Seven Days

by Charles, Rhoda

  “I'm so sorry,” she mouthed to the couple, but it was Reverend Jones who answered her.

  “That's alright young lady, we'd just begun,” motioning to the space next to Sabrina he said, “why don't you stand over here?”

  Once in place, Carolyn looked over at her brothers in greeting. Catching Rhys’ eyes, she made a face of mock terror, making fun of her own tardiness and Rhys smiled and shook his head while Luke winked at her. She turned her attention back to the minister who was giving instructions on the exchanging of the rings.

  “Now you young lady,” he said to Milan, “will give your flowers to the maid of honor and she'll hand you the ring, but you're going to have to step back now or else I'll end up marrying you for real a day early!”

  Milan retreated and with barely concealed horror watched Reverend Jones take Carolyn by the elbow and usher her to the bride's place next to Julian.

  “Since you were late, you get to stand in the hot spot,” he chuckled at his own joke. Then placing Carolyn's hands in Julian's he went through the ring ceremony.

  Julian’s heart had ceased its racing and returned to its customary pattern when he watched Carolyn hurry down the aisle. Her presence in the church filled him with relief and the anxiety he had been feeling dissipated.

  Now he was hand-in-hand with the woman he had desired for almost his whole life. She looked at him with shy brown eyes as she pantomimed sliding a ring on his finger.

  “The groom now takes the ring from the best man and places it on her hand,” the pastor said expectantly.

  Without thinking Julian pulled off the silver ring he always wore, a gift from his mother on his seventeenth birthday, and deftly slid it onto Carolyn's ring finger. In his mind he recited the vows he had held in his heart for years.

  When the warm metal touched her skin she immediately dropped her gaze to their hands, then locked eyes with him again. It was mere seconds but in that time he couldn’t deny that he loved her and he was sure she loved him too. Though witnessed by all, no one saw that Carolyn and Julian had become one.

  Milan, no longer content standing on the sidelines at her own wedding rehearsal, gracefully resumed her place at Julian’s side with surgical precision, nudging Carolyn back to her place as bridesmaid.

  “And this is where he gets to kiss his bride, right?” Milan charmingly posed the question to Reverend Jones, while tipping her face up for a kiss from Julian.

  “Yes, you may kiss the bride!” exclaimed Reverend Jones. Milan instead pecked Julian on the lips as the reverend continued, “And I send you down the aisle, man and missus, and my job will be done here and we'll all go celebrate and toast the happy couple. See? Not so bad at all.”

  Something had transpired between Carolyn and Julian and he knew without a doubt that she finally knew his true feelings. Julian turned to the pastor, “No, not so bad.”

  He did not dare look at Carolyn again. He was afraid that all his feelings would show on his face and he would be exposed as loving one other than his intended. Instead he swept Milan along the aisle entreating everyone to follow them to the hotel for the rehearsal dinner.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The Maynard-Todd rehearsal dinner was held in a reserved private room at the Adam's Mark Hotel on the border of the city and the county. Rather than just have the wedding party and family at the dinner, the couple had also included out-of-town guests and extended family, so there was a good amount of people milling around when Carolyn and Luke arrived.

  Luke had followed behind his sister as they trailed the others from the church and by the time they entered the hall, Rhys, as a good best man, was already working the room with natural ease. Following suit, Milan and Julian, an inseparable pair, mingled with their guests and laughed at the good-natured ribbing of leaving their single days behind.

  As Julian never left Milan's side, so Carolyn never left Luke's. Though Rhys was the brother Carolyn turned to for advice and approval, in times of emotional turmoil, she always gravitated to Luke. He sensed that she needed him tonight, though he was not sure why, and he was a stalwart support for her.

  The room was set up with round tables and the guests could choose their own seating. At the far end of the room, a long buffet table of food was available, complete with a line of hungry guests working their way down the table from rolls to pastries.

  “Ready to get some grub?” he asked Carolyn.

  Luke and Carolyn filled their plates then joined a half-filled table. Rhys was seated with Sabrina and the guests of honor. Cera had to work but would be at the wedding tomorrow.

  At first, Luke thought it was Rhys that drew Carolyn’s attention to the main table, but he noticed that every time Julian looked their way, she quickly looked away, picked at her food and then peeked back at the head table. He understood the impulse.

  Milan was more beautiful tonight than he’d ever seen her and he had a hard time looking away. At the church earlier he’d resigned himself once again to the fact that his daydreams of late would have to come to an end. He could no longer allow himself to look at Milan with a glimmer of hope. He had been wrong to allow himself to cultivate feelings for her, though he couldn't help himself. The events of the past seven days had led him to fantasize about an alternate future. One where he was the man that made Milan's dreams come true.

  Seeing her together with Julian today had shattered those crystalline dreams. Milan was glowing with happiness about her pending wedding and Julian was so attentive—almost possessive—it was as if he could see no one but Milan.

  They were a beautiful couple and whatever silly notions he’d entertained this week about Julian’s childhood crush on his sister opening the door for a union with Milan would have to be put to bed.

  “Luke!” there was a plea in Carolyn’s voice that pulled him from his thoughts.

