Nancy and Aaron's bogus weekend

"Nance, I still don't think this is a good idea," I said as I navigated Wednesday's rush hour traffic in my truck. "You're the maid of honor for your friend, and you have to be there, but I wasn't invited; I'm a plus one."

"It will be fun. Besides, it would be helpful if you got to know Alice, as she'll be my maid of honor in two months. She's my best friend," Nancy said.

"I know, Alice. Your friend has never liked me. She's always cutting me up, treating me like shit. I could take indifference, but she goes out of her way to make me uncomfortable," I complained. "She probably doesn't want me there as well. Otherwise, she would have included me on the invite."

"You're overanalyzing," Nancy laughed at me.

"Maybe, but still," I questioned. "You're part of the wedding party. You'll be involved in the rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding. During the reception, you'll be at the head table, and you'll have to do all the cutesy dances, throwing the bouquet. You won't have time to spend with me. I'll be relegated to the company of strangers."

"Despite all that, I'll have time with you. You'll see. It won't be that bad," she said, putting her hand on my right leg. "It's a weekend away; her brother is putting us up at his condo so that it won't cost us anything."

I frowned. I saw nothing good in this weekend away.

When we pulled into Alice's brother's complex, the ride only took three hours. We parked in one of the unassigned spots. I unloaded the two suitcases. Nancy grabbed the garment bag. We walked to the unit. Nancy knocked on the door.

A minute later, the door opened, and a sizeable red-haired man hugged Nancy and said: "Nancy, how are you? It's good to see you again!"

Nancy added a cheek kiss to the hug and answered, "Michael, it's great to see you too! Let me introduce my fiancé, Aaron Hughes, Aaron, Michael McKenzie, Michael, Aaron."

I held out my hand. Michael reluctantly broke the hug with Nancy to shake my hand. "It's nice to meet you, Michael. Thanks for putting us up."

He crushed my hand, trying to play a mind game with me. "Yeah, no problem. It's nice meeting you, too. Any friend of Nancy's..."

He guided Nancy in with his arm loosely around her waist. I followed behind with the luggage, feeling like a bellboy in a hotel. Nancy and Michael were chatting about life in general. Mike gestured to the room we would be staying in, and I dragged the cases into the room. Nancy wasn't following me; she went into the kitchen with Michael after draping the garment bag over a chair in the living room. I put the bags onto the bed, returned to the living room, and retrieved the garment bag. I took it to the bedroom and hung it in the closet. I journeyed into the kitchen.

They each had a beer and stood in the kitchen leaning against counters, talking to each other about growing up and the 'old gang.' I stood next to Nancy and listened in. It took about a minute for them to realize they weren't alone.

"Oh hey, I'm sorry. Can I get you a drink, a beer, or something?" Michael asked.

"A beer would be great, thanks," I answered.

He opened the fridge and pulled out a cold beer. I opened it and drank out of the bottle. "Thank you; this is great after that drive."

"You're welcome. Help yourself. Was the traffic bad? The Baltimore-Washington turnpike can get messy," he said.

I felt better. I had a beer, and I was included in the conversation. "It wasn't messy; it was just a typical rush hour."

Nancy cut in. "Well, we made good time; I'm glad you were driving, though, Aaron. So, are there any changes in the festivities?"

Michael pulled a note from his refrigerator. It was a list. He started reading. "No, tonight's the rehearsal dinner in two hours. Wedding party only." He looked up as he read it. Nancy bit her lip.

He continued, "You'll probably head out with the girls for the bachelorette party tomorrow night. I'm chauffeuring the bachelor party as a favor to my sister. I have to ensure the groom is ready for 1 pm on Saturday. The best man is a little bit irresponsible."

Nancy asked, "Is there a way Aaron can attend any of these events? I asked him to be my plus one and feel like a heel now."

"The groom's family is hosting the rehearsal and the dinner, so I'd say that wasn't possible. The bachelor party, probably not, as Aaron doesn't know any of these guys; I think they're all dicks anyway. I'm only going to make sure the groom doesn't go to jail and can stand on Saturday; I'm one of the groomsmen. Aaron's a guest at the wedding and the reception, and that's it," Michael said, "Sucks. You could probably slip him into the brunch tomorrow."

"Hey, it's ok. I packed my laptop in my suitcase. If Michael lets me use his Wi-Fi, I'll get some work done," I said, trying to make them feel less uncomfortable and myself appear less disappointed.

"You could have stayed home and done work," Nancy said.

"I did suggest just that, Nancy," I replied.

"I'll fix you up with the internet. I've got some TV dinners in the freezer. I'm not much of a cook," Michael said. He was hard to read. He acted as if he cared or that he felt sorry for me.

"Hey, it's ok. I'll call for pizza delivery." I left the kitchen and went to the bedroom to retrieve my laptop and accessories. I carried the briefcase to the living room. I opened things up and found an outlet to plug my box into.

I overheard the muted conversation in the kitchen.

"I should have let him stay home. This is going to be a colossal bore for him. Your sister couldn't find any way to include him?" Nancy asked.

"Well, he doesn't seem like a bad guy, but my sister disses him all the time," Michael said.

"Well, I'll owe him big for this weekend. Shit, he told me this would happen," Nancy said.

After finishing my computer prep, I headed for the kitchen. Before getting there, I raised my voice to warn them I was coming; I didn't want things to get more awkward. "Yeah, I'll just need the name of your network and a password, or the name of the guest account, whatever," I said as I walked into the kitchen.

Michael pulled a piece of paper from a notepad on the counter and wrote the needed information.

Michael suggested that they had better start getting ready. The plan was that they would go in Michael's car to save me the drive, as Nancy couldn't drive a stick shift, and my truck had a standard transmission.

Nancy asked me to help her in the bedroom. We got there, and she closed the door. She hugged me. "I'm so sorry. You were right about everything. I should have come down by myself. Will you be ok?"

"Well, I'm not too happy about it," I said.

"I'll make it up to you next weekend," she said, kissing me.

"Sure, whatever," I said. "You better get ready; you don't want to keep your escort waiting," I said as I left the room, closing the door behind me.

"It's not like that!" she shouted as I shut the door behind me.

I went into the living room through the kitchen. I scooped a beer from the fridge. I booted my computer, put it aside, and waited. I nursed the beer. Michael had good taste in his craft beer. He probably was a good guy, but his sister, no, she was a bitch. She didn't like me; she didn't want me here; she was just being nice to Nancy and, in doing so, twisting her knife in me a little more complicated. Fuck her.

I listened to the sounds of them getting ready. My computer was finally on the login screen. After logging into Ubuntu Linux, I answered the query for network details. The computer connected to the internet. I sent the operating system to look for updates. It had been a few days since I'd used this computer. My work was stored on my home server, allowing me to retrieve it whenever needed. It made version control easy.

It was downloading updates. I was downloading my beer.

Nancy came out first; she wore a little black dress that looked good. She had a white shawl over her shoulders.

"Wow, you look great," I said.

"You're just saying that," Nancy answered.

"No, really, you look great. I hope you wear that for me sometimes." I stood up and walked towards her, and offered her a hug.

"Look, I'm sorry about tonight and tomorrow. For the record, I wouldn't be all glammed up if I knew you couldn't come to the dinner. I don't dress this way for anybody," she whispered as she hugged me.

"I'll survive," I assured her.

"Well, keep your plate clean for next weekend. I'm all yours," she said.

Michael had entered the living room; he paused quietly. When I realized he was there, I broke the hug and said. "Your ride awaits, milady. Shan't keep him waiting."

"Help yourself to more beer; the local Domino's has good pizza," Michael said.

I shook his hand; he didn't squeeze this time. "Thank you for your hospitality," I said to him.

I gave Nancy another hug and a kiss. "Have a good time. Give my regards to the Bride and Groom."

Nancy said. "Don't drink too much; I know how you can get when you get depressed."

"I'll be fine; just go; you don't want to be late," I said.

Finally, they left. I had the place to myself. I went online and ordered a pizza with chicken and bacon on it, topped with barbecue sauce. About twenty minutes later, the delivery guy knocked on the door. I gave him a twenty and told him to keep it.

I went back inside. I sat at the kitchen counter with my pizza and beer. Nancy was right; I was a bit depressed.

Nancy and I met in college at the University of Maryland, College Park. We were both computer science majors. She worked with AI, and my focus was cybersecurity. We weren't poster children for geeks. We were socially aware and stuff. We fell in love and graduated. She started work immediately at the company her father managed. He was working on me; I was doing temp work for the firm. I played the "red team" against the company's IT department. I was being paid to break into their network. When I started, they were very vulnerable to hacking. I had helped close a few holes. They wanted me as a permanent employee; I hesitated. Working at the same company as my wife and father-in-law would be awkward. I was looking for something else. I also had a residual income from a few security apps I had written. My resume was sound. I'm sure I could find work somewhere on the beltway.

