“I can’t wait until this effing wedding isover. I wish we’d just eloped.”
“Alex being a PIA again?”
Emily grabs my glass and downs my drink.
“You’d think he’s the goddamn bride. He’sdriving me nuts. I don’t like that color, the centerpieces are toobig, my shoes hurt,” she whines, mocking him. “Do you know how manypairs of shoes I’ve suffered in? Countless, but I never complained.I swear to God he cries like a little girl sometimes,” shegroans.
I motion to the waitress for two moredrinks.
I wait for Emily to finish her rant. Shehuffs and puffs a minute more then she relaxes.
“What’s up with you?” She slips a pair ofsunglasses on, Dolce and Gabbana cat eyes; the ends of her long,dark hair flipping in the summer breeze.
I shrug, and stare back down at my phone’sscreen.
“Alana, spill. I don’t have patience for thepitiful little rich girl act this morning.”
“Ouch Em.”
She winces, “I’m sorry. I’m juststressed.”
“Maybe you and Alex should get away for a fewdays, just the two of you. To remember why you’re doing this in thefirst place.”
“Well, when did Ally McBeal go all DearAbby?”
“Shut up, I’m just trying to help,” I kickher under the table.
“Ouch! I know!” she laughs. “Maybe we’ll dothat, it sounds like a good plan. Even if we just spend the nightin a cabana,” she cocks an eyebrow behind her dark sunglasses.
I look away.
“Okay, out with it. Trouble with MagicMike?”
Oh how Emily loves to joke about that.
“Sort of,” I bite my lip.
Over the last few weeks I have been remindedover and over that Ryan is a sex god. Like living, breathing,walking sex. And that would be fine if I had even a fraction of theexperience he’s had. But the reality is, he’s the only guy I’veever been with minus the disaster in college. So that doesn’treally count.
“What, are you afraid it’s not going to begood or something?”
“I’m afraidI’mnot going to be good.That I’m going to be some pathetic lay compared to the women he’sbeen with.”
“Nonsense,” Emily says assertively just asthe waitress drops off our drinks. “Let me tell you something aboutmen. They like innocence. They like inexperience. It makes themfeel like they own you. But in a good way. A protective, caring,shielding kind of way. It probably puts Ryan over the moon knowinghe’s the only one you’ve ever been with.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t really know that,” Imutter. We never did pick up the evil demons conversationagain.
“Keeping secrets in your relationship cuz, Idon’t think Dear Abby would approve.”
I rub my temples, all stressed out.
“Want a little advice?” Emily asks, as shetakes a lazy sip of her orange drink.
“I’m not sure,” I answer tentatively.
“I’ll give it to you anyway and you decidewhat to do with it. Don’t be scared. Show Ryan who’s boss, then lethim break you down. Let him know you can be strong and confidentand still be vulnerable in his arms. It’ll drive him fuckingnuts.”
I ponder this.