And she’s acting like it’s the most delightful coincidence in the world,Kiki thinks with a mixture of amazement and irritation.How is she genuinely this sweet about everything? It’s almost insulting.
Oh wow. I have a feeling there is a lot of double-crossing going on here.
“Wait, seriously?” I blink between them, trying to process this information. “And you’re both... okay with this arrangement?”
“Why wouldn’t we be?” Charlotte asks with the innocent confusion of a woman who’s never encountered a situation she couldn’t charm her way through. “I mean, they broke up years ago, and if Piers is friends with her, then I want to be friends with her, too. That’s how relationships work, right?”
Kiki sheds an uneasy smile at her so-called best friend.She has no idea that the wordsbroke upare a generous interpretation of what happened,she thinks to herself, and her thoughts seem to be sharp with old pain.More like I graduated law school and suddenly Piers decided he needed to find himself and explore his options. Funny how his self-discovery led him straight to a trust fund princess.She takes a moment to frown over at Charlotte.
I gasp at the thought. This isn’t going nearly as well as Charlotte might think.
I clear my throat. “It’s um... very mature of you both,” I say with a touch too much cheer, watching Kiki’s face for any cracks in her composed exterior. She’s putting on a good show, I’ll give her that.
“Piers and I are ancient history,” Kiki says with a casual dismissal that sounds rehearsed—and totally fake now that I know the real circumstances. “We’re all adults here. Besides, I think Charlotte is perfect for him.”Perfect for the man he’s pretending to be,she thinks bitterly while taking a sip of her drink.This puff pastry has no clue what she’s actually marrying. And yet she still doesn’t deserve him.
Charlotte beams at the compliment, completely missing the catty undercurrent.
“Aw, thank you!” she coos at Kiki. “And honestly, I was so nervous about meeting you. Piers talks about you all the time—how brilliant you are, how you helped him through school. I was worried you’d think I was some airhead who doesn’t deserve him.”
That’s because you are,Kiki thinks to herself with a nod.
The irony hits me like a tidal wave. Charlotte is worried about not being good enough for Piers, while Kiki clearly thinks Charlotte isn’t good enough for the man she still loves. What a mess. But is it a murderous mess?
“So, how exactly does it feel?” I ask with genuine curiosity as I look at Kiki. “Being invited to your ex’s wedding? That’s either incredibly progressive or incredibly complicated.”
Charlotte laughs, a sound like champagne bubbles popping. “Oh, it’s definitely complicated! Kiki and Piers dated for what, three years? And somehow, they’re still friends. I think it’s sweet, honestly.”
Sweet isn’t the word I’d use,Kiki thinks darkly.More like inevitable. He belongs with me, not this Insta Pictures princess who thinks love is a hashtag.
And there it is. She’s not here to watch Charlotte walk down the aisle as the bride; she’s looking to do it herself.
“Three years is a long time,” I say, watching Kiki’s expression. “How did you meet Piers?”
“Undergrad,” Kiki replies tersely, but Charlotte jumps in with obvious delight at having a story to tell.
“They were study partners in some boring business class! Kiki was the serious one with the color-coded planner, and Piers was the charming slacker who convinced her to do half his assignments. It was like a rom-com dream come true.”
Except I’m not laughing.Kiki’s mental voice is sharp as broken glass.And I did more than half his assignments. I basically got thatdegree for him. The man owes me more than his body at this point. He owes me my soul.
A guttural grown evicts from me.
“Speaking of meet-cutes,” I clear my throat as I force a grin at Charlotte, “how did you and Piers find each other? Was it one of those fairy-tale encounters?”
Charlotte’s face lights up like a Christmas tree. “Oh geez, it’s so embarrassing! We met on Spark & Spice.”
“Spark and what now?” I blink her way, not understanding how those words happen to fit together.
“It’s this ridiculous dating app where you match based on your favorite spice combinations.” Charlotte giggles. “I know, I know, it sounds completely insane. But I was going through my experimental cooking phase—you should have seen my kitchen disasters—and I thought, why not?”
My kitchen disasters weren’t a phase,she thinks ruefully.They were a lifestyle choice that fueled my social media content. Thank goodness for takeout and a trust fund.
“That’s more than interesting, “ I say. “What spice combination did you put down?” I ask, genuinely fascinated by this bizarre courtship origin story.
“Cinnamon and cayenne,” Charlotte admits with a sheepish grin. “I was going for sweet with a kick, you know? And Piers had listed cardamom and vanilla—sophisticated but approachable.”
I should have known right then this story was too good to be true,Kiki thinks bitterly.Piers doesn’t even know what cardamom IS. He probably googledfancy spices that make you sound cultured.
“And your first date was cooking together?” I ask.
