I wrap up in a long white bathrobe and grab an ice bucket while Liam watches me.

“I don’t have any slippers,” I say, looking down at my bare feet. “I can’t wear my heels into the hallway. God, my feet are killing me.”

Liam hops off the bed, butt-naked, and strides over to me.

“Here, allow me then,” he says, grabbing the bucket and making his way over to the door.

“Oh my god, what are you doing!” I laugh as he starts for the doorknob.

“You really think I’d go out there in the nude?” he says, smiling back at me.

“Let me just borrow your slippers,” I say, sliding my feet into the fluffy white slippers he’d packed from home in his overnight bag.

“Don’t be long, honey,” he says, plopping back onto the bed and putting his hands behind his head.

I swallow thickly, looking back at him, and make my way out into the hall.

And I can’t stop smiling.

He said I was his.

And I know it’s not for pretend.

It isn’t.

It is very real.

I flop my way down the hall in the too-big slippers, finally getting to the end of the hall where they have the ice machine and vending machines.

Fancy hotel or cheapo hotel, both have the same snacks and the same old ice machine.

As I’m filling up my bucket and surveying my snack choices, I can’t help but feel that something is missing.

And I know what it is.

What’s missing is me telling Liam how I feel. He’s made it clear how he feels, but all I’ve really done so far is just go along with what he’s said. It feels good and it feels right and I know it’s what I want, so I have to make it all complete and tell him back exactly how I feel.

I can’t take his money. I don’t want to pretend to be his girlfriend.

I don’t want to pretend anything anymore. I don’t want to be the picture-perfect fake bride anymore. I want to really be his. And I want to tell him all of it.

Once the ice bucket is full, I grab it and balance it against my hip. Now, do I want something sweet or something salty to eat?

As I’m about to settle on chocolate covered pretzels, I hear someone coming down the hall. I turn to my left to see another girl, about my age, coming toward me.

“Hey,” I say meekly. “Are you here for the Harmon wedding?”

“I am,” she says, smiling at me. “You’re here with Liam, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yes I am,” I say, turning to face her. “I’m Anna. It’s nice to meet you.”

She looks at me strangely, with a sidelong glance, her eyes slightly narrowed.

“Nice to meet you too,” she says, “but I feel like I know you from somewhere.”

“Oh?” I say, my stomach flipping over. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. What was your name again?”

“It’s Samantha,” she says. “I’m an old friend of Liam’s cousin. But are you sure we don’t know each other? You just look so familiar. Are you sure I don’t know you from somewhere?”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” I say, my pulse beginning to speed up.

I really don’t recognize her, but it’s definitely possible that she’s seen me before. Maybe on the shop’s website.

“Yeah,” she says again, “I do know you. You work in that bridal boutique on 67th street on the west side. I remember you. You’re a model of sorts.”

“Oh, right,” I say. I feel like I could absolutely sweat right through my robe right now. “Yeah, I actually do some of that stuff on the side.”

“On the side? I thought Liam’s dad said you were in law or something?”

“Finance,” I say, swallowing thickly. Oh, why can’t she just let this go?

“If you’re in finance, why do you work in a store?”

“It’s just a thing I do, it’s like a hobby.”

“Really?” she says. “That’s...cool. And you’ve been going out with Liam for how long now?”

“Three months,” I say. My body feels so hot and I feel so cornered that I just want to literally dump this bucket of ice over my head.

“I never really knew Liam to be the girlfriend type,” she says. “His dad had never approved of the girls he’s brought around. Not from the right family, not rich enough. It’s kind of silly in my opinion, but he seemed to really like you. You know, Liam pretends to be all cool and laid back, but he really does care about his dad’s opinion of him. You’d never know it, though.”

“How do you know it, then?” I ask, and I can almost feel the daggers coming out of my eyes.

I don’t know why I feel so defensive.

Maybe it’s because I’m realizing now how out of my element I really am.

“Oh, Liam’s brother tells me everything. Liam is an open book. Honestly, he should probably be a bit more guarded. You can’t always wear your heart on your sleeve, you know.”

I do know. At least, I did. Liam made me take my guard down.

And now I don’t know what to do.

“Right,” I say, trying to smile. “Anyway, it was very nice to meet you.”

“Oh, you too,” she says as I squeeze past her down the hall.

This is a small, small world that Liam lives in. And I don’t know if I can really be a part of it.

Just a few simple questions and I almost broke down completely.

Left alone with his dad, I wouldn’t be able to keep up those little white lies I told at the cocktail hour.

Little white lies. That’s what all of this has been, hasn’t it?