  “Yes?” he said and caught the tail end of another furtive exchange between Carolyn and Julian.

  She struggled with her words and then finally asked him to pass the salt. He handed her the crystal dispenser and put his arms around her shoulders for a quick squeeze. She sprinkled the white crystals liberally on her chicken.

  “Why don't you try my salmon,” he offered, switching plates. He watched Carolyn pick at a piece of the fish with her fork. “What’s the matter? Did something happen with you and Jules? He keeps looking over here.”

  She glanced at his table as if she was just now noticing Julian’s presence. “No. Why do you ask?” she narrowed her eyes at him, “Did he say something?”

  She was a little wild-eyed, but aside from that she looked normal, except that her regularly ponytailed hair was swept up into a fancy swirled style and she was wearing makeup and a dress. “I’m just making sure you’re okay.”

  Her faced relaxed and the salmon suddenly seemed more interesting. She forked a piece into her mouth and reached for her wine glass. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  Carolyn could have been chewing paper for all she knew. She took another bite of Luke’s fish and tasted nothing. It was hard to focus on food when she could barely string together a coherent sentence. In her mind she was back in the church and Julian was sliding his ring on her finger. He’d all but said the words “I love you”.

  Under the table, she fingered the ring, which was still in her possession. It was too big so she held her hand closed to keep it from falling off. She’d have to give it back, of course, but for now it was the one thing keeping her grounded.

  Of course she’d misinterpreted things. That’s what her mind kept telling her. She’d misread what was in his eyes. She also knew she was lying to herself because she’d seen the message before. Julian had been telling her all week how he felt and she’d been doing her best to ignore it.

  How could she not? He was getting married, everything was all set, people had come into town for the event, the caterers had been paid, Milan’s gown was ready. Things had gone too far to even entertain the idea of not proceeding. Was that what she
wanted? Did she want Julian?

  Carolyn couldn’t keep from looking his way. She’d felt his eyes on her all night and the pull was hard to resist. This time she didn’t look away from the man she had known all of her life. Something had changed between them; at least she could admit that. Just when it had happened she was not sure. Maybe she had known it after Rhys had left and Julian became her running partner. Maybe it was before. Maybe it was last night. It didn’t matter.

  The guests in the room started to hush as shhs floated through the air. Milan nudged Julian and he stood up drawing the attention of all the guests.

  “Hi everyone. Milan and I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to come and celebrate with us as we are about to take this step into marriage together,” Julian said. Milan had remained seated and he rested his hand on her shoulder. “We're honored and so privileged that you all felt this occasion was special enough to bless us with your presence. You all mean so much to us both and we didn't want this wonderful night to get away from us without expressing our love and thanks to you all.” Milan handed him a glass and they both raised a toast to their guests, “To you.”

  The room applauded and joined in the toast. Carolyn twisted the stem of her glass with her left hand then raised it high along with everyone else.

  So much of life is timing. Theirs was off and they would have to live with that. She sipped heartily as Julian’s attention shifted back to her. His ring was heavy on her finger. She took if off and dropped it in her purse while he watched.

  Dessert was the perfect opportunity for Julian to get away. It was the first time that evening that he and Milan had separated. Always one to enjoy being the center of attention, Milan walked the room sharing precious moments with all the guests. Julian took the occasion to step out. Alone on the balcony, the drizzle from earlier had turned into a steady rain, but Julian didn't seem to notice the bad weather.

  All evening he had been working. He had sat next to Milan smiling and joking and feeling like a complete hypocrite because he was determined not to reveal to anyone that his mind had been full of Carolyn. Every time she moved he was aware of it. Every breath she took, every glance she didn't turn his way, he was aware of it all. And when she did look his way...

  His speech had been the last straw. He felt like a fraud and he had to get out of that room because there was only one conclusion that was clear, if not easy—he couldn’t marry Milan. Having admitted the truth, Rhys' words came tumbling back at him.

  It's too late.

  “Jules, there you are!” Rhys didn’t hesitate at the rain. “Your wife-to-be sent me in search of—” Rhys stopped short when he saw the anguish in Julian’s face. “What's wrong? What's happened?”

  Julian just shook his head saying nothing until Rhys prodded him again. “I can't do it.”

  Rhys glanced over the balcony at the city beyond and stepped closer, “You can't do what, Jules?”

  Admitting the truth to yourself is different from sharing it with another. It’s not quite real until someone else knows. Julian could still go through with the wedding and no one would know how close he had come to walking away. He thought about lying to his best friend, but it was too late already, Rhys knew him too well. “I can't marry Milan.”

  “Julian.” There was warning in Rhys’ voice.

  “I can't do it, Rhys,” Julian stopped and looked him dead in the eye. He saw the silent plea not to say it. He saw the shock at the implications his words would have. “I'm in love with your sister.”

  Like a flip-book the expressions on Rhys’s face transformed from disbelief to disappointment to concern to resignation.

  “I'm in love with Carolyn,” Julian declared. “I've loved her forever and I can't stop. I just do and...I can’t go ahead with this marriage to Milan when all I want is Carolyn!” Julian's control slipped the more he spoke and words continued to tumble out so fast he almost didn’t know what he was saying.

