The Morning After the Wedding Before

by Laura Ziepe

  ‘Let me guess,’ Frankie continued in a soft voice, ‘he tried it on with you?’

  Kim’s jaw dropped open. ‘Yes, how did you know?’

  Frankie clicked his tongue. ‘I don’t even know him that well. He comes out sometimes when I go out with Charlie, and I often see him when I go to the gym, but that’s about it. He mentioned something earlier that led me to believe he would make a move on you. He can be silly boys at times; I’ve heard about some of his antics through Charlie,’ he said with disapproval. ‘He gets overenthusiastic, like a child in a sweet shop thinking he can try everything all at once. I heard Callum tell him not to do it. Max is the type of man who likes a challenge though. He’ll get himself in real trouble one day.’

  Kim exhaled. ‘I’m scared to tell Holly. She’s going to be so upset.’

  ‘Don’t say I said, but it’s probably going to be a good thing she finds out what Max is like. I’m sure Holly will see it as a lucky escape.’

  Kim found a tissue in her bag and blew her nose. ‘Emma and Charlie are really lucky to have you,’ she told him sincerely. ‘I know you’ve helped Emma loads for the wedding. She speaks very highly of you. I was worried about Emma when she had the panic attack in the bridal store. It was so scary to see. Did she tell you about it? Do you think something is wrong with her?’ she asked him. He seemed to care so much about Emma that she was keen to hear his take on it.

  He sighed, as though it had also been playing on his mind. ‘When she got back she mentioned it to me and Charlie as we were in their room on the balcony playing cards. I do think it’s a little worrying, yes. I hate to think of Emma feeling anxious or worried. I did offer to take her to see a doctor here, but Charlie thought it was over the top and unnecessary.’

  How was it that Frankie was more concerned than Emma’s own fiancé? It seemed like such a shame, and Kim couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved about Emma agreeing to spend the rest of her life with Charlie. He seemed so different to Frankie and not in a good way. Frankie was just so thoughtful and caring.

  ‘He does care,’ Frankie added quickly, as though reading her mind, ‘he just doesn’t think it’s worth seeing a doctor over when it’s likely there’s nothing they can do. He thinks it’s pretty normal to feel a little stressed before your wedding, and perhaps he’s right?’

  ‘You’re very loyal to him, aren’t you?’ Kim noticed.

  ‘My father died when I was younger and Charlie and his family were there for me,’ he told her.

  ‘Sorry to hear that,’ Kim replied compassionately, ‘That must have been hard. I can’t imagine not having my dad around.’

  He nodded. ‘It was a long time ago now. Charlie’s mum, Jean, is my mum’s sister and they’re really close. Charlie’s family helped us out a lot after my father died and because my mum worked all the time, I spent most of my time at Charlie’s house. Jean took care of me after school and even most weekends. Jean is like a second mum to me. Charlie was a bit of a pain when he was a teenager, rebelling against everything and often getting into trouble. Jean was at her wits’ end and she used to confide in me, try to get me to talk sense into Charlie, that kind of thing. I know she wished he was more manageable and compliant like me, and Charlie hated me for that,’ he laughed drily. ‘He used to apologize to Jean sarcastically for not being as perfect as I was and I guess he saw me as his annoying younger brother. I just wanted him to like me, as sad as that sounds, but I couldn’t agree with how upset he made Jean at times. I could never side with him when he used to call her names. To me, she was the best mum and aunt in the world, along with mine of course. Luckily he changed as he got older, and instead of tolerating me, we become friends. He knows that without a doubt, I would do anything for him. Or his family. And Emma, well, she’s just such a sweet girl and I think she deserves the perfect wedding and to be happy. I enjoy helping her and don’t say I told you, but I managed to get a band that I know she wanted to play at the wedding as a surprise. She’s going to be so happy,’ he beamed.

  ‘Oh Frankie, that’s so sweet of you,’ Kim told him, his smile contagious. ‘She’ll be delighted with that.’

  ‘Sorry for getting a bit deep just then,’ Frankie apologized with a chuckle. ‘I didn’t quite mean to, but my relationship with Charlie is a bit complicated. Kind of needed explaining.’

