by Megan Keith
“Yeah. You know what? I do feel weird about it.”
“That’s understandable.” She swallows uncomfortably and I realise that she’s taken my comment the wrong way. I feel an overwhelming need to appease her.
“I feel weird that I’m not weirded out about it. That my ex and my best mate are getting married? I’m kinda weirded out that I don’t feel weird about it.”
“Okay, was that your attempt to use the most possible multiple weirds in one sentence, for like a record or something?” She giggles for a moment but when I don’t return the sentiment she turns serious. “For a Nerd Boy you sure didn’t word that right. What do you feel?”
“Nothing.” I shrug.
“Nothing at all?”
“Nope. I mean I’m happy for them and I’m looking forward to their wedding, catching up with them and watching them say their ‘I do’s’ but other than that, I don’t feel much other than pride.”
“Pride?”
I squeeze her hand and repeat, “Pride.” I kiss the back of her hand before lowering it, “I’m proud that I get to have you on my arm. I’ll be the luckiest guy there.”
Bianca
We arrive at a nice looking house with a ton of cars spilling out of the driveway and down the street. Seth parks the car down the road and, on our walk up, I hear the murmur of the crowd before I see a single soul. He tugs me into the backyard where he’s greeted by a wolf whistle from a burly looking man with a beard.
“Yo Seth!” the guy calls as he strides our way.
“Hey mate!” They embrace in a brief man hug before Seth pulls back to introduce me. “Max, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend Bianca.”
“Hello,” the boisterous looking man suddenly turns a little shy, “Nice to meet you.”
“Hi Max. You guys used to live and go to uni together, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard about you.” I’d heard that he was loaded after developing some hit computer game.
“I hope it wasn’t all bad,” he says with a small smile.
Before we get to say anything else, Seth gets a slap on the back from a guy in a tux not unlike his. “Finally made it, huh? I was beginning to think my best man wasn’t gonna show!”
“That’s my fault. Sorry,” I speak up.
“More like Mum’s fault for making us pose for a hundred pictures,” Seth interjects. “Kev, this is-”
“You must be Bianca.” Kev reaches around Seth to capture my hand. He doesn’t shake it but gives it a gentle squeeze. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Come with me.”
I give Seth an uncertain look as Kev pulls me towards the back door of the house, he only smiles at me encouragingly. We weave our way through a heap of people congregating throughout the house but no one gives us a second glance. I find it a little odd that the groom, a guy I’ve never met, is holding my hand and dragging me through his home. Kev lets go of me when we reach the end of the hallway, at what I presume is the master bedroom door.
“I’m not allowed in. You know, the whole ‘don’t see the bride before the wedding’ deal. But I know Beck is dying to meet you.” Dying to meet me? What? It’s her wedding day and she wants to meet the new girlfriend of her ex-boyfriend? Surely she’s busy with her bridal party. This whole situation is freaking me out. I want to argue and tell Kev that I’m sure she doesn’t need to meet me right now, but I don’t get a chance before he’s banging loudly on the door to be heard over the chaos. “Beck!”
“Yeah?”
“Bianca’s here.”
“Okay!” she responds. Then Kev disappears back the way we came and I’m left standing outside the bride’s door. “Is he gone?” I hear from the other side.
“Yeah,” I reply.
And then the door is flung open and I’m pulled inside before it’s quickly shut behind me. I’m face to face with a blonde bombshell of a woman all dressed in white. Beck, the bride, is stunning.
“So you’re the one, hey?” she says with a scowl and an accusatory tone, her hands on hips bridezilla style.
“I’m sorry, what?” I fumble, at the unexpected confrontation. I glance around the room and find that we’re alone. Where the hell is her bridal party? I need witnesses if she’s going to attack me.
