Terms of Agreement

19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Charlotte

I t didn’t take long for me to get swallowed up in a sea of chiffon and tulle as I fell into step within the slow tide of the crowd. My eyes roved over the guests as I took in their varied wedding attire; there were fascinators, top hats, floor length gowns, and even a kilt. I was staring fixedly at a plume of peacock feathers that seemed to have erupted out of a chignon at the back of one woman’s head when I heard a laugh that set my stomach roiling. No. Surely not.

Mouth dry, I swallowed around the stone that had lodged itself in my throat and forced myself to turn toward that laugh. And there, in the corner of the room, with an elbow propped up on the pulpit, was Ben Burrows. My head snapped back towards the ballroom doors as I scanned the crowd, searching for an opening. I didn’t think he’d seen me, but I needed to get out of his line of sight.

I cast a furtive glance over my shoulder, keeping my chin tucked down low. Ben was still at the altar, twirling a rose that he’d obviously plucked from the flower arches. He seemed to be deep in conversation with a few of the other guests, choosing to wait for the crowd to thin before making his way into the ballroom.

I tried to school my breathing, taking a deep breath in through my nose and exhaling through my mouth. It was fine. There were well over two hundred guests. The chances of Ben seeing me were surely not that high. Not that high… but not zero either. Craning my neck, I tried to get a better view before reminding myself to act naturally. I was more likely to attract attention if I started behaving like a panicked goat.

Servers stood on either side of the double doors, each carrying a tray bedecked with flutes of the promised bubbles and before I could move past them and into the room, an elderly woman sidled up to me and whispered conspiratorially, ‘You’ll get fresher stuff over there.’

I was so caught up in my mental chastisement that I allowed the woman to take hold of my arm and extract us from the crush of guests and lead us to the bar. I refused to let the possibility of Ben spotting me ruin my, or Aiden’s, night. And besides, Ben knew that I had a boyfriend. If anything, this would just solidify the foundation of the lie I’d been telling for years. Being spotted here could be a good thing. Newly determined, I allowed myself to be led away by the smaller woman with a deceptively strong grip.

‘Flora,’ said the woman by way of introduction, nodding at the bartender, who quickly produced two empty champagne flutes and proceeded to fill them. I smiled at the woman and passed her a glass.

‘Charlotte,’ I offered, taking a small sip of the pale champagne, the bubbles swirling pleasantly on my tongue.

‘Bride or groom?’ The woman asked gruffly.

‘Neither,’ I admitted, and, watching the woman—Flora—knock back half of her glass, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d just given the wrong answer to an important test. ‘I’m here as a plus one. What about you?’

‘Bride. I’m Tilly’s great aunt.’ The woman pursed her lips and eyed me shrewdly. ‘Who’d you come with?’

‘Aiden.’ And then to clarify, ‘Aiden Walsh.’

‘ Really ?’ Flora’s eyes widened, her mouth popping open in surprise.

I nodded, confused by Flora’s reaction but determined to keep my face pleasantly neutral. I’d had just opened my mouth to respond when a voice called out from behind me.

‘Aunt Flora!’ A blur of blonde hair whizzed past me and into the outstretched arms of the grizzled older woman.

Chuckling, Flora petted the mane of blonde hair, the rasp of her laughter echoing through her slight frame.

‘Hello, Pet,’ she said with a wry smile. ‘Not raising hell outside with the others?’ Her head jerked back in the direction of the garden.

‘Nah,’ the blonde said with a wicked grin. ‘They decided it’d be better for all parties if I was only used in the candid shots.’ She slipped an arm across Flora’s shoulders and turned to look face me. ‘Hi, I’m Louise and you’re Aiden’s girlfriend, Charlotte.’

I coughed, choking on a sip of champagne.

‘That’s me,’ I sputtered inelegantly, extending an arm towards the woman in front of me.

