Chapter Five

Thalia placed the water glass on the table and sat opposite it. The centerpiece held a spray of red roses. Thalia rested her chin on her hand as she looked over the crowd. Dale was magnificent in her red wedding dress. Arm in arm, she and Mai made their way around the hall, stopping at each table to interact with the guests. The wedding photographer stalked them as she took candid shots of them.

Thalia opened her clutch and took out her compact mirror. Turning her back to the room, she pulled a tissue from her purse, removed her ruined lipstick, and reapplied her color. Satisfied with her appearance, she dropped her compact and lipstick into her clutch before she turned back to the room.

Getting Amari to agree to talk had been a feat. Thalia settled into her chair and mentally rehearsed her case for them to see each other again. The strains of “Our Day Will Come” filtered from the dance floor as the DJ announced Mai and Dale’s first dance.

Thalia shifted in her seat. She scanned the crowd pressed around the dance floor. Torn between wanting to move closer to the dance floor to watch Dale and Mai take their first spin as a married couple and her opportunity to talk to Amari alone, Thalia settled for standing by her chair to catch a glimpse of the couple.

On the far side of the floor, she spotted Amari with both hands on Brianna’s shoulders, steering her though the crowd toward the exit. Away from Thalia. Away from anything more than a chance encounter. Brianna balanced the plate of spring rolls Thalia had wrapped for her in both hands.

A gulf of sadness settled in the pit of Thalia’s stomach. She watched them until the crowd closed around them and she lost sight of them. The echo of Sally’s warnings swirled around in her mind. The chair squeaked in protest when Thalia sat. She glared at the glass of water, tracking the path of a large drop as it slid down the glass before it disappeared into the tablecloth.

Anger gave way to confusion. Had she misread it all? Amari had asked her to stay and talk. And then bolted from the wedding like her ass was on fire.

The music switched up. The hard-edged beat of Blithe’s “Say Your Prayers” filled the hall. Couples bled out from the tables and onto the dance floor. Mai and Dale in the thick of it. The sexual energy of the two of them dancing together lit up the reception. Thalia would bet there was not a pair of dry panties in the house.

She drained her wineglass before she stood. The wine suffused her, a warm glow settling over her as she pushed aside thoughts of Amari. Raking her eyes over the crowd, she spotted Morgan and Eun chatting with Eli on the far side of the dance floor. She left her empty glass on the table and made her way toward the group.