Wheres the Groom

by Sophie Meyer

  The two of them took a long breath together. She didn’t want the embrace to ever end, it felt so perfect, she felt so whole.

  Finally, the two of them separated slightly and gazed into each other’s eyes. Ashley hadn’t gazed like that at anyone since the workshop. Aldon’s eyes were beautiful and soulful, but also strangely restless. Ashley lifted her hands and ran it slowly across his wonderful face. What had she done to deserve someone so fabulous? She didn’t really understand.

  “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted and more,” Aldon said as she caressed him.

  There was nothing to say, they embraced once again.

  “Do you want to sit at the café or go hiking?” he asked.

  None of it mattered to Ashley. She just wanted to be at his side. “Whatever you like,” she murmured.

  “That’s what I like to hear,” he whispered.

  The chemistry was so strong between them that Ashley didn’t really pay attention to his words.

  “Let’s hike,” he said then, “let’s get away from all this and be alone.”

  They set off along the winding trail that took them high up over the city, giving them a moment to step back and look at the world below from far away. It was good to be away from everything, alone with Aldon, up here. Ashley enjoyed the panoramic scene of water, mountains, sky and clouds.

  The trail rose further and led through woods filled with Redwood trees. The strong sun filtered through the leaves on the branches. As they held hands and walked together in silence, birds sang and little animals scurried around. All of this eerily reminded Ashley of her time with Scott, and the hours they’d spent up in the hills and woods. It had been a long time since she’d returned here, especially on a date. Ashley tried to remember that she barely knew Aldon, but the feel of her hand in his, wiped away all thoughts.

  Ashley and Aldon laughed and chatted lightly, as he leaned over from time to time, brushed his hand through her hair. At the top of a hill, they stopped for a second and he pulled her close for their first kiss.

  It was an amazing moment that arrived quickly and lasted for a long, long time. The feel of his mouth on hers was powerful and demanding. Ashley finally caught her breath and threw her head back.

  “Will you love me forever?” Aldon suddenly asked.

  Normally a question like that would frighten Ashley, but standing here on the hilltop, with wedding preparations going on back home, everything seemed natural and inevitable. What Ray said was true. The universe had provided the perfect mate for the asking. It didn’t make sense, but here he was.

  They kissed again, over and over. Finally, Ashley crumpled a bit, and they sat down on the hill. The cacophony of birds that had been sounding in the background got louder and a huge bird that looked like a hawk suddenly flew by. Ashley shivered and ducked. It was a perfect time to tell Aldon about the wedding arrangements and all that had led up to their meeting and being together like this, but to Ashley’s surprise she couldn’t say a word.

  “I’ve told a lot of people about you,” Aldon said as the birds flew away. “My cousins, my best friends, even my parents.”

  Fantastic, Ashley thought. He’s preparing the guests for the wedding.

  “What did they say?” she asked softly.

  “They just said be careful,” Aldon’s face grew quieter for a moment. “They said, remember, you’ve been through this before.”

  “Through what?” Ashley was puzzled.

  “Falling in love at the drop of a dime,” Aldon replied. “It happens to me.”

  “Really?” Ashley was surprised.

  “Why not?” asked Aldon, “I’m a romantic guy. When something touches me, it touches me deeply -.”

  Ashley reached out and took his hand. He was beautiful really, so open and sensitive, not at all like most other men, who were usually careful and thorough, taking things one step at a time.

  “That’s beautiful, Aldon,” Ashley whispered.

  “Thanks,” he said, pulling her close once again. “I’m glad you understand me, I’m glad I can talk to you. You know what else they told me? They said be careful buddy, you just broke up with someone. Whatever you do, take your time.”

  It was as if a cool wind blew down over the hill and circled around them when he said those words. Of course Ashley knew they made sense, were wise, responsible, even loving. She wanted to say something about it, but realized that time for Aldon might be different than it was for others. He’d already told her it was hard to wait.

  “Why don’t we go back down and get some dinner?” Ashley said. “It’ll be dark soon and harder to find our way back to town.”

