“Of course.” I moved my laptop to the side and saw as the door opened, and Chase walked inside. He had two beer bottles in his hands and a shy smile on his lips. I smiled at him.

“How are you, babe?” Chase sat near me on the bed, handed me a bottle and I took it.

“Fine. Thanks to Jenny. She was my guide because I was lost again. And she helped me to pick a perfect present for Lily and John.”

“Yeah, she told me. What about this Justin guy?”

“Oh God, Chase!” I laughed and glanced at him. Unfortunately, he was serious. I shook my head. “It was just an interview. He might be my chief editor if he will choose me among other candidates. But for now, I don’t know anything for certain.”

“Jenny said you called him handsome.”

“Well, because he is. He is known among the publishing public. He is wealthy and single. He had the reputation of a playboy, so I know that if I work for him, I will need to be careful around him. And I will think about it; once I will receive the offer.”

“He sounds just like Drew.”

“It’s not fair! He’s nothing like my college’s ex-boyfriend. Justin Wilson is a mature guy, and he radiates power and confidence.” I gulped down a good amount of beer. “And Chase, I had no desire to talk about him anymore. Maybe I saw him for the first and the last time today. I don’t...”

“Rebecca, relax. You are too timid. I know that you were hoping to find a job from a very first try. Now, you are nervous because it’s not how things are developing. And I believe that I know you very well now. So I am sure that the idea of coming to this particular wedding is scaring the shit out of you.”

“I am dying from two very different feelings. I want to go there and to celebrate the wedding of a very important person to me. But I also don’t want to go there, because I will certainly see all of these people I had no desire to ever see in my life.”

“Babe, I am sorry. But you are a very strong girl. I know you. You were through a lot of shit, but you didn’t break, you stayed true to yourself. And believe me, all of us, who are close to you, admire you for that. Try to focus on the bright side of this. You will see Lily and Kate with Tim.”

I knew that he was right. But I had a similar experience when I came to Kate and Tim’s wedding. It went not so good. I was furious at myself because I let my guard down. I don’t want to repeat this situation. No matter what.

“Chase, I am so happy to have you and Jenny by my side. Thank you for all the love and support you are giving me. As soon as I find a job, I will find my own place to stay.”

“I love you, baby girl. But stop talking bullshit. You don’t have to move out that soon. You are welcome here.”

“You know, we, girls, we love gossiping. And I know that you want to have a baby.”

“Jenny...” He laughed heartily.

“Uh huh. Right now, I am not bothering you. But maybe very soon, Jenny will be pregnant, and it will be a wise decision for me to leave you two alone.”

“You know, pregnancy it’s not something that happens just by a wish.”

“I know.” I placed my bottle to the floor and leaned to hug Chase. “I love you, Chase. You’re like a combination of a big brother and best friend in one person. I have no idea how I would have been able to cope with everything in my life if I hadn’t met you.”

Chase hugged me and kissed the top of my head, before standing up from the bed. He went to the door and stopped, leaning on the door frame.

“Is famous Logan Jones planning to come to the wedding?”

“Dunno. But the bride is his little sister, so I am sure he will find the time.”

“When was the last time when you saw him?”

“At Tim and Kate’s wedding. Philadelphia Eagles just drafted him.”

“He’s fucking amazing. The results he was showing for the past two years... Damn! And let’s not forget about his parade of hot girlfriends. He’s mostly dating models, right?”

“The fuck I knew about it?” I stared at Chase. My smile faded away.

“You’re such a bad liar sometimes. Logan was your best friend. And let’s not forget that you were always attracted to each other.”

“First. Yes, he was my best friend. Was. Not is. The last time when I talked to him was at this wedding four years ago. Second. He helped me a lot. But he was Drew’s best friend since they were toddlers. He chose him. Not me. And I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Why were you needed to ruin my good mood?”

“I want you to think about your past. And to find your peace with it. Because until you would be able to let this situation go, you won’t be happy. If only you had already done that, you would have come to this wedding, holding your head high. You’re an amazing woman. After Drew, you were in a very happy relationship twice. Your boyfriends were worshipping you, and they loved you.”

“But none of them wanted to stay with me.”

“Rebecca, this is ridiculous. For example, your last relationship with Cody.”

“What about him?” I folded my arms before my chest.

“He wanted to marry you. You know that. I know that. He was planning to propose to you. Until you gave him that nonsense that your life in Miami is far from what you’ve been hoping when you came there. And you were talking about it for months. Poor guy realized that you and he didn’t see your future the same. That’s why you broke up. That’s why I almost forced you to move to New York. Did you want to change the scenery? Be my guest. But Rebecca, start living again. You’re a plain copy of your past self.”

With that, he closed the door behind his back and left me alone. I was lost in my thoughts. What he said was cruel. What he said wasn’t pleasant. But unfortunately for me, he told the truth. I might have been married to Cody. I loved this guy, but like always, it wasn’t enough. He was a writer and very promising. We had a lot in common, we were good in bed, and we understood each other perfectly. But he had this plan for his life, which he made when he was graduating from school. He followed it every step, without giving some of his ideas a second thought. He wanted to find a girl for a serious relationship at 23 years, and he met me. He wanted to start living together at 24, and we did that. In a year, he wanted to propose to me. At first, I was finding this very funny and went along with it. But with time, I was becoming more and more annoyed by it. So when he told me that we need to get married not later than we both will be 26, I cracked. I told him everything that was buried deep down in my head. That I didn’t feel that I was satisfied with my life in Miami, that I wanted more from my job. We tried to talk. To discuss things thoroughly and a lot. But nothing helped. And we broke up.

I didn’t want to talk about it with mom or dad. They both liked Cody. And I especially didn’t want to talk about it with Kate. She was dreaming about coming to my wedding, and I just ruined her plans. I wanted to talk to someone who won’t be judging me, and I called Chase. The outcome of this talk was that now I was living with him and Jenny. I was hoping to find a job and myself because I was lost and for a very long time already.

I stood up from my bed and walked to the mirror. Yeah, I looked beautiful. My body was always as a guitar, but now even more impressive than it was when I was back in college. I guess my life in Miami did the trick, and I had round hips, but very long and thin legs, I had toned abs and round boobs. A few times, I even participated in photoshoots as a fitness model. Tanned skin and straight nose with full lips. I heard people calling me gorgeous. But when I looked at myself, I knew only one thing. My emerald eyes were emotionless, and I saw the tiredness in them. Shit! Chase was totally right. As always.

I didn’t look as happy and cheerful Rebecca. I looked like a person who had seen better days in her life. Not surprisingly now, that I hadn’t received any job offers. They all needed people with fire in their eyes, who will be enjoying their work. While I look, as if I didn’t enjoy my own life at all. I need to take a grip on myself. And I need to do it in one week.

I will go to my hometown on Wednesday. I will stay with my parents for one day. Then I will go to Lily’s hometown. The wedding was planned for Saturday, but Lily asked me to come on Thursday. I promised to stay a little longer after the wedding, this way I will spend my time with Kate and Tim. I missed them both. I wanted to go back on Thursday. A week after my arrival.

For now, I could only hope that everything will go according to the plan. And I will be able to stay away from these two persons, who I was dreading to see. Drew Milton and Logan Jones. The first one, because he broke my heart, and our relationship ended with a huge bang. Yeah, I was able to talk with him, and we even parted our ways on a good note, but it was a long time ago. I had no idea what was on his mind now. The second one, because he chose Drew over me and now was just some famous quarterback, who I knew in my past. Ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend. That’s who they were for me and will be forever.