A Surprise ⇢ Callum Ilott

ONE

The cocktail moment was over, and everybody was called to the courtyard of the land house. Catherine was making her way to the dining area, only finding out she was getting separated from her family. Masha and Vince made the table plan, and it happened to be that they put Catherine somewhere else then by her family.

"Well, goodbye, Cate," her brother George teased. "You're sitting at the kids table."

Catherine showed a fake smile. "The kids table is the best," she tried to not make a big deal of it. However, she didn't understand why she got placed away from her family.

"We are important," her dad teased on a sassy tone and sat down. "That's why we are at the front. And you're at the back, which makes you less important."

"Ah, yes, thanks very much, dad," she sarcastically said and padded his shoulder.

Her mother looked at Catherine and gave her a smile. "Have fun, love."

"See you later," Catherine playfully smiled and walked away, towards the back of the table. Her eyes were scanning the little name cards on the plates. A small mention on the decorations; the table was covered with white flowers and detailed golden tableware. Fairy lights were hanging around, it was all very romantic. Catherine found her name on sat down on the reserved seat.

"Hey," a woman greeted her who sat down next to her.

"Hello," Catherine politely said and ran her hand through her hair. She looked around, and her eyes fell on her brother. He was looking at her for a while just to get her attention. George had a teasing grin on his face, which made Catherine smirk.

"Good evening."

Catherine broke the eye contact with George; her eyes shot up to the person who was about to take place across from her. Her eyes were locked with two pair she saw earlier this day. "Hey," she smiled.

More people took place on the seats that were pointed out for them. Catherine was silently studying the moment; the front of the long table was taken by family - or people she knew. It looked like the back of the table was taken by the 'leftovers'. It still was a question to Catherine why she sat at the end of the table and not with her family. However, she could ask to switch with someone so she could be at the front, but there must be a reason why Catherine was placed here.

The last person arrived at the courtyard and filled the last free spot, what happened to be next to Catherine. It was a good-looking man, perhaps a hot-looking man. He showed a thin-lipped smile. The waiters served everybody a glass of champagne, and not much later, the newlywed couple joined their guests at the front of the table. Masha's grandfather, so Catherine's grandfather, did a toast on the couple and the hors d'oeuvre were served.

The first speeches began after the hors d'oeuvre. Masha and Vince both picked two people from their sides to speech, so it won't take a long time. That was the plan, but those speeches were long. Catherine looked at the small plate in front of her and quietly sighed. She enjoyed hearing funny stories, and she heard twelve people had for the couple, but it was taking too long for her liking. Maybe it was because Catherine ran out of patience.

Catherine looked at George, but he, unfortunately, was looking at the person who was talking. She hoped for some eye contact, but that wasn't the case. Her eyes fell on someone who was picking up something from the hors d'oeuvre plate. The man brought the fork up to his mouth, but the food fell off the fork. He looked around to check if anyone saw it. A smile curved on Catherine's lips and she looked straight away. She accidentally looked at the guy across from her, and the small smile turned into a guilty smile. The guy had the same smile on his face; he saw the moment as well.

The speeches were finished, and the appetiser was served. Catherine looked at it and thought about her way of eating. How am I supposed to eat now? And can I eat in a normal way?

"Don't overthink it," the guy across from her said when he saw Catherine thinking.

Catherine looked up. "Yeah, I know, but it's too late for it now," she smirked.

He chuckled. "I was gonna say that no one is watching, but you never know now..."

"Eyes are everywhere," Catherine replied. "Masha or Vince's side?" She was curious to know about it, but it was a stupid question; she knew the answer to it.

"Vince."

She nodded and looked at the people on his side of the table. "Oh, makes sense now. On your side are Vince's family and friends."

"So you belong to Masha's side," he said and took a bite from the appetiser. "I'm Callum."

"My name is Catherine, nice to meet you," she smiled.

"Nice to meet you too."

Catherine took a bite and tried not to think about how to eat. "You saw it happening as well, right?" She referred to the moment of before.

"Yes," he chuckled. "The awkward stare."

A smirk rolled over Catherine's lips. "Awful." She looked around and noticed everybody was talking and just having fun.

After a while, the main course got served with the chosen wines. The ambience in the courtyard was full of happiness. The conversations between the people were all about fun. Catherine and Callum talked and enjoyed having conversations about life, England, music, news topics and more.