Page 37 of Only Lovers in the Building

Lily joined the cousins. They introduced her to their spouses and significant others. Only Logan was single because, according

to Sandra, he was an unrepentant fuckboy.

The officiant stood waiting at the end of the aisle. In an emerald-green gown that revealed a colorful tattoo sleeve, she

was cooler than Lily expected. Then she noted the chestnut hair and creamy complexion and recalled that Bella was Roxanna’s

best friend’s sister. Though Bella wasn’t present, she was everywhere. When the woman she supposed was Bella’s sister waved

from the altar and blew kisses to the cousins, Lily gained a greater understanding at how tightly knit the friend group truly

was. For all her love of romance, she valued friendship more. While she could live to the ripe age of one hundred and gladly

never see her exes again, losing a friend was a terrible blow.

The time for chitchat ended as the lights dimmed.

The string quartet then launched into Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus.” Lily’s heart rate raced when she caught sight of Ben, the bride as regal as a swan at his arm.

He’d seemingly brushed his hair and added an orchid to his lapel.

He’d never looked more handsome. With a sure stride, he escorted Roxanna down the aisle.

It was as if the person he cared for most in the world wasn’t about to promise to love, honor, and cherish a man he only had contempt for.

No one would ever suspect that he’d opposed the union or entertained any misgivings whatsoever.

Roxanna, however, was another story. She glided down the aisle with a smile pasted to her face, gaze fixed on her groom.

Why were her eyes, always so vivacious, so dull with worry?

Was it garden-variety wedding jitters or something more complicated?

Ben led her to Ricky and joined Tia Ada in the front row. The officiant swept away tears and started things off with a few

pre-scripted anecdotes. After a reading or two, it was time for the vows. The couple had written them, and Roxanna would read

hers first. She produced a sheet of paper folded down to a square. When she was ready, she cleared her throat. Her eyes skimmed

over the handwritten words. “Ricky,” she began. Again, that shaky voice. “I have loved you from the start.” A pause. “Today,

I marry my best friend.” A longer pause. “You make me so proud to—Sorry! I can’t do this!”

Lily gasped, but no louder than Sandra and Anita or even Jose. They watched Ricardo swoon as though sucker punched. For all

his bulk, he couldn’t take a blow. Lily was light-headed herself. Earlier, Roxanna had seemed so sure of her decision. What

happened to taking a leap of faith and all of that?

“What do you mean you can’t do this?” the groom stammered. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling all right?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” Roxanna replied. “I’ve been doing the right thing all along. You’re in the wrong!”

“Roxy... We talked. We worked it out.”

“Did we? Everyone thinks we’re making a mistake.”

“No one thinks that!” Ricardo swept his gaze around the room, trying to rally support.

“Benito does,” Roxanna said stubbornly. “He’s the smartest person I know!”

From her seat several rows back, Lily watched Ben lower his head and pinch the bridge of his nose.

“I spoke with him earlier,” Ricardo said. “He’s on board. He welcomed me to the family.”

“ I’m not on board!” Roxanna cried. “Here I am, cosplaying as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, looking like a fool! I love you and forgive

you, but our baby boy won’t be so understanding. I know firsthand how devastating it is when a father neglects their son.

If we get married today, so help me God, you better swear that you’re ready to be a husband and a father.”

Following Roxanna’s outburst, the fifty or so guests held their breaths, and silence prevailed. Lily’s gaze drilled into the

back of Ben’s head. His neck was rigid and his shoulders straight, despite the weight that had been dropped on him. He was

the neglected son. The confident Ben Romero of today had once been a brokenhearted boy, devastated by a narcissist of a father.

Ricky stunned the room by grabbing Roxanna’s shoulders and kissing her full on the mouth. “I do!” he said fervently. “I love

you, and more than anything, I want us to be a family.”

“You swear?”

“With all my heart,” he said.

Roxanna brightened. “Okay. That’s all I needed to hear.”

“Sounds good!” Bella’s sister cried. Before they changed their minds, she pronounced Roxanna and Ricardo husband and wife.

Everyone hopped to their feet and cheered, giddy with joy but mostly relief. The newlyweds were oblivious to all this. Ricky

was as pumped as any gym bro could be on such a momentous occasion. Roxanna beamed: all signs of worry were gone. They were

ready to fling into their future.

“What does Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy have to do with any of this?” Logan asked the others.

“Never mind, buddy,” Anita said. “Never mind.”