  Kim nodded. ‘Thanks for talking to me. I think I’m going to get a taxi back now. I’m not really in the mood for partying any more and I don’t even know where Holly and Emma are.’

  ‘I’ll make sure you get back okay. Come on, there’s a taxi coming now,’ he said, standing up.

  Kim appreciated the offer. Frankie seemed to be a real gentleman, but she just wanted to be alone.

  ‘Thanks Frankie, but it’s not even late and I’m okay, I promise. I would prefer you to find Holly and Emma to tell them I’ve gone back. My phone has ran out of battery,’ she explained, holding it up. She’d forgotten to recharge it before she went out.

  ‘You’re sure?’ He looked dubious at letting her leave alone.

  ‘I’m positive,’ she gave him a little hug.

  ‘Well, I hope you’re okay now?’ he said, arching an eyebrow.

  ‘Yes, thanks.’

  ‘Don’t let him take up another second of your thoughts, he’s not worth it. He didn’t even care that you’re a married woman. Emma has told me all about your family before. I think her goal is to have what you have and be as happy as you are,’ he explained, shooting her a friendly, reassuring smile, not realizing he was only making her feel worse.

  She waved goodbye to him and jumped into a taxi.

  She sighed deeply. Everyone thought Kim had the perfect happy family life. The ideal marriage and Kim usually felt so smug, agreeing with them. Now though, she felt uncertain, vulnerable and confused.

  She wasn’t sure if they were really happy at all.

  .

  Chapter 20

  Holly

  ‘Hey, where’s Kim? Have you seen her?’ Holly asked Max. She’d already looked for her in the nearest toilets and she couldn’t work out where she’d gone. When she called her it was going straight to voicemail. It was strange; Kim had been really up for going out that night. She would never normally just leave somewhere without so much as a text message to explain her reasons. Holly was bewildered.

  ‘She was here earlier. I’m not sure where she went though,’ Max shrugged as though it was no big deal.

  ‘I saw her outside and she got in a taxi to take her back,’ Frankie explained, walking over to Holly. ‘She told me she’s tired and not in the mood,’ his eyes narrowed at Max as he spoke.

  Holly’s brows lifted. ‘Home? Are you sure?’ She checked her mobile for the tenth time, puzzled that it still remained blank. She attempted to call her again and sighed when it went straight to voicemail.

  ‘No point as her battery has died,’ Frankie told her. ‘Don’t worry, she’s okay.’

  ‘I don’t know what to do,’ Holly said, feeling torn. Frankie was saying she was fine, but it seemed odd to Holly that Kim had just left. She needed to go back to the room to check she was okay with her own eyes. How could Holly just go out and enjoy herself if there was something wrong with Kim?

  ‘Hey,’ Max put his arms round her waist, his eyes opened wide as he spoke to her, ‘I’m sure she’s fine. It doesn’t mean you have to go anywhere. Like Frankie said, she’s tired. She’ll probably just be sleeping now anyway. Stay out with us. I don’t want you to go anywhere.’

  Holly wanted to stay with him, but she’d always prided herself on being a good friend. She was loyal and she could sense that Kim just leaving without waiting for Holly to get back was out of character. She felt terrible now for going off with Emma for the chat without telling Kim where they were going. When Emma had walked off, Holly had just followed without realizing how long they were going to be. Surely she hadn’t gone back to the hotel room just because she was annoyed about that, had she?

  ‘I got you ano
ther drink,’ Max said, handing her a large white wine.

  ‘Thanks,’ Holly smiled, her mind elsewhere. ‘I’ll just have this last one though and then I’ll most likely head back.’

  ‘She looked fine to me,’ Max said casually, ‘she’ll be fine. Stop worrying. You don’t need to go back just because she’s being boring,’ he said, almost sounding fed up with Kim for ruining his time with Holly. He was acting like a spoilt child who wasn’t getting his own way, without a single thought for what could be wrong with Holly’s best friend.

  ‘Mate,’ Callum interjected, seeing it from Holly’s point of view, ‘I think it’s fair enough if Holly wants to check her friend is alright.’

  ‘Yeah, course. Whatever she needs to do. I’m going for a smoke,’ he announced moodily.

