Elliot and Wesley walked down the brick paved aisle in the park towards the distinguished Grand Filamonte Social Hall and Banquet House. The historic site was home to some of the more posh events of the community, and the dark marble exterior presented itself with an ancient glory that somehow seemed perfectly modern as well.
Around the entrance were rungs of flowers that had been meticulously arranged, and above the door hung a sign that read “Welcome to the Lato Wedding.”
“Lato?” Elliot asked Wesley as they approached.
“Oh, yeah. I guess you didn’t hear. They’re trying a whole new thing with their last names. Ali didn’t want to hyphenate hers and Andre was never going to become a ‘Lang,’” his roommate explained.
“I get it. Soto plus Lang.” He wasn’t sure how he felt about the choice, but he had to admit the idea was pretty progressive. “Well it’s definitely better than Sang would have been.”
Wesley sniggered with him, but they both quickly quieted when they entered the hall. The place was busy crawling with guests from both sides of the couples families dressed elegantly and politely introducing themselves to each other.
“I don’t see the girls. Do you?” Wesley was craning his neck to get a glimpse of either Hayley or Cassidy, but they were nowhere to be found.
“No…” Elliot muttered while pretending to try and find them as well.
“Let’s check the chapel area. They might be sitting already.” Wesley led the way through the murmuring crowd while Elliot quietly followed, somewhat dreading how Cassidy might react.
It had been half a week since their fight, and neither of them had ventured to call the other. Elliot had considered it a few times, but he wasn’t sure of what he would say - a disconcerting feeling that was completely new to him. But what worried him most was how his girlfriend had shattered every positive notion he had of their relationship. She made it seem as though everything he was enjoying out of their time together were the things that were upsetting her.
“Hey, you listening?” Wesley had stopped and turned towards him.
“What?” Elliot’s eyes focused on Wesley. “Sorry.”
“Are you alright, man?” Wesley asked a bit concerned with his friend’s unusual inattentiveness.
“Yeah, sorry. Just work stuff,” Elliot lied. “What were you saying?”
Wesley wasn’t sure if Elliot was actually lost in thoughts of work, but he didn’t think too much about it. He knew Elliot had been having issues getting paid with his latest client, so that could easily have been the issue and he didn’t press further. “I was just thinking that the girls might be with Ali getting ready for the bridesmaids stuff.”
Elliot had forgotten that they would be preoccupied trying to make Alicia’s special day perfect, so he relaxed a bit. “That’s probably where they are. Let’s just grab a seat,” he said pointing to a couple empty chairs in the fourth row, where they planted themselves.
Andre was lined up at the stage looking both nervous and anxious for the day to be done. The priest met him there and prepared for the ceremony while the rest of the guests were ushered into their seats. Once the room had quieted, the piano began a mellow but upbeat tune as couples of bridesmaid and groomsman walked in one by one. The eyes of the guests turned to the back of the room to watch them all come, but Elliot kept his focus on the second bridesmaid to enter: Cassidy.
She was dressed in an elegantly light turquoise dress that swayed with her as she walked beside Andre’s cousin. Elliot watched as she held an expression of relief at the end of the aisle when she had managed to make it without tripping. Splitting off, she took her place next to the spot that Alicia would soon be standing, and it wasn’t until then that she let her eyes scan the audience and find the two men she knew would be there.
Elliot kept his gaze locked with hers even when the Bridal Chorus began, but she soon turned her head to watch Alicia being walked to her soon-to-no-longer-be fiancé by her father. At the end of the aisle, he handed her over to Andre whose looks of anxiety had morphed into a look of pure adoration. The priest cleared then his throat and began with the rehearsed “Dearly beloved...”
The wedding commenced and concluded fairly quickly as Andre and Alicia exchanged their vows and rings. The priest closed the book, and the newlyweds then shared their first kiss before moving to the open space in front to share their first dance as the official Mr. and Mrs. Lato.
“Oh my god, guys! Wasn’t that like the most beautiful thing ever?” Hayley rushed up to meet Elliot and Wesley as soon as the dance was done.
Cassidy followed closely behind, but she didn’t say anything.
“Yeah, that was something. I loved those teal linings on Andre’s tux. Nice touch.” Wesley let his eyes wander onto the subject of his admiration while the girls giggled.
“I didn’t know you had such an eye for detail, Wes.” Cassidy piped up in a joking tone.
“Maybe those rumors Eli started have some truth behind them.” Hayley turned to Elliot. “You’re not cheating on Cas with Wes are you?”
“What? No!” Elliot smiled, hopeful that Cassidy had not told anyone they were done. Maybe things weren’t as bad as he thought they were during the fight.
“Really?” Wesley was a bit annoyed that they were taking his serious issues at school s lightly.
Hayley patted him on the chest. “Sorry, Wes. We all know you’re not gay. That’ll all blow over soon enough.”
“It’s not the gay part that worries me…” he muttered under his breath.
Hayley caught what he had said, and she knew that he was worried about his reputation being ruined by a stupid rumor about him seducing a student regardless of its truth but the absurdity of the idea made her think he was brooding too much. “Hey, why don’t we go congratulate the new husband and wife.” She pushed everyone towards Andre and Alicia, who were chatting with all the people who had come to give their congratulations.
“Oh my god!” Hayley shrieked happily to get Alicia to turn around.
“You’re married!” Cassidy added when she had turned.
