CHAPTER 16 (EDITED)
THE REHEARSAL DINNER came a lot quicker than I had anticipated. It felt like just yesterday Vanessa and I were discussing how the whole wedding would pan out in her and Aiden's apartment.
I had gotten a text from Vanessa a few minutes ago telling me that the make up artist was settled in her room and was ready for me. Unfortunately, I was running late so I had to run to her room in my unattractive flip flops and a dress bag in my hand.
When I knocked, Vicky opened the door seemingly ready in her floral strapless dress and hair curled ever so slightly.
"You look gorgeous, Vick!" I exclaimed and she muttered quick thanks before running off to where the twins were playing with a curling iron.
Once again their room was an absolute mess. How they even managed to navigate from place to another without falling was beyond me.
"Char, you're late!" I heard Vanessa's voice shriek from her ensuite and my eyes widened at her tone. She may have been younger than me but she could be extremely intimidating when she wanted.
"I was caught up doing...something," I replied as I placed my items on the bed.
I bit my lip, resisting the urge to tell her everything that had happened. She had a wedding to worry about and I could just tell her after she was back from her honeymoon and by then this week would be a distant memory clouded with some bad judgments. Or so I hoped.
She scoffed,
"Something? Unless that something involved you losing a million dollars or a limb, I'm your first priority."
"Yes, ma'am!" I laughed before settling on the chair once the lady doing the makeup told me to.
Vanessa's makeup was done and her hair was in progress. She looked a little odd with a full face of makeup but a million clips in her hair as the woman curled her strands. That could also be because she was still glaring at me for being late.
"I'm sorry, Van. It won't happen again." I assured her, in attempts to calm her down.
"Well, duh. I only plan to get married once." She deadpanned before slowly turning to give me a concerned look. From that expression, I could tell she knew something was wrong but she didn't want to poke further.
I sighed and was about to speak again but the woman doing my makeup told me to talk less since it was moving my entire face. I apologized and we spent the next thirty minutes in silence. That may have been the longest half hour of my life.
"Okay, darling, you're done." She finally said and I was far too grateful for those words. My butt was completely numb from having sat in the same position and not having uttered a single word.
I grabbed my dress and rushed to the bathroom to put it on. Yet again, I struggled with the zip but there was no Ethan to help me this time.
Instead of calling anyone over, I reached back to get it up but all I heard was an unfortunate rip. I closed my eyes hoping that it came from outside and not from my dress. However, it did come from my now ripped dress. The dress that I had paid a pretty hefty amount for that couldn't even withstand small movement.
From the mirror, I could see that a small portion of the back was ripped open. It wasn't huge but it was definitely noticeable. And, I'd have much rather died than wear a ripped dress.
I stepped out clutching the back of the dress and Vanessa quickly faced me with a confused frown on her face.
"What happened?"
I huffed in frustration.
"The stupid dress ripped and I already returned the old dress!"
She winced when she heard that but her eyes lit up a moment later.
"I have tons of extra dresses. You know my mom loves to always pack heavily in cases of emergency."
She promptly stood up and headed towards her closet which consisted of passing through a mini Olympics considering the number of items on the floor.
After a minute, she came out clutching about three different dresses. One look at them and I could tell they were all from this season's line of well-known designers.
"Here. Take your pick." She said and I shook my head at her.
"Van, these are all, like Givenchy and Valentino," I said as I shuffled through the dresses. They looked tempting since I didn't have them in my wardrobe but that was usually how we worked. She would take mine and I would take hers.
"Really? I would never have guessed." She retorted, sarcastically.
She saw me hesitating and then reassured me that it wasn't a big deal. I knew it wasn't a 'big deal' but I didn't want to be the maid of honor that stepped out in a better, more expensive gown than the bride. It would be like I was trying to steal her moment — her thunder. While I knew Vanessa couldn't care less, there were people that would talk and I wanted her wedding to be associated with only positivity.
Realizing that I had no other choice, I looked through them trying to find something that would work for me. Despite being the same size, mine and Vanessa's choices were quite different. I opted for more darker and subtle shades but she liked bright colors that drew attention.
