Chmergess: Weddings change everything.

Celebratory drinks.

After spending the first hour greeting everyone,  all of the wedding party and close family would be spending the weekend at the castle, I decided it was time to have that drink. Tequila was usually my go to drink but I decided to keep it a bit more classy and went for a gin and tonic. Sitting down at the table, Val, Jenna, Pete and Maks came over with a deck of cards and decided we needed a rousing game of poker to make things more exciting. A few hands later, and several drinks later, Val, Maks and I were all anticipating the others move, and I was certain Maks would be the next to fold. "She's about to fold" Maks looks at Val with a bit of certainty. "No way, I can read her like a book and I say she's in." The room became silent and all eyes were on me, "all in" I smirk and share an intense gaze with Val. "Told you!" Val chimes in. Maks grins and rubs his head, "I fold."

Peta spoke up, "This is a bit unfair, these two can read each other too well, and they are both incredibly stubborn." Val looked at Sharna and bit his lip, "damnit!" He throws his cards on the table and tips his hat to Sharna, "you got me." Without missing a beat, and before realizing what was coming from my mouth, "do I though, have you?" The room froze and before things became to awkward I played it off, "it seems my card game is strong, got ya!" I laughed nervously as I felt Val's eyes burning through me with a distinct level of intensity. Everyone around us laughing and clapping, thank god no one else realized what had just happened. Or did they?

I decided to leave the poker table and get another drink before heading off to my room, but as luck would have it Pete was already at the bar waiting for me, "what was that babe?" Shocked that maybe I hadn't played it off as well as I thought, "oh no, you picked up on that?" Pete's face calmed as she reached for my hand, "don't worry, I don't think anyone else did." I took a seat at the bar beside Pete and we shared another drink, making small talk to avoid the craziness going on inside my head. "I think I'm gonna head up to my room, I have major jet lag and I really need to try and get some sleep." I hugged Pete and told everyone goodnight before I turned towards the stairs and realized I was a bit more tipsy than I thought, grabbing the banister I slowly ascended the stairs and made my way to my room.

The bed was soft, like a cloud, and the faint smell of lavender put me in a very relaxed state; in fact, I was so relaxed that I didn't notice Val walking into my room. "What the hell was that Shar?" I jumped not knowing someone else was in the room with me. "Val! What are you doing in here?"

"I want to know what that was all about, Sharna."

I wasn't completely sure what he was talking about, because at this point I had a nice buzz going; however, deep down I knew he was referring to the comment I had made during our poker game, "what are you talking about?"

Val couldn't stop himself, he had to get it all out, "You know what I'm talking about Sharna, why do you have to keep playing games with me? You know I've always wanted you, but you wanted space after your breakup with Paul, so I gave you space."

"Yea, you went and dated Amber Rose," I blurted out, unable to stop myself.

"Amber and I were never serious, what was I supposed to do Sharna, be alone forever, just waiting for you to be ready? I left Amber because I thought that finally, just maybe, you were ready; but when I came to you that wasn't the case, was it?"

"What do you mean, Val? I told you that you just got out of a relationship and that I thought you needed time to figure things out, to figure out what you really wanted."

"I wanted you damnit! You knew that." Val runs his hands through his hair and begins pacing the room.

"And I told you I wouldn't be just another girl on your list. You've never been alone, it's like you have a need to be with someone, and that need changes every few months when you're ready for someone new."

Val stops pacing and narrows the space between them, "did you ever think that the reason I go from relationship to relationship is because there is something, or someone, that I've been missing all along." Suddenly there is a knock at the door and Nicole's voice rings out from the other side, "I have your dress for tomorrow, can I come in?" Val looks at me with tears and anger filling his eyes before he turns and walks out the door. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" Nicole asks as she walks through the door with a confused look on her face. "No babe, not at all. Please come in and let me see that dress!"