The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

            Hallie tilted her head. “It sounds simple, doesn’t it?”

            “Incredibly.” Chuck looked toward the door of the multipurpose changing/gathering room, through which most of the bridal party had just exited. Pictures were over, and they were ready to party.

            “It’s complicated. Jack thinks we have too much chemistry and we won’t stop bonking if we start being friends with benefits.” Hallie slid her feet back into the red pumps and pulled her compact out of her bag. “He thinks that we would have sex until we were dead and ruin our friendship. I, on the other hand, think he’s one of those guys who needs to be in a relationship, so I don’t want to be his low-hanging fruit, the person he gets into a relationship with because it’s easy and we had a good bonk.”

            “He’s not your douchey ex.” Chuck leaned over and checked his hair in the compact she was looking into. “And I feel like he actually does like you.”

            She opened her lipstick and raised it to her mouth. “I think we both like each other, but not enough or in the right way to risk the friendship.”

            “Listen to me right now.” Chuck stood as she finished applying her lipstick. “Risk the fucking friendship.”

            She stood as well and showed him her teeth. “Lipstick-free?”

            “You’re good,” he said, then bared his teeth, to which she responded, “You are, too.”

            “Seriously, though, if you two are perfect for each other, fuck everything else.”

            Hallie picked up her bag and said the words that hurt her soul. “I can’t bear the thought of losing him, though, Chuck. I can’t.”

            The breakup with Ben had been awful. Out of nowhere. She’d assumed they were close to getting engaged, and she’d been absolutely in love with him, and then he’d told her that he didn’t love her and she wasn’t enough.

            She’d been devastated and destroyed, but she felt like losing Jack as a friend would be a thousand times worse.

            “Hal.” Chuck grabbed her bag from her fingers and tucked it under his arm; he knew she hated clutches, which was what made him an above-and-beyond friend. “You won’t lose him. You won’t. And don’t you think the possibilities of love are worth the risk?”

            “Shit. Yes.” She took a deep breath and nodded. “I need another shot if I’m going to make him fall in love with me tonight. Care to join me?”

            “I’d be delighted.”



* * *



            • • •

            Because of bridal party obligations, it took forever before Hallie was finally able to meet up with Jack. After the pictures, she and Chuck had to sit at the head table while everyone made toasts, and then she had to sit there while everyone else got their food first.

            Thank God for phones.

            Jack: You look bored.

            Hallie: That’s because I am bored.

            Jack: Wanna play a game?

            Hallie: Absolutely I do.

            She glanced in the direction of his table, but it was hard to see him because people were milling about the ballroom.

            Jack: Let’s call it yell, beat, or kill.

            Hallie: wtf you animal.

            Jack: Choose one person here to publicly yell at, one whose ass you’d like to kick, and one you’d like to murder.

            Hallie: Wow.

            Jack: I’ll start. I would like to publicly yell at your cousin Emily, who is seated beside me and will not stop telling me about her food allergies.

            That made Hallie grin; Emily was a lot. She texted: I get that. So what about the ass-kicking?

            Jack: That’s easy. I would like to kick your new brother-in-law’s ass, because his fraternity friends are a bunch of blowhards who’ve wasted far too much of our time with their stupid toasts. He should have better friends.

            Hallie: I back you on this. May I assist?