the long game / gr63

chapter thirty-two

— GEORGE —

I tapped my spoon against the flute of champagne in my hand, the high-pitched tinkling causing the buzz of conversation around the room to die down. I placed the spoon back down on the table before smoothing down the lapels of my smooth jacket.

I cleared my throat, smiling as the warmth of everybody's stare filled me with familiarity. Where some may get nervous with more than a couple of pairs of eyes on them (there were still about fifty or so people left, half of the guests had left after the ceremony), it reignited a flame inside of me.

"As you may all have gathered, my little sister is married now!" I started, grinning widely. "And I just wanted to say a massive congratulations to Cara, and to Tom, both for finding their true love and for sticking it out together long enough to gather us all here together today."

A laugh rang through the hall that had been transformed into the reception area, with a dance floor to the right with a platform for a DJ later on in the evening. One laugh stuck out to me, though, and it came from right next to me. A sweet, melodic sound, and when I met her eyes I had to brace myself so as not to turn into a boneless puddle of jelly.

"I guess most of us will know how hard it is to find true love," I continued. "Sometimes it takes just one try, but for most of us, it might take half our lifetime. Sometimes circumstances pull us away from our soulmate, other times we ourselves are the cause of that loss.

"Something I've learned from Cara and Tom and their vows today, though, is to never give up. Life will always come at you with the greatest challenges, the most ecstatic ups and the absolute heartwrenching downs, Lord knows I would know."

Another laugh. It made me smile, and I shook my head quietly as I resisted the urge to take a sip of my champagne. Talia's gaze was burning into the side of my head, my entire body buzzing with the implications this speech could have. I didn't care, though. I hoped she'd see the conversation we were inevitably going to have coming now—if us cuddling all night last night and spending the day acting like a genuine couple madly in love with each other wasn't already enough of an indication.

"What I'm saying is, what are all these ups and downs worth if we don't get to share them with the person we love? And love is so fucking scary sometimes, man," I laughed at myself, then, remembering that to everyone else I was, after all, currently happily in love, I caught Talia's gaze once again. There was an unspoken emotion glinting in her honey brown eyes, and it made my heart lurch. "But true love will hit you like a meteor strike. You can never expect it, but everything after it will always be second best.

"So, raise a roast for Cara and Tom!" I finished, raising my glass in the air, an example for all the other guests that copied my actions, before we all drank and I sat myself back down.

"I can't believe you quoted Taylor Swift," Talia whispered to me, an amused smile spreading on her full lips. Her makeup was done beautifully, the sparkles on her eyelids reflecting in the golden glow of the chandelier above. "You're...."