Nancy's college roommate, Alice, never liked me. Alice and Nancy had known each other since childhood. At first, I thought she was a lesbian who saw me as competition for Nancy. Not that I have any issues with the LGBT crowd. Later, I realized that she didn't like me; I wasn't good enough for her best friend.

Alice had a beau, and they decided to get married after graduation. Their announcement led to our discussion about getting married. Alice and Nancy agreed to be each other's maids of honor. But Alice couldn't let shit go; she would do everything to make me unwelcome. First, she cut me off the guest list by name; it was Nancy plus one. Now there was a weekend of activity that I was conveniently excluded from. After Nancy and I get hitched in September, I'll feel a little bit better. I assure you that I'll be more cordial than the bitch has been to me.

I finished the pizza and cleaned up. I opened another beer and made myself comfortable on the sofa. I didn't feel like coding too much, so I surfed the internet instead. It was getting on to 11:30 pm--no sign of the celebrants. I put away my laptop. I cleaned up my presence in the living room. I put the empties in the recycling bin and went into the bedroom. It was time to call it a night. I fell fast asleep. After a long day, a tiresome drive, and four craft ales, I was sound asleep.

The problem about falling asleep too deeply and too quickly after drinking is that you will wake up having piss like a racehorse. I woke up suddenly, staggered to the bathroom, and drained myself. I'm not the most macho guy at night; hell, yes, I sit down. It's quieter, and I can't miss the bowl.

I noticed the bedroom door was closed; I had left it open.

While sitting there, I looked at my watch; it was 1:30 am, and Nancy wasn't back. Then I heard her voice; it was quiet, sounding as if it were coming from the other bedroom.

"MMMMmmmm, that feels good just like that," Nancy said dreamily.

"Oh, you like that?" her partner said. It sounded like Michael.

"You touch me just right," Nancy answered with a swoon in her voice.

"Your boyo doesn't please you like this?" He asked.

"He pleases me, just in other ways," she said.

"What, is he a needledick or something?" Michael asked.

"No, he's not small; he's just not huge like you," Nancy purred. "You can push my buttons."

I finished my trip to the potty. I quietly tiptoed to the bedroom door so that I could hear better. They were fucking each other; I could listen to the physical movement now.

"I wish he could fuck me as you do. I didn't know what I was missing until tonight," Nancy said.

Their breathing was escalating. I just wanted to die. My fiancé is fucking another guy. The guy was huge and athletic; if I made a scene, he'd probably kill me.

I continued to listen. I decided to leave. All my stuff was in my suitcase. I could quietly close it. It would be best if I could sneak out without giving myself away. I didn't want to face them or anyone else. But even if I couldn't get out secretly, I had to leave anyway; there was no longer any reason for me to be here.

I pulled my clothes on quietly. I stuffed the pillows, blankets, and such into the bed. It was not impressive in terms of special effects, but it did look like a body lying in the dark. I gathered my phone. I quietly zipped my suitcase. I carried it quietly to the apartment's front door. I had to avoid the trail of clothes and shoes they had left behind on their way to his bedroom. I listened to the mating couple; they wouldn't hear me with their noise.

I snuck out, quietly closing the door behind me. I finally took a deep breath. I started crying. I dragged my suitcase to the truck. I quickly drove away.

Nancy had enjoyed Michael's ministrations. They had finished the first round. They were whispering to each other. They were lying like two spoons. Michael was behind with his arms wrapped around Nancy.

"That was quite a party that the groom's family put on. Thank you for being my date," Michael said.

"It was fun. You were the perfect date," Nancy said, kissing his fingers.

"Before or after?" Michael asked.

"The whole evening," Nancy purred.

"What about..." Michael said.

"His fault; you primed me tonight. When we got back, I was going to fuck his brains out, but he's passed out in the other room," Nancy said. "He must have drunk about a twelve-pack by the looks of the recyclables bucket in the kitchen. He was useless tonight, tomorrow he'll have a major hangover, and he'll still be in his 'poor me pity party' mode."

"Nancy, those weren't all his empties. I think he only had four or five," Michael said.

"He was still passed out. I tried to wake him. Enough about him; I'm going to clean up, and I'll be right back. You be ready when I get back," Nancy said.

She went to the bathroom. As she sat there and thought more about the situation, she realized that Aaron didn't deserve all the shit she felt about him. Despite all the exclusion, he had been supportive and good-natured about everything. After the wedding, she would come clean about this one-time fling; next weekend, she would make things up to him. It wasn't as if they were married already, she thought. She finished in the bathroom. She went by the guest bedroom and quietly looked at Aaron; he looked comfortably sleeping off his drunk in the dark. As she closed the door and headed back to Michael's room, she tried to remember if the guest bedroom bathroom light had been on.

Nancy crawled into bed with Michael, and they resumed their lovemaking. This round lasted longer. They fell asleep together, wrapped in each other's arms. Her last thought before falling asleep was, "I have to wake up before Aaron."

Aaron had stopped at a convenience store and bought a large coffee and some donuts. The only positive aspect of driving this early was the lack of traffic. He had never drunk battery acid before, but he was sure the coffee was worse.

As he drove, he tore himself apart. His fiancée had slept with another guy. She did it right under the same roof where he was sleeping. Did she care? Did she care that he might have found out? Why didn't she just come down by herself if she was going to fuck around? But then he wouldn't know at all. How did she plan to make this up to him? Fuck that; their wedding was off. She didn't have to make anything up to him. And Michael, the hometown stud. He seemed hospitable enough. Aaron had started to warm up to him. I'm sure Alice would think the whole thing was just a hoot. Her brother had cuckolded Aaron.

Well, he wouldn't be working for his father-in-law. He wasn't going to work at that firm now; talk about awkwardness.

The sun was coming up when he arrived at his apartment. He was glad that he and Nancy had kept separate flats. Things were going to be awkward enough. It was just after 6 am. Hadn't she missed him yet? Did she sleep with Michael afterward? He undressed and went to sleep. Falling asleep was easy enough; the dreams were troubling.

It was 7 am when Nancy woke up. She woke with a start. "Shit," she thought, "what if Aaron was already awake?"

She looked over at Michael. He was snoring and drooling on his pillow. "Well, he's not 'coyote' ugly, but he did look better last night." She was reminiscing to herself about their lovemaking. She scolded herself, "Ok, girl, you slept with your childhood crush, not smart, maybe we get away with it, better go see what the damage is."

She crept out of Michael's bedroom and snuck down the hall. She quietly opened the door to the guest bedroom and slipped in. Aaron's still body was lying there. "If I can get in without waking him, I can pull this off. After we get home, I'll confess. I gotta make it through this weekend."

She slid under the covers at the edge of the bed. She lay there for a minute or two. "It's working," she thought. She thought she would cuddle with him, maybe wake him up, not for sex; she wouldn't be up to it, and he'd probably notice. It would be time to get up soon anyway.

She rolled over closer and put her arm around Aaron's sleeping body, "Hey, lazybones, are you going to get up?" When her arm sank into the padding that Aaron had stuffed into the bed, she realized that Aaron wasn't there. She screamed.

It was just after 8 am before Michael got Nancy settled. They were having coffee at the breakfast bar in the kitchen. Nancy had a steady flow of tears.

"Well, he must know," she said.

Michael asked, "You sure he was in there before we uh, uh."

Nancy cut him off, "He was snoring like a bear; I shook him."

"So, when did he wake up? How did he get up and out without us knowing?" Michael asked.

"No way of knowing if he heard us dissing him; I'm never going to be able to fix it," Nancy said.

"You think you can fix it?" Michael asked.

"I can try. Look, Michael, I spent my whole life crushing over you. You're still hot today, I thoroughly enjoyed last night, but sex isn't everything. I royally screwed up. The worst is that I badgered him to come this weekend. He told me that he felt unwelcome. If I had come alone and this happened, he wouldn't know. He knows; he may have also heard us trashing him," Nancy explained.

She continued, "We both work at my father's company. We were getting over the awkwardness. I'm screwed," She sobbed.

"You should call him. He might not answer, but he may. It would be a start," Michael said.

"You're pretty kind and level-headed about this," Nancy said.

"Look, I don't think badly of the guy. He came in with a bad rep, thanks to my sister. I didn't sleep with you to fuck him over. I was drunk, I was horny, you were there, and you were ready, willing, and able, and I also crushed over you a few times growing up. If I can do anything to help you fix this, I will." Michael said. "I'm going to start getting cleaned up for brunch."

Michael got up and headed to the bathroom to start getting cleaned up. "What a mess," he thought. "Nancy is lovely enough, but I don't want to be her rebound relationship."

Nancy opened up the contacts on her phone.

"That's Nancy's distinctive ring," Aaron thought as he woke up, "gonna have to change that." He sat up and pulled his cell phone from the cradle. "Should I answer it?" he questioned himself. He was going to have to talk to her eventually.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Aaron?" Nancy asked.

"Yes, this Aaron," he said.

There was silence on the line.

"Hello, this is Aaron. Is anyone there?" He said.

He was about to hang up, and Nancy began to cry.