The three girls squeezed into a tight hug and bounced up and down like giddy schoolgirls who had just shaken the hand of their celebrity crush. When they had settled down, Elliot and Wesley hugged Alicia and gave her their good wishes before shaking Andre’s hand and doing the same.
“So what are you guys still doing here? You should be off honeymoooning or having the night of your life right now!” Elliot exclaimed making Andre laughed while Alicia blushed.
“Honeymoon is all set up. We leave next week for Maui.” Andre pulled out a pair of brochures from his pocket and presented them to Alicia.
“What? Maui?! I thought you wanted to wait?” She hugged him tightly. “Oh my god, I love you babe!”
Andre gave her a quick kiss knowing someone would make a comment about it.
Hayley didn’t disappoint. “Get a room guys! Just cause it’s your wedding day doesn’t mean you can do that stuff in public!”
“Oh hush!” Alicia rebutted before they all shared a short laugh.
“And what about you two, huh?” Hayley pointed at Cassidy and Elliot. “When do we get to go to your wedding?”
“Uh,” Elliot stalled to figure out how to respond.
“Eli’s not the marrying type,” Wesley answered for him.
“Yeah you can say that again,” Cassidy added with a forced smile.
Hayley gave her an inquisitive look, but Cassidy played it off as nothing.
In the meantime, more guests came to wish the newlyweds well, so they turned their attention away from the others.
Hayley, however, had an inkling that Cassidy and Elliot needed to talk some things over, so she pulled Wesley away to the bar for drinks.
“Hey,” Elliot ventured.
“Hi,” Cassidy replied awkwardly.
“Can we talk?”
“Sure.”
Elliot sighed. “Look, I’m sorry about whatever it was that happened the other day. I didn’t realize you were bothered by it all.”
“It’s okay. I don’t think it’s fair to ask you to change who you are.” Cassidy shrugged with a sad smile on her face. “I’m sorry I got so mad. I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.”
Elliot moved in closer to here. “Were you holding it in for long?”
“Since we met…”
“Oh.”
Cassidy smiled and let out a short exhaled laugh. “Yeah, you just know how to get under my skin.”
Elliot took her smile to mean that she had forgiven him and unconsciously slipped into his habit of quick quips with a sly smile. “I haven’t gotten under your skin just yet, but I’d like to.”
Cassidy’s smile faded faster than she could blink. “That’s not what I meant.” She backed a step away from Elliot.
“I’m sorry. Old habits.” Elliot apologized. “Let me make it up to you with a drink.
Cassidy was going to decline, but he had already left to bring her something to sip on. She had spent the last couple days wondering what she would say to Elliot when she would inevitably see him again. She had wanted to reiterate everything she had yelled at him, but this time much more calmly. She had wanted to ask him where he saw them going and what he was willing to commit. She had wanted to know how he didn’t realize the way she had felt after a full month together, but in the end it all sounded too argumentative, and she wasn’t sure if it was worth the drama and despair that would follow.
She watched Elliot from afar leaning against the bar trying to get faster service by flirting with the bartender. Normally she would have been furious, but now she just accepted that that was who he was. She knew he wasn’t doing it to upset her, but the fact that he was doing it at all resonated with her. She realized that no matter what she said or what she did, the way Elliot acted around other women would always bother her - even if she trusted him fully, which at this point she did not.
She watched Wesley and Hayley a few feet away from him chatting with serious but pleasant faces. She assumed that Hayley was telling him of her plans to go and find her mother’s family. The meeting with her dad had gone so well that she was more excited than nervous to meet the other half of her biological heritage.
Elliot returned with two cups of champagne in hand and gave on to Cassidy. “Here, it smells great! But I can get some orange juice if you prefer a mimosa.”
Cassidy took the glass and shook her head. “No. Thanks. This’ll be fine.”
The couple stood sipping their drinks without a word for a few seconds.
“So where were we?” Elliot broke the silence.
Cassidy opened her mouth to say something, but reconsidered and closed it again.
Elliot took the opportunity to push for a solid recovery. “Look, let me… Let me take you out tomorrow, and we can work something out.”
“I’m busy tomorrow. I have a double shift.”
“Okay. How about the next day?”
Cassidy gave off a long sigh. She did not want to say what was on her mind, but a long sip of her champagne gave her the courage. “No.”
“No? Day after?”
“No.”
“Cas-” Elliot’s response was stern with more than a tinge of annoyance.
“Eli,” she cut him off. “I just don’t think I can go out with you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t think this is gonna work.”
“Are you saying it’s over?”
Cassidy took a deep breath and closed her eyes before responding. “Yeah.”
Elliot was stunned and frozen in his place. He had not expected it be over. He had merely assumed this was the first of many insignificant rough patches that would occur in their relationship, but he had not thought it would be enough to derail them entirely.
Cassidy added in a quiet voice, “I’m sorry” before walking away towards an empty seat at an empty table away from most people.
“Alright couples dance! Come on down!” The DJ called all the couples to the dance floor, and Elliot could only think how the universe was adding insult to injury.
Cassidy looked at him one final time before turning her attention to the dance floor which began to populate.
Elliot chugged his drink and walked over to Wesley. “Hey do you mind grabbing a ride from Hayley? I gotta bounce.”
“Sure. Everything alright?” Wesley inquired.
“Yeah, something just came up. I’ll see you at home, buddy.” He didn’t wait for a response. The numbness was already growing, and Elliot just wanted to be in the comfort of his own home to process what had just occurred.