Chapter Twenty One
Present Day.
We ended up in a private club in the middle of town. It was decorated, and I mean de-co-ra-ted in thousands of little sparkly pink penises.
Then there were the penis balloons, the penis straws… the penis shaped cookies.
“Holy shit guys.” Sloane laughed.
At that exact moment, a muscly waiter walked out wearing nothing but a speedo that had a tuxedo on it. He held a tray of drinks and then grinned at all of us.
“Orgasm, anyone?”
The others laughed, I played along, though my head was still back in the hotel room. Dissecting my last interaction with Theo.
The drink was delicious, rich - but absolutely nothing like a real orgasm.
“You okay?” Sloane asked as we all sat down amongst the penis decorations. Her arm was looped in mine.
“Never better.” I lied, which I was sure she knew… but she didn’t press me on it.
After a few drinks I loosened up, we all danced and told stories and Sloane, bless her heart - mentioned how happy she was that Jasper was her first, her last and her only.
Which of course, made us all cry.
The sentimental tears were then interrupted by the sound of Pony playing loudly over the speakers.
Sloane wiped her eyes and looked at her workmates. “You didn’t.”
Rachel and Sophie laughed as the door opened and a Channing Tatum look alike walked into the room.
He started dancing in front of Sloane, poor almost innocent Sloane.
He undressed, throwing his clothes to the rest of us - I ended up with his boxer shorts - until he was just in a black G String.
He body rolled against Sloan in the chair and then the song ended.
“I’m going to kill you two.” Sloane giggled before looking at the stripper and grinning. “Can you do that again?”
We all laughed, and for the first time that night, my laugh was genuine.
The stripper finished his routine for the second time and Sloane was laughing, red-faced and delighted. Rachel ordered another round of drinks.
“To Sloane!” Mia shouted, and we all raised our glasses.
“To finding your person!” another voice added.
My smile felt like it was cracking. I excused myself to the bathroom, locked myself in a stall, and let myself cry for exactly two minutes. Then I washed my face, reapplied my lipstick, and went back out.
No one noticed I’d been gone.
It was around 2am when I got back to the hotel. I’d hoped Theo had returned, but I was let down when I walked into the room and it was as dark and empty as it had been when I left.
I turned off my phone and climbed into bed. Two more days of this and then I could go home and pretend that nothing had ever happened. That Theo and I had never… crossed the line.
I woke up alone the next morning, and I hated it.
I turned my phone on and almost immediately I had message after message from Sloane.
Sloane - Theo’s here. He won’t talk. What happened?
Sloane - Gin? Are you there?
Sloane - Why is your phone off.
Sloane - I’m worried about you.
And then there was one from 15 minutes prior.
Sloane - I’m coming to the hotel.
Almost as if it was fate there was a knock at the door and I climbed out of bed, walked to the door and unlocked it.
“What happened? And why didn’t you say anything last night”
I walked back to the bed and fell into it, the emotional drain depleting any energy my broken sleep had restored.
“I don’t know.” and it was the truth. I didn’t know, we’d been good in the morning, we’d made plans and then he’d cancelled them and had frozen me out completely. “And I didn’t want to ruin anything.”
“Did you two talk?” Sloane lay down on the bed next to me. I looked at her and didn’t even bother to try and hide my tears.
“I tried, but he was so angry.”
Sloane’s eyes softened and she wiped my tears away. “I’m so sorry. I really thought…”
Her voice trailed off and she just held me while I cried.
“Enough of this.” I said finally. “This is your week, your wedding.”
“You’re allowed to be sad.”
I shook my head and sat up. “But I’m not going to be. We have the rehearsal dinner tonight, and the wedding tomorrow. It’s going to be beautiful. You’re going to marry the love of your life”
I wiped my face and smiled at her.
“Imogen.” She said softly.
“Please - let me just focus on you?”
Sloane nodded and then turned in the bed. “Can I stay here tonight? May as well do the whole separate night away from my groom.”
I grinned and nodded. “Yes please.”
“Good. Because I’m not leaving you alone right now anyway.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Now go shower. You look like you got hit by a truck.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m your best friend. I’m legally obligated to tell you the truth.”
I showered, got dressed in clean clothes, and tried to put myself back together. Sloane ordered room service—pancakes and coffee and enough carbs to sustain us through the day.
We spent the morning handling last-minute wedding details. Confirming the flower delivery. Double-checking the seating chart. Making sure the string quartet knew which songs to play during the ceremony.
Normal, wedding-related tasks that kept my mind busy and my hands occupied.
Every time my phone buzzed, I hoped it was Theo. It never was.
By mid-afternoon, we were at the lake setting up for the rehearsal. The rental company had delivered the chairs, arranged in neat rows facing the water. The arch was decorated with white flowers and greenery. It was beautiful—exactly what Sloane had dreamed of.