The woman, Louise, looked at my hand and her smile twisted mischievously. ‘Sorry, Charlotte,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘If you’re dating my big brother, you’re basically family, and we’re huggers.’ She slipped her arms around my shoulders and, standing on her toes, pulled me into a tight squeeze, whispering, ‘Thought someone ought to come rescue you from Aunt Flo.’

With a surprised giggle, I pulled back to get a proper look at my saviour. Louise Walsh was her brother’s opposite in every way, at least in appearance. Where Aiden was tall, broody, and stoic, Louise was short, carefree, and effervescent. Her blonde hair had escaped the confines of the updo that it had been pinned into and now hung loosely, framing Louise’s cherubic face. Its ends had been dip-dyed a soft pink colour that perfectly matched Louise’s flowing chiffon dress.

Louise stepped back and slid her small hand down to clasp my own as she turned back towards Flora.

‘Sorry Aunt Flora,’ Louise said with a shrug, ‘but Aiden asked me to find Charlotte. He’s wanting to introduce her to the others.’ Others? I gulped.

‘Wonderful, that’s truly wonderful.’ Flora seemed to recover from her shock and took it in stride. ‘Took him long enough. Lord knows Bridget didn’t waste any time pining over him.’ I felt Louise stiffen at my side, but Flora turned abruptly, waving us away as her eagle eyes zeroed in on her next target.

‘What was that about?’ I asked, my eyes on the back of the older woman, watching as Flora elbowed her way through the crowd. ‘Who’s Bridget?’ I asked, turning to look at Louise. But she only offered me a small smile and shrugged her shoulders apologetically.

‘Poor Matthew,’ Louise said after a few moments of strained silence, evidently hoping to change the subject. Her eyes had drifted over to where Flora had sidled up next to a young man who had been standing on the outskirts of the crowd, scrolling on his phone. He was now looking around the room, eyes wide in a silent plea, as Flora wagged a finger at him.

‘God,’ I chuckled softly, choosing to follow Louise’s redirection, ‘is that what I looked like when you came to my rescue? I almost feel bad for him.’

‘Oh, don’t.’ Louise said, that wicked smile back on her lips. ‘Matty was an insufferable know-it-all in school, and it’s a habit he’s yet to outgrow. A few minutes alone with Aunt Flo might be good for him.’ She cackled as we watched Matthew try, and fail, to extricate himself from Flora’s clutches.

‘But seriously,’ Louise continued, turning to face me, her voice laden with foreboding even as amusement danced behind a pair of dark brown eyes identical to her brother’s. ‘It’s not smart to attend one of these things on your own.’

‘Where’s your date, then?’

‘That’s the one benefit to being the black sheep of the family,’ Louise said, her mouth splitting into a toothy grin. ‘You can do whatever you like and no one bats an eye.’

We both laughed and some of the tension eased from my shoulders.

‘I tried to find you earlier,’ Louise promised, setting a slow pace as we passed through throngs of guests. ‘But I got held up giving Zohra directions to the loo.’ She pointed across the room to where a tired-looking woman bounced a red-faced toddler on her hip.

‘Don’t worry,’ I assured her. ‘Flora wasn’t too bad. She made sure I got my hands on a glass of the “fresh stuff” before she began any kind of inquisition.’

‘To the fresh stuff!’ Louise cheered, grabbing a flute from a tray and startling a server. She clinked it against my own, eyes bright with mirth. There was something about Louise that reminded me of Becky. Maybe it was her forceful nature or how she had an easy smile and was quick to laugh, but I responded well to whatever it was. And as we circled the ballroom, settling into an easy companionship, I felt sure that in another life, Louise and I could have been great friends.

She filled our time with anecdotes on the other guests and suggesting which of the older “gentlemen”—she’d rolled her eyes when she’d said this—to avoid as the night wore on. It was nice… walking and talking with Louise. She did most of the talking, which saved me from having to come up with topics of conversation—something for which I was indescribably grateful. I loved the animated way that Louise spoke, flailing her arms about and not even noticing the champagne that sloshed and spilled when she got to “the good part” of whatever story she was telling.

