HELLO EVERYBODY! I hope you're doing well and that you remember that they're doing the best that they can, especially during these intense circumstances.
It is the end of 2020 and this year has been wild enough that I had the time for my brain to get the conclusion of this story figured out! So here we are at the end of this story.
I hope that you enjoy this and the next chapter. It's a two-parter! Also as a heads up, the next chapter does have some lemon-lime sweetness.
Sixième étage
Chapter 25
"I can smell the tangerines from here!" Nami sighed from her spot on the railing as the Thousand Sunny Mini-Cruise Ship eased its way into a spot at the harbor on one of the Conomi Islands. "It's so nice to be home."
Monica walked up to her friend's right and hugged her. "I'm excited for you, Nami. And I'm excited to see how many mimosas I can drink on the beach before chaos erupts."
"Thanks, Monica, but I'm concerned about your alcohol consumption," Nami sighed with exasperation.
"It'll be okay, I'll watch her while you enjoy being home," Robin added as she approached the pair on Nami's left and hugged her as Monica did.
"Considering the ways I've seen everyone on this boat drink, it's kinda ironic that I'm the one labeled with the drinking problem," Monica pointed out.
"It's okay, Moni-chan, we understand," Robin replied. Monica released a groan and the three remained that way as the ship continued to pull into the harbor.
"Nami!" multiple voices called from below on the wooden dock.
The mikan-haired woman looked down over the railing to see some familiar faces waving up at her. "Nojiko! Genzo! Chabo!"
Once the ship was safely docked, Nami ran down to meet the family of her homeland.
"I'm so happy that you're home!" Nojiko exclaimed as she caught her sister in a tight hug.
"Me too!" Nami responded as she returned her sister's hug.
"You need to come back more often!" Genzo added as he and Chabo also greeted her.
"I know, I know," Nami smiled. "I guess asking you guys to visit me on The Continent would be too much?"
"Way too much," Genzo simply stated. "There's no way in hell you're gettin' me into that World Government death trap!"
"We'll see," Nami replied with her trademark wink, a well known signal that she probably already had some plot formulating to have her way.
After everyone was on the dock and greetings were done being exchanged, the large group made its way to Nami's family orchard.
"Are you sure that there's going to be enough room for all of us Nojiko?" Nami asked when she heard the plans and the group and their belongings were being transported via large open air wagons to the center of the island.
"Ah right! You haven't been back in a while. The house has had some renovations recently," Nojiko explained.
"Some?" Nami repeated with some hesitation.
Her sister laughed at Nami's concern. "Don't worry, it still mostly looks the same. Just bigger. You'll see!"
After stopping for a moment in the main town where Nami and the group were recognized and greeted by many of the residents who remembered the events of their liberation from Arlong, the group made it to Nami and Nojiko's home orchard.
"Just some renovations, Nojiko?" Nami asked of her sister sarcastically as she took in the sight before her. Although their childhood home was still the same in style and color, it was now about four times bigger than it originally was.
"So maybe extension would've been a better word to use," said woman replied.
"Why is it so big? Who else lives here?!"
"Guests. Temporarily," Nojiko answered. "It's a bed and breakfast now!"
Nami seemed to perk up as she heard that their home was now even more of a business venture. "Tourism is that good here?"
"Very. So now there are twelve extra rooms and bathrooms and guests can even take a stroll through the orchard."
Nami grinned and clasped her hands together in excitement. "That's amazing, Nojiko! Maybe we can do something to pair it up with the Thousand Sunny Mini-Cruiseline…"
Monica rolled her eyes and shook her friend to break her from her daydreaming. "And that's enough corporate scheming for the rest of this trip. Enjoy being home, Nami."
Nojiko chuckled at her sister's entrepreneurial tendencies. "We can save any future plans for another day. I bet your friends are excited to see what your childhood bedroom looks like."
"Yosh!" Luffy exclaimed as he injected himself into the women's conversation. "I hope you had better decorating tastes than you do now. I hate how our room on the ship looks."
The mikan haired woman glared daggers at him. "What exactly are you saying, Luffy?" she growled.
"That our room on the ship is tacky and makes me nauseous when the lights are on," he replied as he stuck out his tongue in disgust.
Everyone else prepared for what they knew would come next.
