The girls managed to keep the conversation mostly off me, focusing almost exclusively on Divya's wedding plans except when the debate over eyeliner turned from black vs brown into making me look hot for my hot husband. Carla's words, not mine.

In the end, we make it to the lobby with fifteen minutes to spare before Enrique is set to meet us, but as we round the corner from the elevators, the grand chandelier sparkles above a very debonair man. I can tell even from behind him that it's Enrique.

My feet glue to the floor and I stop suddenly, the girls breezing past me like a river around a tree. A few steps later, Divya realizes I'm not with them anymore and turns around to face me.

"What is it?" she asks, her brow furrowing as she picks up her cocktail length gown and rushes over to me. "Are you okay?"

I can't speak, so I shake my head.

"Is it Enrique? Are you worried about him being here? We're all here to help, okay? You have three buffers and those two are extremely loud and obnoxious. You'll be just fine."

"Right. But it's Enrique."

"I know, but you'll be okay. Deep breaths." She models deep breaths for me as she holds my shoulders, pulling them up and down with her breaths.

"No. I mean it's Enrique," I repeat, pointing to the back of the man in the center of the lobby.

"Oh, that's him?" She turns around and stares, by which point Lorena and Carla have noticed we're missing and turned around to check on us.

Their eyes follow our stares and Carla rushes back to whisper, "Is that him?"

Again, I just nod and Divya speaks for both of us. "Yes. He looks good."

"Well his back half does, anyway."

"Carla!" Her vulgar comment snaps me out of my cactus-like state. "That's my husband you're talking about!"

My shouting brings attention to me. The receptionists, valet, and at least three guests all turn to face me and, to my utter horror, so does Enrique.

When he does turn around, he's met with the staring faces of me and three friends. But instead of the horror he should be showing, a huge smile crosses his face and he jogs across the lobby to greet me.

"You look lovely tonight, Bianca," his smile grows. "I hope I'm not underdressed. I thought I might have done too much until I saw you wearing that. Wow."

I can't help but pick up my lavender dress and swish the chiffon through my fingers. We're going to eat, so I picked something with an empire waist to leave room for a food baby. Somehow, I manage to keep that information inside my mouth. "Thanks, I like it, too."

"Okay, lovebirds," Lorena sings. "Are you coming with us or are you just going back upstairs?"

"Lorena!" Carla chastises. "That's my job!"

"Shush, both of you." Divya gives them a glare that makes me certain she is ready to be a mother and they both sober up.

"Sorry, Enrique." Lorena speaks to her sparkly gold shoes rather than Enrique's face. "I keep forgetting you don't know my bad jokes yet."

And then my husband straightens his tie and looks Lorena dead in the eye. "Well, it would be a shame to take the suit off before it got to go out to eat, so how about we get going."

Silence.

The hotel buzzes around us like the waterfall over a cliff, background whooshing to the main event. No one knows how to handle it until Carla cannot contain her laughter anymore. "Oh, he's got a funny bone," she laughs.

"Okay, come on," I say, pulling Enrique's hand toward the door. "And if there's any more inappropriate implications from you two—"

"You'll know they're getting comfortable with Enrique," Divya shrugs. "Which is a good thing."

Right. Because they're supposed to have known him forever. Because we are married. And people don't usually go from meeting to getting married in less than five hours.

I don't have too much time to think, though, because we reach the rotating door of the hotel and are deposited onto the street in front of a sleek black stretch limousine. Enrique's hand gently brushes mine and I look over to see his offered arm. "May I?" he asks, as though I am the queen.

"I suppose you may," I reply, exaggerating my movements as I loop my arm through his and pick up my skirt with my free hand, almost dropping my clutch in the process.

"I say, good sir, where are you taking us this fine evening?" Carla laughs and offers her arm to Enrique.

