The Wedding

by Sian Ceinwen

  They walked forward slowly; the cameras were blinding, but Heather posed for the pictures that were being taken of them as they were also asked questions by the media.

  “Harrison, happy birthday! How are you feeling?”

  “Great, thanks.”

  “Harrison! What do you think of Gabriel’s new girlfriend?” another reporter chimed in.

  “She’s very nice.”

  “Have you met her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Heather! Have you met her?”

  Heather worked hard to make sure that there was no expression on her face that might betray any of her inner conflict toward Ariana.

  “Yes, I have.”

  “Do you like her?”

  Well, fuck, she should’ve expected that question. She glanced over to where Gabriel and Ariana were standing, barely fifty feet away, and was shocked to meet Ariana’s gaze. Heather quickly looked back at the reporter who’d asked her the question.

  “He seems very happy,” she said, choosing her words carefully.

  It would’ve been easier to just lie to the press, but she’d done so much lying for Ariana in the past, she wasn’t going to do it now. At the same time, she also wasn’t going to give the press any kind of bullshit drama story to print.

  They moved along the red carpet faster than Gabriel and Ariana, due to the intense interest in the new couple. So, it wasn’t long before Heather and Harrison caught up to them. Harrison squeezed her waist with his arm for comfort, and Heather took a deep breath.

  Okay, so this was going to be it. Their reunion was about to be held in front of the worldwide press, brilliant. Heather pasted a big smile on her face as both couples turned to face each other.

  “Hi!” Gabriel said with a massive grin on his face and possibly looking happier than Heather had ever seen him.

  He was holding Ariana’s hand, and Heather felt guilty for harboring resentment toward Ariana. Harrison was right; Gabriel seemed more at peace now than he did even when they were together before. There was a quality between them that hadn’t been there in the past, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

  “Hey, Gabriel.” Harrison smiled back at him. “Hey, Ariana.”

  “Hi, guys.”

  Ariana seemed nervous. Heather was acutely aware of the camera flashes going off constantly, capturing every millisecond of their interaction. Microphones and video cameras were pointed toward them, trying to ensure that everything they were saying was also recorded.

  “Hey, darling,” Heather said, stepping forward to give Gabriel an air kiss on his cheek, then turned to her ex-friend, “hello, Ariana.”

  She gave her a brief hug, and Ariana tensed slightly. Heather knew that it was petty not to call her ‘darling’ as well; it was the pet name she gave all her friends. They weren’t friends anymore, though, and it would be disingenuous to act as though they were.

  To the media, nothing strange had happened, but all four people standing in their group knew exactly what had just occurred. Heather had drawn a line in the sand; she would accept that Ariana was Gabriel’s girlfriend again. She was even proud of her for making the momentous step of walking The Gauntlet with Gabriel, but she had no personal interest in a friendship with Ariana Chamberlain.

  “Can we get a photo of you together?” one of the reporters called.

  They dutifully turned and stood next to one another. Heather fought the urge to move as they faced the cameras so that she wouldn’t be next to Ariana, but everything that was said or done would be analyzed online worldwide, so it wasn’t worth the hassle.

  She smiled widely at the cameras and put her arm around behind Ariana and drew her closer. Ariana was standing quite stiffly, but Heather forced herself to relax. In her mind’s eye, she could see the picture they were presenting to the world, and no doubt it would look good—two handsome rock stars and two beautiful women, all happy and in love. Ariana’s robin-egg blue dress would look lovely next to Heather’s rainbow dress, and Gabriel was as dashing as ever with his golden hair and blue eyes, looking as he always did, like a Norse god.

  Harrison nodded goodbye to the other couple, who had started answering more questions now, and they started moving toward the venue once again. In Heather’s estimation, roughly fifty percent of the questions they were being asked tonight were centered on Gabriel and Ariana. She let Harrison field most of them and gave the same standard answer about Gabriel’s happiness when she was asked directly about them.