“That was intense! How are you feeling?” Lily asked Ben the moment she got him alone. Everyone had migrated to a lower-level dining room for cocktails and dinner. They sat together in the deserted front row. A crew was dismantling the arch.

“I should have tailgated with the others,” he said. “They might’ve warned me a storm was brewing. I wasn’t prepared.”

“They were just as surprised as anyone, trust me,” Lily said. “Jose came close to having a heart attack.”

He laughed a weary little laugh. “Was I wrong for inviting you today, knowing what I know about my family?”

She slapped his arm. “Never! I read books for this type of drama, and nothing ever comes close.”

“No, seriously,” he said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Ben. It’s you I’m worried about. For a minute there, I thought you might jump in and intervene.”

He shook his head. “This is Roxanna’s fight.”

“I think she handled it well,” Lily said. “And I think you’re amazing.”

He dropped a hand on her knee and squeezed. “I’m starving. I could eat anything.”

“Your choices are shrimp scampi or slow-roasted pork,” she said. “It’s in the program, if you’d taken the time to read it.”

“Aren’t you a fountain of useful information?” He stood and pulled her to her feet. “I’m taking you everywhere I go from this

point on.”

Ben did not let her stray far after that. He held her hand under the dinner table and only released it to reach for her waist

on the dance floor. From Streisand to Celia Cruz, the tempo had picked up quite a lot. Ben was an excellent dancer, and the

frilly dress she’d picked for the occasion redeemed itself nicely with each spin. When the DJ paused for a string of shout-outs,

he guided her to the bar and ordered two waters.

“I’m cutting you off,” he said.

“You can’t cut me off!” she protested, laughing sloppily. “This isn’t the rooftop bar. You’re not the boss here.”

He handed her a cup. “Drink your water.”

The water was refreshing. Honestly, the endless flow of mojitos plus the champagne at dinner had caught up with her. “Thanks,”

she said, with a pinch of resentment. “I needed this.”

“Oh, I know.”

“Want to hear something ridiculous?” she asked.

“Always,” he said.

“I lied to you earlier.”

He cocked his head. Whatever product had kept his hair slicked back had given up, letting his curls loose. “Why would you

lie to me?” he asked. “I don’t judge, and there’s nothing I haven’t heard.”

“I was embarrassed,” she admitted.

“What about?”

“Earlier, when we were talking proposals... I was worried you might have proposed to someone in the past.”

He fought back a smile. “That was an unnecessary worry, I can tell you that much.”

Somehow, they’d made it out to the terrace. Home base had been taken over by the single ladies, so they moved to the edge.

The views were endless, the dark water stitching seamlessly into the night sky. The breeze cleared her head more efficiently

than a couple sips of water ever could. They were down to one cup, anyway, and they passed it back and forth.

“It was loud in there,” he said. “Now, tell me again how jealous you were. I love to hear it.”

“Get over yourself. It’s not that serious,” Lily said, regaining her communication skills. “I just think a Ben Romero proposal

would be extra romantic with poetry and harp music.”

“Honestly, I’d just write a note and tape it to her door.”

Lily swooned. The woman who came home to that note was the luckiest woman alive.

Exhausted from the dancing, she leaned against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her even closer. “My people put you through a lot today,” he mumbled into her hair.

“Your people are great,” she muttered.

After a beat, he said, “I find it hard to believe you were never proposed to.”

She looked up at him. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” he said.

“Does it have anything to do with my beauty, wit, and stunning intellect?” she asked.

Ben laughed into the night. “You’re the whole package.”

“I came close to a proposal,” she admitted, quietly. “It fell through. It’s my own fault. I was quick and cut him off at the

pass.”

Ben pulled away and stared at her in disbelief. “The secrets are coming out!” he said. “A little white rum is all it takes.”

“It happened so long ago. I was twenty. It’s not technically a secret anymore. The statute of limitations has expired.”

And yet, Lily thought, the story had been too painful to ever share.

Ben leaned against the rail. “You know the rules. Tell me everything. Start from the beginning. Don’t leave out a single detail.”

“His name is Darren, and he was my first love,” she insisted. “We dated through college. Senior year, it was clear our lives

were taking us in different directions. I got accepted into law school in the city. He had a whole life set up in the Midwest.

It was my mother’s idea for us to get married—a graduation wedding. Can you imagine? She loved Darren. Once a month, he’d

come over for Sunday dinner. It’s a big deal at my house. My mother makes creole rice and shrimp creole and any other creole