"I'm so, so, sorry," she said.

"About what?" He asked. "Dragging me to a wedding where I was unwelcome and excluded, fucking your high school sweetheart in the same apartment, getting caught at it, talking dirt about me while you did or sorry that there's going to be a consequence to it. If you had been smart, you would have left me at home as I suggested, and I wouldn't know anything about it. Did you plan it that way, to humiliate me and hurt me? Did Alice put her brother up to this?"

"What consequence?" Nancy asked. She knew, but she had to hear it.

"Well, I don't see how we can get married now. I already know that I don't satisfy you in bed, or won't be able to now, as you put it, as you know what you'd be missing. Or did you plan on fucking around behind my back after we're married? I mean, how can I trust you?" I said

"None of this was planned. I tried to wake you up last night after we got back. It was late. I was drunk and horny as hell. Michael was there; yes, I crushed over him when I was younger; I wasn't thinking straight; I thought we'd have a toss. I planned on telling you after the weekend," Nancy cried. "Alice had nothing to do with this."

"So somehow, this is my fault. Your logic escapes me," Aaron said.

"It's my fault. I used Michael; he's not husband material for me. You are. How can I make this up to you? I want to fix this; I promise it will never happen again. It was a fling; it's out of my system," Nancy pleaded.

"I don't know; I can't imagine you'd forgive me if the shoe were on the other foot. I've been exclusive to you since college. We agreed to it," I said.

"You're probably right; I know I am asking a lot. If you can't right now, please don't just toss everything away until we sit down and talk," Nancy said. "What we had was nice. We can make it nice again. I won't make the same mistake twice."

"Well, you know where I'll be all weekend," I said.

"That isn't fair; you know I have a commitment here," she said.

"Whatever, Nancy. I'm sure your friend Alice will have fun with this one. Enjoy your commitment," I said as I hung up.

I got up and unpacked my suitcase. I hung my clothes up. I plugged in the laptop to charge. I brewed some coffee; anything was better than that convenience store coffee.

Sipping coffee, I shaved, brushed my teeth without toothpaste, and rinsed my teeth with the coffee. I took a Hollywood shower. My muscles were starting to loosen. I threw on sweatpants with a hoodie. I sought out breakfast. I had four slices of toaster waffles washed down with more coffee. I pondered the future.

I logged on to my computer. I fired off an email to Nancy's father. He probably wouldn't get it until Monday, as he didn't spend much time at the office on Fridays.

Mr. Williams,

In light of yesterday's situation concerning your daughter and me, I must resign immediately from my position in the firm. This resignation is voluntary and is not coerced by anyone. The company, under your direction, has been fair to me.

I appreciate your understanding; I apologize for the short notice. I will be happy to advise anyone taking over any projects that I have left behind. I will come in on Monday to submit my credentials and return the company property I was issued.

Sincerely,

Aaron Hughes.

Now, what to do with my free time?

Michael entered the kitchen. Nancy was still sitting at the table. "At least she's done crying," Michael thought.

"Did you get in touch with him?" Michael asked.

"It's not good. He must have woken up right after I stirred him. He heard it all; he quoted me. He probably snuck out while we were going at it; we probably wouldn't have heard him leave," Nancy said.

"And?" Michael asked.

"He says our wedding is off; he can't trust me anymore. I asked him if we could have a face-to-face meeting before he made up his mind, and he answered that I knew where he would be all weekend. I told him that I had a commitment here to fulfill. He told me to enjoy it, and he hung up," Nancy said.

"So, what now?" Michael asked.

"Well, if I head home, there's no guarantee, and I'll screw up other people's plans here. I can only hope he waits me out," Nancy said.

"Ok, but you better get cleaned up; we're expected at brunch. Too bad, I got Alice to open up and let Aaron come to the brunch. Now we'll have to do some explaining," Michael said.

Nancy left to get cleaned up.

Michael and Nancy kept a comfortable distance from each other. They caught up with everyone at the hotel where brunch was being held. When Alice joined them at the table, Alice broke the silence.

"Where's asshole? I mean, Aaron. I told you he could come to brunch," Alice said.

"Please, Alice, this isn't a good time for this," Nancy said.

"Why, what's going on? Does someone have butt hurts because I didn't want him at my wedding?" Alice said curtly.

"Alice, please control your inner bitch. Something terrible happened last night. Aaron left early this morning and went home," Michael said.

Feigning concern, Alice leaned into the table and asked, "What happened last night? I know you and Michael were pretty frisky and feeling no pain at the party after the rehearsal dinner. Wait, you two didn't..."

Nancy quietly looked up and said, "Yes, we did. And Aaron overheard us and left without a note or a goodbye."

Alice was quiet for a minute and burst out laughing. Other people were looking at their table. "I can imagine the worm waking up and hearing you; he probably jacked off listening to you. This is too rich. He's such a loser."

Nancy glared at her friend. "I'm glad you think this is entertaining. He drove home this morning. I spoke to him later, and our wedding is off. Alice, we've been best friends for a long time, but I don't understand how you can treat someone I love so callously. While you laugh at his misfortune and add to the pain that I caused, you're tearing me apart; aside from your feelings and our friendship, this is the man I was going to spend my life with; this is the man that made me happy," Nancy shouted. She stood up and threw her napkin on the table. She turned and headed out of the function room. She walked through the hallway and out of the hotel. There were benches along the front of the hotel. Nancy walked to the furthest one, sat down, buried her hands in her face, and started crying.

A few minutes later, Alice walked out, looking for her friend; the concierge pointed the way to the bench where Nancy was sitting. Alice sat down at the end of the bench.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed and carried on. I know I've been a bitch to Aaron, but I didn't realize what it was doing to you. I should have accepted him and been happy for you. I should have found a part for him in the wedding so he could have been part of things," Alice said.

"Why did you always hate him?" Nancy asked through her tears.

"When you first met, you were always busy with him, with studies and projects. I saw him stealing my best friend. I was immature and didn't realize I would find a beau or two and drift away from my 'joined at the hip best friend,'" Alice said. "Once I started, I couldn't let go."

"You were jealous of me?" Nancy asked.

"Not of you, of him. I wanted your time, your attention. I just saw him as competition, the enemy," Alice said softly. "If I had been any friend, I would have shared your joy. And despite my outburst, I am sorry, because I now know that you're hurting. What can we do?"

"I don't know; I asked him for a face-to-face. He said he would be home all weekend. I told him I still had a commitment here. He told me to have fun, and he hung up. I think he will dump me; the worst is that I deserve it. I trashed him in our pillow talk. He didn't want to come; I begged him to come as my plus one," Nancy said.

"And then I boxed him out," Alice said.

Alice's mom, dad, and John, the groom, approached the two women.

John said, "I wondered where you two ran off. What's going on?"

The group listened as Alice and Nancy told the story.

Alice's dad immediately took charge. He told them that he would be right back. He visited the concierge and arranged a small conference room with a phone. He directed the group to the room. He ran down Michael and brought him to the room.

"Ok, we have a quiet place without a bunch of people poking their noses in. We need to get to the bottom of this. I don't know how to fix this, but let's see if we can develop something. First of all, Nancy, are you staying or going home to face Aaron?"

"If I go back, it may not accomplish anything anyway. I committed to being the maid of honor, and I don't want to leave Alice in the lurch," Nancy said.

"Thank you," Alice said to Nancy.

"Nancy called Aaron earlier; he was pretty hurt and angry. Maybe I could call him and offer an olive branch and apologize for how I've always treated him." Alice offered.

Michael said. "I could talk to him, too. I took advantage of a situation that I shouldn't have taken advantage of. I'm probably the author of most of the trash talk he heard."

The dad said. "The wedding is tomorrow afternoon; it would be great if we could get him back here and make him feel part of things. I know the pain that Nancy and Aaron have will take time to heal, but we can try to make a start. If he spends the weekend alone, he'll probably never make up with Nancy."

"I will set the phone up for speakerphone, and we can call him together. The worst he can do is hang up on us," the dad continued.

They all agreed that it was worth a try.

The dad made the call.

Aaron was catching up on his "Mr. Robot" series on TV when the phone rang. There was no distinctive ring; the caller ID displayed a Maryland number.

"Hello," Aaron said.

"Hello, Aaron, this is Don McKenzie; we've never met, well, not yet anyway; I'm Alice and Michael's dad. My wife, Alice, Michael, and Nancy are here; we're on speakerphone. We've discussed what happened, and everyone feels pretty bad about how you were treated." I'm going to let the others talk now, but I'd like to invite you back as my guest."

"Aaron, this is Nancy. If you come back, maybe we can get a chance to talk. I know it's going to take time; I screwed up. I want you to know that I'm sorry for the breach of trust, for taking advantage of your good nature and putting you down. I was a real bitch; you deserved better."

"Nancy, what would be the point of my returning? What purpose would it serve? You'll be busy with all of the wedding stuff; despite Mr. McKenzie's offer, I'd still be the 5th wheel," I said.