“You’re the one that stole his heart. He wouldn’t just bring anyone to this wedding you know.” Her face softens at my - I’m guessing - scaredy-cat expression. Then she hugs me. This day keeps getting weirder and weirder. She pulls back to look at me with an unreadable expression and I think she’s about to warn me off Seth, be the overprotective ex that I was expecting, but instead she says, “He’s one of my oldest and dearest friends. He’s an absolute sweetheart and you’re lucky to have him.”
“I know,” I automatically reply.
“I’m really happy to meet you.” Then her face pales and she makes a mad dash into the ensuite bathroom and slams the door. I think I hear her throwing up, but it’s hard to be certain when I can also hear so many voices coming from other parts of the full house.
She returns from the bathroom looking a little better, but the serious expression on her face when she says, “A word of advice,” has my insides doing somersaults. “Don’t do that!”
“Sorry, what?”
“When you get married, don’t make the mistake of getting pregnant beforehand. Believe me, morning sickness on your wedding day? Yeah, not a good idea.” She rolls her eyes dramatically and I relax. I think I might actually like this girl. “I’ve totally fucked up my honeymoon, too. I feel so crap that I just know it won’t be the honeymoon sex-fest that I’ve dreamed of since I first lost my virginity.” That confirms it. I do like this girl. I can’t help but laugh at her words and her wide-eyed and dramatic expression. “In my next life I will do things in the right order - wedding, crazy sex-filled honeymoon and then the kids. As it is I can’t imagine being away from Darcy for two whole weeks, now I won’t even be able to distract myself with all the honeymoon shenanigans because I’ll be too busy chucking my guts up. Darcy’s my son, if you didn’t already know.”
“I know.”
“Good. So Seth’s spoken to you about us?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s good. It means he must really care about you.” She eyes me thoughtfully. “Anyway, that’s the best advice I can give you. Wedding before babies.”
“Duly noted.”
There’s a tap at the door. “So, I have a wedding to attend! We better get this show on the road.”
“Thanks for letting me wedding crash.”
“Of course!” She smiles before pulling the door open, where a girl dressed in a pale blue dress is standing. “Time?”
“Yep, everyone’s ready and just waiting on you,” the girl answers, then greets me. “Hi I’m Molly, Beck’s cousin and maid of honour.”
“Bianca, I’m here with Seth.”
“Nice to meet you. Just go through the backyard and you’ll find the open gate at the back. The wedding will be in the park behind that. We’ll meet you out there in a few minutes.”
“Okay, thanks.” I turn to Beck. “Good luck. See you out there.”
Seth
“So you’re my real dad now?” Darcy asks before throwing his arms around Kev’s legs.
“Yep, mate. I am,” he replies on a choked whisper.
I don’t think there’s a dry eye in the park, as the newly appointed father and son embrace. Beck has tears streaming down her face (though she’s had them pretty much the entire ceremony anyhow). With the formalities out the way, I leave the threesome to hug it out, leaving the makeshift altar to find Bianca. It doesn’t take me long to get to her at the back of the small group.
“What are you doing all the way back here?”
She shrugs and carefully wipes at her eyes. “I don’t know. It just felt right to hang back. I don’t really know these people so I didn’t want to get in the way.”
“Come here.” I pull her into my arms. “Why the
tears?”
“It’s a wedding, don’t you know you’re supposed to cry?” She wraps her arms around my waist and I kiss the top of her head, inhaling her scent at the same time. “How adorable is their little boy?” she says.
I look around at all the wedding guests and decorations, back to the newlyweds and Darcy, and I can’t help but wonder if this is the future Bianca and I can have. I really hope so.
***
As the afternoon wedding celebrations blend into night, the finger food is eaten and the drinks drunk, the warm weather and the softly lit yard make for a relaxed vibe. Bianca no longer feels the need to ‘hang back’ but has spent the last hour or so happily chatting to the bride and her friends. The small group of women are huddled in the corner of the backyard. I see Bianca yawning and take it as my cue to escape. We haven’t had a chance to spend any alone time all day and I’m in need of my fix.
