Chapter 26
Emmy
If there is one thing women collectively hate, it's when someone asks us if it’s our ‘time of the month’ when we’re ever so slightly stressed.
However, right now, I kind of understand that saying because I could swear it was Cas’s time. Over the past few days, he’s been edgy, and I know he isn’t sleeping properly. Whenever I bring it up, he shuts down and tells me it’s nothing, saying he has a lot on his mind.
In a few hours, Hayleigh and Pete’s pre-rehearsal party at Clun Envy will kick off, giving everyone a chance to loosen up and have some fun. The only thing I can think of is the issue that Cas is going to be in the same room as Count Dickless.
Earlier today, Hayleigh and I headed to the little boutique shop in town to pick out new outfits for tonight. Hayleigh picked a beautiful, all-in-one white jumpsuit with a halter neck and iridescent sequins covering the bodice; she looked stunning when she tried it on. I decided to go for a midnight blue velvet one-shoulder dress, and as I looked in the mirror, I didn’t cringe; instead, I took in my curves and the dress that hugged them, and I felt... sexy and beautiful.
I hear a low whistle from the door, and I spin around to find Cas standing there staring at the dress, his face filled with love and lust. He stalks towards me slowly, and a smile plays across my lips before he backs me up against the door and kisses me like he hasn’t seen me in a while.
We break apart, and I murmur, “What was that for?”
he smiles down at me before lifting my chin with one of his fingers and kissing me softly.
He says, “It was for being you and also an apology that I’ve been on and off these past few days. I promise it isn’t you, it’s just…this whole party feels so…”
I cup his cheek as I say, “It feels forced. I think Hayleigh is grasping at straws, but we have to let her make her own choices, and I understand it isn’t easy for you either, with you know who being there.”
He laughs, but there isn’t any humour in it as he says, “You have no idea. Just do me one favour tonight, please?”
I nod at him, “Anything,”
I promise.
He gives me a soft smile and kisses my cheek. He says in my ear, “Please don't go anywhere with Chad alone, okay?”
I nod at him, but before I can ask anything, he walks out of the bedroom.
I sit down at the vanity table we moved from my other room and start applying my makeup. I’ve just finished putting on a bit of blush when my phone dings.
Hayleigh
I’m freaking out…*crazy eyes emoji*
Me
Give me a clue??? *Thinking emoji*
I see her typing, but no message comes through, it must be a long one, so I return back to my makeup. Finally, the phone dings again.
Hayleigh
What if I’m making a huge mistake? Pete is nowhere to be seen, he went out this morning and told me he would meet me at the party! AT.THE.PARTY!!! What couple turns up to their pre-wedding do dah separately??? That screams to me that he just doesn’t want this and I don’t think I do either…he’s different Em he isn’t the same anymore and I don’t like it
Me
What do you mean different? He hasn’t hurt you, has he? I agree though going out the morning of your party and meeting you there is very shitty *sad face emoji* do you want us to come collect you on the way so you’re not arriving alone? Maybe he has a nice surprise planned??
Hayleigh
You’re the best *crying emoji* yes please if Cas doesn’t mind and no, he hasn’t hurt me he’s just…different. Anyway, I need to get back to getting ready or there will be no bride-to-be at the party xxx
p.s I hadn’t thought of a surprise! Maybe??
I finish my makeup in record time and can hear Cas shouting my name from downstairs. “Just a second,”
I call back. I take one last look at the overall finished product and smile. He’s waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs; his back is to me, and I take him in. He’s dressed in a midnight blue suit which matches my dress, and when he turns around and his eyes find mine, I forget to breathe. He’s so handsome, I have to pinch myself when I remember he’s all mine.
He smiles at me and holds out a gift bag; I tilt my head to the side and look at him questioningly. He replies by saying, “I thought you could use a new bag to match your new dress. Open it.”
I take the bag from him and pull out the tissue paper to reveal a beautiful silver clutch bag with crystals covering one side. “I thought it could match your shoes…Lacey said a girl's shoes should match her bag, so…”
he shrugs as if it’s no big deal, and he looks nervous.
I ease those nerves by telling him, “I love it. Thank you, it’s really beautiful,”
I step onto my tiptoes and kiss him.
He points to the stairs as he says, “Sit down on the stairs, and I’ll help with your shoes while you swap over your things to your new bag”
I smile at how thoughtful he is. We tuck Scruff into his bed safely for the night before heading out to his truck.
I buckle myself in the truck and remember to let Cas know about our stop, “We need to pick up Hayleigh on the way if that’s okay?”