"I don't suppose you want to hear from me, Aaron; this is Alice. Nancy and I exploded at each other this morning. She educated me somewhat on friendship. I didn't like you for stealing my best friend; I was being immature. Before I trashed you, I should have thought about my friend's happiness. I apologize for how I've treated you and for the things I've said about you. I'm begging here because I'm not going to be too happy on what should be the happiest day in my life. After all, I was party to destroying my best friend's engagement," Alice said while openly crying.

"I suppose I should thank you for expressing that sentiment. I wish we could have had that discussion a lot earlier," I said.

"We should have. I should have included you in the festivities. As Dad said, you're welcome to come back, please," Alice said.

"This is Michael. Dude, all I can say is I'm sorry. You seemed nice enough, but I got my alpha male bullshit running. I should have allowed myself to form my own opinion of you instead of relying on Alice's presentation. I seduced Nancy after getting her drunk. I took advantage of the fact that we had had crushes on each other during high school. You were sound asleep. We weren't thinking straight. Even so, there's no excuse, and there was no excuse for us to trash-talk you. You were the good guy, you came down here knowing it wasn't going to be a good time for you, and we all exceeded your expectations," Michael said.

"Michael, I don't know what to say; I don't. You all ask me to blow off what happened, and if I come back, you'll accept me to the party now that I've paid my dues or something. Wow, I didn't want to come to the wedding in the first place," I said.

Mr. McKenzie said, "Look, I know this was a crapshoot going into this call. You were generous to even talk to us. If you come down, you won't be bored; we'll keep you busy. I'm just trying to keep this mess from destroying my daughter's wedding; that's what a father does. Alice made a scene at brunch this morning; tongues are going to wag. There's probably nothing I can offer you to make it right; there's no magic rewind button. And I'm not without feeling about you and Nancy; you suffered a blow to your committed relationship, and avoiding each other isn't going to fix that. I'm not going to blow smoke up your ass and tell you that you'll kiss and make up, but if you fix the relationship, it will be much stronger."

Michael jumped in, "You can still crash at my pad."

"Michael, not to be harsh, but the rent is too expensive at your place; it cost me quite a bit already," I said.

"Point taken. I can't say I'm sorry enough," Michael said.

"Where will you stay? I'll stay with you," Nancy said.

"No, that won't do. You, your bride, and the bridesmaids will probably paint the town tonight. You probably already have other overnight arrangements, and frankly, having been the victim of your drinking before, I don't want to deal with you in that state. Or be responsible for hauling your hungover ass out of bed in the morning," I said.

"Ouch, I suppose I had that coming," Nancy said.

"I'll pick up your hotel; I'll see if we can get you in this hotel where everything is happening," Mr. McKenzie said.

"No need, I'll find something," I said.

"Then you're coming?" Alice asked.

"I'll be there in a few hours. I'll call you from the hotel lobby; what room should I call?" I asked.

Mr. McKenzie gave me his room number. We chatted; people said they were happy for me to come back and hoped things could be made right. I expressed optimism but felt it would be a wasted effort. We hung up.

I made a nice lunch, as I didn't know when my next real meal would be. I pulled up TripAdvisor on my phone and found another hotel next door to the hotel where everything was happening. I called. They gouged me a last-minute weekend rate. I told them I would check out on Saturday morning. I saw no need to stay after the reception.

I put together my case with fewer clothes than before. I hit the road.

After the conference call, the McKenzies and Nancy sat in the conference room discussing what to do. Nancy's phone rang.

She looked at her phone and announced, "I have to take this; it's my dad."

"Hey, Daddy. What's up?" She asked.

The room was small enough for everyone to hear the conversation, even though they politely pretended to ignore the call.

"Sweetheart, I'm calling to find out. I checked my email this morning, and there's a resignation from Aaron in my inbox. He cites that something happened between you two and feels he can no longer work for me. He was polite enough and gave me an out against a possible hostile workplace claim. What the hell happened?" He asked.

"Oh, Daddy, I messed up. I'm going to have to call you back. I need more privacy to talk about it," Nancy cried.

"Ok, but don't take too long; I have to take some damage control measures here," he said, hanging up.

Nancy put her phone down. Everyone looked at her. Alice touched her shoulder. "What happened? He called your dad and told him?" she asked.

"No, it's worse. Daddy had hired Aaron as a contractor to test the company's computer security. Aaron is excellent. The IT department wanted to hire him as a permanent employee. Aaron was on the fence about the job concerning our upcoming wedding; Aaron was uncomfortable about it. Daddy had hired me, and then was going to hire Aaron. Aaron thought it was not good, ethically. This morning, he emailed Dad, citing our breakup and no details, and quit the company. I need to call my father and explain things. This is becoming a train wreck." Nancy left the room crying and called her dad back from the parking lot.

Her dad restrained his anger; there was no point in making things worse for his daughter; she was already punishing herself enough. He thought getting Aaron back to the wedding was worth a try, but even he said these things take time to heal. He told her that he thought Aaron was worth the try. With everything going on with the nuptials, there probably wouldn't be the time and attention. He assured her that it was worth a try and that she could call if she needed to talk. She thanked her dad for his support. She went back to look for her company.

The McKenzies had returned to the buffet, and Nancy caught up with them. They all picked at their food. There wasn't anything to do but wait.

The weather was very nice. The traffic was horrendous. People were playing hooky or leaving work early for the weekend. Aaron tried to relax, but he got worked up on the drive. The hotel he had reserved was right next door to the other hotel.

When Aaron checked in, it was 5 pm. He decided to have a shower, shave, and change clothes. It was six before he called Mr. McKenzie from the hotel lobby. Mr. McKenzie invited him up to the suite where everyone was waiting.

When Aaron arrived, he nervously knocked on the door. Mr. McKenzie opened the door and ushered him in and shaking his hand. Alice, Michael, and Nancy were sitting in the suite's kitchenette.

"Aaron, I wish we could have met in much happier circumstances, but I can tell you're a hell of a guy for coming back, even if things don't work out. I don't think I could face any more drama about this wedding. Thank you for taking some of that off my shoulders," he said.

Mrs. McKenzie hugged me the way an aunt or mom would. "I hope things work out for you, dear; I appreciate your coming back and trying to sort this out. I thought my daughter's wedding was coming apart this morning. As mean as she has been to you, you didn't have to do this. And I won't even get into my son thinking with his dick. Thank you from a grateful mom and dad," she said.

Mr. McKenzie announced that he and his wife would head out for a walk and return in a little while, so the rest of us could continue talking.

I strolled into the kitchenette and leaned against the counter facing the three of them at the table.

"You can have a seat," Michael said.

"I'll stand; I've been driving; I've spent too many hours on the road today," I said.

The three of them struggled with the silence; hell, I wasn't ready to say anything.

Almost in unison, the three of them blurted, "I'm sorry," and stopped, looking at each other. I suppose if it weren't sad, it would have seemed funny.

"Well, that was different. Did you practice that?" I taunted.

Nancy was crying. Alice took the lead. "What can I do to fix things? I've mistreated you. I almost feel that I'm responsible for all of it. It's huge of you to come back. I know I don't deserve any consideration from you."

"Alice, there's nothing you can do except leave me the fuck alone. If Nancy and I patch things, I don't want anything to do with you. I'm not a tyrant to tell Nancy that she can't be friends with you. But I can't make this clear enough, and I hope you have a great life with your husband; I wish you well, but fuck you on making my life miserable and trying to push Nancy away from me. You've won; I hope you're pleased with yourself," I said.

Alice was in tears. "Are you going to try to patch it up with Nancy?"

Nancy was crying, searching my face for a clue. "That depends on Nancy," I said. "Other than the parade of 'sorry,' I'm not hearing or feeling much. You ripped my fucking heart out and stomped on it; I only hear words."

Michael stood up and offered me his hand. I kept mine in my pockets. He withdrew his hand. "In the risk of repeating what I've already said, I am truly sorry. I seduced your girlfriend. I got her drunk, partied with her all night, and brought her home primed. She did try to wake you. When you slept through that, she returned to the kitchen where I was having a nightcap. I poured her one, one thing led to another, and we were in my bed. I'm also sorry about the pillow talk; you're a better man, and I was trashing you. If I imagined I would fuck all of this up, I wouldn't have done it. My mom said it best. I was thinking with my dick. You're pissed, rightfully so; if you want to beat my ass, go ahead; I won't even fight."

"No need for that; I'll just let you worry about the outcome," I said.

Nancy finally piped up through her tears. "Guys, can Aaron and I have some space? I need to say something, too."

Michael looked at me, "You're not going to hit her or anything?"

"I don't worry about the alpha male, king of the jungle shit; I don't go around hitting people. If things don't work out, I'll say goodbye," I said.

Alice guided Michael to the balcony, where they had an animated discussion.

I stared at Nancy. She was uncomfortable meeting my eyes. She was crying.