“You ready to go?” I ask, sliding my hand around her waist.
“Only if you are.”
“Aw, look at these two,” a drunk-on-love Beck exclaims. “You make such a cute couple.”
“Don’t embarrass them,” Kev says, coming to my side and our rescue.
“Oh, what? Is it so wrong of me to want everyone to be as happy as we are?” Beck admonishes him with a slap to the chest.
“They’ve only just met, babe.”
“So? I knew only after a few weeks of us getting together.” She blinks up at him with a seductive smile before facing Bianca and me. “I expect a wedding invitation. Just make sure you allow me enough time to shed all my baby weight before then, okay?”
Bianca nods with a dumbstruck look on her face. I’m not sure how I’m meant to read that one, so I quickly change the subject.
“It was a beautiful wedding, guys. Thank you for having us.”
“Thank you so much for being here mate, and for standing by me today. We’ll have to catch up some time after the honeymoon.”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
Bianca
It’s not until we’re saying our farewells that it suddenly dawns on me that Seth belongs here. Kev and Beck are his friends and have been for years. They want to see him when they get back from their holiday. Meaning, when he moves back here, to Melbourne. His family miss him and can’t wait to have him home, too. And I live in Sydney. It’s something that I’ve put off thinking about. He’ll be moving back here when his contract ends and we’ll be over.
Over. I don’t want this thing between us to be over.
“You’re quiet. Everything okay?” Seth asks as his hand rests on my lower back and we enter the darkened house where his family lives.
“Just tired,” I reply, not wanting to voice my fears. I’m not ready to face this reality. But as we enter the bedroom and we start to undress I can’t pretend that I’m okay either. I throw on some pj’s, grab my toiletry bag and head for the door. “I’m just gonna…” my voice trails off before I walk the short length of the hall to the bathroom.
I slowly remove the make-up from my face and I’m brushing my teeth when Seth comes to brush his. He eyes me curiously in the mirror as we both go about our business. I know he wants to hear what’s on my mind but I’m not ready to talk. It all seems way too soon to be even contemplating the things that are going on in my head. Even though I knew his job wasn’t permanent, I guess I was kind of hoping that he’d find a reason to stay in Sydney. A new job? Me? But now I can see how much he belongs here, why on earth would he leave all this behind?
The constant reel of thoughts running through my head starts to make it ache. I need sleep. All of this won’t seem so scary in the light of a new day. Surely I’m extra emotional because I’ve spent the day at a wedding. Long distance relationships can work, right? I mean, if that’s what he wants. Is that what he wants?
Seth spoons me after we climb into bed and I feel relieved that he’s not attempting to have sex, because with all the emotions swirling in my head I just can’t do that right now. Well, that’s a lie, I could, but I’m not sure my heart would be in it.
“Did you have a good day?” I whisper, nestling further into his embrace.
“I did. You?”
“Yeah. It was a beautiful wedding. I loved the speech you gave.”
“Really? It wasn’t much, they only wanted me to say a few words.” He chuckles softly in my ear. “Not your typical wedding, huh?”
“Very laidback. I think that’s why I liked it so much.”
“Me too.” His fingers slowly stroke up and down the length of my arm. It’s so soothing that I soon find myself starting to drift away. “You falling asleep?” he whispers.
“Mmm.”
“Good night, B,” he says before he presses a gentle kiss against the back of my head.
Seth
“So what’s on the agenda today, Bianca? Some sightseeing perhaps?” Mum asks after we finish filling her in on yesterday’s events.
“I’m not sure. What are we doing Seth?” Bianca asks, turning in my direction.
“I thought I’d take you to lunch and then maybe we could go for a bike ride.”
“A bike ride?” she counters with an adorable scowl. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“I haven’t ridden since I was a teen!”
“It’s easy. It will come back to you. It’s just like … riding a bike.”
“Ha, ha, you’re funny.”
