JC sat back in the blue and white tufted chenille armchair, one of the strategically mismatched design elements of the hotel room, mindlessly flipping through the channels on the television. He was quick to get ready, wearing black jeans, a black shirt, and a black denim button-up shirt worn open and cuffed up his arms. He sat patiently, waiting for Nicole, who, despite her normally casual nature, was taking an abnormal amount of time getting ready for Paul's party. He glanced at his watch; the event had begun twenty minutes ago, and while the event was just downstairs, he was getting antsy.

"It's getting kind of late," he called to her.

"Almost ready," her muffled answer came through the closed bathroom door.

Eventually, Nicole emerged, her peacock green satin romper clinging to her every curve, accentuating her toned legs. Strappy black wedge sandals adorned her feet, adding an extra touch of elegance to her ensemble. Her hair, falling in cascading waves down past her shoulders, framed her face in a way that emphasized her natural beauty. Her makeup, though not excessive, enhanced her features, making her eyes sparkle, and her lips look inviting.

As she stepped into the room, JC's eyes instinctively trailed up and down her figure. His thoughts raced. For the past week, he had seen her mostly in hiking attire, and while she was beautiful even in her most natural element, this change seemed to highlight all of his favorite parts of her body along with the confidence in which she carried herself. He found himself momentarily captivated by her presence, his usual composure momentarily shaken.

"What?" she asked, bending down to adjust the heel strap on her left shoe.

"Wow, Nicole," he finally managed to say, his voice laced with genuine admiration. "You look incredible."

Nicole smiled, a faint blush tinging her cheeks as she replied. Why was taking a compliment always so difficult, she wondered.

"I mean," JC corrected himself, "You always look beautiful, but this outfit is just not how you usually dress."

"Oh, it's Candy's," Nicole laughed. Anytime she needed to wear something other than jeans, leggings, or running clothes, she went to Candace.

He nodded, still trying to collect his thoughts, "She's got good taste. Matt is a lucky man." He stood up from the chair, turned off the television, and held out his arm, bent at the elbow, prompting her to take it. "Let's go and turn some heads tonight."

The La Fonda ballroom was bathed in soft, golden light, casting a warm and inviting glow over the gathered guests. Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, between skylights of stained-glass. The space was adorned in a typical southwestern way, with wall art and tapestries typical of New Mexico. Tables were elegantly set, and people walked around mingling and looking for their assigned seats. A live band played soft jazz music on the small stage at one end of the room, their melodies adding to the sophisticated ambiance.

As Nicole and JC made their way further into the room, they were met with Karen's warm smile. She enveloped Nicole and then JC in a motherly hug, then asked, "Did you two have a good time exploring today?"

Nicole nodded.

"And Josh's surprise?" Karen asked, eyebrows raised. "Is the room nice?"

Nicole turned to JC with a questioning glance.

"I might have gotten the approval and help of Karen," JC said.

Karen turned to Nicole, "Oh sweetie, I approve of this one." She patted JC's arm softly. "Let me show you where you are sitting. We have you at table eight, with the rest of the kids." Before Karen led them to their table, she put an arm around Nicole and said softly, "I love seeing you happy again."

Karen led them through a maze of tables and guests. Bursts of laughter and conversation mixed with the band. Paul was a popular guy. They arrived at table eight and were prompted to take the two empty chairs between Joel's cousin Evelyn and her wife, whom Nicole knew well but had not seen in years, and Joel's brother Marty. Evelyn stood to hug her, and Nicole squealed in surprise. The two immediately began catching up. JC stood awkwardly until Evelyn made eye contact, then looked from JC to Nicole.

"I'm JC," he introduced himself, extending his hand.

"This is Evelyn, Joel's cousin," Nicole explained.

"Tell me more about this one," Evelyn whispered to Nicole as they all took their seats.

"Nice of you to finally join us," Joel reprimanded from across the table.

"We had things to do," Nicole explained.

"You mean you had Josh to do," Joel chided.

Kaylee rolled her eyes, "That's disgusting," she mumbled.

The party was festive, and the bar was open. Marty and Joel were the go-fors, ensuring everyone at the table had an endless supply of margaritas. Nicole was feeling the buzz creep in, and just in time, dinner was served. Classic New Mexican fare: chicken enchiladas, green chili pork, and a side of posole. 