  ‘A smoke?’ Holly echoed in surprise. ‘I didn’t know you smoked.’ It was something so small, yet something so big. It reminded Holly that Max was a stranger; she didn’t really know anything about him. She hated smoking with a passion and immediately she felt disconcerted. As Holly stood there in the bar in Vegas, staring at Max as he fumbled in his jacket pocket for his cigarettes, she felt unnerved. How had she not known that Max had smoked? She’d never smelt it on his breath before and she was certain he’d never smoked around her either. He was a personal trainer; weren’t they supposed to be against smoking and anything bad for your health? It made her start thinking about the huge list of other things she didn’t know about him. Here she was, thinking a few days ago she was developing feelings for him, and she never even knew this important piece of information. She would never allow smoking in her home that she’d worked hard for. She would never let someone smoke cigarettes around her children and their precious little lungs. Of course she couldn’t tell Max that.

  I know you’ve known me for less than a week, but do you mind not smoking any more? That’s it. Stub it out like a good little boy.

  He would feel like telling her where to go and she couldn’t blame him. But the fact he smoked was a real turn-off.

  ‘I don’t smoke that often,’ Max finally answered, sounding so offhand about it. ‘Just now and again. Usually when I drink,’ he informed her. ‘You don’t want one, do you?’ He offered.

  ‘No,’ Holly replied, wrinkling her nose. ‘I don’t smoke.’

  Max walked away leaving Holly and Callum alone.

  ‘Do you smoke too?’ Holly asked Callum in wonderment. Perhaps they both did?

  ‘Me? No.’

  Holly nodded in satisfaction.

  ‘How’s your little girl doing?’ he asked.

  ‘She’s okay. Thanks for asking. I felt so much better after talking to her. It’s hard being this far away, but I know she’s fine. She’s spending the time with Rob and Nikki, his new girlfriend, and he’s sent me loads of photos,’ she said, showing him a couple. ‘I think after a lot of grovelling for accusing him of neglect, he’s finally forgiven me.’ She pulled an embarrassed face.

  ‘He sounds like a decent bloke,’ Callum told her.

  ‘I just need to stop jumping to conclusions,’ Holly declared, tucking her hair behind her ear. ‘I need to give him more credit for being such a good dad. Perhaps it was because I knew he was with Nikki, and it’s all still new, I don’t know. I guess I was feeling guilty about Max too; I’ve been out here enjoying myself and having fun and now Lottie has ended up in hospital. It was wrong of me to go off at Rob like that. We promised each other we would never be like that. I feel a bit ashamed.’

  ‘You were shocked and worried, that’s all. You took it out on Rob because he was the one who called you. You shot the messenger so to speak. Everyone is allowed to make mistakes sometimes, eh? Being a parent is scary and challenging; I’m certainly not perfect. I remember once when I had Eva and she woke up early at five. I just put the television on quietly so she could watch cartoons in bed. I didn’t plan to go back to sleep but drifted off and I didn’t wake up until eight o’clock! How irresponsible is that?’ He laughed, but had a look of guilt in his green eyes. ‘I felt awful afterwards. I think Eva was loving it though. She’d never been allowed to have so much screen time before.’

  Holly smiled warmly. ‘Lack of sleep can be horrendous, can’t it? I think I would have sold my soul for more sleep when my kids were young. They’re quite good at sleeping now, but if one of them wakes up I feel so groggy and grumpy,’ she admitted.

  ‘Awful, isn’t it? I used to have to get up early for work, but when Eva was a baby, it was a different level of tiredness entirely.’

  Holly agreed, thinking back to when she’d been pregnant with Lottie. Towards the end of her pregnancy she’d had insomnia. She told herself it was her body’s way of preparing her for when the baby arrived and she wouldn’t get as much sleep any more. It had been frustrating, but not too awful . She was ready for it. She could cope with it just as well as the next person. But then Lottie was actually born and Holly realized that it wasn’t like having pregnancy insomnia at all – not in the slightest. She couldn’t just lie there and read a book. She had to drag herself out of her warm bed into the cold night, creeping round like a burglar so she didn’t wake Rob and trying to console a hungry baby with a dummy until she finally fed her.

  ‘It’s funny isn’t it, that despite their constant demands and the fact they wear you out to a point you never knew possible, that you wouldn’t change a thing about them?’ Callum chuckled. ‘I’d actually love more kids someday. Eva would love another brother or sister.’