I lean in close to her ear, “I’ll go easy on you,” and I see her shiver. It makes me think I have a little power over her, especially when she answers with, “Alright.”
***
We’re just finishing up our lunch at the pub and about to head out when I spot her walking in the door.
“Oh my god! Seth?” she says as she makes her way to our table and my heart just about leaps from my chest.
“Emma, hi.” I stand up and we give each other an awkward hug. “Nick.” We nod at each other in greeting.
“Seth.”
“How have you been? How’s the new job?” Emma asks enthusiastically.
“Good, yeah, great, in fact.” My words flounder and I’m sure she can tell. Seeing her again catches me completely off-guard. “I didn’t expect to see you … again.”
“Same.”
She smiles at me like she’s genuinely happy to see me and so I do the stupidest thing, I invite them to join us. Why? I have no idea. It’s not like it’s as awkward as hell or anything. It’s not until Nick and Emma take their seats and Nick introduces himself to Bianca that I realises how rude I’m being.
“I’m sorry. Emma, this is Bianca.”
Bianca
If Seth knows how extremely uncomfortable I feel he doesn’t show it or seem to care. Oh no, his eyes are on his ex, not me. It stings like I didn’t know it could. The fact that he just introduced me as Bianca and not his girlfriend doesn’t help the situation either. Nick doesn’t seem to care that Emma and Seth are carrying on a conversation separate to the two of us. He looks completely comfortable in his own skin, and damn it is attractive skin he has. It’s hard not to notice his good looks, especially that hair, all dark and loose curls, and the dimples, yeah they’re hard to ignore, too.
“So what do you do Bianca?” God, even his voice is sexy.
“I work in a café. How about you?”
“I’m a musician.”
“Oh yeah? Would I have heard of you?”
“Maybe.” He shrugs.
“Do you have any songs on the radio?”
“I have my first single out, yeah.” His grin is enchanting.
“And an album on the way,” Emma interjects proudly, but I can’t tear my eyes off the hottie at my side. I definitely don’t need to focus on how pretty Seth’s ex is.
“I’m DJ Stozie.”
“Get out! Seriously?” I can’t hide my excitement and my loud voice gets the attention of more than a few people at the pub. “You’re DJ Stozie?”
“The
one and only,” Nick replies with a smug look on his face. “You’ve heard of me?”
“Have I heard of you? I only listen to your song on repeat! I love it! Oh my god, I have to get your autograph.” I fish a pen out of my bag and thrust it at him, quickly followed by a napkin. “I’ve never met a famous person before.”
“I wouldn’t say that I’m famous-”
“Yet. But you will be, babe.” Emma turns to me and says, “He’s been working with some amazing artists. They’re calling him the next Calvin Harris!” she states proudly, reaching over the table to squeeze his arm. “Your album is going to be huge!”
“Your album cover is what will get it off the shelves, Em.” He faces me when he continues, “She’s an amazing artist. Em designed this brilliant cover for me and the record company liked it so much that they’ve hired her to do more designs.”
“It does allow me to work from wherever we are in the world and get paid,” Emma adds. Nick looks back at her adoringly and so sexily that I can practically feel the sexual tension between the two of them. Woah! I wonder if that’s what it looks like when Seth and I stare at each other.
That thought is quickly squelched when I see Seth looking down at his hands instead of at any of us at the table. Shit! This is not good. He still has feelings for her after all.
Seth
Emma is so different and yet the same. Her hair is a little longer and her skin a little darker but other than that, her appearance is unaltered. It’s the way she carries herself and the way she speaks, so animatedly, that’s the main difference. She has this confidence that she didn’t have before. As she speaks of her travels and their new career paths, she constantly glances at Nick and he at her. They finish each other’s sentences and continuously touch and smile at one another. They’re so in love, so in sync; they’re perfect together. To the point where I have to look away because it feels like I’m invading their privacy.