In the end, I picked a gorgeous red Roland Mouret One Shoulder Gown. It was an eye-catching red with an A-line skirt and a diagonal panel cut across the bodice. It might have been a bright red but the dress was so simple that it exuded a sophisticated aura rather than a show-off one.
I stepped out and was momentarily deaf when I heard Vanessa squeal.
"What?" I said and fixed the one shoulder that had been provided.
She bounced up and doing in her seat.
"You look so fucking hot, Char!"
She didn't care that her younger siblings were in the same room as she shouted profanities but that was one of the things I loved about her. She did what she wanted to without overthinking it, unlike me, and that was why she was able to enjoy her life to the fullest.
After I thanked her profusely for practically saving me from another mental break down she replied,
"No, but honestly this dress looks like it was made for you. I don't even want it back because there is no way I can wear it better than that."
A couple of minute of eyebrow plucking and nail painting had passed but Vanessa and I were finally ready. She was ready earlier than needed but I was late since I had to be down there to double check everything and make sure everything was in place.
Vanessa looked absolutely stunning in her forest green Elie Saab gown that matched perfectly with her slightly tanned skin. While I hadn't gotten a great tan, it was enough to not make me look pale. And, with the redness of my gown, it worked well.
"I need to head out, Vanessa," I said and hugged her briefly before letting her go back to getting his sisters together for pictures.
As I walked down the hall to get to the elevator, I could already feel my ankles dying from the size of these heels. I got a couple of strange looks during the ride down from the normal guests and I just smiled at them weakly.
I stopped right outside the ballroom when I heard a familiar voice that made my heart race.
"They sit somewhere near the front...they're close family." Ethan said and I could hear the little irritation in his voice. He didn't enjoy these tasks nor did he ever do them since I was the one that took charge. So, I was extremely surprised to hear him trying to help.
I took a deep breath to ready myself for the eventual confrontation and walked in, confidence dripping from every strut of my heels no matter how much they hurt. The click-clack of my heels on the floor made a few of the workers' head turn in my direction but they just got back to work once they saw me.
I glanced around to make sure that everything was as it needed to be. My eyes involuntarily stopped to where Ethan was standing at the other end of the room. He didn't look like he had noticed me so I took the chance to survey him. He looked devilishly handsome. He was decked in a three-piece navy blue suit with a tie that I was certain we had bought yesterday. His luscious hair was groomed to perfection and he looked every bit as gorgeous as he always did.
As if he could feel my gaze on him, his head snapped up and his eyes locked with mine across the room. Even with that much distance, he had the power to ignite something in me and I still didn't know how it happened.
I sucked in a breath when I saw him look me up and down. His eyebrows furrowed before he turned back to the man.
Panic rose within me when he said something to the man he was with before walking in my direction.
What the hell?
I messed around with the bracelet I was wearing to brace myself.
"You changed the dress." He stated, not even phrasing it as a question.
"What? No hello? Or, yeah you look great, Charlotte." I said before I could stop myself.
My usual defense mechanism when it came to him had also been ignited having him this close to me — the bitch mode. I didn't even have to try, it came all too naturally. And that showed me just how difficult anything that could ever happen between us would be.
He rolled his eyes but I saw his lips twitch as he tried to stop his smile.
"You don't look great," he started and I hated how my heart sank upon his comment. I was close to snapping back at him showing him just how unaffected I was at that, even though it was a lie before he leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "You look absolutely stunning."
It was so quiet as if he didn't want to share it with the world. Like it were a compliment only made for our two ears to hear.
No matter how fast my heart had decided to beat at that, I refused to fall for his charming ways. He must have said it to thousands of other girls and I wasn't some groupie of his that would kiss the ground he walked on just because he said a few nice things.
I stepped away from him, hoping my face didn't betray me, but knowing him he probably saw right through me. He had to have known with the smirk that was etched on his face.
I started walking away but stopped once I heard him call my name.
"Red is definitely your color, babydoll."
I turned around before he could see the stupid grin on my face that appeared once I heard him call me that nickname that I had slowly but surely grown accustomed to.
I couldn't escape the thoughts about us, however. Or the fact that he was acting differently than he had been a couple of hours ago. One second he looked like he was ready to pronounce me dead from his life and now it seemed like we were back to our casual bickering.