“It’s perfect,” she kept saying, tears in her eyes. “Gin, it’s absolutely perfect.”
I hugged her tight, grateful for her joy, for this distraction, for anything that would keep me from thinking about the empty hotel room.
The wedding party started arriving around 4pm. Bridesmaids in sundresses. Groomsmen in button-downs and khakis. Jasper’s parents. Kay and Steve.
And Theo.
He walked down to the lake with the other groomsmen, sunglasses on, his expression unreadable. He didn’t look at me. Didn’t acknowledge me at all.
I felt Sloane’s hand slip into mine, squeezing.
“You okay?” she whispered.
“Fine,” I lied.
The rehearsal itself was straightforward. The officiant walked us through the processional order, where everyone would stand, when to sit, when to stand. I focused on taking notes, on remembering everything Sloane would need to know.
Theo stood at the front with Jasper and the other groomsmen. I stood across from him with the bridesmaids. We were maybe ten feet apart but it felt like miles.
When it came time to practice the recessional—the paired walk back down the aisle after the ceremony—I was supposed to walk with Theo.
“Maid of honor and best man,” the officiant announced.
I walked toward him. He offered his arm stiffly, mechanically. I took it, my hand barely touching his sleeve.
We walked down the makeshift aisle in complete silence. His arm was rigid under my hand, his body angled slightly away from me. The officiant was saying something about smiling for the photos tomorrow.
I looked up at him. His jaw was clenched, his eyes fixed on the horizon. Not on me. Never on me.
As soon as we reached the end, he pulled away.
“I need to make a call,” he said to no one in particular, and walked toward the parking area.
I stood there, watching him go, feeling the eyes of the entire wedding party on me.
“Alright everyone!” Kay’s voice broke the tension. “Rehearsal dinner is at Cliffside in an hour. Go get changed, we’ll see you there!”
I changed into the dress Sloane had insisted I bring—a deep burgundy wrap dress that was flattering but not too formal. I did my makeup carefully, covering the evidence of crying. By the time Sloane was ready, I looked almost normal.
Almost.
Cliffside was already buzzing when we arrived. The private dining room was decorated with candles and flowers, long tables set with elegant place settings. Family and close friends mingled with drinks, the energy happy and celebratory.
I found my place card at the head table—between Sloane’s cousin Mia and one of Jasper’s groomsmen, Sam. Theo was at the opposite end of the table, as far from me as possible.
I tried not to let it sting.
Dinner was served—salad, pasta, chicken. I pushed food around my plate, making it look like I was eating without actually consuming much. Mia chatted about her kids. Sam told a funny story about college. I laughed at appropriate moments, nodded, and played the part.
Across the table, Theo sat rigid, barely touching his food. He had a beer in front of him, then another, then another.
After dinner, Jasper’s dad gave a toast. Then Kay gave one, crying happy tears about her baby getting married. Then it was Theo’s turn.
He stood, glass in hand, and for the first time all night, he looked directly at me. Just for a second. Then his eyes moved to Jasper.
“To my sister,” he said, his voice steady. “And to Jasper. You two have been together since you were kids. You grew up together. You know each other better than anyone else in the world.”
He paused, and took a drink.
“That’s rare. What you have—that kind of certainty, that kind of knowing—most people spend their whole lives looking for it and never find it.”
His eyes flickered to me again, so briefly I might have imagined it.
“Don’t take it for granted. Don’t let fear or pride or misunderstanding get in the way of it. When you find something real, you hold onto it. You fight for it.”
His voice cracked slightly on the last word.
“To Sloane and Jasper,” he raised his glass. “May you always fight for each other.”
Everyone clinked glasses and drank. I forced the wine down, my throat tight.
Sloane stood for her toast next, thanking everyone for coming, for their love and support. She looked at me.
“And to my best friend, Imogen. Who has been there for every major moment of my life. Who dropped everything to help save this wedding when everything went wrong.” Her voice wavered. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Gin. Thank you for being you.”
I smiled, tears threatening. “Love you, Sloane.”
“Love you too.”
The formal toasts ended and the party shifted—people mingling, music playing softly, dessert being served. I excused myself from the table, needing air, needing space, needing to not be in a room where Theo was drinking and giving toasts about fighting for love while refusing to even look at me.
I walked out onto the restaurant’s patio, leaning against the railing, looking out at the dark ocean.
“There you are.” Sloane’s voice called out from behind me. I turned and gave her a smile, even though it was forced.
“Tonight was really beautiful. Tomorrow is going to be amazing.”
Sloane nodded and lifted her hands to her face, using her index finger to stem the tears threatening to flow. She pulled me in for a hug.
“Dad’s waiting to take us to the Hotel.”
“Let’s go”