How did I get into this mess? I thought as I picked up the picture. The picture was from a happier time in our lives when Chelsea and I first started dating. Now I wasn’t even sure if there was a wedding to go to since I pretty much messed it up with my jealousy.
When I saw Eric’s hands all over Camille, I thought about the times I was with Camille, touching her, kissing her. I didn’t want another man’s hands all over her. I wanted to be the one to be near her.
If I feel that way, then why am I marrying Chelsea?
That I couldn’t figure out. Maybe Charles was right. Or maybe I just didn’t want to hurt anyone. Regardless of whom I choose, I would still be hurting someone, and that’s what was killing me.
I tried to get up from the bed, but I suddenly had to lie back down. I shouldn’t have drunk so much vodka last night.
That’s the reason why I don’t drink.
I lay in my bed a little longer, hoping that I could dismiss some of the pounding that was going on in my head. Charles walked back into the room with a glass of water and aspirin.
“I think you need this,” he said as he handed the items to me.
“Thanks.”
“So what’s your decision? Are you going to continue lying to yourself that you want to be with Chelsea, or actually try to have a relationship with Camille?”
I stared at Charles trying to figure out if the life I was about to embark on was what I really wanted.
z
Two hours later I was at The Corinthian getting ready for my wedding. After sobering up at home, I told Charles I was going to marry Chelsea and try to work out our problems. I knew we had a long road ahead of us, but we could get through this. We had to.
At this point, I felt the same way as Chelsea did. We had put too much into this relationship to see it fail. I wanted us to have the life that I’d envisioned for us. With Camille, I knew we could have a great life too, but I didn’t know if we were ready for that step.
As I was putting on my tie, my dad walked into the changing room with a somber look on his face. He stood by me and put a hand on my shoulder.
“Charles told me what happened at the party last night. What were you trying to accomplish?”
Thanks, Charles, for opening your damn mouth.
“I wasn’t trying to accomplish anything, Dad; I was drunk last night. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“I think your mind was perfectly clear. Why are you going through with this? Save Chelsea the misery and stop this wedding.”
“No, Dad, I can’t.”
“Who says you can’t? Is it because her parents paid for the wedding?”
“It has nothing to do with that.”
“Then what is it? “I don’t want to hurt her, Dad.”
“Don’t you think you’re doing that now? You’re carrying on with your feelings for Camille. I think you need to let Chelsea go and figure out what you want in your life. Maybe you just need to be alone until you can see which woman you want to be with.”
“I thought about that.”
“Son, I don’t want you to regret your decision. Think long and hard about this before walking down that aisle, OK?”
I nodded my head as my dad came up to me and gave me a hug.
“Just think about it, OK?”
“I will, Dad.”
My dad walked out of the room, leaving me to question whether I was making the right decision.
z
Camille
A
fter what happened last night, I decided not to attend the wedding. I didn’t want anyone to think I was a home wrecker if Trevor and Chelsea decided not to get married. Once I got home, I shut off my phone, pulled the covers over my face, and tried to sleep. Just the images of Trevor punching Eric and the look he had on his face kept me awake last night, which only made me feel as bad as I did before.
I knew Tia and Eric probably tried to call me, but I didn’t want to talk to anyone. The doorbell rang, making me even more annoyed. Instead of going to the door, I rolled over onto my side and put the pillow over my face.
“Go away!”
The doorbell started to ring repeatedly, indicating I needed to get up before the neighbors started coming out of their homes. I went to the door and opened it to reveal Tia on the other end.
“Good morning,” Tia said as she walked in with two cups of coffee.
“I didn’t ask you to come in,” I said as I shut the door.
“I know, but you know I was going to. I had to check on you since you didn’t want me staying last night. I tried to call you too.”
“I shut my phone off.”
“Cam, you have got to get ahold of yourself. It wasn’t your fault what happened last night. You didn’t know Trevor was going to go into a violent rage and punch Eric.”
“I know. It’s just that I didn’t want people to think I was the cause of his and Chelsea’s relationship going astray.”
“Why are you even bringing that up? Who cares what people think anyway?”
I took one of the cups from Tia and began to take a sip.
“I know you’re not going to the wedding.”
“Is there still a wedding?”
“I’m afraid so. Charles called and told me.”
“Are you going?”
“No. I’m going to stay with you today.”
“If you want to go to the wedding, then go. Trevor is your friend too.”
“Cam, I’m not going to leave you alone. Besides, Trevor lost all my respect after what he pulled last night.”
“Why would he still marry her after everything that has happened?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s a good thing he is.”
I sighed as I looked towards my window and noticed how gorgeous it is outside.
“It’s beautiful outside. It’s definitely a perfect day for a wedding.”
“Don’t do this Cam. In fact, why don’t we go out and just have a girls day. We can go shopping, get some lunch. I’ll even pay for everything.”
“You must really be trying to get me out the house if you’re paying.”