It was while she regaled me with the story of how a teenaged Aiden, who’d been forced to take her and a group of friends rollerblading, had fallen and broken his arm, that Louise had got so animated that, when she spun out to illustrate the fall, she turned straight into the outstretched arm of a matronly woman. An arm that had been carrying a plate of hors d’oeuvres, most of which now lay on the floor several feet away.

It was as I swallowed my laughter and watched Louise scramble around on the floor in search of the woman’s cocktail sausages that I’d come to the conclusion that if there were one thing I wanted to keep after this fake relationship fell apart, it was her.

***

I knew the minute Aiden entered the room. My neck prickled with awareness as if my senses had been specifically tuned to his movements, which I suppose made sense—he was the reason I was here. I glanced over towards the ballroom’s double doors, watching as the bridal party spilled in and the sight of Aiden smiling and laughing had my stomach twisting with an odd mix of excited anticipation and disappointment.

I’d spent the last hour being lulled into a false sense of security talking to Louise. She was the only one who knew this was all fake, and because I hadn’t needed to pretend with her, I could just be myself. My mouth grew dry as I watched Aiden’s group of friends, wondering what I would say to them and what if-ing my way through all of the possible ways this could go wrong.

‘Uh, hello, earth to Charlotte.’ Louise waved a shrimp skewer in front of my face, forcing me to blink and look away from the pair of eyes that had locked onto mine from across the room.

‘Oh, uhm…’ I gulped, my skin tingling under the caress of Aiden’s lingering gaze. ‘Shoot. Sorry, what was I saying?’

Louise eyed me suspiciously and turned to look over her shoulder at what had caught my attention.

‘Hey! Aiden’s here!’ She beamed and reached for my now clammy hand. ‘Come on, let’s go say “hi!”’

‘Do we have to?’ I whined, the bruschetta I’d enjoyed mere moments before settling like a rock in the pit of my stomach.

‘Don’t be nervous,’ Louise said, reaching for my hand and giving me a soft tug toward the door. ‘They’re great. You’re great. Everyone’s great. What could go wrong?’

Taking a deep breath, I allowed myself to be pulled across the ballroom. We made it about halfway when Aiden’s eyes found mine and I froze. I watched as, one by one, his friends turned to follow his gaze and land on me. I gulped as panic sent a wave of ice through my veins.

‘I have to pee!’ I choked out, loudly enough to catch the attention of several of the surrounding guests. And then, turning away from Louise’s amused expression, I ducked out through one of the side doors.

***

Ducking into one of the stalls, I shut the lid and sank onto the toilet. I placed my cold palm against my chest and forced myself to breathe. I’d just started my internal pep talk when the bathroom door swung open and a couple of women walked in. Shutting my eyes, I tried to ignore their giggles as I worked on “womaning up.”

‘Got your eye on anyone?’ One of the women asked. Her voice was low and husky, and the red soles of her shoes winked at me from underneath the stall’s door.

‘Ugh, no,’ the other woman groaned. Her voice was lighter and her shoes more delicate than her friends. Something heavy clunked down on the marble countertop in front of the mirror as the strappy sandaled woman turned to face the platformed one. ‘I mean, honestly, what’s the point of coming to these things when all of the guests are all happily coupled off.’

‘Tell me about it,’ her companion agreed. ‘And the ones that are single are all on wife number two and get the pensioner’s discount when they go to restaurants.’

Their laughter echoed off the bathroom’s tiled walls and I couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto my face as I stood.

‘I’d hoped that some of the groomsmen would be up for some fun, but even Aiden’s brought a date!’

My fingers froze on their path to the door.

‘Aiden? No way!’ Sandals cried. ‘I’d heard he’d sworn off women after that mess with Bridge.’ Bridge as in Bridget ? That was the second time in as many hours that I’d heard that name, and I couldn’t help but edge a little closer to the door, straining my ears as I tried to hear them over the soft whirring of the bathroom’s extractor fan.

‘That’s what I heard too,’ Platforms agreed. ‘It’s a shame, I totally thought they were End Game. You know? White picket fence, three kids, a dog, the mom van. Guess you never know what’s going on behind closed doors.’

