Page 22 of Love in Times of Contempt

The four of them sat on the elegant wooden Zaisu around a low table.

Logan grinned, all charm. "It's nice finally meeting you face to face."

Ana smiled. She had chatted with him briefly over the phone the past year, when he and Liam had been on a call. The small cell phone screen hadn't done him justice. His dark brown skin was smooth and flawless; his hair coiled in a tight curl, which he styled in twists and a sharp fade. Next to him, Giuliana's eyes shone. Her curls were wide and her skin had the deep tan of Mediterranean ancestry. Sitting side by side, they fit well, two fashionable people on a double date with friends.

"I'm so glad we get to do this," Ana said.

They ordered and settled into an easy conversation. A little while later, their server arrived and they all picked food onto their plates.

"How long ago did you two get together?" Giuliana asked.

"Over a year ago." Ana reached for Liam's hand on his lap. "How long ago was the engagement?"

She remembered it happening: Logan had called to give Liam the news, a few months into the relationship. They had been talking more often, and Ana's heart had warmed with Liam's joy that Logan thought to call him the next day.

"Eight months," Logan said. Him and Giuliana shared a long, soft, adoring look.

"The invitations were gorgeous." Ana mixed soy sauce and wasabi in a small round dish. "We both made sure to book the date off from our schedules. It's coming up fast!"

Liam added ginger and wasabi to one of his rolls. "Mo told me that he heard from my tailor. My suit is getting made to the specs you sent, so I'll be ready on time, too."

Giuliana sighed. "Thanks. Good to know at least that is going well. People talk about how much work there is in organizing a wedding but, wow, is it a lot. If you two ever plan a wedding, definitely hire a planner."

Ana put down the roll she'd picked up and drank some water instead.

"Giuls, c'mon." Logan elbowed his fiancée. "It's been just a year for them."

Coarse rope tied itself around Ana's ribcage. Ithadbeen just a year.

"What?" Giuliana argued. "I didn't say with each other. I just put it out there that they might plan a wedding one day and to get professional help if that's the case."

"How is that better?" Logan shook his head.

Liam laughed. Ana tried to smile, but her facial muscles tightened instead. The idea of marriage settled in her stomach like lead… and she hated it.

"I might want to elope," Ana blurted. "If I ever— or we— you know."

She sensed Liam's eyes on her, but Ana focused on Logan.

"We tried to keep it small," he said, "but Giuliana's family didn't let us. Families can get messy, man. They all have an opinion on what a wedding should look like."

"I'm sure my family would be okay with keeping it small, thankfully." Liam turned to Ana. "Do you think your family would?"

She gulped. She glanced at him but talked to the group at large. "I think so. My parents don't know what to make of me, because I'm not a lawyer or a doctor and I was single for so long. They drop comments all the time about how they don't actually expect me to get married because, according to them, I'm too different and young people in America don't like to get married. They kind of throw their hands up in the air a bit. And the rest of my family is all in Ecuador so, really, I can do whatever I want. If I ever wanted to plan a wedding, I don't think I'd need to do more than let my parents call a few people."

Green lasers tracked the side of her head as Ana dipped a roll into soy sauce. Their server checked in on them, giving her a reprieve from the conversation. Unconcerned, Giuliana told them about the many things they still had to do in preparation for their wedding.

Ana took a deep breath and went back to her food.

"How did you two meet?" She asked the couple.

"At a mutual friend's party." Giuliana picked up a piece of sashimi. "I was there to meet someone else for a casual first date, but met Logan instead and we connected right away."

"If that guy had been there," Logan added, "she might have not given me the time of day. It's a scary thought."

Giuliana grinned. "I don't know about that. I noticed you right away so, if the guy had been there but had been a douche, I might've still ditched him for you."

One of Logan's eyebrows arched high as he looked at her, amused. "Ruthless— but I'm glad to hear it."