As dinner was winding down, the speeches began. One of Paul's college friends reminisced about escapades in the girls' dorms, but quickly followed that up with emphasizing Paul's loyalty. His sister shared childhood stories, portraying him as a caring brother and a source of strength for their family. His former boss praised Paul's work ethic and described him as a man who "could sell sand to the Sahara."

Upon the conclusion of the speeches, Paul got up to give his own. He called his family up to join him. Karen, Joel, and Marty, along with his wife and daughter, made their way to the stage and flanked him on either side.

"This is my wife, Karen, and my two sons, Joel and Marty, and his wife Michelle, and my granddaughter, Penny..." Then he paused and looked out at the crowd, his eyes falling on Nicole. "Honey, Nicole, come up here." Nicole tried to shake her head no, but Evelyn pushed her, explaining, "He probably likes you more than Marty and Joel anyway." Nicole rose from her seat, and as she walked to the stage, Paul explained, "And this is Nicole; she's like my, no, she is my daughter." Nicole joined the family on the stage, next to Joel, who wrapped an arm around her.

The room buzzed with polite applause as Paul continued to describe how lucky he was to have such great family and friends, but Kaylee's face contorted with fury. The inclusion of Nicole cut through her like a knife, amplifying her jealousy. She had never approved of Nicole's closeness to Joel.  If they were truly blood-related, it would border on incestuous in her mind. Nicole was always crossing boundaries, and now they were rubbing her face in it.

The plates were cleared, cake was cut, and the lights dimmed, but the volume of the band raised. JC ushered Nicole to the dance floor. As they swayed to the rhythm, Nicole's satin romper shimmered in the soft glow of the lighting, and her hair cascaded down her shoulders. JC's hand rested gently on the small of her back, guiding her with confidence to the music. He leaned down and pressed one and then two soft kisses to her lips, before they were interrupted. 

Joel cut in, grinning mischievously, "Josh, mind if I steal my sister for a dance?"

JC laughed, "Of course not, Joel."

Joel, purposefully off-beat, twirled her suddenly, then teased, "So, what's the deal? 

You've been with Josh for like a week; who is moving in with who?"

"Whom. Who is moving in with whom," Nicole corrected.

"Who, whom, whatever."

"Where's Kaylee? She's going to shit herself if she sees you dancing with me," Nicole warned.

"She'll get over it."

"You two have been together for years; she still hates me. She's been shooting me death stares all night."

"I'll talk to her. But this isn't about me. Tell me more about Joshy."

"I don't need her to like me, but can you find a way to convince her that we have never messed around and have no plans to do so."

"Yeah, done. But what's up with you and Josh?"

"Oh, you know, we are just enjoying the music and the party tonight."

Evelyn had JC's ear, as she recounted awkward stories about Nicole as a young child who mostly lived with the Pratt family. Marty chimed in from time to time. He explained that when she came to live with them the first time, he thought his parents got them a sister to clean their rooms for them because they were so bad at it. Marty explained he was worried that he was in trouble for not cleaning, and that would mean Santa would bring him fewer presents, so he started to clean his room when he was told.

Nicole excused herself from the conversation and wandered her way to the outside patio that adjoined the event space. Now was as good a time as any for a cigarette, but when she got outside, she realized she didn't bring anything down with her from the room, and JC had the key.

"What are you doing out here?" a voice asked, startling her.

It was dark outside, and she thought the patio was vacant. She turned to see Kaylee, sitting on one of the ornate patio benches. "Shit! You scared me," Nicole laughed awkwardly. "I was going to smoke a cigarette, but I forgot I have everything upstairs in our room."

Kaylee's anger seethed beneath her composed facade at the reference to the hotel room she shared with JC.  "I can't believe you're parading around here with Josh as if he's your boyfriend, and you're all in love," Kaylee hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "Just like your fake sister bullshit."

"What are you talking about?" Nicole sighed, fighting the urge to punch her square in the face. Kaylee's routine was getting old.

"Fucking men who are already taken."

"Kaylee, under no circumstances have I ever had sex with Joel, nor would I. The thought is repulsive. And even if your concerns were true, why are you marrying a man you can't trust."

"It's you, Nicole. You can't be trusted."

Nicole stared at her in disbelief. "I have never done anything to you, Kaylee." Nicole turned to walk away.

"What about JC? Does his girlfriend know how often he crawls into your bed?" 

