn’t let me say no,” I joke, rolling my eyes.
“You’re welcome,” Theo chirps, winking at me.
The other two girls come over then. The tall stunner I incorrectly assumed was Amy steps up close to Tim and leans against him. I’m introduced to everyone again, and finally, the barman stops at our group.
Amy’s smile widens. “Guys, it’s Thursday. Seeing as it’s a special occasion, I think, just this once, we can extend the tradition to include all of you. What do you think, Hev?” She nudges the raven-haired beauty.
Heather nods in agreement. “Just this once.”
I frown in confusion as Tim and Jared both wince and turn their noses up.
“Tradition?” I ask.
Amy excitedly rubs her hands together, her blue eyes twinkling. “Tequila Thursday. Let’s get them shots going. One shot every fifteen minutes. First one to puke loses.”
One hour and four shots later, the first one to puke is their brother-in-law, Chris. Emily escorts him back to their room, and we all playfully boo and shame them out of the bar. I’m having a great night. Amy and her friend, Heather, are hilarious, and Theo bounces off the two of them like they’re in a sparring word match.
As I watch the group interact, it’s a little strange to see Jared and Theo sitting next to each other. While they look exactly the same, Jared, I’ve noticed, is quieter and more reserved than his loud, outgoing twin. Don’t get me wrong; Jared is funny, too, but his jokes and one-liners are delivered in perfect precision for maximum impact rather than Theo’s all-round friendly banter that doesn’t seem to stop. They’re so different but yet the same. It’s kind of fascinating to witness.
And Amy? Well, let’s just say, I can see why Theo is attracted to her. She’s gorgeously cute and witty, and she never stops smiling. I might even have a tiny crush on her myself by the end of the weekend. She’s amazing and the type of girl you want to be best friends with.
I’m also relieved to finally be able to stop worrying about Theo’s intentions in bringing me here. Seeing them all together, it’s clear that Theo really doesn’t seem to want to disturb or cause problems with the loved-up couple. I now believe he genuinely just didn’t want to come to the wedding on his own and brought me here under innocent pretences. Thank the Lord for small mercies because I really didn’t fancy jail time for murdering him.
At around half past ten, the tequila shots and travelling seem to be catching up with me, and I can’t stifle my yawn, so I try to discreetly hide it behind my hand.
“Tired?” Theo asks, leaning in, his hot breath blowing down my neck as his fingers brush across the top of my shoulder.
I nod and turn my eyes to his, seeing he looks exhausted too. His eyes are slightly droopy. It’s a good look for him. “Yeah.”
“Let’s call it a night and get some sleep. Then, tomorrow, we can do something fun,” he suggests. “There’s this little village I Googled that’s not far away. They do all sorts of water activities there, like kayaking or paddle boarding or waterskiing. Fancy that?” he asks, but then his face falls, and his eyes tighten. “Or do you just want to be away from me and sunbathe on the beach or walk in the woods on your own? Like I said, your time is your own. If you don’t want to hang with me, that’s fine, honestly.”
Water sports? Oh, heck yes. I’m more than up for that.
I used to love that kind of stuff and never really got to do it with Lucas. He didn’t like activity days. Our holidays were more the sunbathe and dip your toe in the pool type. He wouldn’t even let me ride the banana boat last time we went away—too dangerous, he said. You can imagine how much I rolled my eyes at that. Lucas’s idea of danger was ordering something from the Thai menu that he’d never tried.
“Hell yes! Let’s do that. And if I’m too hungover tomorrow to do anything, we can get a two-person kayak, and you can paddle me around the loch while I hurl over