"Oh, hey Wallace," a faint blush appeared on my face. I was so close, so darn close. But what does this mean? Does Brett like me or something? Do I have more stuff on my face? Gosh, I'm beyond confused right now, and I feel all flustered and warm. I could really use a drink right now.

"Hey guys, I just came over to tell you two that I'm going to mingle, alright?" Wallace asks.

"Sure," I nod.

"Alright, thanks! I'll see you two around?" He smiles.

"Okay."

And with that, he left. And in a hurry, might I add. Perhaps he sensed that something was going on, and him appearing might have caused some problems, because it definitely did. Flames of anger slowly rise in me as I lament internally about what might have happened if Wallace didn't come in just now. Would Brett have kissed me? What if he did? What if it's just wishful thinking and he saw another bit of makeup on my face that he was trying to wipe away?

"Umm. You still have some makeup on your face, I think I'll let you get that this time," he sighs as he walks away.

It's the latter. Of course it is. He isn't going to kiss you when he knows that you have a boyfriend, and he has got a girlfriend too, of course he wouldn't go around kissing girls all willy-nilly. But he seems mad, and I'm not too sure why.

"Brett wait," I grab him by the wrist, and I think I may have used too much force, because I accidentally spun him into me, and we fall onto the ground, with him sprawling over me. Well, this got real awkward real quickly. He's pressed right up against me, and I can feel his heartbeat accelerating. I look up at his face, and he's got a look of shock etched on it. His pupils are dilated, and his face is as red as a beet. Somehow he seems to be getting heavier, crushing me more and more until I'm wheezing and holding in my coughs, desperately trying not to let any flower petals escape me.

"Help... Can't... Breathe..." Shallow breaths just manage to escape me.

A look of sudden realization appears on his face, and he gets up in a split second, offering me his hand. I take it gratefully, and he pulls me up with his strong arms. I catch my breath and pat my dress clean.

"Oh gosh, I'm so, so sorry... I didn't mean to..." he panics.

"Don't worry about it, it's my fault because I pulled your hand, and you..."

"No, no it's on me..."

"Okay, maybe it's just an accident and it's no one's fault?" I try and ground the situation.

He nods eagerly, and awkward silence fills the empty garden.

"Anyway," I break the silence, "I just wanted to say that yes, I know I told you that I'm gonna be your date for tonight, and yes, Wallace is here, but we're still going to be sitting together, and we're still going to be hanging out all night. He's just here for the open bar, so don't mind him, okay?" I look up at him with my best puppy dog eyes.

"But he's your boyfriend, and you should be sitting with him," he looks back at me, face filled with hurt.

"And who are you supposed to be? You're my best friend in the whole fricking world. Does that mean I get to leave you just because of some guy that I'm dating? Of course I'm not! I love you for goodness sake, more than anyone else," I clasp both his hands with mine.

"Really?" His face brightens.

"Yeah! You're my boy... best friend, and that means you'll forever be in a special place in my heart that no one I'm dating will be able to replace. I love you, more than I'll love any man in the entire universe, you know that?" I almost called him my boyfriend, crappity crap. These Freudian slips have to stop coming out at these kind of moments. And did I just confess my love to him? I hope he doesn't take it the wrong way, or maybe it could be a good thing. But all that matters right now is that he doesn't get mad that I asked Wallace here. I mean, I would tell him the real reason, but that might make him start prying, and he might find out about my illness. I just hope that Wallace can find someone tonight without my help, or Brett might get misunderstood again.

"Now, let's go for dinner. I haven't had breakfast yet," I drag him along to the indoor reception area.

"It's 5, in the evening," he says with a look of horror.

"Exactly."

The reception is in this greenhouse-style air-conditioned room with some shade over the roof to make it less warm and oven-like. The tables are lined with white lace tablecloths, and each table has an arrangement of pink and blue flowers, to match the bouquets and boutonnieres. We head to our table, which is with Max and Jo, and the other bridesmaids and groomsmen.

"Hey, you two. Where have you been? Did you guys f..." Max gets cut off by Joanna, who whispers something in his ear, before flashing us a big smile.

"Hey you guys, congratulations!" I go over to them and give them hugs, Brett doing the same.

"Thank you, Colette, Brett," Jo grins from ear to ear.

We settle down, and after a few minutes, we're served the most delectable French cuisine that I've ever tasted.

"Gosh, this is so amazing, I think I'm actually passing out" I whisper to Brett and he giggles.

"Me too," he whispers back.

Time does fly with good food and company, because it's now 7 and kind of dark out. Glowy beige and yellow fairy lights illuminate the place, making it feel so homely and comfortable. The shades are rolled up to reveal millions of stars and a bright, silvery moon. It's absolutely breathtaking. staring at Brett under the dimmed lights, I have a sudden urge to just kiss him and disregard everything and everyone else. I stare into his big brown, teddy bear eyes, and it just seems like such a perfect moment right now. But in the depths of his eyes, I see the word Diana scratched on. I can't do this to him. He loves her. Even if I don't have respect for her, I still have respect for him, and I can't just do this to him and drop about 12 years of my feelings and emotions on him. Plus, it's not like it's going to do much. He doesn't even love me that way, so it's impossible that I would get cured just by forcing myself on him. I suddenly get reminded that all of this is merely one sided, and he will never love me like he loves Diana, because I will forever be nothing but his friend.

"What were we talking about again?" he breaks my train of horrible thoughts.

"I believe it's... why French fries are called French fries?" I scratch my head.

He shrugs and scrapes the ramekin for the last of the creme brulee. It's so ridiculously good that I'm seriously considering to pick up French cuisine-making during my spare time.

My phone lights up with a notification. It's a message from Wallace.

"Now's your chance! Dance with him! Go get him tiger!"

I smile. I still can't believe how impossibly sweet he is about all of this. And I'm so thankful that there's someone out there who I know personally that has gone through what I'm going through right now. It just restores my faith in humanity.

"I will, thank you sweetheart :) Did you meet anyone?" I send.

My phone lights up again. That's quick.

"Yeah, the maid-of-honor, Becky. She seems nice! We're going out again!"

I look around the hall. She's disappeared from the table and she's now sitting next to Wallace, giggling and laughing away. My heart just smiles for him. I'm glad that he finally found someone that he genuinely likes, and isn't just using to get over his past, which unfortunately, includes me now.

"Hey, we're gonna go do our first dance now, why don't you two come join us?" Max offers. This is my chance!

"Sure, if you're up for it?" I look over at Brett. He seems like he's down for that. I grab him by the wrist and drag him to the dance floor at the back of the hall, where the band is. I'm having such a ball, just holding his hand and bringing him everywhere. It feels right, and I can't really explain why.
_
  I'm putting Brett's perspective on hold for now since they're more like fillers instead of actual plot points.