Drowning

Chapter Forty-Three

Mariana was in a robe and holding a glass of wine when I walked in the apartment. I went to the cafe to check on Angela. She's ready to pop out that baby any day now, and I was worried she couldn't come tonight, but apparently she wouldn't miss it for the world. I made it back on time to meet Mariana, not that she minded my tardiness but I do mind. Being late is not in my brand.

"You ready for today?" I say closing the door behind me.

"I can't believe I'm engaged, it's so surreal," she says, dropping to her couch. I sit beside her, stealing the glass of wine from her hand and taking a sip.

"You always talked about how this eventually was going to happen. You even know the dress you're going to get for god's sakes,"

"Yeah but every girl does that," I give her a pointed look, "ok maybe most girls know that," my look still hasn't faltered, "ok maybe not every girl" yeah no kidding, "but it's Mark you know. There wasn't any other way it could end," Those two from the start were always endgame. I remember the day of their first date, Mariana coming home and rambling about how great he was, and wouldn't shut up about it for three days driving me more insane than usual. I know they've had their struggles, I've heard about them from Mariana but they always pushed through. Now here they are.

"Now, tell me about last night. How did the reunion go," I smirk, and take a sip of the wine.

"It went,"

"NO, YOU DIDN'T," Mariana gasps, and I give her a slight shrug. "Tell me everything," And I told her. I told her about how he confronted me, about how we cleared the air, how he told me he never wanted to be my friend, how we ended up kissing and then having sex.

"So what now?" Mariana asks, after almost an hour of me explaining and her asking questions about it.

"We haven't really discussed anything, but I'm not letting him walk away again,"

"Took you long enough. Three months to realize you like each other for god sakes,"

"You know I really don't like you playing cupid, you've never done it before," I tell her accusingly.

"What do you mean," she says, giving me a smile.

"I mean, you telling him to come to your engagement party and not telling me, or you calling him to pick me up at the club when I could have gotten home by myself or you not letting me have my keys,"

"I told you since the start that you two have something going on," she says shrugging and standing up.

"Now come on, we should start getting our hair done before the makeup artists get here,"

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I got to the venue about half an hour ago, and Amanda already gave me the grand tour. I needed to come and make sure that everything ran smoothly regardless of Amanda being here. Sue me, I'm a perfectionist and I wont do anything about it. Tonight needs to go perfect for my best-friend. Perfect. After I finished helping Mariana with her hair—she was too stubborn to also get a hairstylist, and after we chatted a bit with the makeup artist I decided to take my leave to get ready and come here. The makeup artist was almost done and Mark was on the way to the apartment. I wanted to leave them some time together alone before everything started, that's the least they deserve as a couple celebrating their engagement.

I look around the art gallery to see exactly what I envisioned. Two rooms joined by an opened gliding door, one full of tables, a bar and instruments so that we can listen to some tunes while eating, and the other, my favorite one. The room with high tables, three bars around the room, the big dance floor in the middle, and the DJ table to the side. There is also the best part about the venue, the art. Fabulous painting drowning the walls of both rooms, bringing energy and calmness. I think she'll love it, at least I hope she will.