- Lucy -
iden’s face dropped.
“Hi Lucy,” Chelsea said. “I didn’t know you were invited.”
She was wearing a tight fitting blue dress that looked like an oversized tube top.
Aiden turned around in slow motion. “What are you doing here?”
She laughed. “What do you mean what am I doing here? We’ve been looking forward to this for months.”
Aiden clenched his fists. “Are you on drugs?”
She laughed, wiping the bottom of her nose with the back of her fingertips. “Of course not.”
“You shouldn’t be here Chelsea.” His voice was low and controlled.
I felt eyes on us from across the room and turned towards Claire. She lifted her palms towards the ceiling and mouthed “What the hell?”
I hoped my wide eyes spoke for themselves.
“Am I at your table or-”
“No.” Aiden stood up. “You’re not at any table.” He turned to face her. “You’re not even on the guest list.”
“Of course I am. What’s gotten into you?”
Aiden looked over his shoulder at me. “I’ll be right back.”
“Did I miss your speech?” Chelsea asked again.
“Yes,” he said, wrapping his fingers around her bony arm. “But you’re still going to get to hear one.”
I watched him lead her out of the room, restraining her like she was a crazy person.
“Where are they going?”
I looked up to see Claire standing next to me. “I don’t know. To talk, I guess.”
“What is she even doing here?” she asked, shaking her head.
“I have no idea,” I said, staring towards the door they went through. “He said he would be right back.”
“I feel so bad for him. I knew she was crazy, but I didn’t think she was crazy enough to crash my wedding.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “Aiden’s going to take care of it.”
“I mean, I guess she can stay if she wants, but-”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not gonna happen,” I said.
“Is everything okay?” Mrs. Briggs said out of nowhere.
“Everything’s fine.” I stood up and looked back and forth between Claire and her Mom.
“Did you invite her?” she asked Claire.
“No,” she said. “And I assumed Aiden uninvited her when they broke up but-”
“Relax,” I said. “He probably just forgot to clarify that their breaking up meant he didn’t want her here.”
“She is a model,” Nancy said.
“Aiden told me she wasn’t the brightest,” Claire added.
“Why don’t you two go back to having a good time? That’s what Aiden would want.”
“Don’t you think we should check on him?” Nancy asked. “Make sure he’s okay?”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” I said. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll check on him.”
Claire nodded.
“You’ll come get us if he needs anything?” Nancy asked.
“Of course.”
I downed the rest of my wine and headed off through the doors, looking over my shoulder only once. They were both still standing together at the table and looking in my direction. Mrs. Briggs gave me a little wave.
Fuck. The last thing I wanted to do was interrupt one of Aiden and Chelsea’s domestics. Worse of all, her showing up was just a reminder of my recent infidelity to him, and I actually thought we were making progress getting away from that.
When I reached the corridor, I froze in my nude shoes. The hallway was as long as a swimming pool, lined on each side by more conference room doors than I could see from the top of the hall.
“Drink miss?” A man with a silver tray asked.
“Please.”
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
“Would you like me to grab you a chair?”
“No,” I said. “I’m not as drunk as I look. I’m just not used to walking in heels.”
“You don’t look drunk, miss. I was merely being polite.”
“Thanks.”
He took one step away and-
“Wait,” I said. “Would it be terrible of me to finish this really quick and take another?”
He smiled. “Not at all. It would be more terrible to deny yourself.”
“Thank you for your understanding,” I said, finishing my drink and swapping it for a full glass of champagne.
“Of course.” He nodded. “See you around.”
“I hope so,” I said, feeling slightly bloated from the fizzy bubbles in my stomach. I took a few steps down the hallway and covered my mouth, guessing I was about one burp away from feeling fabulous.
But then I remembered what I was doing. Looking for Aiden and not looking for Aiden at the same time. Why didn’t I just let his Mother go after him? She was much scarier than I was, at least where Chelsea was concerned.
I looked back towards the reception hall and then down the hallway again. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing. I guess I was just trying to locate him well enough that I could make sure his family gave him space without getting so close it seemed like I was interfering.
I certainly had no intention of eavesdropping when I set off down the hall. Unfortunately, the only way I could detect if they were behind a given door was to listen quietly outside it, glass in hand as I stalled outside each one.
At times, I forgot I was wearing a bright yellow dress and actually felt like I was being a decent sleuth. Of course, then I’d look down and be grateful that no one else knew what a fool I was being. I stepped up to another door and held my breath. Nothing.
Nothing after nothing after nothing. And suddenly, I heard voices down the hall and walked as lightly as I could towards the noise.
When I reached the outside of the door, I pursed my lips and perked up my ears, freezing when I heard my name.
“Were they Lucy’s panties?”
“What?”
“Just tell me? Were they Lucy’s panties that I found in the apartment?”
Silence.
“Well?!” She sounded like a rabid animal. “Were they?”
“No. They weren’t Lucy’s panties, okay?”
I swallowed.
“Not that it matters,” he said. “Because who I sleep with is none of your business anymore.”
“Is that why you brought her here? So you guys can fuck now that I’m finally out of the way?!”
“No.”
“It must have been such a relief to get me out of the picture!”
“No, Chels. It’s not like that.”
“What is it like then? Enlighten me? Cause she sure was making eyes at you when I walked up!”
“Making eyes?! What? You’ve got it all wrong.”
“I’m listening.”
“We’re not together, okay? I’m not with her.”
“I want to believe you.”
“She’s a friend of my families. That’s all. I brought her because after we broke up, I had to bring someone.”
“So you’re not a thing- you and Lucy?”
“No. We’re not a thing.”
I took a step away from the door and then another.
Was he ashamed that he’d slept with me? Was I crazy that I thought it meant something? Was I genuinely a rebound like I was so afraid of?
And when was she in his apartment to see my panties?
If they were even mine?
I didn’t know what to think. Either she’d been at his place since I slept with him, which he’d kept from me, or he’d been sleeping with other women since the night we spent together.
How could I be so stupid?!
Of course he was sleeping with other people. He just got Tinder for crying out loud. I felt sick. How could he give me such a hard time for being deceitful when he’d been fucking other girls this whole time?
No wonder he didn’t call me for weeks.
I thought I was in the dog house, but really he was just too busy sleeping around to get back to me. Cause now that he’d had me, there was no mystery left.
I was as dispensable as the rest of them.
In fact, if he hadn’t promised Claire I would do her hair, he probably would’ve already cut me out completely.
Because Aiden and I, we weren’t a thing.
And I was a fool for thinking we ever would be.