Nami's hands moved at the speed of light as they wrapped around the dark-haired man's throat and she violently shook him while yelling, "You jerk! Why would you insult me?! I'm a professional event coordinator, dammit! I have great taste!"
Nojiko, Monica, and Genzo grabbed Nami's arms and torso while Zoro, Brook, Sanji, and Franky attempted to pull Luffy away. Due to his Devil's Fruit ability and Nami's hidden strength, Luffy's body stretched as his friends pulled but his throat remained to Nami's firm grasp.
"Nami-san, please be careful as to not scratch your beautiful ring," Robin chimed in over the commotion.
Nami immediately gasped as she released her fiance and held the hand with her engagement ring close to her chest with concern; causing everyone to fall over from the sudden lack of resistance. "You're right, I can't do anything that'll harm my precious."
"Is he alive?!" Chopper panicked as he stared down at the muddled heap of Luffy, Brook, Zoro, Sanji, and Franky on the floor of the wagon.
"You're the doctor...you figure it out!" Zoro growled.
"Ah yes!" Chopper remembered and checked on his friend.
"Dammit, Nami!" Monica groaned as she got up from the pile with Nojiko and Genzo. "You have to learn how to chill!"
Nojiko had a questioning look on her face, "Wait, what ring?"
"This ring!" Nami beamed as she held her hand out for her sister and Genzo to see. "Luffy proposed a couple of days ago!"
"WHAT?!" Genzo screeched.
"And you just strangled him?" Nojiko asked with bafflement. "Are you both sure that this marriage thing is a good idea?"
"He's strong, he can handle it," Nami replied absentmindedly as she admired the collection of diamonds on her finger.
"Luffy, are you sure this is a good idea?"
Said man was back on his feet with his trademark smile planted on his lips. "I love her and I know she loves me. There's no one else I'd want to be my wife!"
Nojiko stared at her future brother in law with uncertainty but then saw how confident he was and she relaxed. "Maybe I'll give her some anger management courses as a wedding gift."
"Please do!" Monica tossed in, finally getting herself upright again with the others.
The group eventually made it to the orchard without further incident. After they completed their tour of the grounds and settled into their rooms, the group spent the last couple of hours after dinner relaxing in a clearing that gave one of the best views of the sunset on the island.
"Where are you guys all going?" Nami asked as she noticed that some of her friends were getting up from the comfort of their lounge chairs.
"Moni-chan and I were hoping to stop into the market and do some research for MoRoNa and maybe meet some new vendors," Robin answered. The purple-haired woman rolled her eyes and reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"I wanna go fishing!" Luffy exclaimed and Brook, Franky, and Chopper cheered with him.
"I'm going to try to call Vivi-swan~! I miss my wife!" Sanji cooed and floated away from the group.
All that left was Zoro who remained in his seat, continuing to sip his tangerine flavored sake.
"What about you, Zoro?" Nami asked of him.
"I ain't goin' nowhere," Zoro answered in his typical gruff voice as he made himself more comfortable in his lounge chair.
"Figures," Nami commented as she narrowed her eyes at him. Why was he the one that she and Nojiko would be stuck with?
"Look, this is one of the few times that we've actually been able to stop and enjoy where we are, so I'm gonna take full advantage of it," Zoro pointed out.
"I wanna stay and relax with you, Mido!" Monica exclaimed, but was stopped from lunging at her boyfriend by Robin's Devil Fruit power.
"Come on, Moni-chan. We have work to do," Robin said as she dragged her friend back towards the town. The rest of the group who also planned to occupy themselves elsewhere made their departure as well. Luffy did so after giving Nami a quick peck on her cheek and a knowing smile.
"I'll see you later!"
That just left Nami, Nojiko, and Zoro to continue enjoying the sunset.
- - - THE NEXT MORNING - - -
"Nami-san, wake up."
The mikan-haired woman groaned in response and rolled away from the gentle voice attempting to wake her.
Robin lightly chuckled at her friend. "But Nami-san, we have so many fun things planned for today."
Nami mumbled something unintelligible and remained tucked into the blankets of her bed.
The sound of the bedroom door opening and closing caught Robin's attention. "Ah, good morning Moni-chan."
"Hey," Monica greeted. "Is she still not up?"
"Not yet, but hopefully she'll get up soon or we'll miss out on everything that we have to do."
Monica let out an exasperated sigh. "How is it that even Luffy was able to get up before you? I told Zoro to go easy on her yesterday. That man is so hard headed."
