Invisible Strings

Chapter Six

Matthew

​I fidgeted with my fingernails as I watched my garden fill up with guests from both Solace and my company.
Audrey Adler had to come.
​
I went back from the lake and to my table to wait for all guests to be seated.
But that is when I saw her.

​Beatrice.
​She looks absolutely beautiful. Her long ginger hair trailing from her neck to the height of her waist. She doesn't seem to notice my eyes, which are just intently looking at her.
​Oh, how I wish to sneak behind her back and hug her like I used to.
I'm currently debating whether I should start my speech or pull Beatrice away and-
​My thoughts and daydreaming were cut short when a man with blonde hair and green eyes placed his hand on my shoulder.
Aiden, of course.

​"Careful, if you keep looking at her like that you might scorch the back of her head," Aiden says with a smug look on his face as he tugs on his vest.
​His vest! For goodness sake, he's wearing a dark navy blue vest with a white long-sleeved polo shirt. He even matched it with a pair of navy blue trousers and a blazer jacket.
​"And now, you're about to scorch mine," Aiden adds as he turns away and pulls me to the side of the stage. I suppress an eye-roll and follow him.
​"It's time for your speech." He says.

I am startled. "It can't have been that long?" I ask, bewildered.
"If you weren't so busy staring at the CEO of Solace, you might've had enough time to practice." He leaves me with a wink.
I curse underneath my breath as I brace myself for the worst.
​"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. It's such a nice day, isn't it?"

​Only because Beatrice is here.

​"It gives me great pleasure to announce to everyone M.C Jewelry's first ever collaboration!" I say, trying to sound excited as hundreds of people look at me. But there will only be one that I will recognize in this sea of prying eyes. And there she is, sitting beside a girl. And a man.
​A man.
​I ignore the small tug of possessiveness that I feel deep inside. "Today, we're celebrating our partnership with Solace. And without further ado, let's begin! Where shall we start first? The games or dinner?" I ask as I look at everyone and their faces of anticipation.
​
"No, I'm only joking. Let's start with dinner first." I take a step down the small stage and proceed to my seat at the table. I can't shake the thought of Beatrice with that man. So, naturally, I observe the two the entirety of dinner. It seems that the man is deeply in love with Beatrice, and she doesn't seem to reciprocate it. Or I might be delusional.
​"Hi, Mr. Clayton. It's nice to see you all dressed up," Ms. Adler says sweetly. Tonight she was wearing something a little odd. She was wearing a green knitted dress with a plunging neckline. It was rather shorter than permitted by the dress code. I cringe at the sight of it.

​"Thank you, Ms. Adler. If you would, please," I stood up abruptly, grabbing the tulips I bought earlier this morning. "I have to go greet the guests. Personally."

She leaves with a huff. One thing about Ms. Adler is that she won't ever leave without a huff or at least a wink.
​I'm walking towards Beatrice, as I watch her interact with another woman who she seems comfortable with, take a picture in the photobooth area. I suddenly feel like I'm fourteen again. Too nervous to talk, too nervous to look at her.
I suddenly feel so vulnerable again.
And then...

​"Hi! Um, you must be Mr. Clayton." The woman with black hair says as she extends her hand. "I'm Georgianna Sterling. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Clayton."
I shake her hand with a small and polite grin. "It's a pleasure to meet you too," I say, not bearing to look in Beatrice's direction. "You must be Ms. Solace's business partner."
​Ms. Sterling's face lit up. "You're about the first one to acknowledge me as Beatrice's partner. I usually work behind cameras," she says with a grimace.

"You're welcome. I have one of my own."
​"Speaking of which," I turn to Beatrice and hand her the tulips. "Hi, Ms. Solace," I say with a smile, because I can't help myself.
"Hi, Mr. Clayton. How do you do?" she asks but her face doesn't show much emotion or interest, just shock. I study her face to see that almost nothing has changed. Her bright ginger hair, her bright green eyes shining along with the moonlight. I take a second before answering her question.

​I'm dying to ask her so many questions that it starts to fill up my brain, making me unable to talk. I want to know more about her, about how much she's changed. But instead, I hear myself say:
​"I'm good. How are you?"

​I couldn't have said anything worse?

But there's nothing I could do. I already said it, and there's no taking it back.
​"Well, with our companies working together, I'm sure you can tell how very ecstatic I am," Beatrice says, with all the confusion and shock from her face vanishing without a second thought. It's like those years we've spent apart were nothing but a 'summer fling' for her. No. There must be some other reason she disregarded me. I mean, hell. I would rather have her date a man that's holding her back rather than thinking of me, of us, as nothing more than just a fling.
​"So, um, how's it going with, uh..."
​
Your personal life.

​"With, um, your Dad." Why would I ask that? Of course his dad wasn't going too well. I mean, when have they ever gotten along? ​She hesitates to answer.

Oh, now I've made her feel bad.

"Uh, yes. When I told my Father about our collaboration, he seemed really excited!" she forges a smile. A smile I've only seen when she's lying. "He said he wishes you his best regards," she adds. Now she really is lying. I know that tone. I know the way her eyes gleam when she's not being truthful. I guess she really hasn't changed as much as I thought.

​"Oh really?" I ask, faking my curiosity. "Well, best regards to him as well."

I take my time examining her and Ms. Sterling, and I cannot help but notice that Beatrice can't seem to meet my eyes. It's almost as if she was avoiding my gaze. She also kept looking behind me and mouthing some words that I figured to be 'come here.' Now, I don't know who she was calling. Until, I turned around. That pesky bugger.

​I extend my arm to him, and offer him a small smile. "How do you do, sir?" I ask, already feeling bored of this conversation.
​"I'm doing good, Mr. Clayton." He says while shaking my hand. "It's good to meet you, Mr. Clayton. My name is Rowan Astor, and I am Beatrice's-" He gets cut off by Beatrice, and Beatrice says,

"Boyfriend. Yes, boyfriend," she says in that same tone she'd use earlier. But I still can't figure out if that's just the way she talks these days.

​Geez.

Hadn't I known her for five years? For all I know, we stopped talking for exactly five years, eight months, three weeks, 248 days, and 12 hours. (Yes, I was counting the years. Yes, I was counting the months. Yes, I was counting the weeks. Yes, I was counting the days. I'm not ashamed of that.) I remember every single thing about her. What she loves, hates, what annoys her, and gee, even what her favorite kind of water is.
​And now I'm replaced by a man named Rowan. He doesn't know her like I do. He doesn't love her like I do. He doesn't treat her like I would. That won't do.

​"Do tell, how did you two meet?" I ask, masking my jealousy with intrigue.
I watch Rowan shift uncomfortably where he stands. "We, um, we met at-"
Beatrice intervenes: "College. We met at college." She says, still not meeting my gaze.
I hum in response and say:
​"Well, you three have fun for the rest of the night and I will take my leave now. I'm afraid I have something urgent to attend to."
Now that I take my last look, I can't seem to find where Ms. Sterling could be. How odd.
​I turn my back to them and proceed to leave. Now, I just take my whiskey and drink until I fall asleep.