"Who? What the hell are you talking about," Nicole was confident that Kaylee had too much to drink, and that she should walk away from her, and maybe it was the influence of Nicole's own four margaritas, but she advanced toward her fists clenched. 

Kaylee scoffed, her laughter bitter. "Oh, please," she sneered. "They live together."

"Who?" Nicole shouted in frustration. 

"Josh, JC." She yelled back, and then suddenly it clicked. The weight of those words settled heavily on Kaylee's shoulders, her own certainty crumbling. Suddenly, the pieces fell into place, and the truth became apparent - 

******

JC, still listening intently to Marty and Evelyn, had his attention pulled away. Joel patted him on the back and pointed to the open patio doors. He could see Nicole and Kaylee speaking, and pointed them out to JC. 

"That can't be good," JC joked. "Do they always hate each other this much?"

Joel shook his head, annoyed. "Maybe we should separate them."

******

"Holy shit." Kaylee took a step back. "I... I didn't know. I mean, I thought you knew." Her first reaction was to save face. "I mean, he's a fucking celebrity, you can google it..." her line of reasoning faded as she spoke. Then her voice softened, the realization of her own cruelty hit her like a punch to the gut. "I'm so sorry, Nicole. I shouldn't have said anything."

"And what civil discourse is happening out here?" Joel interrupted as he tried to angle himself between the two women. 

JC eased in next to Nicole, who immediately took a step back. She fixed her gaze on JC, as if seeing him for the first time. "Oh, you know," Nicole turned to face Joel. "Kaylee is just accusing me of being a slut, and a homewrecker," She paused and turned back to JC, her voice quivering, "Because she thought I knew about your girlfriend."

JC's eyes widened. His first instinct was to deny,  "I don't have, a girlfriend. I mean, you're basically my girlfriend." He faked nonchalance. He pulled her hand into his, but she shook him off violently. 

"That you live with." Her words were cold.

JC stammered, his face flushing with guilt, "Nicole, it's not what you think. We're not together anymore. We broke up a week ago, I promise."

Nicole's eyes narrowed, disbelief etched across her face. "A week ago?" she retorted, her voice sharp. "You've been fucking me for 6 months, Josh. All this time, you had a girlfriend?

JC looked down, unable to meet her gaze. "I mean, we hadn't defined things." And as soon as he said it, he knew it wouldn't land.

"I stopped seeing Zaire, for you.  At your request. That's not defining things?"

JC stepped closer to her, trying to get her to understand. He swallowed hard before admitting, "I didn't want to hurt you, Nicole. I thought if you knew, you'd leave. But it's you, I swear. I love you."

Nicole's expression turned from shock to anger. "You lied to me for six months about this. What the fuck else did you lie about?" she said, her voice steady but filled with hurt. 

"Josh," Joel interrupted. It took all of his strength not to kill him.  "Maybe you should..."

"Josh!" Nicole scoffed. "There's another lie. That's not even your name, Jay-See" she elongated the sounds of his initials.  "That's why you want me to call you Josh when we fuck, so you can feel less guilty about cheating and lying."

The accusation punctured his soul. JC reached out to touch her arm, but she pulled away again. "Just let me explain," he was becoming desperate. 

The spiral was turning, and an unsettling dread washed over him, drowning his senses in a sea of desperation and panic. He watched her, feeling a sense of impending loss gnawing at his insides, intensifying the mania of his mind. She can't leave. Not now. Not like everyone else. The fear of losing her, of being abandoned, consumed him entirely. His mind was a chaotic battleground, thoughts colliding like thunderclaps in a storm of overwhelming emotion. I confessed to her that I loved her, but I'm not worthy of her love or forgiveness. She's about to walk out, and I can't be without her. I can't lose her, when I've only just found her.  How can I fix this? With each spiral of thoughts, a desperate plea for her to stay became more urgent, more fervent. His hands trembled, and his voice caught in his throat as he fought to find the words to make her stay, to make her understand. To make her try. "Let's go upstairs. We can be alone and talk about this." He begged, "Please, please, just hear me out. Let me try to explain." 

 Nicole's eyes welled up with tears she refused to shed; she would save them for another day, for something or someone who was worthy of those tears. "Don't," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "I thought we had... I don't know what I thought. I was clearly wrong. This is a betrayal."

She turned and walked away, leaving JC standing there, his heart heavy with regret and his mind spinning in fear.