Robin glanced over at Nami before adding some exaggeration to her response, "Whatever do you mean, Moni-chan? What did Zoro have to hold himself back from?"
Monica crossed the room and dropped her weight onto Nami's bed, dramatically draping herself over her friend's legs. Nami held her position. "I told him to keep Nami busy last night with a drinking contest."
"Oh I see," Robin sang. Nami rustled slightly in her spot, but did not fully awaken.
Monica was also aware of Nami's fidgeting and knew that she and Robin had piqued her curiosity. "I guess he pushed our dear friend past her limit and she lost."
Monica and Robin remained silent for a few moments, waiting for what they knew would come next.
"That asshole didn't beat me!" Nami erupted as her friends expected. "What do you mean you told him to 'keep me busy'?! What the hell for?!"
"Great! You're awake!" Monica responded with her cheshire grin and a clap of her hands.
"Dammit Monica! Answer my-!" But Nami was cut off and silenced when a pair of hands suddenly appeared from her face and covered her mouth.
"Come, Nami-san," Robin said as she maintained the execution of her Devil Fruit powers. "We've used up much vital time and we have a schedule to keep."
Monica then stood up and pulled her resistant friend from the bed as well, dragging her to the en suite. "We'll explain everything, but first you have to get ready."
Nami stopped resisting and glared at Monica and Robin, then pointed at her covered mouth.
"As long as you don't ask us any more questions, I'll allow you to brush your teeth," Robin smiled sweetly.
The mikan-haired woman rolled her eyes and then nodded vigorously. Robin kept her word and the hands disappeared.
"Now get out so I can deal with whatever weirdness you guys have planned," Nami commanded of her friends as she pushed them out of her bathroom.
- - - LATER THAT DAY - - -
The area for the ceremony was set up in the cliffside clearing at the far end of the orchard. From the guests' view of the wooden arch, which was adorned with white and orange flowers and accents of branched tangerines, the horizon of where the sky meets the ocean could be seen as the sun slowly set to the west.
This hands down was Monica's favorite event to plan. Her sentiment about the occasion held despite the fact that the group's original vacation plans were hijacked by Luffy, Robin, and Perona to orchestrate this surprise wedding. Honestly, she couldn't believe that they were able to keep Nami in the dark for so long.
"Are we dead yet?" Chopper trembled in his classic black tuxedo with a rust colored tie as he stood with the wedding party waiting for the procession to start. He peeked his head out of the doors that led out to the orchard where the wedding ceremony would be held.
"As long as this wedding goes off without a hitch, we should be fine… I hope…" Sanji replied.
"Well, if she does kill us, at least everyone is already here to pay their respects at our funerals."
Monica rolled her eyes at Zoro. "How could you be so morbid at a time like this?"
"I'm just being realistic," Zoro defended. "Did you guys really think we could take Nami's plans, toss in a few fights, detours to random islands, and a scavenger hunt all for Luffy to propose to her and give her a surprise wedding that she has had zero control over? And then expect us to not be on the receiving end of her wrath? You clearly don't know Nami."
". . .You're not wrong…" Monica admitted with a defeated sigh.
Robin gave her trademark soft chuckle at her friends' concern. "Trust me, Nami will see past all of the trials and tribulations that got us here, and she will be thankful for it."
"And then she'll kill us?" Franky asked.
"I can promise you that she won't."
"You'll be first to go then, Robin," Zoro smirked.
The first notes of the harp that Brook was playing outside could be heard from where the group stood and their attention was back on the ceremony space. Luffy was already at the altar with Jinbe serving as the officiant.
"Alright guys, get in line like I explained before. It seems like a long distance to walk, but I promise that it'll be quick. Also, don't trip," Monica announced and the bridal party moved into their rehearsed positions. "Genzo, remember to wait until the music changes when we're all at the altar to bring her out! And Nami, your ass better be up there!"
"Yes ma'am!" Genzo replied with a salute. Nami, who was still in a separate, adjoining room so that none of the guests accidentally saw her, remained silent.
"Moni-chan, are you sure this is a good idea?" Chopper asked as Nojiko was already halfway down the aisle with Ace and Sabo at either of her sides.
"Nope, but it's too late to turn back now," Monica shrugged and linked one of her arms with Chopper and her other with Franky as she stood between them and watched Sanji, Robin, and Zoro start their walk down the aisle together.