"Other than I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. I can't explain what my thoughts were. After it happened, I tried to sneak into bed with you; I found out you'd left. I enjoyed the sex with Michael, even if it was wrong. I shouldn't have trashed you; you've always been good to me sexually. This was a one-time fling; I was stupid, Michael was just a pawn, and I used him. I got to live out one of my school-age fantasies. It wasn't worth it. You and I were building a life together, and I threw it away. After this, I'm not sure if I deserve you. I'm not going to beg, but I will ask you for another chance. We can postpone the wedding if you want, and I'll understand," Nancy said. "My father got your resignation. I've explained things to him; he's pissed mostly at me; he wants to see you on Monday. That's between you two."

"It's a start," I said. "I don't see us getting married in two months. I need to trust you again before I can think of the future. I'm still in shock."

"' Maybe' is better than 'no.' The irony is, I was going to come clean with you; I was trying to keep this from blowing up Alice's wedding weekend. I've been a jerk. I should have listened to you when you told me your concerns about her. I cannot imagine how stupid I was fucking someone else with you in the same apartment," Nancy said.

"I would have hoped that you would have said that about just plain fucking someone else, period," I said.

"It's going to take time before you'll trust me again. It's going to take time for me to trust myself again. Is it too much to ask for some time to sort this all out?" She asked.

"If you are honest with me, I can wait. You might be able to draw another guy in quickly, but I'm not moving on too quickly. I said.

"Ouch, I suppose I deserved that, too. I don't want another guy. I want you to be my guy when and if you're ready. But don't string me to punish me; let me know if it's not going to work out," she asked.

There was some loud noise at the door of the suite. Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie warned us they were coming in. Alice and Michael entered from the deck.

There was an awkward silence before Mrs. McKenzie said, "Girls, unless you canceled your soiree this evening, you'd better be getting ready. Michael, don't you have to do something with the groom?"

They all looked at me. After our discussions, they probably felt bad about bailing on me, but that was how it would be. I played it off. "Hey, you all better get a move on; I'm taking any heat for you missing out," I said.

Nancy said, "I'll see you tomorrow at the church." We touched hands.

Alice gave me a hug that gave me chills, bad ones. "Thank you for being so understanding." She and Nancy headed out. Michael offered his hand to me; this time, I took it. "I meant what I said; you're a better man than I. I hope this works out for you two; I'd like to be your friend." He headed out.

I thanked Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie and went to leave. Mrs. McKenzie said, "Wait a minute, what are your plans for the evening?"

"I was going to grab some dinner and head to my hotel; it's been a long day," I said.

"Well, you can have dinner with the groom's parents and us downstairs in the restaurant, our treat. We appreciate you putting your feelings aside and helping us out. We thought for sure that Nancy would pull out, and then Alice would want to postpone," Mrs. McKenzie said.

Mr. McKenzie added, "We promise not to push vis-à-vis Nancy anymore. We can head down now and have a drink at the bar until the Williams arrive. It's the least we can do. Do you know how much money we would have lost if it all fell apart?"

"Well, I accept your dinner invitation purely on its mercenary nature. It was better than the Big Mac I was planning," I joked.

We were having some drinks in the bar when the groom's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Williams, joined us. They told me their first names, but I still called them by their proper names. I felt more comfortable about it. After tomorrow, I would probably never see them again.

After introductions, we still sat at the table in the bar. "I apologize for being direct. I don't see how we can ignore the elephant in the room. I understand you're Nancy's fiancé or was. Nancy had a meltdown with Alice. Our son, John, shared some of the details with us. I don't appreciate this drama; it's unnecessary," Mr. Williams said.

"Well, sir, I don't appreciate the drama as well. The bride and I are not exactly the best of friends. I had originally tried to beg off, but Nancy insisted I come. I came knowing that I would be excluded from just about every event, but I came because of Nancy. I wish I had stayed home. Nancy could have sown her wild oats, everyone could have had a better time, and I would be blissfully ignorant of the goings-on. Trust me; I don't need the drama, either. I have told Nancy that our wedding, which was scheduled for two months, is either postponed or canceled. I'm not the guilty party in the drama."

"Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie asked me to come back as their guest. They thought Nancy and I would be better for it. They expressed that otherwise, they thought Nancy would bow out, and Alice would want to postpone. Pardon me for being direct as well, I thought I was doing a favor, but if you want to give me, pardon my French, any shit about it, I can leave now," I said.

Mrs. Williams touched Mr. Williams' arm. "No, we don't want you to leave. My husband doesn't know all the details. He's lashing out at the wrong person for his frustrations. Thank you for coming back and helping hold this weekend together," she said.

Mr. McKenzie laughed and said, "I think we've slain that elephant."

Mr. Williams smiled and said. "I'm sorry for being so abrupt; I can see you're a victim in all this."

I gave a half-smile and said. "Yes, that's true, but tomorrow after the vows and the wedding cake is devoured, your stress will be negligible, and mine will start growing. So, you'll understand why I was terse with you."

Mr. Williams reached his hand across the table, and we shook. "I understand, and let's enjoy the evening; enough of the stress and unpleasantness. " He said.

"Amen," I said.

Everyone laughed, and the mood shifted.

We had a few drinks at the table before the maitre d suggested moving to the dining room. We had a delightful dinner and talked about each other's jobs.

Mr. McKenzie asked. "You resigned from your job, didn't you?"

"I felt I had to. It is worth noting that Nancy was working for her father's firm. I was hired as a contractor to test the security of their computer networks. It's been a good gig. I've helped them tighten up their defenses. They wanted to hire me as a permanent employee. When Nancy and I became engaged, I was nervous. Everyone expects you to hire your kid, but I didn't think I would be accepted as the boss's son-in-law."

"Now you can imagine how uncomfortable I would be if Nancy and I decide it's over," I answered.

"Well, what are your plans? You can't just quit one job without landing another first," Mr. Williams said.

"I have some residual income from the intellectual property I've sold. I have a cushion. Once I clear my exit interview, I'll start looking for new work. I wanted to break from the current company and give them a clear resignation so that they wouldn't get negative thinking that I might come after them for a hostile work environment," I said.

Mrs. McKenzie said, "That's ethical of you. You probably could have filed a lawsuit, and they would have paid a lot to keep that under lock and key. I hope Nancy and her father realize that."

Mrs. Williams said. "If you patch things up, would you go back to work there?"

"No. I don't think so. It was uncomfortable before; it's never going to be comfortable now."

Mr. Williams asked, "So are you going to forgive her, take her back?"

"We haven't had time to discuss it seriously. We had a few minutes this afternoon, and then everyone went out for the last hurrah festivities," I said.

Mr. McKenzie said. "I would have insisted that my daughter include you in things. I honestly wasn't aware of the game she was playing."

"Water under the bridge; I'd rather not dwell on any of this right now. It's for Nancy and me to work out," I said.

We had finished dinner, and the wait staff suggested we move to a table in the bar. So, we resumed our discussion there.

Nancy, Alice, the bridesmaids, and some other girls were on their way to a popular male strip joint for Alice's last "night of freedom." Although the alcohol was flowing in the limo, Nancy was refraining. She couldn't afford another lapse of judgment. A couple of the other attendees chided her about it.

When they got to the club, they got a table right up at the front, right off of the dance floor. The girls were rowdy. Alice insisted that Nancy have a drink to help lighten up a little. Nancy acquiesced. One followed it, and then another.

When the floor show started, the girls were almost out of control. Alice was escorted to a chair in the middle of the dance floor, where it was announced that this was the night before her wedding. She was treated to the entire dance troupe dancing for her, touching her, and making her feel them. She was embarrassed but laughing through it. Afterward, they gave her a tiara to wear for the rest of the evening.

The male strippers were walking through the audience. They were stirring up the crowd. Occasionally, they would give someone a table dance. At one point, a dancer, a very muscular-looking man wearing a towel around his waist, stopped at the girl's table. "Getting married tomorrow, babe?" he said to Alice.

"Hell, yeah," Alice said.

"So, introduce me to your crew because you'll be no good to me after tomorrow," he said.

Alice drunkenly introduced the girls, "... and last but not least, this is my maid of honor, Nancy."

The dancer started dancing in front of Nancy. Nancy was embarrassed, but he continued grinding closer to her face. He dropped the towel and pulled Nancy's face into his pelvis. Nancy put her hands up to his hips, trying to push him away. "Stop," she laughed nervously as she finally pushed him away.

The dancer laughed and danced away, "If you change your mind, baby..."

One of the bridesmaids had caught two pictures of Nancy with her face in the dancer's crotch and her hands on his hips. It did not look like she was pushing him away but pulling him in. The evening progressed, and the ladies, including Nancy, got inebriated.

Two of the bridesmaids were in the bathroom. They were gossiping and reviewing the pictures on the camera while touching up their makeup. The images of Nancy were there. The girls were laughing. "Didn't Alice say something about Nancy's date?"

"Yeah, she hates him. She gave me his cell number if we got anything good on Nancy. Those pics look pretty good."

The other girl took the number and texted them to Aaron's number.

They were laughing about it as they returned to the table.

The partying continued.

