Page 48 of All This Time

“Why not? That was always my nickname for you.”

“Yeah, but that was a long time ago, Fletcher.”

He scoots closer to me in his chair, grabbing one of the bags of M&M’s and tearing off the corner with his teeth. I hate the way I watch his forearms flex as he does. “Believe me, I’m very much aware of how things have changed since then.”

“Exactly. I’m not the same girl I was back then, and you aren’t the same guy, so I think we should just leave the past behind us.”

“Doesn’t mean that we can’t still be friends…” he says, trailing off. “But I think in order for that to happen, I can’t be Lucifer anymore.”

Laughter bubbles out of me. “Oh God.” Face-palming my forehead, I take in a deep breath. “I’m sorry you had to hear about that.”

He pulls my hand from my face as I turn toward him. “Honestly, I thought it was creative, though a little scary.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes people don’t handle their emotions in a healthy way.”

“And what kind of emotions were you trying to handle, Laney?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I reply as I reach for another bag, avoiding his eyes even though I can feel him watching me.

“It does to me,” he counters before reaching for my forearm and pulling my hand into his.

“Please just drop it, Fletcher,” I whisper, hating how I can already feel my throat growing tight with emotion.

He releases my hand and throws his hands up in the air dramatically. “Fine. I guess I just have to put the tape back on my face so you’ll keep talking to me.”

He reaches for the roll of scotch tape, but I grab it before he can. “Oh no you don’t. You’re not going to waste any more of my tape.”

“Oh, it’s just tape.”

“But if you use it all, the next time I need tape I won’t have any, and then I’ll remember that you’re the reason it’s all gone, and it’s just going to put me in a bad mood.”

His head falls back as he laughs. “Okay then. Point made. No more scary faces with the tape.”

“Good.” I push the bags and M&M’s toward him. “Let’s get to work on the favors then, shall we? This shouldn’t take very long.”

“How many people are coming to this wedding anyway?” Fletcher asks, grabbing a handful of bags.

“You saw the guest list.”

“Just briefly. You snatched the paper away from me, remember?”

I roll my eyes, but don’t argue with him. “About a hundred. A lot of people are from town, people we’ve known for years. But there are several guests coming from out of town that know Elliot’s parents through the court system.”

Fletcher nods in understanding. “Naturally.”

“Tori’s parents live in Florida now, and they’re coming, but she doesn’t have a lot of other family. A few of her coworkers from Nashville are attending, but other than that it’s mostly people that Elliot knows.”

Fletcher’s brows draw together. “If she has work friends, why didn’t she ask one of them to be her maid of honor?”

“She said they’re not that type of friend, whatever the hell that means.”

“Well, it doesn’t surprise me that you agreed to do this for her. That’s who you are.”

I glance over at him. “And who is that exactly?”

“Someone who steps up for people when they need them.”

My cheeks grow hot as I look away from him, but my heart twists in my chest. “Everyone needs a friend sometimes.”