He does a double take as he asks, “Why isn’t Pete going with her?”
I shrug my shoulders, “I haven’t a clue; she just said he’d nipped out and would meet her there. Maybe he’s surprising her?”
He doesn’t look convinced, but he drops it anyway, and I don’t feel like betraying Hayleigh’s trust by telling him just how long he’s been gone or that she’s having second thoughts.
We make the drive over, and Hayleigh’s waiting outside for us with a huge smile pasted on her face. I say 'pasted' because I can tell a mile off that it isn’t a genuine smile, and she’s trying to hide how upset she is. Cas notices as well because as she jumps in the back of the truck, she says, “Happy party day, now get me to the booze”
Cas, and I share a look in the front of the truck, but I subtly shake my head, telling him not to say a word, and so he puts the truck into reverse and drives us to Club Envy.
**********
The club is booming when we arrive; the DJ has already started playing music before the open mic night begins. I look at Cas as he takes it all in, and I ask him, “Do you miss coming here to dance?”
He laughs at that and shakes his head; as he looks down at me, he brings me in close with his hands on either side of my hips before he says, “Not a chance do I miss it…but that doesn’t mean I won’t dance for you in private”
he winks obnoxiously.
I bark out a laugh, which dies when I see Chad standing near the bar, staring at us, clearly unhappy with what he sees. Cas makes a move towards him, but I put a hand on his chest as I say, “We have to get used to this…at least until the wedding, okay?”
he nods, but a muscle ticks in his jaw, and he grabs my hand and walks us towards the bar and straight past Chad.
Birdie is waiting there with a smile on her face as she greets me. “Well, hello, beautiful lady, and hello, boss man. What can I get you?”
Cas orders a beer, and I ask for a gin and lemonade. When we have our drinks, we go over to the VIP area, which has been roped off for the party, to sit and relax.
I see Hayleigh, Nate, and Archie talking to each other. Then, there are Pete’s groomsmen, just off to one side, with their partners and a few of the people who work with Hayleigh. However, there isn’t any sign of Pete. Cas and I take our seats next to Hayleigh, Nate, and Archie, and I look around to see that Chad has joined the groomsmen. He must sense me looking as he turns and gives me a small smile, which I return. Hayleigh notices and says, “He’s been extremely polite tonight; he must have had the rod stuck up his ass removed.”
I laugh at that as I say to her, “Still no sign of Pete?”
Nate betrays himself by working his jaw and taking a swig of his beer, but Hayleigh shakes her head, so I put my hand on her knee and kiss her cheek. “You will always have me and us,”
I point to the three brothers, and she smiles before downing her drink and declaring to the table, “I’m getting another!”
I look at Nate, and before I can even say anything, he says, “I’ve got it,” and he gets up to follow her to the bar.
**********
It had been a few hours since the party started, and there was still no sign of Pete. Nate was officially on Hayleigh's watch, who was now taking a nap in the backroom due to the amount she had consumed in such a short space of time, and the open mic night event had begun. Cas suggested I go up there, to which I politely declined, saying this was an open mic night, not a karaoke night. He just laughed at me and got us another drink to the table so he didn’t have to leave my side.
Vik saunters over to our table and gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek; I hear Cas next to me say, “Take it easy, Vik.”
Vik laughs his big, hearty laugh as he tells him, “Don’t get jealous now, CJ; everyone knows our Emily only has eyes for you.”
Vik laughs again at the look on Cas’s face, and I join in the laughter.
I kiss his cheeks. “You know I love you.”
He smiles back at me and says, “I love you too.”
I hear a scoff behind me, and my eyes close as I realise who it is. I watch as Cas’s face turns from loving to furious. He goes to get up, but I put my arm on his and shake my head. “Ignore it”
I turn around and see that Pete has finally arrived and is currently walking a slightly drunk Chad out of the club. Vik looks annoyed, and Cas looks equally furious.
“What is going on with you two?”
they both look at me and something feels off with them.
Cas transforms his face into an easy smile, “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
I feel a red-hot spike of anger at his words, I can clearly see he’s keeping something from me, but he doesn’t have the decency to tell me what it is; he’s just telling me to sit pretty and don’t worry, well screw that and screw him, I’ve let enough men dictate what I can and cannot do, and so I steel myself and stand up and then look Cas in the eye as I say to him, “When you’re ready to talk to me and include me in whatever it is that is going on, you can find me at the bar…until then don’t bother coming over to talk to me Cas because right now you have royally pissed me off!”
With that I turn away from him and storm on over to Birdie.