We were sitting at the table in the bar when my phone chimed. I said, "sorry," and looked at my phone.

I didn't recognize the name, so I opened the message anyway. There were two pictures of Nancy giving a dancer a blowjob. I sighed.

Mr. McKenzie asked, "what is it?"

"Someone named Susan Ricker just sent me this message; I put the phone on the table." They were all equally horrified.

"Susan is one of the bridesmaids. Why would she do this? Mrs. McKenzie said.

"How did she get my cell number," I asked. I had an idea. Alice. What the fuck?

Mr. Williams said, "Don't jump to conclusions. Those parties get wild. It means nothing."

"Whatever, why did someone need to send it to me? Haven't I had enough bullshit for one day? I'm sorry, I've got to go." I stood up.

Mrs. Williams said. "You're in no shape to drive. Go back to your room, and sleep it off. Come to brunch tomorrow. We'll get an explanation."

"Fine. I'll see everyone tomorrow." It was anything but fine.

I walked to my hotel. Ironically it was easy to sleep.

When the ladies were done carousing, they returned in their rented limo to the hotel. Nancy and two other girls were passed out. Alice and the others were reliving their night out.

Alice said, "Did you see Nancy struggle to get away from that face fuck?"

Susan opened her phone's gallery and said, "Yeah, I got two pictures; it didn't look like she was struggling."

Alice looked at the pictures in horror. "You have to delete those."

"I sent them to that guy you wanted to embarrass. The one you told me a couple of days ago," she said.

Alice looked at her friend in horror. "Shit, that was before things changed. That guy was Nancy's fiancé. Some shit happened, and they broke up, mostly my fault. I offered a truce and asked him to make up with Nance. He was out having dinner with my parents tonight because I had excluded him from everything else," Alice said, crying.

"You never told me that you changed your mind. You told me to catch something embarrassing and send it.' Susan said.

Alice said. "I know, I know, it's not your fault. It's mine, all mine. Fuck, I just totally killed my friend's wedding." She started weeping.

The rowdiness in the limo came to an end. There was nothing to talk about.

With the help of a valet, the girls got the passed-out girls to their rooms. Alice was going to put Nancy in her room. There was a note on the door from her mother. "Need to see you tonight!"

They arranged Nancy on the bed. They left her, and Alice went to her parent's room. She had an idea of what the topic of discussion was.

Her mother opened the door to the suite and ushered her. Her father was sitting at the table.

"Did you have fun?" He asked.

"We were having fun," Alice said.

Her mother said, "There's a lot of leeway in these stag parties. Most people would leave the details at the club. Taking pictures is very gray, but then sending the pictures to someone else..."

"Look, a lot of shit happened today. I've been a bitch to Aaron, I know. I've hurt my best friend because of that hatred. A few days ago, I asked Susan to get something that would embarrass Aaron; I gave her his phone number. I forgot to tell her not to. She told me on the ride home. Nancy doesn't know; she was passed out on the ride; she's asleep in my room."

"Did she really give that man a blowjob in the middle of the club?" her father asked. "We saw the pictures. Aaron was about to die. He was going to drive home; he was in no shape. We asked him to stay over and come to brunch tomorrow."

"She didn't give the guy a blowjob either. He gave her a private dance because she was the maid of honor, and he pulled her face into his crotch. She was pushing him away," Alice explained as she burst into tears sitting at the table. "What room is Aaron in? I'll go and try to explain it to him."

Her mother patted Alice's head. "He's not in this hotel; he didn't take our room offer. We don't know where he's staying. I think the best thing to do is to try and get some sleep. We'll try to shore things up in the morning," she said.

Alice left her parent's room and returned to hers. She undressed and crawled into the bed with Nancy. She snuggled in like a pair of spoons. Nancy involuntarily cuddled back in her sleep.

"I'm so sorry, Nancy; tomorrow, you probably will hate me forever," she cried. Nancy kept sleeping.

When Aaron woke up, he had a clear head. He set up the room's coffee pot and brewed some coffee. He dreaded today. Until his phone message the previous night, he did have a good time with the Williams and the McKenzies. They were friendly people. He couldn't figure out how the McKenzies could have such a bitch of a daughter, probably the little princess, the baby of the family. Well, today, he would be done with the lot of them. He would attend the wedding and the dinner portion of the reception afterward; he was heading home. There wasn't a point in staying. He slowly cleaned up; he had a few hours before the activities would begin. He would be checking out of his hotel and heading over for brunch.

Nancy woke up first; her head was killing her. She scolded herself as she said she wasn't going to drink. She'd chase it with ibuprofen and coffee. She realized that she was in Alice's room cuddling with Alice.

"Hey, we need to get up. You're getting married today," Nancy joked as she shook Alice.

Alice groaned. "What time is it?"

"We've got a couple of hours to be presentable for brunch. No time to waste, Mrs. Williams," Nancy laughed. "This was the last of our sleepovers, girl."

Alice was waking up and remembering the night before. This was worse than any hangover.

"I'm glad I moved my stuff to your room yesterday; God knows where your brother is," Nancy said.

"Nance."

"Yeah."

"Please come sit with me. I have to tell you something," Alice said quietly.

"I know, we've been best friends, and we can still be after you get hitched," Nancy said.

"Please, I have to tell you something else. It's terrible," Alice said, a tear running down her face.

"You're knocked up?" Nancy said.

"Nancy, please let me say what I have to say," Alice said.

"Ok. What do you have to tell me?" Nancy asked as she sat down.

"Before the rehearsal dinner and the big fallout, I was going to fuck with Aaron. I asked a couple of the girls to catch you in an embarrassing situation and get a picture. We had the big blowout and then the talk, and I said I'd lay off Aaron," Alice said.

Nancy smiled at her friend, "It's in the past, girlfriend, no blood, no foul."

"Wait, let me finish. I didn't tell the other girls; I forgot. Susan got a picture of you when that dancer tried to face fuck you," Alice said.

"So, we'll tell her to delete it, no big deal," Nancy said.

"Can't; she already sent it to Aaron," Alice said.

Nancy was trying to process this news. "She couldn't have; how did she have his number?"

Alice started crying. "I had given it to her before."

Nancy stood up and walked to the window. She stared out. She didn't want to be there. She wanted to be a million miles away. It was definitely over with Aaron. She was going to leave, but she decided to be the bigger person.

"After today's reception, I never want to see you again. I'll live up to my commitment, and we're done. You have destroyed any hope I had to repair my relationship with Aaron. Because of your bitterness towards him, I've lost a fiancé and now a best friend." She went into the bathroom and started the shower. She soaked for a while. After brunch, the wedding party was going to a salon for final touches, so she didn't do too much styling of her hair and makeup. When she was finished in the bathroom, she went back to the bedroom and put together her outfit for brunch. Alice had left the room. Just as well, Nancy thought.

Alice walked to her parent's room, crying the whole way. Her parents were awake, drinking coffee.

Alice's mom read the situation right away. "You must have told her," She said, hugging her daughter.

"She's very upset. She told me that she would perform her duties today, but after the reception, she never wants to see me again," she sobbed into her mother's shoulder.

Her father wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter.

Nancy sat in the hotel lobby, drinking coffee and trying to read the newspaper. She couldn't focus, but the newspaper was a good prop. She wished she had listened to Aaron and let him stay home. He still would have gotten that picture, though. Michael entered the lobby and sat down in a chair across from her.

"About now, you probably hate all of us," he said.

"Not all of you. Hate is a strong word; let's leave it at I'm furious," she said, making eye contact.

"My mom called me and filled me in. She would like to meet with you in her room if you would," he said.

"Well, she and your dad haven't fucked me over, so I suppose I could. I'm trying to avoid your sister; it's difficult sharing a room when you want to kill someone," Nancy said.

"I better see you to the door then; I don't want to be an accessory to murder," Michael said.

They took the elevator.

"How did the bachelor party go?" She asked.

"I got the groom back alive; he will be hurting. His groomsmen are in tough shape. They got time to work it out. I'm sorry for what you've experienced," he said.

"Bones heal, Blood dries, suck it up, buttercup," Nancy said. "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger."

They arrived at the floor and walked to the suite. Michael knocked on the door; when his mother opened the door, he said, "Found her. She was sharpening knives in the kitchen," Michael said.

His mother gave him a cross look at his attempt at humor. "Thank you. We'll see you later," she said. "Please come in, Nancy."

After she entered, Mrs. Mckenzie closed the door.

"It's just the two of us. You're probably feeling alone now. I wanted to tell you how brave I think you are. I can see why my daughter always had you as a best friend. After everything that's happened and her misguided anger towards your friend, Aaron, I can understand why you want to just cut your losses. I'm aware of the party, the stripper, the pictures, and Aaron. We were with Aaron when he got the message. I know you weren't blowing the dancer, and I hope to get the bridesmaids and other attendees of the party together to tell Aaron what happened. I honestly think he was more upset that someone had sent him the pictures; he thought it was another of Alice's mean tricks after they had made peace the day before. Well, it was a mean trick, but it was set up before the ceasefire. She forgot to call it off."

