Chapter Three Eliott #2
He laughs at the threat. I’m starting to realise that he seems to exist in a permanent state of being unaffected by anything. A spark of envy shoots through me, and it’s so sharp it’s actually startling.
The kids choose that exact moment to run screaming by me again and I watch, in a kind of horrified slow motion, as Dane looks over in my direction.
For a second, I entertain the idea that maybe he won’t notice me. That maybe God will do me this one solid and let Dane’s gaze slide right over me.
No such luck.
His deep brown eyes settle on me as his brows pinch together in the middle. A hint of recognition flashes across his face, and I know he’s combing through his memories, trying to figure out where he remembers me from.
My mind races and only one thought sticks out.
Run.
I turn around quickly and dash for the furthest end of the room, as far away from him as I can manage.
He only got a brief glimpse , I try to reason with myself as I slip into the shadows. Maybe it won’t be enough .
Maybe he won’t remember me at all.
Despite everything, I snort as that thought pops into the forefront of my mind. Given the circumstances, I think I’d be hard to forget.
But that’s fine.
There’s only an hour or so left to go. I’ll just avoid him for the rest of the night and – Ah .
He’s the best man.
He’s the fucking best man .
As in, practically impossible to avoid. As in, I’ve promised to corral them all together at some point to take a photo. As in – Shit .
The prospect of being face to face with him again quite literally makes me want to heave. There’s only so much embarrassment I can take in one lifetime, and I thought I’d already had my fair share of it two years ago.
My stomach twists and my mind races, playing out for me exactly what’s going to happen.
Realisation will dawn on his face as he remembers.
His grin will turn sly and mocking as he remembers just who I am.
Heat rushes to my face as I realise there’s a chance he’s already told Cash all about me.
He is the best man, after all, so they’ve got to be close.
And Bailey is his sister . How close are they?
I’d never talk to my brother about my sex life – though I suppose I don’t really talk to Josh about anything – but Leanne could probably pry it out of me after a drink or two if she tried.
What if they all already know? What if they’ve all sat around and laughed about the weird almost one-night stand he had and the girl who couldn’t come?
Who still can’t come.
Bitterness courses through my veins. I may have given up on the whole ‘ have an orgasm with a partner ’ thing – much to Sasha’s displeasure – and settled for a life of mediocre, vibrator-induced orgasms, but it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.
Once I’m sure I’m far enough away, I glance back over at him.
My shoulders sag in relief as I realise he’s no longer got an eye on me.
Instead, he’s standing in a small group by the entrance to the restaurant.
Bailey’s got an arm draped around the shoulders of a woman with warm brown skin and short cropped hair.
They’ve both got megawatt grins stretching across their faces and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that this must be Amber.
There’s also a tall blond man standing beside Amber.
They’re not touching, but his body is angled towards hers in the same kind of way Cash is standing beside Bailey.
Like there’s a magnetic pull keeping them rooted in place, and there’s nowhere else they’d rather be than in Amber and Bailey’s orbit.
Bailey flicks Dane’s collar, and he responds with something that makes Cash laugh.
I bring my camera up to my face, intent on capturing the moment, but then Dane suddenly looks over in my direction.
Through the viewfinder, I watch as his gaze zeroes in on me, and those thick brows furrow again.
He steps out of the little circle the five of them have made and I take a reflexive step backwards.
The intent is clear on his face. He’s on his way to talk to me.
Panic floods every single one of my senses but I’m saved, momentarily at least, by Cash, who suddenly drapes an arm around Dane’s shoulder and drags him towards another group of friends nearby.
I bite my lip, genuinely considering telling Bailey and Cash that an emergency has come up and I need to leave. But then I spot them again, effortlessly finding each other in the crowd of loved ones surrounding them, and my heart softens just a tiny bit. I can’t bail on them.
Not now anyway.
Because they’re going to be disappointed enough when I tell them I can’t photograph their wedding.
I spend the best part of the next hour clinging to the shadows and sticking to the dark corners of the restaurant.
It’s all very dramatic, but it works. For the most part.
I have one near miss when Bailey flags me down to get an impromptu photo of her parents and Cash’s mother seated together.
As I’m lining up the shot, I can see Dane in my periphery perking up slightly as he glances over at me.
I manage to get the photo before he has the chance to cross the room, helped in part by the screeching group of children who try to tackle him to the ground whenever they spy the right opportunity.
I say a silent thank you to the horde of screaming children.
They make it very easy to keep an eye on where Dane is at all times, making sure I can avoid him with relative ease.
I can’t tell if he minds having his own personal alarm system following him around, but it’s easy to see that he’s clearly the favourite cousin amongst the little ones, and he seems to slip into the role without any complaint.
The end of the night is rapidly approaching and I suppose what happens next is my fault for letting my guard down.
I take the opportunity to dip into the bathroom while there’s nothing particularly exciting going on and, when I emerge, I’m immediately prevented from darting back into the shadows by a form blocking my path.
It’s in that moment that I decide I truly must be the most unlucky woman in the world. Because I’m so close to the finish line and this just isn’t fair.
My breath catches in my throat. My heartbeat becomes a glacial patter. And Dane – fucking Dane – looks down at me and grins.
‘I was hoping to bump into you.’