"Hello, doll." I smiled at Julie as I opened the door for her. "I didn't know you were coming today." I moved out of her way to let her in.

"I stopped by on the way home." She walked past me with a bag in her hand. "I wanted to bring Maya a present."

"Why?" I closed the door behind her.

"I saw it in the window." She held up the bag. "I thought she would like it."

"You bought her something just like that?" I frowned.

"What kind of friends do you have?" She laughed. "Yes, I just bought her a present because I thought she'd like it. Is she in her room?" She nodded her head to the room.

"Not anymore." I said as the door started to open and Maya walked out.

"I didn't know you were coming today." She walked over to us and hugged Julie. "What's up?"

"I just stopped by the way and brought you this." She reached out to her with a bag and a smile on her face.

"What is it?" Maya took the white bag in her hand and looked inside. Her smile fell immediately. "Julie, you did not." She looked up at her.

"I was thinking maybe you could wear it to the wedding."

"Wedding?" I frowned. "What wedding?" Maya didn't even look at me, she just looked at Julie in disbelief.

Am I missing something here? What are they talking about?

"Julie, I was joking about going there. I was drunk."

"What wedding?" I asked again but got no answer. Am I invisible?

"I bought you an outfit, so too bad. You're going to go there and show him what kind of woman you've become. And all that without him." She raised her head proudly.

"Julie I..." She looked at the bag again.

"I'm sorry to disturb you two, but what wedding?" I raised my voice and they both looked at me. So I'm not invisible, that's good.

"Maya's father is getting married again," Julie answered me.

"David?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Dave, and yes." She corrected me.

"When did you want to tell me about it?"

"Sorry?" She snorted. "Why should I? Plus, I wasn't planning on actually going there." She looked at Julie. "I hope you bought one for yourself to go with my dress, because there's not the slightest chance I'll be going there alone."

"Unfortunately, I already have something, so..." Julie, with her hands clasped in front of her, turned to me with a smile. "Do you have a suit?"

"What?" Maya and I said at once.

Julie laughed. "We'll get you something don't worry." She patted my shoulder.

"No." I laughed. "I'm not going to a wedding. I don't like weddings." I shook my head.

"Nobody invited you." She frowned at me. "Julie, you're crazy if you think I'm going to take Acker there." She pointed her finger at me.

I should probably take that personally, shouldn't I?

"You don't have much of a choice, that is unless you want to go alone. Your brother certainly isn't going, and I doubt you'll find anyone crazy enough to go to your father's wedding with you, where you're going to cause a scandal because you're going to be bored." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Then I won't go there at all. Problem solved." Maya shrugged.

"Oh, no, no, no. Don't even think about it." She pointed her finger at her. "You're going. And so are you." She looked at me. "No objections."

Maya and I exchanged glances.

Maya spent her last days on the couch or in her room. She barely spoke a few words to me since I gave her a massage. Maybe I crossed the line. But it was just a crappy massage and it's not my fault she moaned.

It's not like I didn't hear her moan before, but this time I was way too close to her body.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need a shower and a bed." She walked up to Maya and kissed her on the cheek. "I want photos." She pointed to the bag before leaving the apartment.

We were both standing in the hallway looking at the door where Julie had disappeared.

"We're not going to that wedding," Maya spoke after a while. "She's not out boss."

"Exactly." I nodded.



Why can't I just say no to Julie?

I've been pacing all over my room for a few minutes now with my cell phone in hand and Dave's number on the screen.

The wedding is in two days, so there is a possibility that there won't be room for us.

And when I say we, I mean me and Acker.

I really hope that with this phone call I will only confirm that we are not going anywhere.

I dialed his number and put the phone to my ear. It rings.

Maybe he won't even pick up. I'll take that as a sign.

"Yes?" I heard from the other side.

Shit.

"Hi." I got out of myself. "It's me, Maya." I said since I'm sure he doesn't have my new number that Acker got for me so the stalker can't text me. But since he knows where I live, I don't think it will help in any way.

"Maya." He said in surprise. "Hi."

"I wanted to ask if..." I grabbed the back of my head, regretting every decision that led me to this. "I know this is last minute but... Is the wedding invitation still valid?"

"What? I mean... Sure. I was hoping you'd come." I could hear the relief in his voice. "I'm really glad you called. You're probably the only one. "Will you bring someone?"

"Yes. Could you write me the address? So I know where to go."

"San Jose. If you still live in Seattle, maybe it would be best if you slept in a hotel. Or you could come over. Abby wouldn't mind."

"Hotel is cool," I said quickly. "I'll find something."

"Okay, I'll send you the address as soon as possible."

"Great."

"I'm really glad you're coming. We have a lot to talk about."

"Sure. I have to go so..."

"Oh, of course. I'll see you at the wedding."

"See ya." I forced myself not to say Dave at the end of the sentence.

"See you Maya."

I hung up and threw the phone on the bed, next to the dress that Julie had bought for me.

It's beautiful and one of the reasons I'm even going there in the first place. It would be a pity to not wear them.

I turned from the bed and started walking towards the door. I found Acker in the living room. When he noticed me, he looked up at me. "So?"

"We're going to San José, so we'll leave tomorrow and sleep in a hotel."

"All right." Surprisingly, he didn't say anything else.

"I guess we should find you a suit. You can't go in that." I nodded my head at his jeans and black T-shirt.

"Bummer." He stood up from the couch. "I've never really needed suits. That's Killian and Kai's thing."

"I really can't imagine you in a suit." I measured him and stared at his toned body for a little bit too long.

"I look hot, that's all you need to know." He smiled.