Nancy was crying. "It's over for me. One weekend, I lost a fiancé and a best friend, then had to explain to my father what a slut I was. He lost a prospective employee."

Mrs. McKenzie hugged her. "Your father will think no less of you. I'll help Aaron with last night. You and Alice will have to work the rest independently."

"I need to go be by myself for a while; I'll see everyone at brunch," Nancy said. She let herself out.

Aaron had walked across the parking lots to get to the hotel. He saw Michael in the lobby. Michael saw him. Michael got up and met him, offering his hand. Aaron shook his hand. "I'm glad you didn't skip town, though I wouldn't blame you if you did. I'd be out of here if my parents wouldn't disown me. This celebration is floundering worse than the Titanic."

Michael gestured to the seats. They sat next to each other.

"For starters, Nancy wasn't giving blowjobs to dancers at the club," Michael said. "My sister wanted to get something to upset you; she arranged with a couple of girls to get something embarrassing and send it to you. She planned it last week. Yesterday, when we had our warm and fuzzy talk, we put away the weapons discussion. She had forgotten about it."

"One of the dancers gave Nancy a private dance at the table because she was the maid of honor, and he pulled her face into him. Susan got a picture of it and then, like an idiot, sent it to you. Nancy passed out on the way home. Susan briefed Alice on her successful trick. Alice explained it to my mom and dad in the wee hours. Nancy was not aware of any of this until this morning. She told Alice that she would play her role until the reception, and then she never wanted to see her again. Everyone is crying, and the damn wedding hasn't started yet," Michael joked.

"I should have stayed home this weekend, but it probably would have caught up with me. So, does anyone have a plan? This is going to be torture," Aaron said.

"Can I take you to brunch, Aaron?" Michael asked.

"I think that's a wonderful plan. Let's go," Aaron said.

Aaron and Michael entered the line for the buffet, and the server checked them off the wedding party list. They made it through the line and looked for a table. Michael suggested that they sit with Nancy, who was sitting by herself.

Michael approached the table first, hiding Aaron behind him. When he was behind Nancy, he said, "Pardon me, miss, but are all these seats taken?"

Nancy almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Michael and Aaron following close behind. She had a hopeful look in her eye. "Please join me; I seem to have lost my friends," she said.

They sat down, Aaron to her left and Michael to her right. Michael excused himself and said he had to go to the little boy's room. Nancy and Aaron knew it was a ruse but didn't protest.

"I'm sorry about the message you got last night," Nancy said.

"I am, too, but a credible source told me that what was seen and what happened are sometimes different. You also didn't send the message. You were set up on my behalf," I said.

"Would that be a credible source that went to the men's room?" Nancy laughed.

"I think he's trying to perform penance for past transgressions," I joked.

"Should we forgive him?" She asked.

"I don't know. Let's see how much we can milk him for," I suggested.

"On a serious note, where do we stand?" Nancy asked quietly.

"No worse than before last night; we can talk if we can get away from this toxic environment," I said.

"Thank you; it's more than I had hoped for this morning," she said with a smile. "You should know that Alice and I had a major falling out. I told her I never wanted to see her again after the reception."

"Never is a long time," I said.

"Yesterday, that was the sentiment you expressed as well," she said.

Michael came back from the restroom. "So, what have you guys been gossiping about? Is this a boring wedding or what?"

The three of us laughed and ate. We lounged at the table, making multiple trips to the buffet. We saw most of the wedding group, but they left us alone.

Mr. McKenzie asked me to accompany him, as he had something to discuss with me. I looked at Michael. He shrugged his shoulders; he didn't know what was up. I excused myself and followed him to a small room off the hallway. In the room were most of the bridesmaids, Mrs. McKenzie, and Alice. Mr. McKenzie excused himself after I entered. "Thank you for coming in, Aaron. Things sometimes can't be fixed; sometimes they can. We have to try at least," Mrs. McKenzie said. "Those who hurt you want to apologize anyway."

Alice approached me and hugged me, crying on my shoulder. "I'm sorry for being a bitch to you. I set that mess up last week before everything went down, before we had a peace agreement. Everything's my fault. In the stupid game I played, I lost just about everything. I want to tell you about the picture message you got last night."

"I already know. I believe it. There is no reason to repeat the story. All of the witnesses can take leave and go have brunch or go somewhere else; this is nerve-wracking enough without an audience."

They started to leave. We continued when it was just Alice, her mom, and me.

"I'll buy that you forgot to call off the attack; the cease-fire still stands. Can we get through today without any more bullshit?" I asked.

"We can try. Can I ask for a few favors? I know you don't owe me anything," Alice said.

I jumped into my best Godfather impersonation. "You come and ask a favor, and I will grant this favor. And someday I may ask a favor of you, and this day may never come, so accept this favor of my happiness on your wedding day."

Alice looked confused, but her mother was shrieking with laughter. "That was so scary; I don't know, honey; I wouldn't want to be that indebted to anyone."

Alice said, "Ok, I'm lost."

Mrs. McKenzie told Alice, "You had to have seen the movie. Aaron, that was priceless."

I said, "What is it, Alice?"

Alice asked quietly, "Can you forgive me for all the crap I've given you since I met you. I am truly sorry; you are a much nicer person than I thought."

"We can work on it," I said.

"Thank you, can you forgive Nancy and give her another chance?" She asked.

"We are already working on that," I said.

"Can you help me get my best friend back?" She asked.

I paused, "Let's go. I know where she is right now," I said.

"Are you sure?" She started crying.

"Sure, I know where she is," I said.

"Are you sure she'll want to see me?" She said, sobbing.

"I'm not sure of that, but life is a gamble. Let's go," I insisted.

We left the conference room and headed to the dining room. Michael and Nancy were still at the table. Michael gave me a worried look when he saw Alice with me; I was practically dragging her. I shoved Alice into the chair I had been sitting in and pushed my plate and cutlery aside. I looked at Michael. "Michael, do you think it's too early for a beer? My treat, I think I owe you a couple."

"Damn right," he said, getting out of his chair as fast as he could. We walked into the bar.

After putting down a couple of drafts, Alice and Nancy strolled into the bar, looking more like friends. Alice said, "We all have to go get gussied up now. You two better not get shitfaced and miss the wedding."

Michael belched and said. "I wouldn't want to miss it for the world."

Alice looked at me and said. "You better dance with me at the reception."

"You'll have to ask your best friend first," I said.

Alice looked at Nancy, who smiled back. "Only if he dances with me first."

They walked out arm in arm.

Michael and I had a third draft. We were starting to get silly.

"You know, Michael, we should do this more often," I laughed.

"What, are you out of your fucking mind or something? It's like dancing on landmines out there," he said.

After finishing our round, we headed out of the bar, laughing as we went.

The parents of the groom had arranged hotel shuttles to the church. Michael and I boarded the van with a few other guests and headed to the church. We weren't inebriated, but neither of us was feeling any pain.

When we arrived at the church, Michael had to excuse himself to change, as he was one of the groomsmen. I walked into the church. I sat on the bride's side but in the last pew. There were a few other guests in other pews; they were quietly talking amongst themselves.

The church was adorned with the usual wedding trappings: white ribbons on the reserved pews, white flowers on the sides at the end of the pews, and white flowers throughout the altar area.

The groomsmen started performing their duties as ushers, escorting arriving guests to pews.

When Michael was escorting his mother, she stopped at my pew and insisted I come up and sit in their reserved family pew. I followed Mrs. McKenzie and Michael to the pew. Mrs. McKenzie and I took our seats. Michael returned to his usher duties.

"I couldn't leave you sitting back there by yourself," Mrs. McKenzie said. "You might have tried to escape again."

"I think I'm in for the duration now," I joked.

Mrs. McKenzie said. "The girls all turned out glamorous at the beauticians. It's pretty stressful in the bridal prep room. I couldn't help in any way, so I came out. I appreciate you're keeping me company."

"My pleasure," I answered.

"Pardon me for being nosy, but what's going on with you and Nancy? Anything definitive?" She asked.

"We've been able to talk a little bit; we'll talk more. I think we both want to work it out," I said.

"Well, that's a good start. I'm sorry things were pretty hard on you this weekend. You're a real champ for putting up with us. I saw this whole thing coming apart," she said.

The church was filled, and most of the guests were seated. The minister led the groom and best man out and staged them on the altar. The other three groomsmen marched up the side aisle and lined up to the left. The organist was playing an interlude.

The three bridesmaids, followed by Nancy, walked up the middle aisle, taking their places on the minister's right. Nancy looked beautiful in her outfit. Her hair was positively breathtaking.

The organist switched over to the wedding march, and Alice and her father started walking up the aisle. They reached the altar. John shook Mr. McKenzie's hand. Mr. McKenzie hugged Alice, then sat down on the other side of his wife. We gave each other a nod and a smile.

Nancy took Alice's bouquet and helped her with her veil. Alice and John turned to each other.