She raises her eyebrow at me when I sit down and looks behind me before saying, “Say no more; some men really are that thick.”
I laugh at that and guzzle down the gin and lemonade that she puts in front of me. When I finally build up the courage, I look behind me to find Vik and Cas gone; my stomach drops a little before I spin back around and find another gin and lemonade in front of me.
Birdie looks at me and gives me a small smile before jerking her head towards the office, “He’s in there…I think Vik took him in to cool off a little while.”
I nod back at her, grateful for letting me know. “Thanks, Birdie. I appreciate that.”
I nurse my drink, and this time, I take it slow; I turn around on the stool and watch the open mic night, wishing I hadn’t gone off at Cas and wishing he was right next to me.
**********
I look around the room, trying to find someone to talk to. It’s been half an hour, and Cas and Vik are still holed up in that office. Hayleigh is still in the back office, napping, while Nate stands guard. That leaves Archie, who I cannot find.
I stand up and suddenly need to use the bathroom, so I make my way out through the club doors and into the waiting room, where the toilets are located. That’s when I see her, Stephanie, pacing back and forth in the waiting room. She stops short when she sees me, and a cruel smile plays on her face. If it were a genuine smile, one would even say she could be pretty, but right now, she looks evil.
I’ve had my fill with idiots tonight. So I scoff and roll my eyes as I say, “Oh, how fantastic, you’re here to the top of the night right off.”
She stalks towards me as she brings out her phone. While she thumbs through it, she laughs without humour, “You know Emily, I wasn’t even going to come tonight; I was going to forget this whole stupid idea and leave you and Cas be. I’ve been here a while, contemplating what my next move should be, and then, just like fate, you appear. If I were you, I would cut my ties and move on because I have proof that Cas doesn’t love you…you’re just a stopgap, sweetie.”
And with that, she turns and walks towards the exit but not before shouting over her shoulder “check your phone”
I look down at my hands and realise I haven’t brought my bag with me, I must have left it on the bar.
No doubt Birdie will have seen it and put it aside for me; I go into the bathroom and finish up. As I wash my hands, I take another look at myself in the mirror, but the sparkle from earlier has gone, and in its place are the uncertainties and insecurities I had before. What the hell was Stephanie talking about, and how would she know that Cas doesn’t love me? I’ve seen the love myself first-hand; I’ve felt it in every kiss and every touch, every word he’s whispered to me. I steel my spine and head back to the bar to find my bag, where I left it, along with my drink. And right next to it, Pete is nursing his drink.
I slide onto my stool, and he doesn’t even look up; he looks so defeated I almost feel sorry for him. I check my bag and see that my phone is inside; not wanting to disturb Pete and his brooding, I open the message from an unknown number, and my heart rate spikes. Was it Stephanie all along sending those messages? She’s sent me a voice recording, so I turn up the volume and hold the speaker end to my ear. The noise is distorted, but then I hear it clearly; it’s a recording of Cas and Vik, and I strain my ears to listen.
I hear Vik say…
“So, you fallen in love yet or what? You know just so I know if I need to find myself a new wingman?”
Then comes Cas’s reply…
“I’ve told you Emmy is just a roommate that’s all. Nothing more. I don’t do falling in love remember? It’s just convenience at the moment, she helps me out and I help her out with a roof over her head, a simple transaction that’s all”
The bottom of my stomach drops, and so does my heart; I can’t breathe as the words roll around in my head over and over. I hear Pete call my name, but the tears are threatening to fall. Birdie's back is to me, so I look to Pete, and he takes in my crumpled face. He reaches for my drink and hands it to me, and I knock it back just to have something else to do. I hand him the glass back, and he puts it on the bar.
I put my phone down, and then Pete was there, his voice cutting through the ringing in my ears. “Emily, are you ok?”
I shake my head, but I don’t say anything for fear of throwing up all over him. “Do you want some fresh air?”
I nod my head, and he helps me up, walking me outside, all the while keeping his arm linked to mine for support. We reach outside, and the fresh air hits my face; I can finally breathe easily again. We walk over to the parking lot, where there are some benches in a row, and he sits me down.
I look up at him and his kind eyes, and I say, “Thank you for helping me, Pete; you seemed a bit down in the dumps back there. Is everything ok?”
He smiles sadly at me. “I’ve just been having a hard time lately with the woman I love…it hasn’t worked out the way I wanted it to, Emily.”
I go to respond to him, to let him know it will be okay, but my head feels light.
I feel like I’m about to pass out.
I try to stand, but my limbs feel heavy, and the last thing I see is Pete’s concerned face before the darkness creeps in and pulls me under.