- Lucy -
If it hadn’t been for how gorgeous Claire looked, I never would’ve taken my eyes off him. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him so dressed up, and his broad shoulders looked even better in a suit than his chest did in his scrubs or his legs did in his rugby uniform.
Damn. What had I done?
While the rest of the guests milled towards the room where the reception was going to be held, the wedding party headed outside for a quick photo shoot. First the bride and groom took some pictures. Then it was the bridal parties turn, followed by the groomsmen.
Of course, when it was time for the whole group to cram in together, I couldn’t help but notice that I was the only one left on the other side of the camera, besides the camera man and his beret wearing assistant.
“Wait!” Claire said, before the group dispersed. “I want one with Lucy. Lucy, come get in the picture.”
“Oh no, that’s okay,” I said. “It looks great the way it is.”
Claire raised her eyebrows in a way that made it clear my joining in wasn’t optional.
“She’s a family friend,” she explained as I hurried to the end of the line. “She’s the one that did my hair today.”
Her girlfriends murmured their approval as I approached. Meanwhile, I could almost hear the watering mouths of the groomsmen thinking “who is this idiot keeping us away from the open bar?”
“No,” Claire said. “Squeeze in here with us girls.”
At that point, I was ready to die of humiliation.
“Perfect,” Claire said once I’d found a spot beside the friendliest- and perhaps not coincidentally the fattest- bridesmaid.
I tried to smile as big as I could, reminding myself that I belonged in the photo just as much as the others. After all, besides the fact that it was Claire’s idea (hopefully not just because I was standing awkwardly by myself), I had in fact known her longer than everybody except for her parents, Aiden, and one of her bridesmaids who I recognized as her bestie from high school.
I was relieved when it was over, and I can only imagine everyone else was, too. Even my face was sore from all the good cheer, and I’d only joined the tail end of the shoot.
“You have a card or something?” Aiden asked, appearing next to me as everyone made their way back inside the hotel.
“Sorry?”
“Claire wants to give your card to some of her friends in case they want to use you at their own weddings.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s so nice of her.”
“She’s a nice person,” he said. “Plus, she has no reason to be annoyed with you.”
I put my hand on his arm. “Aiden.”
He shrugged it off. “Do you have a card or not?”
“No,” I said. “But what I really care about is whether I still have a best friend or not?”
He stopped in the gravel path and turned towards me, waiting while the rest of the wedding party gained some ground.
I swallowed.
“I don’t want to be this mad,” he said. “But I can’t help it.”
“What can I do?” I asked. “I miss you. I miss-”
He looked down at the ground and dragged a toe through the small rocks before looking back up at me. “I just need time.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll wait.”
His face looked so hurt with his eyes and mouth turned down at their corners.
My chest tightened at the thought that I was responsible, that I’d made him unsure of the only thing he never had to doubt before. “There’s nothing I won’t do to-”
“You don’t have to say anything,” he said. “I know you didn’t hurt me on purpose, okay? I just need some space.”
I pursed my lips. Space was the last thing I wanted to give him. Time was one thing, but space, well, I felt like the more space I gave him the worse the growing silence between us was going to get. After all, I knew he was stubborn, too stubborn for his own good, and I’d never been on his black list before. Nor had I seen anyone manage to get off of it.
“I need to get a drink before I make my speech,” he said. “You want something?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Focus on your toast. Let me know if you need anything.”
He turned on his heels and started down the path, staying close enough ahead of me that it wouldn’t look weird to anyone else but far enough ahead to make me feel left behind.
Fortunately for me, Aiden had so many responsibilities and people he had to mingle with that it didn’t seem strange for him to avoid me. If anything, it made me appear wonderfully supportive and easy going considering how willing I was to share his attention. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.
It wasn’t long before I’d casually skulled three glasses of champagne, drinking them in such quick succession that even the gloriously photogenic canapes that kept appearing on silver trays in front of me could do nothing to take the edge off my buzz.
And when it was time for Aiden to make his speech, I was feeling pretty good… despite the fact that the man of the hour was secretly punishing me in front of hundreds of his family’s closest friends.
Ugh.
I saw him tap his fork against his glass before the high pitched clink bounced around the room. Without missing a beat, I angled my body towards him, relieved that I would be able to admire him for a few minutes without looking sad or clingy.
The hired MC handed him the microphone and he took it confidently. Even the way his large hand looked wrapped around it was enough to make my body ache.
“Ladies and soon to be dance machines,” he said. “May I please have your attention.” He took a sip from his drink and cleared his throat while the shuffling in the room came to a standstill. “I know that as Claire’s closest friends and family, you came here under the guise that you would be celebrating her official union with Dave, the great love of her life. But between you and me, I know you really came to hear her get roasted by her baby brother.”
Everyone laughed, even Claire. Though I believe I saw a flash of panic in her eyes.
“The trouble is, folks, most of the stories that are embarrassing for Claire make me look really stupid, and for those of you that know me well, you know my ego is a delicate thing.” His eyes met mine. “Perhaps too delicate.” He pursed his lips. “But I will say that even when Claire was outsmarting me- which was all the time- she always managed to make me feel good about it. I personally believe that’s the true source of her power, the fact that she can make it clear that she’s right and you’re wrong and somehow leave you feeling great about it.” He looked down at the groom. “So good luck with that Dave.”
Claire blushed and everyone nodded, as if she’d outsmarted them, too, at some point or another.
“And trust me folks, I wracked my brain thinking of ways I could embarrass her today, but then it occurred to me that it would be totally inappropriate to do that. Because the truth of the matter is, she has never embarrassed me. On the contrary, being her little brother has arguably been the greatest source of pride and comfort I’ve had in my entire life.” He swallowed. “And when I think about what a privilege it is to call her my sister, I know without a shadow of a doubt that she will be a wonderful wife.”
Dave put his arm around Claire, and for the first moment during the speech, Aiden looked nervous, but he pulled himself together.
“And if I have to share her with anyone, I’m glad it’s Dave. Because from the very first time she introduced me to him, I could tell that he knew how lucky he was to have a chance with her. And I know he’s not going to blow it. Not only because he’s smart enough to know he’ll never find a more impressive woman to spend his days with, but because I will kill him.”
Knowing nods peppered the room’s perimeter.
He raised his glass. “To my beautiful big sister and the luckiest guy on Earth, may they be as happy for the rest of their lives as they are today.”