The minister led the couple through their vows. The rings were blessed and placed on fingers. The minister declared them husband and wife. When John kissed Alice, the guests stood and applauded.

The guests were invited to leave the church and wait outside. The photographer wanted to take a few staged shots of the bride and groom before they left the church. I left Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie and headed to the sidewalk with the others. "We'll see you at the reception, right?" Mrs. McKenzie asked.

"Yes, I'll see you there," I reassured her. I think she was worried that I was leaving right away.

When the bride and groom finally made their way out of the church, they were blessed with rice. They entered their limo and left. The bride and groom's families had a limo waiting for them, as did the groomsmen and the bridesmaids.

I got in line for the hotel shuttle. It wasn't that long before I was back at the hotel and in the reception room. The receiving line started, so I went into the guest line. I congratulated Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie. Alice gave me a big hug and introduced me to the groom. I don't think he put things together; a lot more on his mind, I'm sure. I fist-bumped the best man and told him he did a great job. I hugged Nancy and told her I'd see her later during the reception. Mr. Williams gave me a crushing handshake.

"Glad you stuck around. There's a little gathering after the reception, after the kids leave. I want to invite you if you can make it," he said.

"I'd planned on driving back tonight. I've already checked out of my room," I answered.

Mrs. Williams chimed in, "We'll have at least one room free for the night. That would be Alice's room. Please stay, it's been a long weekend, and we can all at least relax and socialize before we all head home."

I finally agreed to stay. Things, for the most part, had worked out. I didn't want to seem stuck up or anything. I could enjoy a few drinks as well this way.

I sought out the seating chart. It was filled out before the cease-fire. I told myself that it wasn't as if they sat in me in the kitchen or hallway. I had four other guests at the table, a man and his wife, and two other men that I later discovered to be a couple. We all made pleasant small talk, describing our relationships with the bride and groom. The wait staff ushered us to the buffet line first. A consolation prize, I guess.

The dinner and dessert were perfect. The toasts began; nothing earth-shattering was revealed. The cake was cut and served. People were up and socializing, hitting the bar. We were called back to our seats by the DJ, who started the dances. We got through those without any casualties.

There was the bouquet toss, the garter toss.

The wait staff managed to clear the dinner tables. I was alone, sitting at the table as people headed to the dance floor. I was feeling a bit put out and bored. I turned, and Nancy was standing beside the table.

"What's a girl got to do to get a dance?" she asked.

I stood up and asked, "Would you like to dance?"

"I've been waiting all weekend, please," she said.

We went out onto the floor. It was a slow dance, so we got to embrace and were able to talk despite the din.

"I hope you weren't too bored," she said.

"No, not terribly; it was a real experience," I said.

"I don't want to bug you, but where do we stand? Alice and I made up. I think she is growing fond of you now," Nancy said.

"I've already forgiven you, Nance. I want to ensure we are ready to take the next step in our relationship," I answered.

"Thank you, I was so worried that I blew it all away," she whispered. She responded by tightening her hug on me. If I didn't know better, she might have popped a tear.

We danced another dance, and then Alice tapped Nancy on the shoulder and asked to cut in, "Just one dance, Nancy, and I'll give him back. Nancy agreed and went to get a drink from the bar.

"I can't thank you enough. I apologize about the seating arrangement; it was another detail I failed to correct," she said.

"It's fine; we got to eat first, didn't we?" I said.

"Ok. I don't want to pry or push, but are you going to forgive me and, more importantly, Nancy?" she asked.

"I had already forgiven Nancy and told her so a few minutes ago. I said I wanted to take a little time to ensure that we were both ready for the next step; I think she's on board with that," I said.

For that, I got squeezed. "And for you, you little minx, I suppose if we keep our ceasefire, I can forgive you if you forgive me; maybe someday we can even be... friends," I said.

"I'd like that. But what do I have to forgive you for? I was the bitch," Alice said.

"You thought I was stealing your best friend," I explained. "If we had talked about it earlier, maybe we wouldn't have gotten so antagonistic to each other."

We finished our dance, and she handed me a room card. "This is for room 562," she said.

"You were just married, and you're giving me your room key?" I asked.

She jokingly punched my arm. "Don't be a jerk. Mr. Williams said you needed a room tonight and told me to give this to you. It was my room, but I have other plans for tonight," She laughed.

I caught up with Nancy. We had a drink before returning to the reception. The bride and groom were working the crowd, thanking people. They were getting ready to disappear. Alice and Nancy had a big hug interrupted by tears and good wishes. The bride and groom left the reception and headed to parts unknown.

The crowd was thinning. We got to socialize with the McKenzies and the Williams.' They told us that they expected us to stay afterward. Mrs. McKenzie, Mrs. Williams, and Nancy left for the ladies' room. Michael approached, offering his hand, which turned into a bro hug. Neither one of us was feeling any pain.

"Jesus Christ, I didn't think we were going to make it there," he said.

"Well, fate finally smiled on us," I said.

"Are we going to stay in touch?' He asked.

"Why not?" I asked. We swapped phones and entered each other's contact information into our phones.

We laughed. The ladies returned from the restroom, and Mr. Williams said we could all move into the bar area. There were a few holdovers from the reception. I gave Mr. McKenzie and Mr. Williams my business card at their request. I wrote my cell phone number as I told them I was moving on from that position.

Mrs. McKenzie said she was glad I stayed as she didn't fancy me driving home late after the reception. Nancy said she was glad I stayed, now that the pressure of everything was off. Nancy asked me if I would give her a ride home the following day. I said ok, as it wasn't my nature to strand her away from home. She kissed me goodnight and said she was heading to her room. The Williamses and the McKenzies wished her a good night, and she headed off.

After she left, Mr. McKenzie told me, "If you let her get away, you're going to regret it the rest of your life."

"I can't disagree with you," I said. "It's late. I told her I would give her a ride home tomorrow. I want to say how nice it was meeting all of you; I'm glad everything finally worked out."

Mrs. Williams said, "Breakfast at nine."

I got up to head to my room. I got hugs and handshakes. I exited to the parking lot to retrieve my bag and brought it into the hotel. I rode the elevator to my floor. I got off and went to my room. I inserted the key card into the lock, opened the door, and walked in.

Nancy was standing in the room.

"Alice and Mrs. McKenzie set this up. If you aren't ready, I understand. When they told me, I was willing to take the risk," she said. She gestured to a champagne bottle chilling in an ice bucket. "The Williams' and the McKenzies sent up the champagne."

I stepped further into the room and hugged her. I was met with a kiss. I returned it, and it became a passionate kiss.

When we took a break for air, I suggested we have some champagne. I managed to open it without shooting either of us with cork. I poured the glasses, and we sat close together on the sofa in the room. We clinked our glasses together and sipped.

"Mmmm, that's nice," I said.

"A nice nightcap," Nancy said.

"It's finally quiet," I said.

"It gives a chance to talk. Where do we stand?" Nancy asked.

"Nance, I forgive you. I'm not insulted; I want to ensure you're happy with me. I'm having trouble with the conversation I overheard, though. I don't want to get married and find out that I'm failing you," I answered.

Nancy clutched my free hand. "I love you, and you're great to me. I couldn't ask for better. I was so drunk and stupid when I said those things. Yeah, it felt good, but I barely remember it now."

I squeezed her hand. "So, you've sown the wild oats and are ready to settle down?" I asked.

"I think so. We can postpone things if you want; I want you to be sure, too. I don't want you always to be suspicious of me," she said.

I topped off our glasses and said. "Fair enough; you tell me when the wedding is." We clinked our glasses together and shot them.

Nancy looked at me and said, "It's been a long day; I don't know about you, but I'm bushed."

"I'm happy on the sofa," I said.

"You don't have to. We can sleep together if you want," she said softly.

"I wouldn't mind cuddling, but I'm not up for much else; I'm pretty wiped out myself," I answered.

"I wouldn't say 'no' to cuddling; I can understand your not wanting to do anything else if you think it's too soon," she said somewhat sadly.

I said. "No, don't take that wrong; I meant that if we're both tired."

She interrupted, "Oh, ok, I thought you meant something else."

"No, not at all; I just don't want to show you a bad time," I said. "I'll probably be self-conscious about that for a while."

She hugged me and kissed me. "We could get more comfortable in the bed," she said.

I stood up and offered her a hand. She turned with her back facing me. "Help me with the zipper, please?" She asked.

I unzipped her dress. She walked to the bathroom. "I'll be right back," she said.

I undressed to my boxers; I folded my clothes neatly on the sofa. I turned down the bed and stretched out on top of it. I heard Nancy washing up in the bathroom. A little while later, she came out and joined me on the bed. We cuddled like spoons with my arms around her.

"Thank you for coming back and giving me another chance; I'll try not to let you down," she whispered.

"You won't let me down. You've been my anchor since I lost my parents. I can't tell you how lonely I felt, though. I don't have too many friends," I said.

I don't know what the future will bring, but after we survived that weekend, I think it will be a great one.