‘Or who it’s going on with,’ Sandals jeered.

‘Or who,’ Platforms agreed. ‘That being said, if I were Aiden and my past, present and future blew up in my face and walked off with a handsome Italian, I’d probably swear off all relationships too.’ An Italian? I mouthed the words as questions flooded my mind.

‘Relationships, yes,’ Sandals said, ‘revenge sex?’

There was a pause.

‘Hell no!’ the girls cheered in unison.

‘But no revenge sex for us.’ Platforms sighed after a moment. ‘At least none where Aiden Walsh is concerned—Aunt Flo says he’s brought his girlfriend with him.’ God bless Aunt Flo.

‘Girlfriend? Shit.’ Sandals stomped her small foot. ‘Here I was biding my time and letting him mend his broken heart before making my move.’

Platforms snorted inelegantly.

‘What?’ came an affronted reply.

‘Making your move?’ Platforms laughed. ‘Babe, you’ve got no moves.’

‘I do too!’

‘You’ve never asked a guy for his phone number, let alone out on a date.’ Sandals huffed, her shoes turning away from the red soles. ‘And anyway, it’s not like it matters. Clearly someone stepped in to help Aiden lick his wounds.’

Sandals let out a dreamy sigh. ‘God, what I’d give to lick Aiden Walsh.’

‘Abby!’ Platforms shrieked.

‘Olivi-ah!’ Abby countered.

There was a long pause where neither said anything until one of them snorted and that set off the other. The walls were still ringing with their tinkling laughter as they made their way out of the bathroom.

My face was pale when I made my way over to the mirror. One of the women had left a tube of mascara behind. I pushed it to the side of the counter, out of the way, but still within sight, should either of them come looking for it.

Clicking open the clutch in my hands, I dug out my lipstick. Chanel Rouge Coco Flash. Nan had gifted it to me over the summer and it was probably the boldest thing I owned.

‘For some sparkle,’ she’d said, her eyes warmed with what I recognised as pity.

I didn’t feel so sparkly now. But I reapplied the lipstick anyway, smacking my lips together as I tried to quieten my mind and ignore the pressure headache building behind my left eye.

Aiden and Bridget were End Game, and they ended. And everybody knew.

I felt a sudden pang resonate in my chest, remembering how Flora had looked at me, at Louise’s soft smile, and the purple smudges that had been under Aiden’s eyes when I’d first met him. Rubbing a hand over the knot that had tightened around my chest, I gazed at my reflection. Shock and awe splashed across my features.

Aiden’s life had fallen apart and everyone who had been there to witness his greatest heartache was in the ballroom next door. But he’d come anyway. He chose to be here and celebrate his friends, despite the passing whispers and pitying looks.

I don’t think I could have done it. Actually, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have done it. But I could be there to support Aiden while he did.

Jaw set in determination, I squared off my shoulders and snapped my clutch shut.

‘It’s go time.’

***

It was not go time. I sighed, casting a quick look around the room in search of any familiar faces. I hated moments like this, ones where I finally made my mind up to do something only to have to delay the actual doing. Repositioning the strap of my purse, I wove my way through the small clusters of people and towards the bar.

Signalling the bartender, I ordered an Old Fashioned. Thanking him, I raised the crystal tumbler to my lips, smiling as I inhaled the smell of bitter citrus. I swirled the amber liquid in the glass and my thoughts drifted back to Aiden—I really should try to find him.

The thought had barely registered when a clammy hand pressed firmly to the bare skin of my back. I jolted, my eyes darting up from my glass and locking with a pair of beady blue eyes in the bar’s mirrored backsplash.

‘Hello, Charlie,’ Ben breathed against my neck, leaning in towards me and splaying his palm over my bare skin.

‘Ben.’ My voice faltered, but I held his gaze.

‘Fancy seeing you here,’ he said, stepping behind me as someone pushed past him and closer to the bar.