Once they cleared the halfway mark, Chopper, Monica, and Franky started next. When the last trio reached the altar, Brook changed the song and Jinbe requested the guests to stand.
Some moments later, Genzo, in full uniform, was seen escorting Nami down the aisle.
Despite her slightly opaque veil, her mikan colored hair, pulled into an intricate slightly messy bun, could be easily spotted beneath it. When she reached the grinning groom, she passed her bouquet of white and blush colored roses and orange dahlias to her maid of honor, Nojiko. She then took hold of Luffy's hands and smiled at him.
"Nami, you're squeezing my hands kinda tight," Luffy quietly said to her as Jinbe started the ceremony.
"That's 'cause I'm really nervous and pissed that you were actually able to pull all of this off," Nami replied through gritted teeth as she maintained her smile.
Luffy's grin held as he brought their clasped hands to his lips and gently kissed hers. "Then keep holdin' on tight."
Nami's blush became visible behind her veil and remained for the rest of the ceremony.
Luffy was thankful for many things that day: his navigator who he was lucky enough to marry; his nakama without whom he wouldn't have been able to make any of this possible; Ace for not losing the rings; and that he was able to convince Monica and Robin to keep the ceremony and vows as short as possible.
After exchanging rings, two sets of 'I love you now and to the ends of the sea', and two sets of 'I do', Jinbe was pronouncing them as man and wife.
Luffy eagerly lifted the veil covering Nami's face and gently pressed his lips to hers as he embraced her. Even though he had done this with her at least a thousand times before and he could hear the hundreds of people in the audience cheering and yelling, his senses honed in on the touch of her hands on either side of his face, the softness of her lips, and the ever present scent of tangerines that filled so many of their adventures and will be with them forever.
They broke their embrace after some time to make the return trip down the aisle, waving to their guests as they were showered with colored bits of paper on their way back into the orchard house.
"CONGRATULATIONS!" Vivi exclaimed when the bridal party was safely inside away from the guests as she hugged both of them. She waddled up to them wearing a flowing gown in similar make and the same burnt orange color of the bridesmaids' dresses that accentuated her large belly.
"You're here too Vivi!?" Nami asked with surprise as she hugged her. "And with Baby Bump!"
"Everyone's here, Nami!" Luffy explained without dropping any of his excitement.
"Yeah, but who's everyone?" The bride asked for more clarification. "It seemed like there were a lot of people out there."
"Almost quite literally everyone you've ever met," Vivi expanded. "I wasn't sure if we remembered to invite everyone or even if they all received their invitations. Honestly, at this rate the marines will probably also be here."
"I did see Smoky and Glasses Girl just now," Luffy added.
Vivi shrugged, "And there you have it."
"How are you feeling?" Chopper asked.
"Great!" Luffy shouted. "I get to keep Nami forever!" he added as he wrapped his arms around his wife and squeezed.
"Oye, oye! Be careful!" she laughed at Luffy's affection. "I'm still processing everything and trying to figure out how you guys managed this, but I'm really grateful for you all!" Nami said. "What I've seen so far is beautiful! And my dress! And you got Luffy in a tuxedo! And the ceremony went so well without anything going wrong!" The bride started to cry in gratitude.
"No problem! And thank you for not killing us!" Monica replied. A consensus of gratitude came from the rest of the group as well.
"The day's not over yet!" Nami responded with a dangerous smirk.
"You just had to say somethin' " Zoro mumbled sarcastically.
"You guys were beautiful!" A new voice exclaimed.
Carrot appeared in the room with a large rolling tray cart. After leaving the cart in the middle of the room, she ran to hug the bride and groom. She wore a short orange dress that also complimented the bridesmaids' dresses.
"I brought some food from the kitchen and champagne for you guys before you head back out for the reception. Can't dance on an empty stomach!"
"But first, a toast!" Ace announced as everyone received a glass of champagne. Vivi had one of sparkling cider. "To Luffy and Nami, congratulations and always remember that it was love that got you here and love that will keep you together!"
The rest of the group cheered in agreement to Ace's words before starting to eat their snacks.
"So, give me all of the details," Nami simply stated to her friends as she ate.
"Well we can't tell you everything. Where's the fun in that?" Monica replied.