  They walked silently, hand in hand, back down the trail to the city.

  “I’m not going to let this date ever end,” Aldon whispered as they grew closer.

  Ashley was surprised she didn’t feel that way exactly. She loved being with him, but also needed time to digest what was going on. Besides, she felt that soon they very well might be Mr. and Mrs., and he wasn’t anything like the other guys she’d dated. He seemed to want to be with her every moment. For a second she flashed again upon her relationship with Scott. The two of them were never like that with each other, they gladly gave each other the time and space they needed alone. She wanted to mention that to Aldon, but she wasn’t sure how.

  Once back in town they took a taxi to a beautiful restaurant overlooking the beach. It was noisier there, more crowded and swinging. Fortunately they were early and able to get a table right in the middle, with a wonderful view of everything that was going on.

  “People kill to get this table,” said Ashley as they were being seated.

  “We’ve got an angel around us,” Aldon laughed. “It brings us whatever we need on the spot.”

  Ashley smiled. He sounded a bit like Ray at that moment and it unnerved her.

  Aldon reached out his hands and held hers as the waiter came and they ordered drinks.

  “I want to know every single thing about you,” Aldon said, “from the minute you were born.”

  Ashley laughed. “That will take us at least a month,” she said.

  “Start right now,” said Aldon, “I have all the time in the world.”

  The drinks came and were left untouched on the table, as they chatted happily. Ashley told him about her family in San Francisco. He told her about his family in Oregon. He had three sisters and one brother. Ashley gasped, thinking about the size of the wedding party and all the bridesmaids’ dresses they’d have to get. They were oblivious to the place filling up, as they talked, cocooned in a world of their own.

  Suddenly, someone tapped Ashley on her shoulder. She jumped and Aldon laughed as she spun around. To her horror there was Jessica was standing behind her, with Winn at her side.

  “My God, my God,” said Jessica, dumbfounded, “I can’t believe my eyes! He’s here, finally. We’re actually seeing him!”

  Ashley’s blood ran cold.

  “Introduce us to Gideon this second,” Jessica demanded. “What crazy luck to bump into both of you like this!”

  “Gideon?” Aldon gasped.

  Winn stuck his hand out before anyone could say anything. “I’m Winn,” he said to Aldon, “and you can’t believe how many people are lined up to meet you!”

  Aldon’s eyes opened wide.

  “But you’ve got Ashley’s parents worried sick, and a lot of our friends, too,” he went on. “Nobody knows why you’ve been hiding! You’ve got us imagining all kinds of things.”

  “Hiding?” Aldon’s face grew pale.

  “Don’t scare him to death, Winn,” Jessica broke in, “first congratulate him on the engagement!”

  “Wait a minute?” Aldon tried to stop her, “you’ve got it wrong.”

  Winn laughed and gave him a funny look, “Cold feet? It’s natural. All the guys get cold feet when it gets this close!”

  “This close?” Aldon’s jaw clenched and jutted out, as Jessica stepped back taking pictures of him.
r />   “Don’t take pictures of me,” Aldon tried to pull the camera from her.

  Winn laughed louder, “that’s just the beginning, friend,” he said.

  “What’s wrong with taking pictures?” Jessica was offended. “You can’t stay in hiding forever – especially with the wedding only four weeks away!”

  “What wedding?” Aldon blurted out.

  “Oh brother,” Winn laughed louder, “this guy’s got cold feet as bad as it gets.”

  Aldon pushed the table away from him sharply, “Listen, I’ll see all of you later. I just remembered, I’ve got an appointment I’ve got to be at in a minute, and there’s no way I can be late.” And, breathing hard, he rushed head first out of the restaurant, without so much as a backwards glance.

  Ashley, Jessica and Winn stood there, open mouthed, staring after him.

  “That’s rude,” said Jessica, “very.”

  “He had an appointment he forgot about,” Ashley finally said, her voice trembling.

  “This is one terrified guy, if you asked me,” Winn interjected.