That frustrated me most about Ethan. He had the ability to act like nothing had happened, which left the person on the receiving end confused and frustrated. I wasn't any better but I didn't act like things didn't happen. I just dealt with them in my own way.
"Charlotte?" I heard a female voice say. For a second, I thought it was my mother but realized she had already left for New York and was probably there by now.
I whirled around to face Vanessa's mother, Patricia, instead.
"You've done a marvellous job, darling. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for my not so little girl." She beamed.
Again, I found myself thinking about my mother. I wondered if she would ever speak to someone about me like that.
"She's my sister, Tricia. I would take a bullet for her." I said and placed a reassuring hand on hers when I saw the tears well up in her eyes.
"Same here." Another voice piped in and we both saw Vanessa with her arm linked with Aiden, who also looked dashing.
I gave them both quick hugs, the one with Vanessa lasting a little longer because it had just hit me how real this was all becoming.
Once I pulled away from her, I saw tears in Vanessa's eyes as well and she shook her head seeing the concern on my face.
"Too many emotions. I'm just overwhelmed, that's it." She said and I wiped the corners of her eyes before her make up was ruined.
"Are you sure? No second thoughts? Because you know I'd help you run away." I whispered to her, teasingly and she giggled in response.
She looked over to where Aiden was standing with a couple who had arrived already and I could see the pure adoration in her eyes.
"Never," she replied and suddenly I had the urge to cry at how beautiful their relationship was.
"I'm hungry, too. That might also be the cause." She laughed and I led her to her table so she would know where she was supposed to be.
Soon, the guests started piling in and everyone was mingling until it was time to eat. I took a seat next to Vanessa at the same time Ethan sat down next to Aiden.
It was going to be a long night, for sure.
_____
The dinner went by quickly and swiftly. And before we knew it, people were dancing in the middle to the sounds of the ballroom music that was provided by an orchestra.
Slow music started to float through the room and eventually, I was sat at the table by myself staring at numerous couples dancing with grins on their faces while I nursed my champagne flute as if it were my forever love.
"Dance with me?" I glanced up to see Taylor's outstretched hand.
"Hey!" I exclaimed and got up to give him a hug. I hadn't seen him during the dinner at all and was glad to see a friendly face.
"You look amazing, as always." He said and grinned at me.
"Thank you. You clean up nicely, too." I said as I fixed his tie that had fallen out of place a little.
Suddenly, we heard a flash and saw the photographer trying to take a candid of us.
"Anyway, back to my initial question. Dance?" He asked and I narrowed my eyes before shaking my head and sitting down on the chair since standing in my heels for too long felt like torture.
What did Christian Louboutin gain from doing this to me apart from money?
"Oh, come on. Remember prom?" He said and I laughed as I thought back to our extravagant prom from high school. Even though we had attended a couple of ballroom dancing lessons, we struggled a lot.
"Fine. For old time's sake." I said and slipped my hand into his as he led me to the middle.
I placed one arm on his shoulder and intertwined the other with his. It was practically the only thing I could remember from our lessons, everything else was just a blur of us messing around and not learning anything.
We danced as best as we could without causing a scene before I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"May I have a dance with her now?" Aiden asked. Taylor nodded and walked off after briefly hugging Aiden's side.
I followed the same routine I had with Taylor but felt a little more conscious with Aiden. It was easier to laugh it off with Taylor but I didn't want to make a mess of myself in front of Aiden.
"I just wanted to thank you for all the effort you put into this wedding, Charlotte. It means the world to Vanessa and me." He said as we swayed from side to side.
"It was my pleasure. She means the most to me in this world and I know she doesn't have a brother that would give you the whole 'hurt her and I'll break your bones' talk but I swear if you hurt her, I have connections and you'll definitely regret it." I said, with all the seriousness I could muster.
He chuckled lightly, his dark eyes smiling, too.
"I don't doubt your abilities at all."
A few seconds passed of us being silent until he said,
"So, you and Ethan, huh?"
I felt my palms get sweaty at that and cursed myself. Had Ethan told him what had happened? I tried to play it innocent in case he hadn't, however.
"What?" I asked.
"He came to my room last night to find a place to sleep. He literally slept on the balcony in the lounge chair since there was no space." He said and I felt guilty imagining Ethan sleeping on the chair. But, then again I hadn't told him to leave.