Vivi, worried about getting the bride angry on her big day, quickly attempted to smooth it over with, "But we can tell you that in about 10 minutes, we'll all go back out and you and Luffy will have your first dance. There's also-"
"Wait," Nami interrupted her, "Luffy can't dance."
"Yeshh I cwan!" Said man countered with a mouthful of food as he stood by the cart. "Mowi-chuan caught me!"
"No way!" Nami said with excitement.
"It's just a two step slow dance, so you guys should be fine. Nothing complicated," Monica whispered to her friend.
"Mhm! And you guys should look lovely for all of your pictures!" Vivi commented. "I guess you realized that Sanji's restaurant did all of the catering and that Brook will be heading most of the music."
"You guys are the best!" Nami said as tears welled up in her eyes again.
Monica sat by Nami, "Literally this entire thing was orchestrated by Luffy, Robin, Vivi, and Perona. I didn't know anything about it til we got to Kuraigana."
"What?!" Nami was floored by her nakama's hard work. "That's incredible!"
"Even that whole scavenger hunt nonsense was a part of this scheme," her purple haired friend added.
"Yeah! We had to get a few things that were gonna be hard to get here on time, so Robin figured out how to do it on our trip!" Luffy explained.
Nami looked over at her friend with her surprise.
Robin chuckled as she said, "Yes Nami-san, I commandeered our trip to help plan your surprise wedding."
Nami was quiet for a few moments in disbelief. "I don't know if I can ever trust anything any of you say to me ever again."
The group heartfully laughed at her comment before Carrot and Vivi ushered them to go out for the reception.
The clearing that held the ceremony space was transformed into a large area for dining and dancing. Clothed tables and chairs with white, gold, and orange decor circled the wooden dance floor. The area was lit with both lanterns that served as centerpieces for the tables and lanterns that hung from the trees and were strung across the clearing. The sun was almost fully set behind the DJ booth and live music setup where the altar was standing earlier.
Luffy kept hold of Nami's hand as he walked her around the dance floor, showing her off before he smoothly brought her closer to him and placed his other hand on her waist while her free hand rested on his shoulder. Brook's band then started to play a lovely classical piece that the wedded couple literally seemed to glide to.
Monica watched with bated breath as her dancing pupil seemed to remember what she taught him. In the random one to two hour lessons she could secretly give him without Nami's knowledge across the last four days, she found it easiest for him to grasp the information when she compared learning to dance to learning a new fighting technique now that she was aware of his adventurous past. Then he caught on like a fish in water. It was almost surreal to watch her loud, goofy friend present with so much poise and control as he gracefully spun his wife and then later dipped and kissed her when the song ended.
The guests erupted into cheers once again at the couple's performance. Nami seemingly had a permanent blush on her cheeks at this point and Luffy beamed proudly as the applause continued. The pair looked like they came right out of a wedding magazine: Luffy standing tall and dapper in his tuxedo and Nami practically glowing in the off the shoulder fit and flare dress she modeled for Perona on Kuraigana Island. It was upgraded with a layer of slightly glimmering material that caught the lighting of that evening in all of the right ways.
"Now, we'd like to invite all of you other lovebirds to the dancefloor to join our beautiful couple," Brook announced. Monica mentally noted that the musician seemed to remember to keep his pervy puns to himself tonight.
The waitstaff looked as though they were going to start the passed hors d'oeuvres and were instructed to do their best to stay out of Luffy's line of vision at this point of the night. Sanji already ensured that Luffy would have his very own spread for the evening and one of the jobs that his wedding party members had was to make sure that he stayed away from everyone else's food.
'Good luck to us,' Monica sighed with dismay when she remembered the long list of things that had to be managed for the night.
She was so focused on paying attention to the execution of the logistics and details of the wedding that she hardly noticed when Zoro approached her.
"Are you working during our friends' wedding?" He asked and handed her a glass full of yellowish-orange colored liquid.
"Hell yeah! Because they're our friends, I definitely have to make sure that everything goes perfectly," Monica proudly smiled as she accepted the glass and drank from it. It was rum and orange juice.
"Well I guess they wouldn't mind if I stole you for a bit," he responded as he slipped an arm around her waist and began to guide her from the festivities.
"Oye! Zoro! I have things to pay attention to!" Monica protested, but made no real effort to be released from his hold.
