Why Do You Love Me ── MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER

xxvi. the bridal shower

.·゜゜·　　·゜゜·．

REINA'S POV

I'm happy.

And to me, that's suspicious.

I know how that sounds. It seems like I'm complaining about the fact that I'm happy like I'd rather be sad than feel what I'm currently feeling. It's not that at all. What I'm saying is I'm happy right now, which means it's only a matter of time before I'm not. I've never been this happy for a long time, so, you can't blame me for expecting the other shoe to drop anytime now. I mean, what have I done recently that's earned me this long amount of happiness? I didn't deserve this.

I have a feeling this happiness is going to come to an abrupt stop soon, mostly because of today's events. Today is Stef's bridal shower. With the wedding being just a few weeks away, Natalie finally got off her ass and planned the party she told Stef she'd handle for her. I'm still not happy with that decision, but I can understand Stef was in a corner when it came to that.

I made a promise to keep my comments to myself so things would run smoothly, and I've kept my promise so far. Mostly.

When I arrived, I immediately wanted to gag at how pink and floral everything was. It didn't scream Stef at all, which is to be expected considering Natalie spent more time looking at her own reflection than she ever did at Stef. But Stef managed a smile for her stepsister, making noises of approval when I knew well enough that she wanted to shield her eyes from the eyesore.

Other than that, Natalie did an okay job. She had stations set up for fun little games, a table that was stacked with gifts, and a special chair for Stef to sit on. It was nice, as nice as anything coming from her could be.

Here's my issue.

At some point throughout the party, Dylan arrived with Matthew, as per tradition. And that's fine. The bad part was the googly eyes Natalie was making at Matthew, googly eyes that were quickly put to a stop by Stef with a semi-joking comment about keeping it in her pants. That isn't even the bad part. The bad part was immediately after Natalie got shut down, she made her way over to me, and thought I'd be the person that she could confide in.

Natalie leaned against the wall I was leaned on, a sigh leaving her lips. "Stef is such a cockblock."

I don't spare her a glance, continuing with my pass time of people watching. "I guess," I mutter. I can feel Natalie's gaze on me, but I don't grant her the courtesy of meeting her gaze. She doesn't say anything for a bit, but I can still feel those eyes burning into my side profile. While she watches me, I watch the party, until my eyes lock with a familiar pair across the room. 

Matthew is in the middle of a conversation with one of Stef's aunts, an older woman who had no regard for personal space, which I can see is still true even while conversing with him. I can make out from just his eyes alone that he's begging me to go over there and tear him away from the woman, his lip jutting out just enough to make a pout that nobody else would recognize as such. Despite my best effort, I can't hide the smile that spreads on my lips at the act, a soft chuckle slipping past when Stef's aunt demands his attention once more.