I almost drop my clutch again when Lorena attempts to lock arms with me. She takes it out of my hands and peers inside. "It's only your phone and a credit card? Just give it to Enrique, Bianca. What good are husbands if they don't let you use their suit pockets?"

Snatching the clutch back, I slip it into my other hand and allow her to link arms with me, my skirt gently flowing in the warm breeze.

"Excuse me!" Divya interjects with several quick claps. "As much as I enjoy our human chain, I am the bride and I am in charge. Now get in this car so I can take you out on the town. And don't dawdle, I've rented it by the hour."

"Yes, ma'am" Carla mocks a salute and drags us all into the back of the limo, wiggling everyone around until Enrique and I are settled in next to each other in the back corner of the vehicle.

A man in a uniform closes the door once we're all inside and then the party can really start.

"How on earth does this little music thingy work?" Lorena asks, pressing all the buttons on the control panel and wiggling the knob.

"Probably you have to plug it in." Divya holds up the cord.

"Ah, yes. Why didn't I think of that?" She's busy fiddling with her phone to find what she called the perfect mix.

"So, where are we going that has such a fancy dress code?" Enrique asks, hands folded neatly in his lap.

"The place doesn't really require it." Divya shrugs. "But I do."

"So where are we—?" I don't get to finish the question because music blasts out of the speakers with the force of a fighter jet.

Pandemonium ensues, everyone pushing over each other to try to turn down the music. Enrique leans his elbow into the back of the seat to try to quiet the speaker, despite the fact that it accomplishes little.

Finally, the web of arms and skirts is untangled and Lorena finds the volume dial. "Sorry," she shouts over the ringing in my ears. "I didn't mean to do that."

"You mean blast our ears off?" I can't tell if I'm shouting or whispering because I think the music broke my ears.

"Yes. That's what I mean!"

The song I've never heard before bounces along as the car makes wide turns and then slows to a stop.

"So, where are we?" I ask Divya, hopefully at a lower volume than before.

The door opens as if by magic, though I know it must be the uniformed man.

The music fades out and I slide across the seat toward the door, following the girls out of the limo.

"You have got to be kidding me," I laugh. "You got me all dressed up to come to... what? A karaoke bar?"

"Where's the fun in getting all dressed up and going to dinner at a fancy restaurant where the portions are tiny and the music is boring?" Divya shrugs and offers me her hand as I stumble out onto the sidewalk. "This way, we can eat a lot of delicious food and have fun. The dressing up was just so I could see what this one would look like at the wedding." She points back at Enrique who had somehow materialized at my side.

"You pass, by the way."

"Thanks, teach," Enrique laughs at his own joke and I laugh with him.

"Well, then. What are we waiting for?" Carla breaks in. "I got all dressed up for dinner and I was promised some food."

The doors are heavier than they look and it takes Enrique helping me before I manage to drag the steel thing open. "Thanks for the help."

That is not a normal way to speak to your husband, is it?

"It's no trouble." He smiles back. "Let's get us some food."

And then I noticed the flight of stairs to get up to the bar. "That's going to be fun in these heels." 

♤ ♥ ♤

Author's Note: Lorena really needs to learn the importance of checking the volume before losing track of the volume controls. And now these injured-ear humans are off to a Karaoke bar? I forsee no difficulties at all in their future! 

That's a lie. And I'll be back to share the next chapter next week :) 

Looking for something else to read? The premise of salemkeating's Devil May Care has me in stitches! Updates to the story may be slower than the other stories I've shared here, but I still recommend checking it out. 

Asphodel city is for those stuck in the Between, the plane that separates the living and dead. In it, Azrael is living the life as the top bounty-hunting angel. The only problem is that Jophiel, a rival hunter, is not only threatening his position after rising to rank #2, but is a constant thorn in Azra's side.

When a mastermind called "The Devil" begins killing off angels and putting whole dimensions in jeopardy, Azra and Jo have to band together in order to stay alive and save the world. But will they be able to put aside their rivalry to do so?