"I just thought something must have happened between the two of you and it got out of hand." He clarified when I didn't reply.
You have no idea how out of hand it had gotten, buddy.
"No, we're actually pretty good friends now. A lot can happen in a few days," I said, defending whatever weird relationship we had at the moment.
Aiden seemed shocked and was about to say something but stopped to look past me.
I felt another tap on my shoulder.
"Speak of the devil," Aiden smirked and slipped his hands out of mine as I came face to face with Ethan.
"Dance?" He cautiously asked.
"I'm tired. Maybe later." I said, not wanting to fight in front of Aiden. It wasn't a complete lie, my feet did hurt and I needed to sit down since I could barely feel them.
Just as I was about to walk away from the two, Ethan grabbed my wrist and turned me around to face him.
"Just one dance, Charlotte." It was so strange to hear him using my full name.
"Okay," I said, and Aiden walked away at that.
I felt Ethan's hand find its way to my waist and the other clasped my free hand. The proximity and his warmth were doing too much to me.
"So, you were talking about me, huh?" He asked and looked into my eyes.
"Don't flatter yourself too much. You just happened to come up in the conversation." I scoffed and averted my eyes from his to escape his stare.
"Really? Why do I find that hard to believe?" He smirked and was oozing his trademark arrogance that I still didn't like.
"If that's what you want to talk about, then I'm ready to leave," I said, removing my hand from his even though I didn't want to.
Turned out, neither did he as he grasped it again and held it tighter.
"Fine. So, Taylor? The guy finally passed the friend zone?" His eyebrows rose up challengingly, which meant I had to think about my response carefully.
"He's still my friend, not that it's any of your business."
"Well, it kind of is. You two seemed pretty cozy this afternoon and what was he, your date to this thing tonight?" He smiled, sourly.
"No...wait, are you jealous?" It was my turn to smirk because I was yet to see a day where Ethan Reed would be worried enough to be jealous over a girl. No girl would choose another guy over him, surely.
He rolled his eyes, but his face didn't match his actions.
"Don't flatter yourself too much." He mocked me and I shook my head at his childish behavior.
"Okay. I'm sorry about that. I came up to talk to you about last night and..." He said and my body stiffened at the memory.
It would be a total lie if I said I hadn't thought about it during the day. How soft his lips were and how truly soft his hair was that I could imagine myself running my hands through it forever. But, it was a moment of weakness not to be repeated.
Ethan noticed my change in demeanor as he strengthened his grip on my waist to signal that I wouldn't be able to run away from him this time.
"What about it? Whatever happened, happened. It doesn't matter." I replied, as diplomatically as I could.
It was selfish of me to only protect my feelings from being hurt because no matter how much I tried to convince myself, I did like him.
"That's it? Aren't you going to demand an explanation from me? Why do you need to make everything more complicated than it needs to be, Charlotte? It's obvious that whatever there is between us is not friendly. You and I have feel—" I stopped him before he could go further.
I looked at him in attempts to reason with him.
"What good could come out of this? We're the two matching ends of a magnet, I didn't make it complicated — it is complicated, Ethan."
I hated being the realist in this but I couldn't hand over my heart for the short time that he was interested in me. He might have hated me for pushing the idea of an 'us' away but it had to be done. My heart wasn't ready to be broken by him.
He groaned and I could tell this was riling him up.
"You are making it complicated. All these worries are in your head because you're too scared. You're scared that I'm able to break down your walls and that you finally found someone you can actually trust."
"You can think whatever you want, Ethan," I said, clenching my jaw in order to stop myself from being too emotional.
Suddenly, he tugged on my wrist and waist to pull me flush against him. He was so close to me that I could hear his sharp intake of breath over the sound of music and people. His beautiful eyes were locked on mine and once again I was unable to do anything, lost in them. They stared into mine, filled with raw emotion. He was pleading for me to do something by just looking at me.
"Stop being a coward, Char. I know you feel this." He whispered gently, his breath caressing my skin making me shiver, which he noticed.
I shook my head and pulled myself out of his strong grip.
"It's all in your head, Ethan." I said and felt my eyes water when I saw the hurt expression on his face.
_____