for June

34. A little salt to the wound

"Oh, this is awkward, isn't it?" June giggled beside him to his surprise, leaning against his body, gushing. Chad smiled back, unsure where she was going with this, but it was better than his stammering.

June smiled at Arvind before fiercely fixing her eyes on Setal. Watch me, she was saying, and Chad worried.

"Chad and Setal dated for a while, right babe?" she asked, caressing Chad's chest with her hand. "In fact, if she hadn't walked out on him a year ago, I wouldn't be standing here with him tonight. I guess I owe her thanks."

That was when she leaned in and kissed Chad's cheeks with such flourish, even he would have bought her love for him. If only he didn't know she hated his guts and probably wanted tonight over already.

Arvind's gaze turned suspiciously to his bride. "Well. This is certainly awkward."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Arvind, it was a while ago." June waved her hand to say water under the bridge. "Setal tells us how much she loves you. Chad was just a fuck boy, I'm sure. Chad's loaded and famous, so a bit of fun on the side. I wouldn't think much of it," she added with a breezy laugh.

Setal turned red, Arvind looked to Chad with comprehension, and Chad stood there, unnerved that June had destroyed a joyous wedding for the poor groom. He nudged June then. "We should go."

June smiled wider. She may as well have said 'make me'. She turned to the newly wedded couple again. "Congratulations again."

Chad mumbled to the pair, "I'm so sorry. Truly, congratulations!" and pushed June to the other end of the stage and off it. The line behind them was long and getting impatient. "Will you stop? Please?"

She laughed as she stepped onto the floor, and he realised then that it was all part of his punishment.

They found their table in the far corner of the hall, near the toilets, bumping past a crowd of people before they reached it and sat down. June turned her body away from his. "Thank God she can't see us from there. What a bitch!"

Chad sat down, already exhausted. It was true he hadn't slept the last few nights, but June's little performance had blitzed all the sugar and caffeine from his system. Things were going to shit, so what the hell. He eyed her profile, trying to not sound angry and ungrateful. "What was that? We didn't have to come if you didn't want to."

She rolled her eyes, and adding a scoff, said, "And miss putting that princess in her place?" She stopped a waiter walking past and asked for a hard drink. Then she grabbed the breadstick sitting in a basket in front of her and started breaking off bits. "Do you know what she said to me just now? This is her wedding, for fuck's sake."

"What did she say?" Chad asked. It dawning on him that Setal must have done a Setal, goaded someone. "What did she say?" he asked again.

June's jaw clenched, and she flashed him a fake smile, grabbing two drinks off the tray and tossed one back. "That she can come back and have you any time she wants, married or not and there's nothing I can do about it..."

Chad stared at June in shock. Setal had made him sound like a spineless boy, not a man, but a boy. "No... We're done. It's done..."

"It doesn't matter anyway, not anymore." June interrupted, eyes that could set the stage on fire is she could, glaring at him for a moment. Then she tossed the second drink back and pulled a face. "We're just pretending." She waved down another waiter after that.

He cleared his clamped throat, stung, and turned to watch the proceedings. There was nothing more to say, and she clearly didn't want to talk to him. So he held up his end of the bargain and left her be for the rest of the evening. They ate, and they watched speeches and dance performances. They heard terrible jokes bordering on narcissism from the drunken bride, and elegant saves from the man she'd married. It was a waste of a wonderful man, and by the end of the evening, Chad felt a little sorry for the bastard, even though, a year ago, he'd made a fool of himself, asking her to marry him. Poor bloke, stuck with that mess for life.