  “He left you with the check?” Jessica asked.

  “That’s the least of it,” said Ashley.

  Jessica turned and stared at her hard. “Are you sure you’re doing the right thing, Ashley?”

  Ashley felt suddenly furious at Jessica. How dare she barge in and disturb her relationship?

  “It’s okay, Jess,” Winn was calming her down. “Guys act like that all the time. If I ever got close to the big day, I wouldn’t be so different from him.”

  Jessica turned on him now, “Really? That’s news to me, Winn.”

  “What’s news about it? How many times have we said things are great the way they are. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”

  Ashley saw Jessica wince. All the wedding planning must have gotten to her and it was impossible not to think at that moment, that Winn might never turn into her groom.

  “I’m sorry Ashley, if I said something wrong,” Jessica looked up at her, suddenly shaky.

  “It’s fine, Jess,” Ashley felt badly for her.

  “But it’s great that we met him anyway,” Jessica tried to lift the mood again.

  “Yeah, he’s one hell of a guy,” Winn chimed in. “Definitely my kind of man.”

  *

  Jessica and Winn invited Ashley to join them for dinner, but she declined. She wanted to get home and wait to hear from Aldon, get all this worked out. It definitely had to be a shock for him and she could totally understand why he’d run away. Ashley was desperate to explain to him what happened though, to go over the whole story, blow by blow.

  Back home she waited for over an hour. No text, no call. It was unnerving and Ashley finally picked up the phone and called him.

  Aldon’s message machine came on. “I’m out now, leave a message.”

  “Call me right away, please,” Ashley pleaded. “There’s been a horrible, terrible misunderstanding. I can explain everything. Give me a chance.”

  Two hours later, no text or call back.

  “Aldon,” Ashley left another desperate message, “call me right now. I’m devastated, give me a chance to explain.”

  It took until the next morning for Ashley to realize that she would never hear from Aldon again.

  CHAPTER 23

  Ashley hadn’t slept a bit all night long, was totally exhausted and spent. She lay in bed in the morning, the blankets over her head, unable to move a muscle. There was no way she could go to work today or anywhere else either. The beautiful dream of a wedding had turned into a nightmare, a total fiasco and she felt like a complete idiot. She deserved it, too, she thought. How had she let this happen? Ashley tossed back and forth in bed, unable to face herself. How could she have been so wrong? Here she was ready to marry a guy who didn’t even have the courtesy to call her back. Okay, what happened was shocking, but how could he let her just hang the way he did?

  Ashley felt as if she were on a racing train she couldn’t get off of. Obviously the wedding had to be called off. That was certain! But how would she do it? What would she say?

  At noon the phone rang and she bolted upright in bed, hoping against hope that it might be Aldon. She wanted so badly to speak to him.

  Ashley picked up and listened to the voice at the other end, booming with joy.

  “It’s happened, I found it!” it was Ray. “It’s the most amazing studio you ever saw! Even better than the one I have, and only two blocks away! Thanks to you, my support buddy! Thanks to Tamara whose friend owns the place! Thanks to the Universe for being so generous and providing what we need when we do!”

  Ashley couldn’t bear to hear another word. Ray’s voice began to grate at her like chalk on a blackboard.

  “Are you there? Ray kept speaking, “why are you so quiet? They told me at work you weren’t coming in today! So, I know you’re there, unless you’re somewhere, in heaven, with him, nestled in his arms?”

  That was too much. Ashley couldn’t stand it. “I’m here,” she breathed fiercely.

  “Oh thank God, I just wanted to thank you in person,” Ray was so overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness, that Ashley’s anger dissipated a little. There was no way she could spoil his moment. He didn’t deserve that. He’d been such a good friend.

  “Congratulations, Ray,” Ashley gasped. “I’m really happy for you.”

  “It works, it works,” Ray repeated.

  Ashley couldn’t say another word.

  “What’s the matter? “Why are you so silent?” He suddenly caught her vibe.

  “I’m just tired,” Ashley wanted to cover up how she felt.