“Damn right. So, are you in?”
I smiled at my friend as I stood up from the couch. “Just give me a few minutes to get ready.”
z
Tia was right; shopping did make me feel better. Two hours later, we were sitting outside Clifford’s, a soul food restaurant in the area, getting ready for lunch. As I looked at the items I’d purchased, I looked at my watch and realized it was noon.
The wedding is about to start soon.
Tia noticed I was checking my watch and sighed.
“Thinking about the wedding?”
“I didn’t really think about it until now.”
“At least I was able to get your mind off of it for a little while.”
I gave Tia a tiny smile as the waitress approached our table with our meals.
We began to dig into our plates when Tia started to talk.
“I do have a confession to make.”
“What’s that?”
“Eric came by your house last night. I was on my way out when he was pulling up. We talked for a little bit, mainly about you and Trevor, and he kind of asked me out.”
I put down my fork and gave Tia a bewildered glance. “He did what?”
“He knew you weren’t interested in him, so he decided to move on.”
“That’s fine and all, but with my friend?”
“I told him no, if you want to know,” she said as she looked down at her food.
Once Tia said that, I knew she wanted to go out with him. For me, it was fine considering I really didn’t have feelings for Eric in the first place.
“Tia, you can go out with him. I’m fine with it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Thanks, Cam. I didn’t know how you would react to it; that’s why I didn’t want to cross that line.”
“It’s cool, T.”
Tia
smiled as she put a forkful of greens to her lips. The thought of Tia and Eric going out only made me want to be with Trevor more. I pulled out my phone and hit the photos app. I start to scroll through the pictures when I stopped on one of Trevor and me at the Aquarium. We had so much fun that night.
I really miss him.
Tia put down her fork and set her napkin on the table.
“I’m going to little girls’ room. Be right back.”
“OK.”
Tia gave me a quick look before getting up. “Don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone.”
“What could I possibly do?”
Tia gave me a smirk as she grabbed her purse and headed inside the establishment.
I looked at the table and noticed Tia’s keys sitting there. An idea popped into my head as I got up and snatched her keys. I ran to Tia’s Camry and opened the door. I knew she’d be mad at me, but she’d get over it.
While getting into the car, I heard Tia screaming my name; I closed the door and started the engine. She was trying to grab our bags as I tore out of the parking lot, leaving skid marks behind me.
“I have to stop this wedding.”
z
Trevor
A
fter my heart-to-heart with my dad, I continued to get ready for the wedding. Although the doubts kept creeping back into my mind, I decided to push them out, telling myself that I could get through this. Now it seemed as if my mind was suddenly not my own as I walked into the ballroom to wait for my bride.
Charles was behind me giving me an unsure look.
“I’m going to ask one last time; are you sure about going through with this?”
I gave my own unsure look at my friend. “Yeah.”
While the guests were still being seated, I noticed Camille’s parents were seated next to mine. The looks they had on their faces summed up how I was feeling—pretty miserable.
“I did talk to Tia earlier. Camille won’t be at the wedding,” Charles said.
“Just as well. I wouldn’t want her to be here,” I said softly.
I straightened my stance, getting ready to start my new life with Chelsea. I started to calm my breathing as the bridesmaids walked down the aisle.
I can still back out if I want to.
Once the last bridesmaid was down the aisle, I knew it was time for the bride to enter. The “Wedding March” started to play and everyone stood. I closed my eyes and counted to ten, trying to release the nervousness I was experiencing.
Once I opened my eyes, Chelsea was walking down the aisle with her father. She looked beautiful in a floor-length white gown. Her hair was styled in an exquisite chignon as she decided to not wear a veil.
When I looked at Chelsea, I realized my heart didn’t skip a beat nor did it pitter-patter like it did with Camille. Instead it just did its regular beating as if everything was normal.
I turned toward my groomsmen with a nervous look. Charles raised one of his eyebrows while Ron gave me a hostile look.
Chelsea finally made her way toward the end of the aisle and turned to me with a radiant smile on her red lips. I took her hand as her father stood beside his daughter. Before the minister could begin the wedding, the door to the ballroom burst open and Camille ran down the aisle.
“What the hell!” Chelsea yelled.
Several people looked at her, realizing that she just cursed in front of a minister.
“You can’t do this, Trevor!” Camille yelled as she came closer to us.
“Excuse me, but this is a private service,” the minister said.
Camille continued to walk toward me with tears streaming down her face.
“Trevor, please don’t marry Chelsea. You, I, and practically everyone here knows you don’t love her.”
“What are you doing?” Mr. Parker asked as he gazed at Camille.
“Camille, why don’t I get you out of here?” Claire said as she stood beside her daughter.
“I’m not going anywhere, Mom! Trevor, you have to know that I love you. I always have and nothing will change that.”
“Get her out of here now!” Chelsea yelled.
I looked at my best friend almost in tears myself. I hated to see her like this. I couldn’t believe I caused her so much pain.
