Chase Me

10.

"I assure you, Zane won't be there. I overheard Yasmin mentioning that Milan and Zane are heading to Pennsylvania," Angelica said confidently.

I narrowed my eyes at Angelica, trying to discern if she was telling the truth or making it up just to get me to accompany her to brunch. "You're not fabricating this just to convince me to come along, right?"

It had been three days since I last saw Zane outside the restaurant. I had made a promise to myself to keep my distance from him, to only engage in necessary conversations.

But if my friends continued inviting me to events where I knew he would be present, keeping that promise would become increasingly challenging.

Angelica bit her bottom lip, avoiding eye contact with me. I could tell she was hesitant.

I knew it.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke up. "Well, I didn't exactly hear about them going to Pennsylvania. But I caught snippets suggesting that they won't be at brunch."

I let out a deep sigh and got up from my bed. "I can't imagine why my brother would leave town so close to his wedding, but... fine, I'll go to brunch with you. Just give me a moment to change into something more presentable."

I had been lounging in my pink unicorn onesie, even though it was already past ten in the evening. Being in New York without the constant weight of work hanging over me felt blissful. I could sleep in until noon, something I hadn't done in ages.

Angelica beamed with delight. "Great! I'll wait for you downstairs."

I made my way to the bathroom to freshen up, taking a shower and brushing my teeth. I tied my hair into a messy bun and slipped into a pastel-colored jumpsuit I had purchased during a shopping trip with Angelica.

As much as I loved makeup, there were days when I preferred to go au naturel. Today happened to be one of those days. I couldn't be bothered to put on even a drop of foundation. I was feeling too lazy, and on top of that, I was already running late.

Instead, I simply applied some chapstick and deemed myself ready to go.

When I descended the stairs, Alex and Angelica were already waiting for me. Angelica gave me a once-over and smiled in approval. She always did that, as if I had terrible fashion taste.

Me? Amari Vasilios? With bad fashion taste? Never. "Beautiful," Angelica said, grabbing her clutch from the coffee table. "Let's go."

I asked as we walked outside, where Alex's black Mercedes Benz was parked, "Where's Yasmin?"

"Yasmin already went with Ava," Angelica replied as she got into the car.

Ava was Yasmin's best friend and the maid of honor. She was a stunning girl with a down-to-earth personality, hopelessly crushing on Ivan Preston, the heartbreaker.

Meanwhile, Ivan seemed oblivious to Ava's feelings.

"Ava... Ava..." Alex mumbled as he drove out of the driveway of my parents' mansion. "Is that Ivan's girl?"

"No, because that jerk can't take a hint," Angelica said, frustrated as she struggled with the seatbelt.

"What do you mean he can't take a hint? The feeling is mutual."