I didn’t respond, schooling my face into an apathetic mask of boredom as I turned to face him, even as my stomach churned uneasily.

‘How do you know the happy couple?’ Ben pressed, his lips twisting into a sneer at his mention of the bride and groom. His breath smelled like stale beer and shrimp from the buffet, and I fought to keep my lip from curling in disgust.

‘I don’t,’ I answered simply, catching a shock of blonde hair as it moved through the crowd. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I should return to my date.’ I made to move past him, but Ben placed his hands on either side of me; his posture was lazy and casual, but he’d effectively penned me in.

‘Now, now, Charlie,’ Ben admonished, dipping his head closer to mine, grazing his thumb along the skin of my arm. ‘I come all the way over here to say “hello,” and you try to brush me off?’ His nails were short, bitten down to almost nothing, and his fingertips were rough as he fingered the material of my drop-sleeve. I shuddered at his touch, bile rising up my throat as I watched the nub of nail slide over my elbow.

‘Careful, Charlie,’ he whispered as I leaned away from him, the thought of our breath mingling was enough to make me want to gag. ‘You’ll hurt my feelings if you keep playing hard to get.’ I felt heat rise to my cheeks as indignation spread across my skin. The nerve of this asshole. My nostrils flared as I forced myself to take a deep breath.

‘I’m not yours to get, Ben,’ I bit out through gritted teeth.

Ben’s head dropped back as he let out a sardonic laugh, placing a palm over his chest as he revelled in his amusement.

Spotting a gap, I took it. Side-stepping out of the confines of Ben’s arms and hurrying away from the man, hoping to get swallowed by the crowd. I’d made it all of three steps when I felt Ben’s meaty fingers close around my wrist and jerk me back. My heart hammered in my chest as Ben pulled me towards him. My back against his chest. His lips inches from my neck.

‘ Tsk Tsk. Now what did I just say about not hurting my feelings?’ Ben snarled.

I stiffened, eyes wide as I tried to wrench my wrist free.

‘Ben, stop. I—’

‘Babe! There you are!’

Confusion turned to relief as I turned and saw Aiden strolling towards us—I’d never been more relieved to hear that god-awful nickname. His long strides ate up the remaining space between us, but while he wore a polite smile, there was no escaping the fire in his eyes. My heart stuttered in my chest, my earlier relief turning weary under the intensity of his gaze. I’d never been great at reading people and right now, I couldn’t tell whether the fire in his gaze was because of me or the man behind me.

Ben exhaled, the warmth of his breath causing me to take an instinctive step forward towards Aiden. But the grip on my wrist only tightened. I visibly winced and Aiden’s eyes narrowed, his gaze dropping to where Ben’s fingers were locked around my wrist. I swallowed thickly as the heat of Aiden’s eyes burned a path across my skin before his gaze returned to my face.

‘Aiden Walsh,’ he said, extending a hand towards Ben who, reluctantly, let go of my wrist to shake it.

‘Ben Burrows,’ he responded, his voice tight. He gestured to where I’d positioned myself just behind Aiden. ‘How do you know our Charlie?’

‘Ah.’ Aiden wrapped an arm around my waist and drew me into his side, my erratic heartbeats soothing under the safety of his touch. ‘Well, Charlotte and I came here together. Didn’t we, Love?’

My heart hiccupped at the word. The only person who’d ever called me “love” before was Nan—and this felt completely different. I looked up at Aiden, into the swirling depths of his eyes, and nodded slowly.

Ben sneered, his mouth tightening into a hard line.

‘Ben and I work together,’ I said in a pathetic half whisper. Ugh. I frowned down at the floor and gave myself a small shake. Get it together.

‘Is that right?’ Aiden said, an eyebrow arching as he looked back at Ben.

‘Yes, small world, isn’t it, Charlie?’

I stiffened and drew a deep breath in through my nose.

‘Ben, I hope you’ll excuse us, but we’ve got to go make the rounds. Everyone is dying to meet my Charlotte,’ Aiden said smoothly, not even waiting for a response as he turned away and steered us out towards the entrance.