Noah noticed that Daisy had been a long time in the bathroom. If he hadn’t seen Freya go in after her, he’d be worried. Maybe he should be worried after what Charlie had just told him. He pushed back on his chair to stand. He wasn’t sure why he was standing but he was drawn towards the ladies bathroom, or more specifically, Daisy. He knew she needed his help as he could imagine what Freya was telling her about him. Although he couldn’t deny most of the stories that were told about him, he could assure Daisy that she was different, he was different. He groaned, that sounded like such a cliché.
Just as he’d got to his feet he saw Daisy walk out of the bathroom and head towards the elevators. This wasn’t good. He didn’t know what had been said but he wanted to, no he needed to, make sure she was okay. He made his way to the elevators only to see the doors shut with Daisy inside. What he saw ripped his heart open. She was standing with mascara running down her face looking totally dejected. Gone was the happy, fun Daisy. She’d been replaced with someone who just broke his heart. He was going to sort this. He needed to find out what Freya had said to her, even if etiquette said he shouldn’t.
He was glad when he caught up with Freya that she had the good grace to look sheepish. She was with Charlie and they looked like they were having an argument over something, which stopped abruptly as they saw him striding towards them. Luckily they’d sought out some privacy for their conversation so there were no other ears about.
“What did you say to Daisy?” he demanded.
Charlie stepped in front of his wife-to-be. “Hey, wait a minute I’ve got this. This whole thing has just got totally out of hand.”
“Ya think?” Noah replied, still desperate for answers. “Want to explain what just happened? One minute Daisy was laughing and joking and the next, after speaking to Freya, runs off in tears.”
A tear fell down Freya’s cheek and she looked like she was trying desperately to hold the rest back. “I-I’m so sorry Noah. I thought I was doing what was best for her.”
Noah knew he had to dial back the rage he was feeling before answering. He knew Freya was the nicest person you could ever meet but her match making was renowned, not always for it’s successes. Even although he knew her heart was in the right place and she loved Daisy, ultimately she’d ended up hurting her instead. With everything else he’d seen Daisy wrestle with internally over the few short hours he’d known her, he knew she wouldn’t be able to just shake this off. The look of total defeat that she wore in the elevator showed him that.
“Do you really think that little of me that you assumed because I was speaking to her that I was going to, what? Use her? Have some fun and cast her aside like something I’d just stepped on? What Freya?”
“Hey buddy I know you are upset but tone it down, she doesn’t deserve this.” Charlie put an arm around his soon-to-be-wife and pulled her into his side. “It’s not like you are dating Daisy. Why are you so defensive?”
Freya put a hand on Charlie’s chest to stop him. “No, Noah’s right. I did jump to conclusions about him. Noah you know you have a reputation with women that you’ve never denied. You date someone once or twice then it’s on to the next one, without seemingly caring about their feelings. I love Daisy like a sister and want the best for her. She doesn’t deserve to be just another notch on your bedpost. I just wanted to protect her from that. It was nothing against you. I know you’re a good guy and a great friend to Charlie, but...”
“Yeah, it’s always the but. Did you ever think that I was like that because I’d not met someone who made me want to change? You say I’ve been a great friend to Charlie so do you not think I could maybe be a great friend to Daisy too? Maybe more than that? Look Freya, this is your wedding and I don’t want to be the one spoiling it. You should be having fun with your guests, not standing here crying behind a statue of goodness knows what.”
Freya chuckled at that and stepped out of Charlie’s grasp to hug him. “I’m so sorry Noah, I just didn’t think. I’ll go speak to her and see she’s okay.”
“Shouldn’t you be tending to your guests? I saw a few poking their heads out of the banquet room probably looking for you.”
“They can wait a few more minutes. I made this mess, besides I won’t be able to do anything until I apologize and see for myself that Daisy is okay.”
Charlie gave Freya a quick hug. “Good luck. I’ll take casanova here to the bar and see if we can find where he lost his man card,” he said grinning at Noah. Yeah, Noah knew he deserved that the way he was acting, but really, was he losing his man card? He should be feeling fear at the thought but instead he felt happy, content even. A feeling he’d never felt before and it felt really good. Not that he was going to admit that to anyone, especially not Charlie.
“Yeah right,” he scoffed instead.