Tessa pushed the transfer form across the venue desk and put a pen on top of it.
“Sign it, Rowan.”
I looked at the blank line beside my name. “Why do you need the reservation in your name?”
“Because I’m the one doing the planning.” She tapped the paper. “Please don’t make this difficult.”
June, the venue coordinator, was sorting papers behind the desk. She kept her eyes on a folder, but I knew she could hear us. Tessa had brought me there saying we needed to go over the seating options. Instead, my fiancée wanted me to hand her the reservation, and my best friend Malik was sitting beside her with his coat still on.
I picked up the form. It said Transfer of Reservation at the top. My signature would give Tessa control of the booking. I was the only person who had signed the original contract, so the venue needed my consent to transfer it. Tessa was listed as a contact, which let her discuss arrangements with June, but she couldn’t make that change herself.
“You can already talk to them,” I said. “You’ve been talking to them for months.”
“It would be easier if it was mine.”
“Easier how?”
Tessa took the pen back, clicked it twice and set it down. “I just need you to trust me.”
I wanted to. We were engaged, and the venue had been the first part of the wedding that felt real. We’d stood in the empty room together, moving chairs out of the way so Tessa could picture where everyone would sit. She had laughed when I tried to walk down the aisle without stepping on the edge of the runner.
I’d also paid the whole $3,600 deposit on my card. When Tessa asked how we could afford to reserve the place so soon, I told her an unnamed wedding gift had covered it. I’d been putting money aside and wanted to tell her it was from me later, when we were closer to the wedding. I liked the idea of giving her one less thing to worry about. Looking back, I also liked having a surprise to take credit for.
“Did something happen with the booking?” I asked.
“No,” Tessa said. “I need you to sign it over.”
She wouldn’t give me anything else. I put the form back on the desk and looked at Malik.
“What are you doing here?”
“He’s helping me plan,” Tessa said before he could answer. “You’ve been busy, and Malik’s been available.”
It was true I’d missed a couple of appointments. I’d asked her to tell me what she needed instead of assuming I could get away from work. Malik knew the venue from when I’d shown him pictures, and I’d thought it was kind of him to help. I hadn’t known he was coming today.
He leaned forward in his chair. “She wanted another opinion. That’s all.”
Tessa reached for his sleeve, then drew her hand back when she saw me looking. It was a small movement. I could have explained it a dozen ways, and I tried to.
“Is something going on between you two?” I asked.
Malik’s face tightened. “No. There’s nothing romantic between me and Tessa.”
Tessa said, “Seriously, Rowan?”
“I’m asking because you won’t tell me why you need my name off the reservation.”
“You don’t have to be involved in every detail,” she said.
“This isn’t a detail.”
June closed the folder. “We can put the form aside until you’ve had a chance to talk.”
Tessa stood so quickly that her chair scraped the floor. “Fine. Let’s get some air.”
Malik followed her through the front door. I stayed at the desk, embarrassed that I’d asked the question in front of June and angrier that neither of them had answered the one about the transfer. June slid the form toward her side of the desk.
“I won’t process anything without your signature,” she said.
I thanked her, though my voice came out stiff. Then I went after them. I wanted Tessa to explain without an audience, and I wanted Malik to look at me again when he said there was nothing between them.
