Half Hearted

Chapter Fourty Two

| Teresa |

The next day came, and Claire was already awake and changing. I, on the other hand, was lying in bed, dreading the moment. 

Should I still go to the wedding? Would it be awkward if I ran into him - and actually ran into him - again? Would things be more awkward if I didn't go?

Groaning, I pulled the white covers over my head. Claire made a 'tsk' sound and nudged me to get up. "You already got your closure, you might as well have fun. Besides, you're here for your ex-boss. Loosen up a little."

"Easy for you to say," I sighed, slowly getting up from my side of the bed. "You're in a happy relationship with some hot Asian guy."

She rolled her eyes, throwing the dress at me. I pressed my lips into a thin line. It was the dress I had worn to the halloween party. I stared at the green lines, remembering Ash.

"Is it too late to buy another dress?" I asked.

"If you're as rich as Steven, go ahead, be my guest. The ceremony doesn't start until five anyways, so we have about seven hours to kill," she replied, pulling her hair into a messy bun. I shrugged, setting the dress on the bed and changing into a pair of jeans and a plain shirt.

We had breakfast in the hotel, and then we walked around town for a while, until we got hungry. After looking around the restaurants, Claire and I were both hesitant on the prices for the food, so we decided to eat at McDonald's instead. We were practically broke from the flight.

After lunch, we rode one of the double decker busses, and then went back to the hotel with two hours left to spare. Half of it was spent watching 'A Walk to Remember' on the free movie section. The other half consisted of us panicking about makeup, and wondering which shoes to pair with which - even though each of us had only brought two pairs.

We ended up switching our heels because her golden one matched better with my green one, and my black pair matched better with her pink dress. It all worked out in the end. 

Until our cab driver got confused on the wedding venue.

It took us about half an hour to reach the hall, and by then the ceremony had already started. Thankfully we'd only missed the procession, and the pastor had just begun talking.

Carefully, Claire and I sat at the empty seats near the back and watched quietly.

Everything was gorgeous. The chandelier lit the room in a way that complimented the walls, but drew spotlight to the front. Maudie's dress was a white mermaid style end, and so it showed off her great curves. Meanwhile Peter looked dashing in his suit and tie.

All around us people managed to make plain flower-printed dresses look trendy. 

After the vows were stated, and I caught Claire losing a tear or two, I caught sight of Ash at the very front row. He stood up, helping one of the bridesmaids down, and they hooked arms. Curious, I squinted my eyes to try and get a better look of the woman, but then I stopped myself. If he had someone, that was only better for me. That would be the cherry on top of my closure.

Shaking my head at my own thoughts, Claire and I headed to the reception and were served appetizers. Of course, I wasn't very fond of vegetable appetizers, so I stayed patient until the actual dinner.

It hadn't even been two hours, but my ankles were already giving out. I felt myself becoming unstable sometimes, so I was relieved when we finally found the table we were assigned. Unfortunately - but also, in a way, fortunately - Claire and I were sat with people more than twice our age. They looked to be Peter and Maudie's aunts and uncles, and they were awfully nice.

"Hello everybody," some guy started clinking his glass with a silver spoon. The whole room hushed to silence as he stood, next to the bride and groom, with a bright smile on his face. "As some of you may know, I'm Jack Chester, Peter's old roommate. Everyone that knows me knows that I really really hate cliches, and I hate overrated events. But as I take a look at my best friend and the love of his life, I just can't seem to hate the love that's brought them together.

"You know, love is a tricky thing. It's the thing that draws people together, and it's also the thing that tears them apart. It's one hell of a roller coaster, one that I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing myself yet, but my pal here has just gone on the wildest ride and I can't be more proud of him. Ever since he met Maudie, he couldn't stop talking to me about her. And a part of me felt jealous. Everyone wants a love as pure and as genuine as theirs. But there's just some sort of dignity in the way these two handle each other. It's a raw kind of love. The one you only get once in a life time, and I'm so happy that you chose the right woman to spend the rest of your life with.

"I guess the only other thing I could say is that you gotta treat her right, no matter what happens. Stay true to your vows, you two, and live freely and happily as one. Geez, I'm turning into the cliche thing I hate. I really do hate speeches," he brought a finger to his eye, scratching away a loose tear. "Anyways, I'm so happy for the two of you. May the rest of your years be so full of love that it spreads contagious to all of us."

Before sitting down, he picked up the mic again in a rush, "oh and, happy wife happy life."

A chorus of laughs were shared all around the room, and I joined in. It was such a sweet speech, I felt some water works generating in me as well, but I held my ground.

| Ash |

Raw love. Raw. The words had been echoing in his mind ever since it came out of Jack's lips. 

What was that like?

Was it the business-like relationship he had with Lily? That felt... raw since no preparation had been undertaken in the relationship.

Was it what he had with Cheryl? Their late parties, and their steamy nights? That was raw enough, right?

The words started ringing in his ears again as Jack finished off his speech. People around him were laughing, but he missed the joke, so he took his eyes from the bride and groom table up front. Instead, his gaze gravitated towards Teresa.

She was wearing the same green dress, but her hair was done up this time. She looked stunning, so Ash found himself stealing a few glances here and there. From the way the tables were angled, he could look at her without her knowing, and he relaxed at that thought. But then he tensed up.

He shouldn't have even given her a second thought. He was only here for the wedding. For Peter and Maudie. Nothing else.

As dinner was served, his conscience found it harder and harder to keep quiet. He was aching to talk to her, to hold her hand and to hug her again. Although they had only shared one hug, he could still feel their heat radiating from two months ago.

Unfortunately his pride was still his priority. And he wouldn't make any move towards Teresa whatsoever.

And for the rest of the wedding, he didn't. After congratulating Peter and Maudie, and saying farewell to Lauren, Ash left and walked to his car parked outside the garden.

He would go home, Teresa would go home. All would be well again.