Chapter 5

The drive to the hall was five-minute and most of the wedding party was either in front of us or behind us.

The hall itself was a pretty building made of glass, almost like a greenhouse, and you could see twinkling lights raining down even though it was noon and we were a few feet away. From what my mom was saying, they had rented another building for their wedding. If this was where the rehearsal was, I couldn't even imagine how beautiful the wedding reception location was going to look. My heart began pounding and my stomach churned.

She was getting married in this beautiful place, while I was pathetically pretending to have a boyfriend.

"Maybe this...this...is...isn't a good idea," I said through what felt like a panic attack.

"You okay?" He asked.

I took a few deep breaths, not fully able to complete any of them. "Let's not do this! You just walk in and tell her the truth!" I suggested.

But when I looked over to the hall, I saw that Whitney was out there welcoming all the guests with a big smile on her face, and the panic attack was silenced. She had always made me feel less than her, and just for a change, even if it was fake and only for a few days, I wanted to give her a taste of her medicine.

"Never mind, I am all good. Let's do this!"

“Whatever you confusingly say, you're the boss!” He shrugged. 

We both got out of the car. This time I reached out and grabbed his hand and this wholly made my panic attack disappear. I suppose it helped that I was not alone in this, and man his hands were soft, and warm. Shut you Lauren I thought again since meeting this dingus. 

We both walked towards the entrance to be welcomed by the bride and groom. Both with different goals in mind.

"Hey!" I exaggeratedly said, but Whitney was not looking at me in the least.

"Hi," She quietly said to Stephan, "what..." she began but I interrupted her with, "Meet my boyfriend Whit, this is Stephan." 

****

"Aunt Karen was saying you are here with a boyfriend. I laughed in her face. I would know if you had a boyfriend." My mom approached me a few moments after I had settled on a table. Thankfully Stephan had gone to get us a drink so she couldn't interrogate him right away.

"Mom, I didn't know he was going to come to the wedding. It all happened last minute." I smartly lied. I forgot I would have to explain Stephan to my parents. Man, we really–really–did not think this through.

"So you do have someone here? I didn't even know you were dating, you are so busy with work!" she bellowed.

"Yes, but it's very new. So, you know...don't make a big deal out of it!"

My mother was just about to start again when Stephan joined me with two glasses of wine in his hands.

"Here you go!" He said, handing me one of the glasses. Just as he was about to take his first sip he stopped in his tracks and mumbled to me, "Who is this?"

"My mother," I said trying not to move my lips too wide but my mother had caught on.

"This is supposedly your boyfriend and he doesn't know what your mother looks like." My mother shouted so loudly that she could be heard above all the chatter of the hall.

"Sorry, Mrs..." Stephan started.

"Laurino." Again keeping my voice as low as possible.

"Your name is Lauren Laurion?" He said, not quietly and with a hearty laugh.

"He doesn't know your last name?" My mother suspiciously questioned.

I exhaled, knowing my mother had quickly caught onto the ruse and just as I was about to confess, my mother grabbed the wine glass from my hand and gulped half of it down.

"First, I can't get you to date and now that you are dating you are rushing into things. Is he a one-night stand?" She asked.

"Noo," I defended. "He just had a bit too much to drink so he forgot." I lied.

"Your last name..." my mother doubted.

"Mrs. Laurion, I promise you, I love your daughter very much."

Love? Oh gosh, this boy needed a good whack in his head to reset his brain.

"You love her?" My mother inquired. "So tell me..."

Before my mother could finish her line of questioning, I interjected with, "Mother, how about after the wedding, we come by and have dinner with you? You can ask him all the questions you want. For now, why don't you enjoy the wedding and let us do the same? Let's not do this in front of everyone."

"Fine, not like you listen to me anyway. While Whitney gets married to a high school sweetheart, you bring a one-night stand to my family's wedding." My mother accused me, tears forming in her eyes.

Before the tears could start streaking down her cheeks, I saw Stephan take my mother's hand.

"I am not a one-night stand. I met your daughter three months ago and have spent every day with her since. I know, this may seem rushed to some, but not to us. I love her very much even though I like to make fun of her last name." He said, sounding incredibly convincing.

Somehow, he got my mother to smile and wiped one small tear that had escaped.

"Ok, well you're both adults. I am sure you know what you are doing." My mother spoke in a normal octave. "Where are you staying then...what's your name again sweetheart?"

"Stephan...and at the Hilton"

"You made him get a room?" my mother said, turning to me.

"I...I..." I stuttered.

"Nonsense, you are coming to stay with us till the wedding is done." She suggested.

"Mom, our house is too cramped! Plus we don't have an extra room for him to stay in." I objected.

"Honey, I am under no illusion. I am sure for the past three months you two have been sharing a bed."

No Mother, no we haven't I thought to myself.

"Well, it's settled then! Let me find your aunt Karen and give her an update!" She said as she disappeared into the sea of my relatives.

“What just happened?” I stuttered. “How did she..”

"You just got yourself a new roommate,” Stephan correctly assessed. “I am having so much fun watching you, struggling to lie." 

"Do you not have an inside voice? I was trying not to get caught, but you were blurting everything!" I scolded giving him a light slap on his shoulder.

"What? Did you not see how well that went? She loved me!"

"Shockingly, she did!" I said, grabbing the wine glass from his hand. "You might need to get another one." I smiled and took my first sip of the bitter yet somehow sweet wine. “You are a little too good at lying though.” 

“Usually I am not. You’re bringing out the bad side in me.” He grinned.  

“God, you are a serial killer, aren't you?”

“Even if I was, you’d be safe. I like you too much to get rid of you!” He raised his eyebrows at me, but his words had a bigger impact. Like me? People usually didn't like me. I was a wallflower to everyone I met. They said a few good things to get work out of me, and once the work was done, they decided they didn't need to form any more options on me. The most I’ve ever got in life was, I like your work. Maybe that's why it felt so good to hear him say he liked me. Yeah—that had to be the only reason.