Could It Be You? |✓

(12) The Most Important Day

Swivelling around in her chair, Emma mulls over what Collin had said in the afternoon. She had treated Collin's words with some benefit of the doubt the last time, but now that she's met him for the second time, she knows that he is a real person at least. She loosens her grip and reveals a small note in her hand. Collin had given her his contact details, which of course, she couldn't use once he's off the radar. He said he would contact her the next time - and the last time - he comes back.

The most important day of her sister's life.

What could it be? The day Liam proposed? The day of her wedding? If it's her wedding, clearly, Matt is out of the question. No - no matter what, Matt is out of the question. Why is he even on her mind when he's never supposed to be in the running?

It then occurs to her that she could just ask Alice outright, what that day was. She quickly whips out her phone and crafts the message.

"Hey, which is the most important day of your life?"

It took a while before she replied.

"Why? What's up? "

"Just answer the question!" she snaps back.

Waiting again, she wonders what it all means to be waiting for a supposed husband to drop into her life within the next few months. Is she a helpless puppet, waiting for fate or destiny or whatever it is to dictate her every movement? If this person was meant to be her lifelong partner, why hadn't she noticed him before? Who the heck is he? Where is he right now, and what is he doing? Could he be embracing some other woman now?

The phone vibrates on her lap, and Emma pushes up glasses as she reads it.

"The day I was born, duh, or there won't be me. Are you trying to hack into my accounts?!"

Emma stares at it, dumbfounded. What? How could she remember who she met when she was three? Is this girl pulling her leg?

A second message quickly arrived. "Just kidding. You know what it is. The day I married Liam of course."

Emma takes a deep breath and leans back in her chair. Her suspicions are confirmed - what now? She closes her eyes, as she tries to recall the events that occurred that day. Incessant chatter, lots of small talk, loud noises in the ballroom, drunk guests, applause. She digs a little further and remembers some high school mates and college mates of Alice's whom she hadn't known. Ethan was there. And she even got champagne spilt on herself because of him. She rewinds things even more, to events that occurred before the wedding dinner.

Joshua. She bumped into him at the airport while fetching her aunt in the afternoon.

But that leaves her a good hundred people to go through. It doesn't quite narrow her choices. There are also far too many people she doesn't even remember.

* * *

She looks at herself in the mirror, unsure of what to think. Moving a hand to her chest, her brows furrow as she tries to make sense of it all. At that moment, when she saw the way he looked at her, oddly, her heart sank.

Why?

"It can't be!" She said to her reflection in the mirror, with a huge smile and a massive dose of conviction. She splashed some cold tap water onto her face. Prepared to face the outside world once more, she marched out of the restroom.

The gentleman in the white tuxedo walked over."Hey! I'm so sorry about the spill on your dress. I'm willing to pay for it!"

Emma looked at him, but before she could say anything, a hand grabbed her from behind and pulled her away.

Ethan made a face at the state of her outfit. "Em, you okay? Whatever happened!"

She beamed at him happily. She didn't need him to see the cracks in her facade. "Of course I am!"

"Your dress is dirty."

"Oh. That's fine. It's ending soon, isn't it," she shrugged, "and it's colourless, it'll look normal when it dries."

He eyed her carefully; he knew she was acting weird.

"Could you be... jealous? Because of Sarah?"

Emma glared at him. "Why would I? I'm not in love with you."

He looked stunned. After a brief moment of silence, he nodded. "True."

Emma watched him intently. Swirls of white danced around in his grey eyes due to the light, and Emma could see her own reflection in them. His curly black hair was gelled and styled up neatly, and it suited his diamond-shaped face alright. He was dashing in the newly-pressed navy tuxedo - the one she had picked for him.

"HA HA HA! GO FOR HER, FRIEND! I'll be rooting for you!" Emma said loudly and swung her arm around his neck. He was so much taller that she had to tiptoe even in heels. She made sure to articulate that well, to prove to him, or maybe more to herself, that he really was just that. A true friend.

He returned a small smile and removed his suit to drape it over her shoulders.

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Dedicated to Shar (thebrumous) who also made the lovely cover up above^. Thank you so much for your encouragement, your review, and for being a such a nice person. (: Do check out her works too!