Next to Me

Chapter 2

Logan

"Oh my God!" she wails, waking me up. My head is spinning despite the feeling that I have a vice clamped on my temple. 

"Huh?" I croak. Nicole spins around thrusting a paper in my face. 

"We got fucking married last night, you beast! This is terrible!" 

I really wish she would scream at me a little softer. I hold up a finger to stop her tirade. "Just a second," I tell her before heading into the bathroom and vomiting up everything I ate in the last four days. I feel much better when I'm done. I pop two Advils, brush my teeth and wash my face. I stride back into the bedroom with a certain feeling of control now that my stomach doesn't feel like a flushing toilet. 

"Jesus Christ, can you at least put something on!" Nicole hisses at me, covering her eyes. I find it charming that my nudity is making her blush. I grab a towel from the bathroom and wrap it around my waist. I sit down next to her on the bed, her legs are crossed with her left foot shaking. She hands me the paper in her hand. 

It's all there in black and white. We got married last night and I have no clear memory of it. I have vague recollections of giving her a piggyback ride through the hotel, doing shots, kissing her. But marrying her? That's a shock even to me. Although I think I'm taking the news better than my bride is. She looks devastated. I, however, am not quite so disappointed. I'm amused but not horrified. 

Nicole rests her elbows on her knees, cradling her head in her hands. All that thick dark hair is everywhere. I am tempted to run my fingers through it just to feel it. She lets out a long sigh, pushing her hair back off her face as she stares up at the ceiling. 

"Is this all we have to prove it?" I ask skeptically. She stands and retrieves something from the dresser. It's a plastic heart frame with a polaroid picture of us. We are standing under a 'Just Married' sign, our cheeks pressed together, Nicole is holding a tiny bouquet of white flowers. They look plastic. That's when I notice the ring. I have a gold band on the third finger of my left hand. I take her left hand and hold it up. Sure enough, she has a matching one. They don't look cheap either, I must have paid a pretty penny for them. She tugs her hand away from mine, stands up, and starts pacing the room. She's still dressed from last night. 

"Can we get it annulled?" I ask. 

"I think we could if we hadn't consummated it!" she barks out, pointing to the floor. There are about 4 used condoms scattered about. 

"That doesn't mean we--"

"Trust me, we did," she bites off, sitting back down next to me. She is wringing her hands and biting her lips. 

"I'm sorry I didn't realize--"
 

"No no, it's my fault too. I'm at a loss as to what to do. I don't know how any of this works. My mother is going to kill me," she says with a sigh, hanging her head, rubbing her temples. Despite being in yesterday's clothes with uncombed hair and smeared makeup, Nicole is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. I would marry her sober if she gave me the time of day. I am not one to believe in love at first sight but it feels damn close with her. Unfortunately, my reputation with women proceeds me. Nicole has kept me firmly at arm's length. 

The first woman in a long time I want to be faithful to doesn't believe I can be. 

"Oh my God, I have to go, my flight is in two hours!" She jumps up, snatching up her purse, searching the room for anything else of hers. 

I stop her at the door before she can leave.

"Wait, what are we going to do about this?" I ask her. She looks at me with a panicked expression.