  Eventually, they reached the safety of the venue entrance, and Heather breathed a sigh of relief as they entered. They made their way to a second set of doors that opened into a massive nightclub. As soon as the doors were open, they were assaulted with different sights and sounds. The music was pounding, there was smoke rolling across a packed dance floor, and there was a massive screen scrolling through pictures of Harrison, with huge “HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY, HARRISON!” banners throughout the room and balloons with his face on them.

  The balloons were so incredibly tacky that Heather loathed knowing that everyone would attribute this to her doing. As expected, the room was full of everyone from politicians to A-list celebrities and many in between. She could feel Harrison tense up as he, too, took in the scene before them. Heather felt guilty that she hadn’t been more forceful about throwing the party she’d known he would’ve wanted. Hopefully, if they just had a few drinks, they’d be able to relax and try to enjoy themselves here.

  Heather and Harrison made their way to the bar, amidst greetings from other partygoers and eventually got their hands on some drinks. They headed to a roped-off VIP section up a set of stairs where she could see the remaining two members of Cruise Control, Hayden and Sebastian, were sitting and talking with some other people there.

  Sebastian had his arm around a tall, thin, redheaded woman, and she was staring at him with wide eyes, completely enraptured by everything he was saying. He was rarely seen without a woman by his side—he was tall, extremely well-built, and had black hair. That, combined with his fame and magnetic personality, meant that Sebastian often had his pick of women. He was completely unashamed of the way he would sleep with women and never contact them again.

  Heather couldn’t understand why they would go for it, but she supposed the lure of his celebrity could be very seductive to the women who followed the group around. Hayden was also tall and muscular, with brown hair and eyes, but while he also had plenty of flirtatious interactions with the guys and girls who followed the band, he was much more discerning in his tastes. He liked to flirt and have fun, but he didn’t sleep with every person who crossed his path and had just come out of a six-month relationship.

  Everyone in the VIP area cheered as Harrison and Heather entered it, wishing him well, and he shook a lot of hands before they managed to make their way to the long banquette where Sebastian and Hayden were sitting.

  “Happy birthday, old man!” Sebastian said, grinning widely at Harrison.

  “Shut up, dude, it’ll be your turn next year.” Harrison rolled his eyes at him but smiled as he and Heather sat down on the banquette next to them.

  “Ah, yes, but I’ll still be eighteen months younger than you when I do.”

  “Have you had a good day, Harrison?” Hayden asked him.

  “Yeah, it’s been all right.”

  “You’re looking real good tonight, Heather, if you’re ever looking for a younger man, you know where I am.” Sebastian drawled at her.

  Heather just laughed as she rolled her eyes at him.

  “You’re going to hit on my girlfriend at my own birthday party?” Harrison laughed. “I’m wounded, Seb.”

  “Hey, I had to try, she looks banging,” he shrugged, and the woman he had his arm around seemed upset that she wasn’t the focus of his attention.

  Sebastian made jokes like this all the time. Heather knew that he didn’t place any importance or value on relationships for himself, and they had a r
unning joke that one day she would leave Harrison for him.

  “Any idea when Gabriel will get here?” Hayden asked them.

  “Yeah, we saw him and Ariana during The Gauntlet,” Harrison told them.

  Both Sebastian and Hayden whipped their heads around to stare at Harrison when he imparted this information.

  “You saw who doing what?” Sebastian’s eyebrows were raised in shock.

  “She walked The Gauntlet with him,” Heather confirmed. “We had photos with them on the red carpet. That was fun and not awkward at all.”

  “He’s a fucking idiot,” Sebastian rolled his eyes.

  “Yes! Thank you!” Heather exclaimed, then saw the look Harrison was giving her, “I get it, Harrison, he’s happy. Great. It doesn’t mean that I have to think this is a good idea.”

  “Well, I’m personally reserving judgment until I see for myself.” Hayden shrugged.

  “Speak of the devil,” Sebastian said, nodding his head toward the entrance of the big room.

  The VIP area was behind some glass, but from their vantage point, it was easy to see Gabriel and Ariana, who had just walked through the door to the main area. They were still holding hands as they searched around the room to find them. Harrison waved as Gabriel’s eyes landed on the VIP section; he smiled and gave a quick wave back then leaned over to tell Ariana something before she looked over at them as well and nodded to him. They headed toward the bar to order themselves a drink.

  “Do you want to dance, Sebastian?” the redheaded woman purred at him, and he shrugged, then stood up from where he was sitting and led her down the steps to the dance floor.

  “I’m not sure he particularly wants to speak to Ariana,” Hayden observed, after Sebastian’s departure.

  “I doubt he’ll be able to avoid her forever,” Harrison said, “Gabriel will take her with him everywhere he goes now.”

  “We’ll see,” Heather said.

  She snuggled into Harrison, who put his arm around her shoulders and casually stroked her arm with his hand. He smelled amazing. She lifted her face to his, and he kissed her deeply. The familiarity of his lips on hers was comforting; she loved this man more than anyone else in the world, and he was the best thing in her life.

  When their kiss ended, Heather looked out over the dance floor, and she could see Gabriel and Ariana talking to Darius Thompson and a woman she vaguely recognized as his wife. They had their drinks in their hands now, and all four of them were smiling while they talked.

  “So, she does The Gauntlet, and she’s just totally chill with talking to A-list celebrities now, too?” Heather observed.

  “I guess so,” Harrison responded.

  “Am I the only one who thinks this is totally bizarre?”

  “Maybe she’s changed, Heather,” Hayden said with a shrug.

  “Where’s Seb when you need him? I know he’d back me up,” Heather laughed.

  As they were watching the group below, the two couples exchanged hugs and handshakes, then the younger couple turned and made their way toward the VIP area. Heather sighed deeply as security lifted the rope to let them past, and they walked up the stairs toward them. It was less than thirty seconds before Gabriel and Ariana were standing in front of them.

  “Hey, Gabriel. Hi, Ariana. It’s good to see you again,” Hayden said cheerfully as he stood up, gave Ariana a quick hug, and slapped Gabriel on the back.

  “Thanks, Hayden. It’s great to see you, too. I missed you guys,” she gave him a small smile.

  Heather snorted involuntarily, and Harrison squeezed her quickly to indicate his disapproval.

  “Do you have something you’d like to say, Heather?” Gabriel frowned at her.

  “Not particularly.”

  Heather shrugged back at him, raising her chin in defiance against his cold glare. Nobody said anything, so she finished her drink quickly before standing up and continuing.

  “I’m going to get another drink. Does anyone want anything?” She assessed the status of everyone else’s drinks and saw that they were all mostly full, “No? Okay, cool. I’ll be back.”

  She caught Harrison’s frown as she stood up and felt the disapproval emanating from the group behind her as she walked away. Ariana left them all for two years, and yet, somehow, she was the bad guy for not welcoming her back with open arms.

  She walked down the stairs and out of the VIP area to head toward the bar. Sebastian was dancing with his date in a way that was practically indecent. He caught her eye and laughed at her expression as she passed them.

  When she reached the bar, Heather ordered a Moscow Mule, then sat on a stool in front of the bar. She turned to watch the party as she waited for it to be made. The music was deafening, and she could see up into the VIP area where everyone was on display for the people below. This was not the venue she would’ve chosen. Harrison would’ve been far happier somewhere that they could all talk and laugh together without the pressure of this spectacle.

  Heather supposed that in that kind of intimate setting, both she and Sebastian would’ve had to interact with Ariana. She thanked the bartender for her drink and looked back up at the group in the VIP section as she took a sip. Harrison and Hayden were seated where they had been before she’d left, and Gabriel and Ariana had taken up residence in the spaces that Sebastian and his date had vacated previously. Harrison’s family and even her own mom and brother were up in the VIP area now.

