Swap

Chapter 24

CARA 

I waited patiently--or so I tried--for Quinn and his fiancée. I called Bridgette earlier but she couldn’t make it.

“I’m on a date. You can do it. All you have to do is take down their choice of cake,” Bridgette had said on the phone. How could I have forgotten? I should have rescheduled this meeting.

“Where’s Natalie?” I asked Quinn when he entered the shop alone. He took off his cap and I couldn’t help but smile. It was still the same basketball cap he had ten years ago. “You still have it.”

He flipped the cap over with a smile before dropping in on the table. “Couldn’t make myself to let it go,” his voice was full of meaning as he said it and memories came flooding me. I had worn that cap in the rain while he walked me home, when I cried over a stupid exam paper, when I cheered for him and his team during the championship game… Yeah, it had been mine a lot of times ten years ago.

Clearing my throat, I reverted back to the present. “Natalie?” I asked again.

“Oh, she’s not going to make it. Said she’ll be shopping for shoes,” he answered simply as if it was not surprising at all. “Is it just me or does it really seem like I’m the bride here?”

I laughed. “She’s probably busy with the invitations,” I lied.

“She’s always busy. Haven’t even seen her since we had the last meeting,” he added.

“It’s a good thing then. You guys will miss each other so much. That way, you guys will have a great time on your wedding day.” It was weird to say that, but I had to. He had to be reminded that he was going to be a wedded man in no time and that he should forget about what he said to me last night.

The man in-charged to provide us with the different slices of cakes came to us and we started working.

“What do you think?” I asked after Quinn tasted the first one.

“I’m not really a cake person so I don’t really care for this stuff,” he answered. “Just pick whatever Natalie will like.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “Why did you come here in the first place?” The moment the question escaped my mouth, I regretted it. I just opened the very conversation I was trying to avoid.

“I told you last night that I we should talk about it when we are just two feet away from each other,” Quinn said matter-of-factly, his voice seriously serious.

I almost choked with the cake in my throat. Taking a sip of water, I took the moment to think about what to say. “You know what? Why don’t we talk about the wedding instead. You know it’s why I am here in the first place.”

“I’m not really interested in the wedding now that I know you’re here, Cara.”

I dropped the fork beside the plate and looked at him, “Quinn, please. You know there’s nothing to talk about. We’re friends and I am happy with that. You’re getting married. I don’t see any reasons why we should talk about it.”

“Then tell me you don’t have feelings for me anymore,” his voice was challenging, almost confident that I would affirm his suspicions.

I closed my eyes and when I opened them, they stared right back at his. “I don’t have any feelings for you anymore other than friendship.”

BRIDGETTE 

“This is not what I imagined a date would be,” Scott said behind the wheel.

I reached over and adjusted his cap. “This is our first date. Don’t complain. Okay, there she is! Go, go, go!”

He muttered something like, “I’m planning the second date next time,” before he started the car and followed my sister.