Author By Chance

Twenty Two; Much ado about a runaway bride

Katherine's POV:

"What?!" Lincoln and I both say in unison, both of our figures perched on the edge of the seat.

"I left him at the altar, I heard that he loved another and so I decided to leave and pave a new path." She whispers, trying not to be heard from our parents upstairs. Her words not rendering any type of sense in Lincoln and I's heads.

"What?!" Lincoln and I both say in unison once more as if our minds were not making sense of this sudden turn of events. He deserves so much better and to be robbed of that on what everyone views as the most special day of your life is just disgusting. Although he did according to her, cheat on her, so I guess in a way he deserves it.

I feel my throat tighten as the tension in the room grows to an almost deadly level. Lincoln has opted to stare at every inanimate object surrounding him while Natalie fiddles with her fingers, and I just run both of my palms down my thighs and back down again.

"Forget it. I shouldn't have come here... we both know that our relationship as relatives won't be repaired. Especially given the 6 year time gap that I created. I'm sorry for barging into your life like this, as if I could even be able to stay in your life after what I have inflicted upon you... just know that I love you. And am very proud of you for everything you are going to achieve and will later achieve." She says all in a rush, grabbing her bag and wiping away her straying tears.

"You can't leave, especially since you dropped this bomb on us." I say, standing up quickly to block the front door.

"Katherine please move. This is hard for me to even bear through and I really shouldn't have come here." Natalie cries, covering her mouth to stifle the sounds. "Especially since, he didn't cheat on me, I just couldn't commit to loving someone so dearly for a long period of time. I failed in being a big sister for you for, what 6 years and now here I am trying to repair then break once again..."

"But you are here now and that is all that counts." I whisper to her scrunched up face.

Placing a hand on her shoulder I bring her into a tight hug. My heart races as I notice that my parents and Lincoln's mother come walking down the stairs. They all are red faced and tired, and I can't help but feel uncomfortable of what is going to unfold with the Natalie running away from the altar situation. Also the school dress code protest, probably my mother will be thrown to the brink of insanity and force Lincoln and I to go back to school. She is after all, the one who follows the rules, I mean she is a lawyer after all.

"Natalie. We need to have a family discussion." I hear my mother announce nonchalantly. Even though I notice that her eyes held an entirely different demeanour.

Letting go of Natalie's figure I place my hand on the small of her back and guide her towards the living room. She avoided eye contact with everyone and I immediately felt sorry for her. If worse goes to worse for her I don't know what I would do.

"Natalie, sweetheart... why did you decide to come here? Don't you have a wedding to go to?" My mother asks, causing Natalie to start fiddling with her hands.

Wait, how did my mother know that my sister had a wedding? If she did know then why did she hide this huge secret from me?

"Natalie! Don't just look at your hands! Why are you here?" My mother shouts, causing Natalie to jump at the volume.

"I was supposed to be married... but I just couldn't commit to a marriage. I had no one to turn to and... somehow I thought that perhaps my mother would care for me just like you did 6 years ago."

There was a deadly silence in the room and I wasn't sure if I was okay with it or just scared to acknowledge it. My mother looks as if she was going to start shouting at Natalie but as she glances at her closely she decides against doing so. Walking over towards Natalie my mother kneels down in front of Natalie's frame. In all of my years I have never seen this sort of display of affection. I mean don't get me wrong she did have her odd occasions of displaying a sense of affection to her children but she was still so inexperienced in this category. To show affection wasn't in her forte, well after Natalie left that is.