  Everyone was smiling and laughing, she knew she ought to go back up there and socialize, but she didn’t feel like it. Gabriel had his arm around Ariana and was casually playing with her long hair. In Heather’s mind, they could easily have been back on tour two years ago. They’d spent hours hanging out together. Not so much at celebrity events like this but always together as a group. How could they possibly spend time with Gabriel now that Ariana was back?

  Heather wanted to put Gabriel’s happiness first, but she couldn’t do it, and she knew that she was being selfish. Ever since the night Ariana had turned up again, she had been reflecting on her feelings toward her. Even more so, since they found out that Gabriel was back together with her—it was still too painful to remember that time when Ariana had left.

  She wanted to forgive and forget, but she couldn’t. Ariana hadn’t even sent a single text. It wouldn’t have taken much to just send Heather a simple goodbye, a “sorry for leaving”. Heather would’ve understood the ending of their friendship when Ariana left Gabriel and could’ve forgiven that if she had at least said goodbye.

  Even now, it made Heather feel as though Ariana hadn’t valued their friendship, which stung because it had held so much value for Heather. She’d always struggled to find friends, when she was growing up, the girls at school ostracized her. She was tall, thin, and blonde, so the boys at school gave her plenty of attention, and it had led to a reputation that she was easy.

  Harrison had moved to Chicago, and they’d met during their junior year of high school. He was the new kid and incredibly handsome, talented with music, and joined the school band. They became friends, but she hadn’t thought he could ever possibly want her. Between junior and senior years, Harrison went to a summer music program that was highly competitive and met Gabriel, Sebastian, and Hayden, officially becoming Cruise Control before they entered their senior year.

  Heather had been there on the sidelines right from the start of their meteoric rise to fame. She’d officially started dating Harrison shortly after they drunkenly hooked up during her twentieth birthday party, and they had been inseparable ever since.

  This had made it even harder for Heather to make new friends. Fans of the band knew exactly who she was, and she had gotten really good at assessing people. Within a minute, she would be able to tell if they were using her. Nine times out of ten, they were. As Cruise Control had gotten more fame, it had gotten worse, to the point that Heather got quite jaded about people in general.

  Then, along came Ariana Chamberlain. Gabrie
l’s new girlfriend, so sweet and kind, and terrified of their lifestyle. In a way, Heather had fallen in love with her as well. Ariana never judged her for anything she said or did, and she didn’t want anything from Heather but her company. They had a lot of free time together and would talk and laugh together for hours. It was the friendship that Heather had longed for her whole life. Finally, she was able to let her guard down and be free.

  She’d tried her hardest to help Ariana get over her fear of Gabriel’s celebrity, but it was always there. She had basically been phobic about it, and Heather had never understood it. Sure, this life wasn’t easy, but it certainly wasn’t as hard as Ariana had seemed to think it was. A lot of the difficulties they’d had seemed to be borne purely out of Ariana’s fear.

  When she left, the loss was deep for everyone in the band. On some level, it had triggered those feelings in Heather from long ago that nobody wanted to be her friend. Her walls were firmly put back up in place, and when Gabriel later started dating Elena, Heather hadn’t made any effort to become more than a friendly acquaintance. Considering they only ended up dating for a few months before he hooked back up with Ariana, that was probably for the best.

  Heather was distracted from her thoughts as Sebastian headed over toward her. She couldn’t see any trace of the redheaded woman whose name she still didn’t know and would probably never learn.

  “Yo, Heather, wanna dance?” He grinned at her.

  “Let’s see, dance with you or go upstairs and make small talk with Ariana? Hmmmmm, it’s a tough choice.”

  “Oof, you’d actually rather talk to her than dance with me?” He raised an eyebrow at her, then clutched his chest in mock agony, and she laughed.

  “Okay, come on, let’s dance then. I just need to finish my drink first. I figure if I get completely trashed, maybe I can forget these awful balloons ever existed!”

  Sebastian laughed, “What? They don’t meet your elevated taste in design?”