  “What do I do? I don't know what I'm going to do. Rhys you've got to help me. I'm gonna break Milan's heart. She's gonna to hate me.”

  The significance of what he was saying finally hit him. How could he stop the wedding at this late date? How could he explain to Milan? What about Carolyn? He thought he knew, but he wasn't one-hundred percent sure how she felt about him.

  He didn't know what to do anymore. He didn't know where to go next but he had an overwhelming need to be as far away from that guest-filled room of well-wishers as possible.

  “I can’t just leave. But I can’t go back in there. Oh my God! Am I really going to leave my fiancée the night before our wedding? Rhys, you gotta help me. What am I going to do?”

  Julian had been standing in the rain long enough to get soaked through. Warm tears mingled with the cool rain and flowed down his face. He had always been able to handle whatever was thrown at him. But this problem was of his making and he was at a loss. Rhys was his only hope.

  “I messed up,” he said quietly, “Why didn't I stop myself?”

  “Listen, you can't beat yourself up. If you are unsure about getting married now—on the night before your wedding—then you shouldn't be getting married. You are stopping yourself from making a huge mistake.” Rhys gripped him on both shoulders and made Julian face him. “Are you sure this just isn't jitters?”

  Julian shook his head without hesitation.

  “Alright, I had to ask. Come on, let's go”

  “I can't go back in there.”

  “We're not. I'm getting you out of here. Your cast is getting wet, man. Trust me.” Rhys led him towards the door to the stairwell, looking around to make sure no one saw them. “You need to be sure about this, Jules. So, if you are, you've got to break things off with Milan right now. You cannot let her—man, she deserves better than this.”

  “I know, but how do I tell her, what do I say?”

  Rhys thought for a moment then offered a simple answer, “The truth.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Dancing with Milan was bittersweet for Luke. He was so happy to have her in his arms even though he knew it was the last time he would ever hold her as an unmarried woman. She’d been gazing over his shoulder, scanning the room while they moved, but when the song wound down she focused on him.

  “I guess I should share you with the rest of the room,” he said and reached into his pocket to retrieve his vibrating phone as she stepped out of his arms. He watched her move on to share a moment with another guest then glanced down at an urgent text message from Rhys. Wondering why he was needed right away in Rhys' room, Luke started to call but then decided to just go. He would find out what was up soon enough.

  He entered the room completely unprepared for what he saw. Julian was sitting on the bed leaning forward on his knees, soaking wet and looking as if he had been beaten up. Behind him, Rhys, rumpled and damp, paced the short distance between the bed and the window. Luke was instantly worried.

  “What's going on?”

  Rhys stopped pacing but Julian didn’t look up. There was something in the air that told Luke whatever this was, it was bad, and he started running through possibilities in his head. Death? No, he’d just left everyone he cared about hale and hearty downstairs. Injury? Julian’s leg aside, everyone in the room seemed fine. Accident? That was the last category that could apply.

  “Julian?”

  The man looked wrecked and Luke felt his chest tighten when he saw evidence of tears on his friend’s face.

  “You've known me a long time, Luke. You and Rhys and Carolyn are the oldest friends I have. You know me better than anyone and you know that I would never, ever deliberately hurt anyone, especially not someone I love.”

  Luke shot a glance at Rhys, unnerved by Julian’s words.

  “You know that don't you?” Julian asked, insistent. Luke nodded yes.

  “I’ve done a lot of thinking this past week and I finally made myself face some things that I had been denying and hiding from others for years. Funn
y thing is, I know now that I wasn’t really hiding anything,” Julian exchanged a long look with Rhys.

  “I realize that you both probably know how I really feel about your sister.”

  And there it was. That tightening that had started in Luke’s chest solidified into a pit and dropped into his stomach. Every part of his body strained towards Julian as he listened for the revelation he knew was coming.

  “I don't know why we've never addressed this or why I've never done anything about it, but as this week has played out, I found that I can't hide from my feelings anymore. All these excuses I've made to myself over the years...they don't hold up. I need to stop hiding. I can't keep avoiding the fact that I've been in love with Carolyn James from almost the first time I laid eyes on her all those years ago and it's a feeling I’ve never been able to shake.

  “I've been such a fool convincing myself that this marriage was what I wanted, that it was good for me, right for me. I never even gave myself a chance with Carolyn and I realize that I can't not do that. I can't take this step into marriage with someone else without even having tried with her. I'd regret it forever, and it would be most unfair to Milan who deserves so much better than the sloppy seconds I'm offering her.”

  Luke had always been an empathetic person and as Julian spoke he understood every word the man said. Since they were kids, he and Rhys had suspected that Julian had special feelings for Carolyn. But nothing had ever come of it. Julian had never said anything to them and acted as if Carolyn was just another of his close friends. But there had been moments...

  So, Luke understood Julian’s internal struggle. It was decision time and it was natural to reexamine choices. Luke’s empathy, however, turned to anger as he listened to Julian state that he needed to give his sister a try just in case he was choosing the wrong woman.