  “That’s not it,” Ray insisted, “something else has happened.” Then, suddenly he remembered, “Oh my God, you had a date with him, last night! I saw his picture up on Facebook. He’s great, he’s gorgeous!”

  Up on Facebook? Ashley was horrified that Jessica had posted Aldon’s photo. What was wrong with her? Why did she do this? Was she smoking him out?

  “How was the date?” Ray breathed. “I should have asked immediately.”

  “It was our first and last date,” Ashley declared.

  “No!” Ray was stung.

  “I can’t talk now,” Ashley needed to go back into bed, pull up the covers and figure out a way to disappear and tell the whole world the wedding was called off!

  “Ashley,” Ray insisted, “talk to me.”

  But it was too much for her, “later,” she said and hung up the phone.

  At least it was warm and dark under the covers. Ashley tried to sleep and could not. How was she going to break the news to everyone? Every little sound she heard was more piercing, a fly tapping at her window, the alarm clock ticking at her bedside. She lay there for a long time, wondering exactly how to call off the wedding when she heard loud knocking on her door.

  Ashley jumped up in bed. Could it be Aldon, coming to apologize for running out and not picking up her calls? She didn’t remember giving him her address but it would be easy enough for him to find out.

  Ashley straightened her hair for a moment, pulled on a rose robe, and rushed to the door.

  “Who’s there?” she was frightened.

  “It’s Ray, open up.”

  Oh God, he was the last one she felt like seeing now.

  “Come on, open up,” Ray demanded, “I love you Ashley, I won’t let anything hurt you. You have to open the door.”

  She did.

  Ray gave her a warm, friendly hug.

  Ashley pulled back and took a deep breath. It was good to have his friendship. Love came in all kinds of shapes and forms, she thought. There was comfort, friendship, trustworthy colleagues.

  “I’ve been scouring your Facebook page,” Ray continued. “I want to give you a heads up. Everyone’s so excited that his picture is finally posted they’re sending you tons of congratulations messages.”

  “Wonderful,” said Ashley, “couldn’t be better. Thank God I never friended him. Thank God he can’t see
this charade.”

  Ray took her hands in his and drew her over to the sofa. “Jessica told me what happened,” he said.

  “Why in the world did she post his picture?” Ashley asked, devastated. “It wasn’t her place.”

  “Winn convinced her to do it,” Ray murmured. “He said it would put Aldon on the spot. Make him keep his commitment.”

  “Great,” Ashley said, as waves of despair circled around her. “And now, obviously, the wedding’s called off!

  “Called off?” Ray looked horrified, “slow down.”

  “But I still don’t know how to unravel this hoax,” Ashley went on.

  “It’s not a hoax,” Ray was offended.

  “What else would you call it? I’ve been made a complete fool of. I’m publicly humiliated for life. This guy never answered my messages last night or gave me a chance to explain.”

  “How great that you found out up front,” Ray insisted. “It was a gift from the Universe.”

  “Cut it out,” said Ashley. This was just too much now. “Pain and humiliation are also gifts from the Universe?” she quipped harshly.

  “Yes, they are, if you think of them that way,” Ray shot right back. “You were just being shown that Aldon wasn’t the one for you.”

  “Thanks,” Ashley said growing bitter. “There had to have been better ways I could have found out.”

  “You were also shown wonderful things,” Ray was heating up. “You were shown that love is possible, Ashley. Look how excited you got, look how you opened your heart! Look how beautiful you felt in your satin wedding dress.”

  Ray had a way of twisting reality that left Ashley breathless. The thought of her wedding dress brought chills for a moment. That had been a beautiful moment, but was she supposed to be thankful that she’d cared for someone only to be thrown away again?

  “And other fabulous things have happened from all this, too,” Ray insisted.

  “Really? Like what?” Ashley was ready to take him on now.

  “Well, Vince and Tamara are crazy about each other!” Ray’s eyes lit up bright. “They’ve both been lonely for so long and wouldn’t have met if this wedding hadn’t been planned!”