"Sure." I snorted. "Let's buy you something." I went back to the room, took my purse and threw my cell phone and wallet into it. I went back to him and found him standing by the door with a bouquet in his hand. "How long was I gone?" I laughed and walked over to him. I looked at the flowers. "You didn't have to."

"They are not from me." He said between his teeth.

"You don't say." I rolled my eyes and reached for the note he was holding.

I'm sorry about your apartment. I got carried away. But you do that to me. You drive me crazy.

"How sweet, don't you think?" I raised an eyebrow. "He apologized."

"Maya." He said sternly.

"Just kidding. He's a psychopath." I snatched the flowers from his hands and put them on the counter with the note. "Let's go." I slipped past him and headed away from the apartment.

*****

"Wait here." I stopped Acker as we entered the suit store.

He obeyed me and I went to the front desk where I rang the doorbell. Before long, a familiar face appeared from behind the curtain.

"Maya." Maggie smiled at me. "It's good to see you."

"Hello, Mags." I smiled.

"What can I do for you today?" She leaned her elbows on the table.

"I need a suit."

"Oh I have one just for you." She straightened up. "It has a corset you will love."

"No." I laughed, shaking my head. "Not for me. For him." I nodded my head at Acker, who was standing by the ties on display and admiring them.

"Oh." She measured him with a glance. "Good catch." She winked at me and before I could say it wasn't like that, she yelled at him. "Hey handsome!"

Acker immediately looked up. Egoist.

"Let's try on a suit on you." She smiled. "Elliot, front tablet!" She shouted behind her and motioned for us to go to the back rooms.

We followed her into one of the three private rooms.

"You can sit down while I get his measurements." She pointed to a sofa and I sat down while Acker stood in front of the mirror, on a smaller circular plinth. "What suit do you two have in mind?" She asked as she took a tape measure from a drawer by the wall.

"We're going to a wedding, so if you give us a choice, we'll find something." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Anything it should have? Color, a tie?" She walked past me to Acker.

"Anything you can fit on him, Mags."

"I'm Maggie, by the way." She smiled at Acker.

"Sebastian." He said and Mags started taking his measurements.

I saw her competing with his large chest and had to bite my lip to hold back a smile. She looked incredibly small next to him. It made me wonder if I look like that with him too, since I'm not much taller than her.

"I'll bring some suits you can try on and we'll adjust them if they don't fit you." She said when she was done. "Wow." She whispered as she walked past me. "That's a piece of man."

I shook my head with a laugh as she disappeared.

"She is nice," Acker spoke and I noticed he was looking at me through the mirror in front of him.

"Keep it in your pants, Acker."

He laughed. "Sure. So your father." He turned to me. "Who is he marrying?"

"What do I know." I shrugged my shoulders. "I haven't seen him in a few years." It was a wonderful couple of years without him telling me I ruined his life.

"Theo mentioned something like that."

"Really? What...." I didn't have time to finish as Mags appeared in the doorway with the first suit in her hands.

"Try this one while I bring more." She walked up to him and handed it to him. She pointed to the cabin and smiled.

"Sure thing." He winked at her, which only made me roll my eyes. Flirt.

"I don't know where you got him, but I want one." She patted my shoulder and left again.

Meanwhile, while Acker was getting dressed, I walked around the room and found a few ties and bow ties on display. I can't imagine either one on him.

"I think she wrote down my measurements wrong." I heard Acker behind me.

"Why do you think that..." I turned to him and stopped mid-sentence. Oh Mags, you little fox.

From here I could see how tight his suit pants were. I struggled not to look directly at his crotch where I could see the outline of his cock.

Get it together, Maya.

I cleared my throat. "I guess she did." I ran my hand through my hair.

Is it me or is it starting to get a little warm here?

Mags came with more suits, now a little less tight. He tried on every single one of them and I have to say, it's good that he doesn't wear a suit daily. It would be too much of a temptation.

I mean seriously, how can a suit look this good?

"Shit," I muttered under my breath as he came out of the booth wearing a black suit with a black shirt. The fabric looked soft from a distance and I had to struggle not to go over to him and grab it in my hands.

"I'll take this one." He spoke.

"Good choice." My voice skipped unintentionally. "I'll tell Mags we're done here." I quickly stood up and almost ran to her.

"Picked one?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"Too bad, I wanted to see him in something tight again."

"Mags." I nudged her side and she just laughed.

"So you two are together or what?"

"What?" I laughed. "No." I shook my head. "No way."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Really."

"That's not what I was getting from the way he looked at you. You were undressing each other with a look. It was so hot in there that I was waiting for you two to hop on one another."

"He's my brother's best friend." I feel like I say this all the time.

"Uh, that sounds like an excuse." She pointed her finger at me. "Brother's best friend is not a disease."

"Mags..."

"It's none of my business, I know." She laughed. "But you two as a couple? I don't know which one of you I'd like to sleep with."

"I don't think Max would be thrilled about that," I mentioned her boyfriend with whom they have been dating for a few months.

"Oh please." She waved her hand. "We have an open relationship."

"Didn't he beat up his friend because he was flirting with you?" I frowned.

"Yeah and it was sexy. Seeing him fight for me." She smiled. "Possessive and all that."

"You are playing with fire."

"Oh, I know." She bit her lip. "Isn't that exciting?" I laughed and nodded my head at her words. "But really. You and him."

"There is nothing between us." I tried to put things in perspective.

"Would you like there to be something?"

That question remained hanging in the air, as Acker appeared next to us.

And I'm glad he came, because I don't know how to answer her.

No, Maya. You should've said no.

So why didn't I say that?



Another chapter because why the hell not, right? ;)