"They'll be fine for like 10 minutes. They're slow dancing now and then they gotta say 'hi' to people or whatever next, right?"
Monica released a small sigh and then turned to walk next to him, taking his free hand in hers. "Where are we going then?"
Zoro shrugged, "Just away for a bit," as they got closer to the trees of the orchard.
After pausing so that Monica could remove and carry her heels, the pair continued deeper into the orderly forest of tangerine trees. The sound of the music playing at the reception was almost faint by the time they stopped walking. The two remained in silence for a few moments as they stood at the edge of the orchard, with a clear view of the moon over the ocean.
"May I have this dance?" Zoro suddenly asked as he took one of her hands in his and bowed to kiss it.
Monica laughed with surprise. "Who taught you that?!" Her boyfriend was definitely not known for his manners.
"Murasa . . ." She heard him growl in annoyance at her question. Said woman attempted to contain her laughter as she placed her glass next to her shoes on the ground and nodded her head.
Zoro swiftly picked her up by her waist with both of his hands and spun her for a rotation before placing her back on the lush grass.
Monica's smile remained on her features as Zoro took the lead of their dance to an almost inaudible tune weaving between the tree trunks surrounding them. The mix of the alcohol, the spirit of the evening, the smell of the tangerines, and each other's presence were intoxicating for them both. It was rare for them to have these moments of pure, unadulterated joy with each other. And they cherished them when they did.
They slowed to a stop when Zoro guided Monica back against one of the trees. The euphoria left playful grins on their faces as they gazed at each other in the moonlight.
"You didn't have to drag me all the way out here just to dance. The dance floor would've been fine," she said as her fingers lightly traced his left jawline and caused his earrings to chime against each other.
Zoro rested his forehead against hers and sighed, "I didn't want anyone to know about my skills."
"Alright, Zoro," Monica giggled with sarcasm.
The green haired man chuckled as well and slipped his arms around her waist. "I also wanted to spend some time together."
"Zoro . . . We've spent almost every day of the last three weeks together. How much more do you want to see me?"
He suddenly pulled away from her and his face took on a slightly pensive look. "I want to see a lot more of you." He looked down at her with a serious gaze, "Right now. Take off your dress."
"Nani?!" Monica exclaimed. "Absolutely not! The wedding just started! What is wrong with you?"
Zoro tightened his hold on her and buried his face in her neck, deeply inhaling the scent of her hair and skin. Her usual aroma of lavender and roses mixed well with the citruses that surrounded them. "You came back late last night and left early this morning."
"Yeah I'm running on like three hours of sleep from helping set up for today," his companion realized with dismay. "But what's going on? Did you miss me?"
She felt him shrug and then his voice rumbled through her again, "I just want to be with you."
Monica released a small sigh; she wasn't going to poke at the topic anymore tonight. "I'm right here, Mido," she replied with comforting pats on his back. It was all she could do with her physical abilities limited by their current embrace.
Zoro lifted his head from her neck and kissed her lips softly. "Meu," he whispered when he ended the kiss.
Monica gave him a small understanding smile before standing on her bare toes to wrap her arms around his neck and give him a slightly deeper kiss in return. She allowed just enough passion to pass between them for a taste, but quickly pulled away knowing their tendency to get too excited. "Meu," she said back to him as she caressed his cheek.
He gave a ghost of a smile before he suddenly knelt to the ground before her and began lifting the hem of her gown from the grassy ground.
"Zoro," Monica warned as she could feel the chills from his unexpected touch make their way up her spine.
Said man looked up at her with a smirk, "What?" He asked innocently as one of his hands slowly made its way up from her ankle to her calf.
The purple haired woman glared down at him through the night, "What are you doing?" He was so hardheaded; he knew better than to start something that she'd need for him to finish.
Zoro's smirk seemed to grow as he held up one of her shoes in his hand, "I'm just helping ya put your ridiculous shoes back on because you have 'things you have to pay attention to' at the wedding," he mocked as he slipped the foot he had in his other hand into the shoe and fastened it. "Why, what'd you think I was doing?"
Monica was thankful that her dark brown skin would never betray her by blushing. "Nevermind," she said quickly and let him put on her other heel. "Thank you."
Zoro continued to smirk as he also picked up their glasses and took her hand, guiding her back to the reception. "You're welcome!"
Monica just sighed with exasperation; this man made her feel too many things.