My summer holiday is well planned out. Spending one month at a fancy guest house with my five cousins to prepare for Aunt Medrine's wedding.
The unexpected happens when Aunt Medrine tells us that we are spending the month with her fiancé's two nephe...
At first I can't seem to find Trent. When I am about to give up and go back to the ballroom, I hear sounds coming from a room at the further end. Aunt Medrine had booked it as a changing room for any of the bridesmaids though it wasn't necessary.
The door is only partly closed and I can see Trent and Maya inside. I don't mean to eavesdrop so I decide to knock but when I hear Maya sniff, I freeze. That is when I notice the tears running down her cheeks.
Why is she crying? Did Trent...? No, Trent would never hurt her. Not in a million lifetimes.
"I'm sorry Maya." I watch as Trent begs. "I didn't mean to."
I am confused. I can't make out their conversation.
"Trent I had to hear it from someone else. Do you know how stupid I looked as I stood and defended you against the whole world?" Maya chokes on her tears.
"Maya." Trent reaches for her hand but she pulls back. "It didn't mean anything. All I was thinking about was you."
The picture starts to form in my head. Did? Did Trent cheat on Maya? No, that's impossible. Trent would never do that.
"Don't you get it? I'm not mad because you kissed someone else or because you've been drinking all semister. "She emphasizes. Her whole body is shaking." It hurts because you did the one thing you promised you would never do. You lied to me."
My own heart breaks. Trent did what? Trent has been drinking? Since when?
Maya is sobbing at this point." I was ready to fight with you through it. To look past the cheating and the peer pressure. All... All I wanted was for you to respect me enough to tell me the truth."
Trent starts to speak up but Maya cuts him short. "Is that how little I mean to you?"
Trent hangs his head and cries. I watch as Maya reaches into the pocket of her dress and pick out a ring, the ring Trent gave her when he proposed, and place it on a table.
"No, Maya, please." Trent protests. Maya shakes her head and walks past him towards the door. She notices me but I don't move, my heart breaks for her.
She walks past me just as Trent turns and looks to find me there. Surprise and guilt both show on his tear filled face.
I shake my head in disappointment and walk away heading for the bathrooms.
I walk back into the ballroom just in time to watch Marissa catch Aunt Medrine's bouquet. Turns out I missed Aunt Medrine's dance with her brothers and her new father in law and the cake cutting.
After going around to thank the guests, Aunt Medrine and Uncle Ross make a grand exit through a pathway of guests towards the limousine waiting for them.
They turn and scream. "We are married." And step inside and shut the door. We cheer on as the car drives off heading for the airport. For their honeymoon.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
There are just a few guests still around. Most of them have already left. All our parents are staying at the hotel for the night while we stay at the guest house for the night. For our last night.
I'm sitting in the passenger seat of Uncle Ross' car trying not to look at Trent who is next to me. The rest are using the SUV to get back to the guest house.
"Why did you do it?" I ask. I want to know if his reason is good enough.
Trent turns to me but I don't look at him." I wanted to fit in. It was college. New place. New team. I was the only guy on the team who didn't drink. It was hard. It was even harder when they started treating me different, like I wasn't part of the team."
"So you decide to get yourself drunk and shove your tongue down some girl's throat?" I rudely ask. The guilt the crosses his face kills me but my rage right now is greater.
"I didn't mean to kiss someone else. I got drunk and it happened. I didn't even know until I saw the video." Trent whispers, staring at him hands on his laps.
When he looks up at me, tears are pooling in his eyes. I have know Trent all my life and he doesn't cry easily.
"I know I should have told her." He confesses.
"Then why didn't you?"
"Because I was scared Ellie. I was scared that she wouldn't want me anymore. That she would break up with me. The thought of losing her...it was enough to scare me." He begs for my understanding.
"I don't know what to do Ellie. I don't know what do. What if...what if she never forgives me?
Tears start running down his cheeks and my heart breaks. He is so scared. He has been in love with Maya all his life. He doesn't know what it's like not to have her and that scares him.
As much as I want to shout at him and tell him that the Trent I know would never compromise his principles to please anyone. Not a single person but instead I scoot over and wrap my arms around his neck.
His head rests on my shoulder and he weeps. My own tears silently flow down my cheeks. He needs me more than he ever has but here I am, leaving for another continent in a few hours.
By the time we reach the house Trent has collected himself. He is not ready to tell the rest that Maya broke their engagement off. Especially Marissa.
