02 | Too Close For Comfort

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

  

0 2

T O O   C L O S E   F O R   C O M F O R T


THE THING ABOUT weddings was that you could spend months preparing for it, and even longer looking forward to it. But when the big day came, it was such a flurry of activity that it ended in the blink of an eye.

This wedding was no different. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I registered soft piano music, meaningful vows exchanged and a beautiful kiss between the bride and groom that had the crowd gushing.

Oh, and sniffling. A lot of sniffling-mostly on my part, while I desperately tried not to slouch or kick off my heels to soothe my aching feet.

Before I knew it, the ceremony was over. I stood on the dais, half-dazed as the bride and groom prepared to leave, until Flo grabbed my arm.

"Have you seen the best man?"

Considering said best man stood barely a few feet away from us, and I had walked down the aisle with him, that question was both redundant and ridiculous.

I shot Flo a wide-eyed look. "No, have you?"

She ignored my sarcasm and smiled innocently. "He does have nice eyes, don't you think? What's his name?"

Oh, I knew where she was going with this. Flo was usually level-headed in most matters, but got a little wild when it came to potential romps in the sack.

I rolled my eyes, then stepped forward to tap the best man on the shoulder. When he turned, I pointed to my friend beside me. "Enzo, Florence Aryton. Flo, Enzo Fernandez."

With that brief introduction done, I stepped aside and took my brother's arm. Ean looked down at me in confusion, and I shrugged. "You've just been upgraded to the maid-of-honor's escort."

"Thanks, sis, what an honor. Though better you than Flo, to be honest," he said, rolling his eyes at the fledging couple.

Over the best man's shoulder, Flo blew an air-kiss our way and gave his arm what looked like a seductive squeeze. Both Ean and I shuddered.

"She spent the whole walk earlier talking about his ass," my brother added.

"I thought she liked his eyes."

"Eyes, ass-with Flo there is no difference."

"Mm, touché."

Arm in arm, we headed back to the dressing room, where the bride and groom were showered with yet another round of congratulations. Leaving Ean to pop the champagne, I slipped off to the rooftop garden where the reception was due in fifteen minutes.

The caterers and resort staff were still putting the finishing touches on the reception, but everything looked lovely. Tables draped with pink and cream satin, fairy lights hung across the trees, and a chocolate fountain placed centre of the buffet completed the ensemble.

I wandered to the table where the wedding cake was. Beside it stood an empty vase, and I looked down at the bouquet in my arms. As per tradition, Brielle would toss this to her bridesmaids but, for some reason, I couldn't quite summon the enthusiasm for it.

Wedding blues, I decided. No, it wasn't wedding fever that had struck me but the blues. I didn't feel the need to rush out and get married, but it seemed that yet another of my friends had life all figured out.

I still didn't know where I was headed. And, sometimes, I stood in a room full of people and still felt lonelier than ever before.

Carefully, I placed the flowers into the vase. I'd picked the arrangement myself, so I knew exactly what it stood for. Gypsophila and Camellias-one for everlasting love, the other for longing. Closing my eyes, I wished that flowers were stars and stars could grant wishes.

"I miss you," I whispered. "Everyday, but today more than ever."

I opened my eyes and looked around to make sure that no one noticed me. Then, unable to resist, I reached over to the cake, plucked a snowflake off it, and popped it into my mouth. The sweet white chocolate melted instantly on my tongue, and I suppressed a stupid grin.

Perks of being a maid-of-honor.

After a final glance around, I hurried back to the dressing room. To my relief, it was empty, although faint voices still echoed down the hallway. I kicked off my heels-thank God-and slunk down onto the couch to rest my sore feet. Whoever it was that created these shoes must hate women. And feet.

A yellow file on the coffee table caught my eye. I leaned over and reached for it, only to sigh when I realized who it was from. Jessa. Hadn't I told her that we would resume this conversation when the wedding was over? And it wasn't over until I dunked those éclairs in the chocolate fountain and tasted them, damn it.

"Stupid work," I muttered crossly. But my curiosity was piqued, and I couldn't help flipping open the file. "Stupid Jessa. Stupid company that's ruining every-"

I stopped. There, on the first page, was the name of the company that would be Sereinn's rival, were they interested enough to start bidding for Caverly View.


Hale & Co.


What a strange name. At least La Cour and Sereinn were names related to the kind of business they did, but Hale & Co.? You'd think it were a law firm or something. The last time I heard of the name Hale was way back when-

Don't be ridiculous.

I swallowed hard and let out a self-deprecating laugh. A sudden wave of sadness had swept over me at the memory of that name, but I was being stupid. A name could sound familiar, but it didn't mean anything, right?

Resolutely, I snapped the file shut and shoved it into my bag. Work could wait. Hale & Co. could go hang. Right now, I had a chocolate fountain to get to. I quickly changed into a less formal dress with capped sleeves. Instead of slipping back into those killer-literally-heels, I opted for my old scruffy boots instead.

Just as I was pulling on my boots, a knock came on the door. With one foot still bare, I got up to answer. The person outside was dressed in Sereinn's uniform, and he held out a familiar bouquet to me.

"I was told to deliver this to you, Ms Evers."

It was the flowers I'd left at the reception upstairs-the one that Brielle would throw to her bridesmaids. I blinked and took it from him. "Who told you?"

But he had already turned to leave. I closed the door and stared at the flowers in my arms, until a white card caught my notice. Plucking it between my fingertips, I held it up to the light. My mood had been somewhat dampened by wedding blues and old memories, but the note made a smile spread across my face.


It is believed that whoever catches this has my good fortune, but I know that whoever I give this to deserves it most.

Wishing you a lifetime of happiness.

- Brielle

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net