Chapter 48
48
I fidget in my seat, trying to calm my nerves. I’m not the one getting married, but I’m probably the most terrified person in the room.
There is an empty seat next to me that was supposed to be for Ethan. The gap, despite being just one space, seems huge. It just goes to show what a difference one person can make because his absence is really apparent – and it’s not just the physical space that stands out, I feel like he’s going to be really missed, not just by me but by everyone.
‘If you would all like to stand,’ the wedding official says. ‘The bride has arrived.’
I should hope so – she only came from upstairs.
I glance down the aisle where Chester is shifting his weight between his feet. He looks nervous – I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look nervous before. Beau gives him a sort of pat/rub on the back, to steady him.
And there it is, the bench, still exactly as we balanced it last night, so I’m guessing no one has noticed yet. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. God, Chester would be even more nervous, if he knew about that, and how it’s not going to take one person’s weight, never mind two.
Perhaps I’m worrying over nothing – perhaps they won’t even sit on it. Wedding ceremonies aren’t as long as they used to be, right? It isn’t a religious ceremony, and they don’t seem like the type to have singing and stuff. Perhaps it’s just a symbolic, ornamental bench. God, I hope so.
As the music starts, I feel someone’s arm brush next to mine.
‘Ethan,’ I blurt in a whisper, my heart skipping a beat or two.
‘We’re a team,’ he replies. ‘If you go down, I’m going down with you. Happy birthday, by the way.’
I can’t help but smile. He could have run for his life but he hasn’t, he’s here – and he’s here for me.
The violinist picks up the pace as Seph and Dad begin their journey down the aisle.
Seph looks so beautiful, and Dad looks so proud, and I feel… good? Wow, it really does feel like things are good. But then my eyes dart back to the stupid bench and I know that if they sit on it, everything (metaphorically and literally) is going to come crashing down. I wonder if they’ll think I’ve done it on purpose, as an act of sabotage, because I’m jealous, or because it should have been mine, or because Dad wouldn’t lend me money – they could pin it on anything, not that it matters. Even as an accident, it feels unforgivable.
‘Please take your seats,’ the wedding official says.
It feels like my heart and my stomach swap places.
‘And the bride and groom, take your seats too,’ the official says, once Dad has handed Seph over to Chester.
Oh, God, I can’t watch. No, God, please, do not sit on that bench. I feel sick as they lower their bodies, their bums heading for the seat in what feels like super-slow motion, and while I’m sure I would probably make things worse by calling out and telling them not to sit down, I don’t think there’s time to warn them anyway.
I wince as they make contact but… nothing happens. The bench holds their weight. They’re sitting on it, exactly as they should be, and nothing bad is happening.
I quickly whip my head around, to look at Ethan. He just smiles at me, winks, then gestures for me to turn my attention to the ceremony.
I don’t know how he’s done it, but he’s fucking done it. He’s fixed it. I could kiss him.
And to think, I brought Ethan here thinking he could ruin the wedding. It turns out that bringing him here has saved it.