Impostor

Chapter 18

"Yes." I whispered and the smile on Harry's face just then outshined the lights of the city below us. He pulled me into a tight hug and gave me a tender kiss. I have never been this happy before and the top reason for my happiness was holding me. The city didn't seem so captivating anymore compared to my new boyfriend. "I'll grab us some drinks to celebrate." Harry said and kissed my temple before disappearing into the crowd to find us some drinks. It felt like I was buzzing and I basked in the glorious feeling of belonging to someone like Harry. Amber approached me with a smile and looked at the crowd of people where Harry had just disappeared.

"So..." She started and I cut her off with a squeal. "He asked me to be his girlfriend!" I beamed and Amber let out a loud screech of excitement. "Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed before pulling me into a tight hug. "Congratulations, Jane. I am so happy for you I could just scream it from the rooftops." She said and before she realized that she was in fact on a rooftop, I thanked her and tried to change the topic. "Have you guys made it official yet?" I asked and she smiled brightly. "He asked me over dinner last night." She gushed and searched the crowd for him. As soon as her eyes landed on him, they softened. I could tell that she was head over heels for this guy and I felt so happy for her.

Throughout the night it felt like I was tingling from the inside out. It didn't stop when he drove me home and gave me a goodnight kiss. The tingles stayed with me even when I showered and got ready for work. I needed to tell someone how I felt before I exploded. Emma was my unsuspecting victim. We met at the diner and waited for Will to arrive. She ordered a pot of coffee for us to share. "You've been fidgeting all morning, spill." She said with a straight face while sipping on her coffee. "You're not going to believe this...but Harry asked me to be his girlfriend last night." I gushed and she nearly spit her coffee all over me. "I can't believe it! We're going to be sisters!" she shouted, clearly not tired anymore.

"I also have to tell you something." She said and started to dig in her Prada handbag. She pulled out a folded crisp white note and handed it to me. "Michael wrote me this letter right after your fight at his parents' house." I looked at the piece of paper with a frown and opened it. The company logo was at the bottom of the page and I recognized Michael's handwriting. I looked at her unsure. "Are you sure I should be reading this? It's kind of personal." I said and she shook her head. "I want you to read it. I need someone to read it. I need to let that part of my life go so that I can move on." She said and turned her gaze back to her cup of coffee to cut the conversation short. I caught the hint and looked down at the letter.

My dearest Emma,

I know that you are angry right now, but please find it in your heart to forgive me. I didn't mean to do the things that I have done. The guilt was killing me every second of every day.

I never meant to cheat on you and I don't know how to continue living my life knowing what I did to you. I am truly sorry for hurting you; I don't know what got into me. You are the love of my life and I can't imagine my life without you.

I hope that you forgive me someday.

Always yours

Michael Wulf

I didn't know what to say. Did she want me to say or do something after reading the letter? I took my eyes off the letter and looked at her, only to find her watching me already. "I don't know what to say." I said honestly. "I know, right?" she said and it shocked me to see her so vulnerable. "I didn't know how to reply to his letter. He seems sincere and I love him with all my heart. I just don't want to lose him. Like ever." She said and it sounded like she was close to crying. I moved over to her side of the booth and gave her a well-needed hug. She squeezed closer to me, almost like she was afraid of the world. "Don't worry, Em. I promise that it won't happen again. He told me that he was single; I would never kiss a taken man. I'm 100% sure that he was just scared of not being good enough for you. It's just like you said, cold feet." I reassured her and she sighed.

She wiped her tears away and gave me a smile. "You're probably right." She said. I gave her a raised eyebrow. "Probably? No, I am right." I said with finality. She smiled and gave me another hug. "I'm so lucky to have someone like you in my life." She said and I felt a little guilty for causing her this kind of distress. Before we could deepen the conversation, the bell above the diner's door dinged and Will walked in with his trusty bag full of wedding magazines. "I need coffee before we start arguing about your wedding." He announced as he fell into a seat next to me. One of the waiters brought him a cup and replaced our pot of coffee. "Thanks." He grumbled and poured some of the coffee into his cup. He added two sugars and cream before taking a long swig.

"Okay, now we can start arguing." He said as he set his empty cup on the table and started to pour another cup of coffee. "All right, I have chosen a maid of honor." Emma said and Will opened his wedding planner book to add the name. He positioned the pen and waited for her to say who it was. "Jane Smith." Emma said and it took me a moment to realize that the name belonged to me. "Wait, what?" I asked dumbfounded. "You are going to be my maid of honor." Emma said and we shared a tender moment of holding hands and fighting to keep the tears at bay. "Anyway!" Will ruined our moment and we both glared at him as he leafed through his book without a care in the world.

We drank some more coffee before Will spoke again. "The hen party will be happening this weekend. That is all you'll be hearing about it, Emma. Please leave us for a moment while we plan." He said and waved Emma away. "I'll go pick out my wedding ring, call me when you're done." Emma said and walked out of the diner. "Bye!" I yelled after her and she just waved with her right hand. We waited for Trevor to drive away before Will turned to me. "I was thinking of a nightclub, because she is young and has a sparkling personality. She also told me that she wanted to have it in a nightclub." He said getting straight to the point. "Do you have a specific club in mind?" I asked while going through the list I prepared while they were arguing over the wedding yesterday. "Let me see your list." He said and took the piece of paper, examining the options.

"Lunar looks like the best option. It's one of the few clubs that Michael doesn't own and it is pretty decent." He said and wrote it down in his book. It felt good to help a little, even if it was just picking a place for the hen party. "Great, do you need me to prepare anything?" I asked before getting up to leave. "Don't you worry, I got this." He said and continued to write in his book. "Alright, see you tomorrow." I said and gathered my things. "We're not planning for the rest of the week. I need to organize the hen party. We'll be planning and preparing first thing Monday morning." He said and I was relieved. "See you at the hen party then." I said and left as my Uber pulled up outside. Now I just had to make it to the weekend in one piece.