  Holly smiled at him and when his gaze held hers for a little longer than expected, she felt a flutter in her stomach, looking away quickly and feeling flustered by a sudden shift in the atmosphere.

  Emma walked over to them.

  ‘Where’s Kim?’ she asked, looking at Callum and Holly.

  ‘She’s tired so she’s gone back to the room,’ Holly told her. ‘I’m going to drink this and then go check on her.’

  ‘Do you really think she’s just tired? It’s odd that she didn’t say goodbye. I feel bad for taking you away for a chat now.’

  ‘Don’t be silly. I’m always here to chat, you know that.’ Holly leaned in and kissed her cheek. ‘I’ll see you in the morning for the hair trial.’

  ‘Let me know she’s okay,’ Emma said, as Holly kissed her on the cheek goodbye. ‘I’ve asked Frankie to be at the trial too as I want a man’s opinion. So I’ll text you his room number.’

  ‘Perfect,’ Holly said. She turned to Callum then, feeling regretful that they couldn’t continue chatting. She enjoyed their conversations.

  ‘I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at some point,’ she pecked him on the cheek.

  ‘See you, Holly.’

  Holly was pleased to walk into Max who was on his way back in.

  His expression changed to one of disappointment when he noticed her in front of him. ‘You’re not leaving now, surely?’ he asked her, his voice unusually whiny.

  ‘Afraid so,’ Holly responded, gazing up at his dejected expression. He placed his hands firmly either side of her hips, staring into her eyes.

  ‘Why? It’s early yet,’ he moaned.

  ‘I need to check Kim is okay. Her phone is off, and besides, it’s probably best because I’m doing Emma’s hair trial tomorrow and I don’t want to have much to drink,’ she explained again. ‘I also want to check Lottie is okay so I’m going to call home.’

  ‘Didn’t you speak to her earlier?’ he asked, as though she was making a big deal about nothing. He had absolutely no clue what it was like to be a parent. He didn’t have the faintest idea that the moment your baby was born, you would worry about them for life.

  ‘Why don’t you check Kim’s okay and then come back to my room for a few drinks later or something?’ he offered, shooting her a lop-sided, mischievous grin.

  Holly felt just as turned off as she did when she found out that Max smoked. It made her feel that sleeping with her was all he wanted her for. His eagerness to get her back into bed was off-putting
. She knew she was partly to blame for sleeping with him so soon. Had she just slept with Max to convince herself and everyone else she was over Rob? Holly wasn’t entirely sure now she thought about it. Max was the first person she’d been with since Rob and she couldn’t deny that she hadn’t even thought about getting involved with anyone until she’d had Rob’s girlfriend news sprung on her. She thought she was being so cool about it. She’d felt so mature and affable keeping composed and so blasé about the whole thing.

  ‘I’m probably just going to have an early night,’ Holly said firmly. She didn’t want him to be persistent. It would make things even worse.

  ‘Really?’ he asked again sulkily. ‘Okay, suit yourself,’ he said, his eyes flicking behind her as though he was distracted and had seen something else more interesting.

  He kissed her quickly on the lips. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow or something,’ he gave a cool shrug, like he wasn’t really fussed either way. He wasn’t really bothered about her, she could tell it a mile off, and Holly couldn’t deny that it did hurt a little, despite not being sold on him either. Was Max really as dreamy as she’d first thought when she’d met him? He was devastatingly handsome, but he was immature, selfish and careless. She couldn’t imagine she would ever be able to trust him if they were a couple; he was constantly looking at every woman who so much as walked into his line of vision. Looking at him now, Kim was right; he just wasn’t boyfriend material. He was someone to have fun with, but not settle down with. She wasn’t sure she could ever introduce someone like Max to her children either; she could never imagine him being interested in her kids and wanting to spend time with them rather than going out and partying. He just wasn’t there yet and perhaps he would never be . The thought of asking him to join her for a day out with her children just seemed ludicrous. It would like asking Lottie to spend the day with her shopping for furniture; quite frankly, she would hate it. Just like Lottie, Holly knew Max would be bored. She hadn’t really thought about any of this until now, and again, Holly wondered whether it was because subconsciously she always knew that Max was just a fling and would never be anything more.