“Camille, this is not the time to do this,” my mom said as she stood next to her.
“The only way I’m leaving is if Trevor tells me to.”
Chelsea put her hand to her head and let out a sigh. She went over to Camille and grabbed her arm.
“I swear I will throw you out. Now leave!”
“Stop it!” I yelled.
Everyone looked at me, wondering what I would do to end this situation.
“Let go of her.” “Of course you would say that, Trevor. You wouldn’t want me to hurt your precious Camille, would you?”
“Stop it, Chelsea.”
I went over to Camille and put my hands on her shoulders.
“I’m sorry Camille for hurting you like this.”
“You know this wedding is wrong,” she said through tears.
“Camille...”
Before I could say anything else, two security guards rushed down the aisle and snatched each one of Camille’s arms and tugged her toward the entrance.
Claire and Keith along with my parents looked at the scene unfolding and then at me.
“Are you going to do something, Trevor? This is your fault this is happening!” Claire said.
“This is not Trevor’s fault. If your daughter wasn’t such a skank…”
And that’s when Claire clocked Chelsea. She fell backwards onto the red-carpeted aisle, falling onto the hard wooden floor.
“Oh my God,” my mom said as she looked at the minister. She mouthed an apology for the incident.
“Let’s go, Claire,” Keith said as he took her away from the scene.
“Just go, everyone!” Mr. Parker yelled as he kneeled beside his daughter. I shook my head at the incident, not knowing whether I should go after Camille or see if Chelsea was OK. I took the former and started toward the door.
“What are you doing? Your fiancée is out cold!” Mrs. Parker yelled.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Parker, but Camille’s right. I’m in love with her.”
“You son of a bitch!” Ron yelled as he tried to come after me.
“Come after me all you want, but it’s not going to change how I feel.”
While the entire wedding party was in chaos, Charles looked at the wedding party and came up to me. “You better go before they start burning you at the stake.”
“I know. I need you to drive.”
And Charles and I ran out of the ballroom.
Chapter 16
Camille
A
fter being thrown out of The Corinthian, I noticed Tia was standing by her car in a fit of rage. When she saw me and the look I had on my face, her expression softened.
“Do you feel better?”
“Nope, feel even worse.”
“Come here,” Tia said as she gave me hug. She held me for a few seconds before punching me in the arm.
“What was that for?”
“For taking my car; next time just ask.”
“How did you get here?”
“A cab and you owe me seventeen fifty.”
“Fine,” I said as I fished through my purse for some cash. I handed her a twenty. It was the least I could do since I took her car.
“Trevor still married Chelsea?”
“I don’t know. I was hauled away by security.”
“Wow, it was that bad?”
“It was bad,” I said as I leaned against Tia’s car.
“At least you had the courage to tell him how you feel. What shall we do now?”
“I just want to go home.”
Tia nodded as she went toward the driver’s side. I threw her keys to her so she could open the door. As I was about to get into the car, I saw Trevor and Charles running toward us. I had to admit, Trevor
looked gorgeous in his tux.
Tia noticed the two coming over and smiled. “Maybe there’s still hope.”
“Camille!” Trevor yelled.
I looked at Trevor running toward me, deciding whether I should give him the time of day after what happened.
“Please, Camille, give me two minutes,” he said as he came up to me.
“Fine, start now.”
Trevor took a deep breath as he looked into my eyes.
“First off, I need to apologize about what happened back there. I should have defended you. Chelsea had no right to talk to you like that...”
“One minute, Trevor.”
“OK. Camille, I know things have been complicated lately.”
“That’s an understatement,” Tia said softly. Trevor looked at Tia, and then he returned his gaze to me.
“But it was mainly because of me. I wasn’t man enough to admit my feelings for you. Instead I just pushed them under the rug, expecting things to change because of the fact I was engaged. I didn’t handle the situation very well, and I just want to say I’m sorry for any pain I have caused you.”
“Your two minutes are up,” I said as I was getting into the car.
“I love you, Camille!”
I looked at Trevor as I got up from my seat. “Really?”
“Yes. I always loved you as a friend, but I love you much more than that. I can’t live without you. I don’t want to live without you.”
Tears were flowing down my cheeks at the words Trevor was expressing.
“I hope those are happy tears,” he said.
“Of course, but what about Chelsea and the wedding…”
“Let’s just say I won’t be invited to a Parkers’ holiday celebration again.”
I laughed at Trevor’s comment.
“I’m so sorry, Cam. If I didn’t admit my feelings sooner...”
“Baby, a lot has happened. Just knowing that you love me is enough for me.”
I smiled as I went up to Trevor for a hug. How much I had missed his hugs.
“I missed you,” I said.
“I missed you too.”
Trevor put his hand in my hair as he leaned toward me and placed his lips on mine. The kiss was definitely significant this time around because he was finally mine.
In Love With My Best Friend Page 9