Part 10 (2/2)
We open all of the RSVPs and take note of who is coming and who ”regretfully declined” by checking that box on the paper. Some of Jace's older relatives who aren't healthy enough to make the trip declined as we already knew they would. When I open the RSVP from Becca's mom, I start laughing.
The checkbox for Regretfully Decline was checked and then scratched out and the box for Joyfully Accepts was checked. In small lettering at the bottom of the paper, Becca's mom had written: s.h.i.+T I'm sorry, I checked the wrong box on mistake. Of course I am coming! Love you!
”Your mom is so scatterbrained,” I say, placing her RSVP to the side. It is definitely going into the wedding memories sc.r.a.pbook that I swear I'll get around to making one of these days.
”Tell me about it,” Becca says. ”She bought you a wedding card the other day and was totally confused when I told her she already bought a card for you like two months ago. Now she'll probably give you both of them since she can't choose which one is her favorite.”
My phone rings and since Becca is closer to the coffee table, she hands it to me, sing-songing the words, ”It's your lover-boy.”
I'm laughing at how stupid she is when I answer the phone.
”Hey,” Jace says. He sighs. ”I'm at the airport and I'm confused as s.h.i.+t.”
”What does that mean?”
”I've been waiting for his flight, number 4572, and it just landed but I can't find Park. I watched everyone who came out of the plane and then I've been standing by the baggage claim and he's not here.”
”Did you try calling him?” I ask.
”Like a million times. His phone goes straight to voicemail.”
”Are you sure you have the right flight?” I know my questions are pointless because I'm sure Jace has already thought of them, but I ask anyway.
”Yeah,” he says, his voice dejected. ”He had emailed me his flight information. This is definitely the right place he should have landed. I even asked some of the other pa.s.sengers who walked by. I don't know where he is, but I'm thinking he never got on this plane.”
”Wow...” I gnaw on my bottom lip and Becca gives me a curious look. ”What are you going to do?”
”I guess I'll stay around a little longer. Maybe I missed him somehow. I'll keep trying his phone. Part of the reason I called you was to make sure my phone is still working because I was starting to think maybe the problem was on my end.”
”Good luck, babe.” I try to think of something comforting to say. Jace isn't like me. He's not going to jump to the conclusion that Park is dead, lying in a ditch somewhere outside of the airport in California. ”I'm sure he'll show up.”
”Thanks. I'll call you later and let you know what's up. I love you.”
”I love you more,” I say, smiling in an attempt to make him feel better.
”You wis.h.!.+” he says right before he hangs up.
Becca frowns when I tell her what just happened. ”I know he's Jace's best friend and all, but what kind of friend just doesn't show up when they're supposed to?”
”Maybe he missed his flight?” I say with a shrug.
”I don't know who this dude is, but he better get here in time for the wedding or I'll have to kick his a.s.s for ruining my best friend's big day.”
”You look scary when you're making threats,” I say. ”Remind me not to be late to my own wedding.”
”You better not be late. I'd hate to have to kick your a.s.s on your wedding day.” She pulls out a folded piece of poster board and flattens it on the floor. Five circles with ten squares around each circle have been drawn on what I now recognize as a handmade seating chart. ”Now that we have the RSVPs, we can seat your guests.”
”I've always thought this was kind of weird,” I say, looking over the hand drawn layout and trying to picture what the venue would look like. ”Can't we just let people sit where they want to?”
”Apparently not,” she says, pointing at the wedding planning binder I had left on the coffee table. ”It seems stupid to me too, but we have to do it.”
After the pointless endeavor of placing people in chairs based on how well they know and/or like each other, we sit back and admire our seating chart. There's a head table at the front of the other tables and that's where we'll sit. It's small, with only room for me and Jace in the middle and then Park and Becca on either side of us. I like having a short wedding party. We haven't decided where to put my brother. I think he'd like sitting at the head table with us, but I also think he'd rather sit next to Mom and David. I make a note of it so I can call and ask him later. But for now, we've knocked out one more task in the great list of things to do for a wedding.
Jace gets home around lunchtime. To our disappointment, he arrives alone. His phone is clutched in his hand and I've no doubt that he's been trying to reach Park for the whole drive back.
”I wonder what happened to him?” I ask, barely getting the words out before Jace plants a kiss on my lips.
”Something must have happened. Maybe his truck broke down on the way to the airport. And I guess his phone broke at the same time. He wouldn't just ditch...something happened.” He moves past me toward the kitchen and grabs a slice of leftover pizza from the fridge. I cringe when he bites into it cold. I so can't eat cold pizza, but Jace loves it. ”What are you girls up to?”
”How are you being so casual about this? Aren't you afraid your friend is dead?”
He gives me a look like I'm crazy. ”He's not dead. Something obviously came up, but it wasn't death.”
”How do you know that?” I ask, hands on my hips.
He takes a huge bite of pizza. ”Because I have faith that things will work out just fine. They always do.”
As much as I want to argue his logic by bringing up every possible bad thing that could have happened to prevent Park from catching his flight, I decide to keep my mouth shut. If we still haven't heard from Park in twenty four hours then I'll allow myself to freak out. After all, Jace knows his parents and would probably be the first person they called if something bad had happened to him. This comforts me a little.
Just before the three of us are about to leave to get dinner, Jace asks me to leave the room. He has this sneaky smile on his face so I know he isn't mad at me, but I frown and question him anyway. ”Why do I have to leave?”
”Because the maid of honor and I have some wedding plans to discuss,” he says, not missing a beat. ”I'd totally let you stay if you weren't the bride but...alas, you are.”
”Fine, fine,” I say, pus.h.i.+ng myself out of Jace's lap. ”Don't take too long. I'm starving.”
”Love ya,” Becca says, grinning like a goofball.
I make a big show of slumping out of the room and into my bedroom. I think seriously about pressing my ear to the door to eavesdrop on any information I can overhear, but then Jace is one step ahead of me. He turns up the volume on the television until all I can hear is an incredibly loud episode of The Simpsons.
While I wait, I slip into the closet and admire my wedding dress. It stays locked up in a black garment bag, but sometimes when Jace isn't around, I take it out and stare at it on the hanger. I'm too scared to touch it or mess with it, so I leave it on the hanger. The last thing I need is to smudge dirt on it, or snag it on a hangnail or rip off sparkles or something.
As I stare at the folds of fabric, I try to imagine myself wearing the gown in exactly six days from now. My hair will be fixed, my makeup will be flawless. I stare down at my raggedy nailsI've been neglecting my cuticles like crazy. But soon, they'll also be perfectly manicured. I will be all fixed up and painted and primed into the most beautiful version of myself.
Then I'll get to marry Jace.
This is all so freaking surreal.
”Knock, knock,” Jace says from somewhere just outside of the closet. ”Are you staring at your wedding dress again?”
”Yes! Go away!” I shout, frantically grabbing the garment bag and zipping it closed. ”You can't see it!”
I hear him slump against the wall next to the closet door. ”That thing must be really pretty with how often you stare at it.”
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