I rushed into the hall fixing my tux. It wasn’t the first time I was late for an important event. Everyone knew that being late was second nature for me. Smooth music was being played and couples danced on the floor. Damn it, Nicole’s gonna kill me, I thought.
I spotted Nicole in the crowd dancing with some dude.
“Looks like she got a date after all.” I murmured.
Deciding against disturbing her now and face her wrath, I planned to sit somewhere alone till she finds me and pretend that I hadn’t arrived this late. I canvassed the area. All the tables were filled with people chattering. As I didn’t know anybody there, I searched for a table with a little less crowd. And then I found her, a beautiful female sitting alone at a table with a glass of wine in her hand. Her slightly curled brown hair was let down and looked like it was in a bun, not very long ago. She was wearing a strapless white dress with her legs hiding under the table.
“Is this seat taken?” I asked her.
“No, help yourself.” she replied.
“Don’t you just love weddings? Everyone seems so happy.” I said starting a conversation.
“Yeah. Especially the bride and the groom.” she smiled. Something in her smile told me that she was mocking me, but I decided to let it go.
“Here’s to Jack and Charlotte.” I said slightly raising my glass for toast.
“Jack and Jennifer” she said touching my glass with hers.
“Jennifer? I’m pretty sure it’s Charlotte.”
“You have been here just 10 minutes; I have been planning this wedding for 10 months. I think I’m a little bit more informed than you.” she snapped.
“How do you know that I just arrived?” I asked, puzzled.
“Bride’s side or groom’s?” she asked avoiding my question.
“I’m groom’s secretary’s date.” I stated.
“Oh, you are Nicole’s cousin Danny. Mr. AlwaysLate, I should have guessed.” she said as her lips curved into a smile.
“I didn’t know I was that famous.” I said emphasizing ‘that’.
“You aren’t. I just happened to be in the bride’s room when Nicole was planning to kill you.”
“I guess I’m safe now.” I said pointing towards Nicole. She was still dancing with the same man. When she saw me she made an unreadable expression and signalled me to come.
“Excuse me; looks like I’m gonna die today after all.” I said standing on my feet.
“Don’t worry, she’s just worried for me.” she assured me.
“You? I’m not that dangerous. I don’t even know your name.”
“Charlotte.” She smiled.
“It was nice meeting you, Charlotte.” I said leaving the table.
“What is the matter with you, Danny?” Nicole asked me as I reached her. She was sitting alone at a table in the corner.
“Where’s your dance partner?” I asked hoping to change the subject.
“Sam’s gone to get us some drinks. But what is the problem with you?” she said gritting her teeth in frustration. “First you miss the wedding, and then you are flirting with the estranged bride. It’s sick.”
“Bride?” That was all I could manage between her anger and my confusion.
“If you had come on time, you would have known that Charlotte there was supposed to get married today.” Nicole said with a mixture of sarcasm and anger in her voice.
“She was?” My jaw was touching the floor by now. “Then why is everybody still here? Why is SHE still here?” I couldn’t comprehend the events. As per Nicole had told me (and she had told me a lot), the bride and groom were elementary school sweethearts. They were the perfect couple, an inspiration to everybody.
My expression seemed to lessen her anger, or maybe it was Sam’s return with drinks. She introduced me to Sam. “Sam, this is my cousin Danny. Danny, this is Sam- Jack’s college buddy.”
“Nice to meet you.” I said shaking his hand.
“Likewise. Being late has its perks.” Sam said winking at me.
“None for me.” I said pointing at Nicole with my eyes.
“At least you missed all the drama.” Sam said rolling his eyes.
“How can you be so happy about it?” Nicole said fuming slightly.
“That’s because I’m Jack’s friend and I am allowed to be happy for him.”
“You don’t see me smiling.”
“That’s because you like Charlotte more.”
“Care to tell me what happened?” I said frustrated at being third wheel to their conversation.
“Charlotte refused to marry Jack at the altar.” Sam said matter-of-factly.
“That’s because he was in love with the maid of honour.” Nicole said defending Charlotte.
“Jack has been in love with Jennifer all his life… I mean all the time, I have known him.” Sam corrected as Nicole glared at him.
“And that coward had no intention of telling Charlotte. That’s pathetic.” Nicole scowled.
“Yes, I agree with you. I tried to get him confess for a whole 3 years, but he wouldn’t. If Charlotte had not done this, it would have been a pathetic life for all three of them.”
“So who told Charlotte?” I asked.
“Nobody needed to. A woman knows if the man she is about to marry loves her or not.” Nicole said. I saw a weird expression on Sam’s face which looked a little like guilt. Fortunately, Nicole didn’t see it.
“And Jack married Jennifer at Charlotte’s dream wedding?” I said with disbelief. Even we men know that every girl has her dream wedding planned since her childhood.
“That coward would not have done that by himself. It was Charlotte’s idea. Maybe she didn’t want her wedding to go waste or maybe she knows that he don’t have the balls to ask Jennifer to marry him.”
“Or maybe she wanted to see him get the happiness he deserves.” Sam said. Something told me that they weren’t his words.
“That’s why she is still here.” I reflected.
“And by the way, that ‘coward’ is your boss and my best friend.” Sam continued.
“Whatever.” Nicole shrugged.
“I should go apologise to her.” I said getting out of my chair.
“Hi, again.” I said as I approached Charlotte. She was still sitting in the same seat with the same glass in her hand. She hadn’t taken a single gulp from the glass.
“Hi. So, how’s Nicole? Still angry at Jack, I suppose.” she said.
“Yeah she is.”
“Tell her I’m okay.” she said smiling. “It’s not good to hold grudges with your boss.”
“How can you be?”
“Excuse me?” she said raising her eyebrow.
“How can you be okay?”
“Do you believe in happy endings?”
“I don’t.”
“You should. Even believing in happy endings is a very powerful thing. It gives you strength to face the story called life. And life is filled with mysterious and sometimes painful twists and turns.” she said, her eyes wandering in her glass.
“After what happened today, how can you still believe in happy endings?”
“It is a happy ending, for them.” Charlotte said pointing towards a couple. The man was dressed in a tux and the woman was dressed in a pink dress with a white veil over her head. I immediately recognised them as the bride and the groom. Their faces were lit up like a Christmas tree and they seemed so happy.
“I see what you mean.”
“Snow white nearly died 3 times, Cinderella was a slave, Sleeping beauty was in a coma and I wasted 18 years of life with the wrong person. But everyone gets a happy ending. I just have to wait a few more chapters.” She said, more to herself than to me.
“Why is it always girls?” I asked interrupting her train of thoughts.
“Ever heard of Beauty and the Beast?”
“I guess he is the one exception that proves the rule.”
“Enough talks.” she said standing up and covering a good 4 feet of the floor with the skirt of her dress.
“Would you like to dance?” she asked me stretching her hand.
“Sure” I said taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor.