“I didn’t ask you to sit down,” I muttered as I continued to eat my lasagna.
“Too bad. I just wanted to say that I thought I’d cheer you up with some good news.”
“What? You and Trevor are not getting married?” I said as I sipped my water.
Chelsea started to laugh at my comment.
“You wish. I decided to bring a guest for you to the wedding. I figured it’s high time you moved on from your obsession with my fiancé with someone new, or in this case, someone from your past.”
She got up from the chair and went toward the door.
I rolled my eyes, wondering what Chelsea could possibly be talking about. I looked over at the table near mine and saw Trevor sitting down with his parents. He looked at me and gave me a sad smile. I smiled back at him as I tried to hold back a fresh batch of tears. Chelsea opened the door to the private room and smiled at the small group of guests gathered inside.
“Excuse me, everyone, could I get your attention please?”
Everyone turned around as they watched Chelsea at the door.
“As you know, tomorrow is a very special day for me as I embark on my journey as a married woman to the most wonderful man in the world, Trevor Williams.”
The crowd started to clap their hands and whistle while Chelsea gave a happy glance at Trevor. Trevor noticed the crowd was staring at him, so he gave a fake smile as he looked down at his water glass.
“In honor of our special day, I would like to give my maid of honor, Camille, a special surprise. I noticed how down you seemed lately, so I thought this would cheer you up,” she said. She went out the door to retrieve the surprise she had for me. I looked at the door, wondering what Chelsea was up to.
“Come on in,” I could hear Chelsea say from outside.
As she stepped back into the room, she was holding the hand of the person I never thought I would see again.
“I don’t believe this,” I whispered.
“Surprise!” Chelsea yelled.
I gave Chelsea the evil eye as I noticed Eric Taylor walking over to me. Chelsea gave me a smug look before returning to her seat next to Trevor.
“Eric,” I said, not knowing what to do or say.
Eric came over to me with a huge smile on his face. I had to admit, he definitely looked good. Dressed in a pale-gray dress shirt, black and gray tie, and black slacks, he pressed his mocha-colored skin against mine for a close-fitting hug. I took in his appearance, observing that he had cut his hair since the last time I saw him, which was now in a close-cropped fade. His light-brown eyes were shining brightly at the sight of me, which indicated how much he missed me.
“How are you, Cam?” he asked as he moved his hand down my back.
I looked over at Trevor’s table and noticed he was not happy to see Eric. His brown eyes were clearly throwing daggers in my direction. If I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn I saw smoke coming out of his ears.
“What are you doing here?” I asked as I pulled away from Eric. I gazed at his light-brown eyes, taking in the woodsy cologne he was wearing.
“Chelsea mentioned about the wedding last week in Dallas and asked if I’d like to attend. Of course I couldn’t turn it down, especially if given the chance to see you again.”
“That’s sweet, but we broke up.”
“I know, but it wasn’t on my terms. I wanted to see if maybe we could try again, see where things go.”
I sighed as I looked back at Trevor. He still had his eyes on me, trying to figure out what was going on between Eric and me.
“Eric, this is neither the time nor place to talk about this.” “I know. That’s why I was wondering if maybe we could talk about it later at the bachelor/bachelorette party. Chelsea invited me to that as well.”
“I’m sure she did,” I said softly.
“Actually, I was wondering if you’d like to go with me as my date.”
“I don’t know; I actually have to go straight there from here. I planned the entire party, so I need to check and see if everything’s in place.”
“It’s cool. I could follow you there if you want.”
I looked at Eric and smiled. Although I ended the relationship, it wasn’t because Eric was a bad person. In fact, during the year we’d been together, we had a lot of fun together. I mainly ended it because of my love for Trevor.
Maybe I need to give Eric another chance.
“OK. I’m leaving now though so I can change.”
“Cool, I’ll just follow you.”
I gave another smile as I grabbed my clutch. Eric took my hand as we headed toward the door.
Chelsea looked at the two of us and smiled. “Isn’t that sweet? Isn’t it, Trevor?”
If looks could kill, Eric would have been lying on the floor right now. Without even looking at Chelsea, Trevor eyed the both of us without even saying a word.
Eric noticed the exchange between Trevor and me as he looked uncomfortably around the room.
I needed to get out of there. I let go of Eric’s hand, knowing that the sight of us being together made Trevor agitated.
“See you at the lake house,” I said as I went toward the door.
“Congratulations, you two,” Eric said as he followed me out.
A lone tear began to form in the side of my left eye. I quickly wiped it away before Eric could notice.
“Shall we?” Eric asked.
“Yeah.”
Chapter 14
Trevor
W
ow, Chelsea can definitely be conniving, I thought as I looked at my fiancée.
After the little stunt she pulled at Maggiano’s, I couldn’t even look at her right now. I knew that she knew something was going on between Camille and me; that’s why she brought Eric back into the picture. Chelsea had pulled some stunts in the past to keep women away from me, but this one definitely topped them all.
Chelsea gave me a peck on the cheek while I drove down Bentwater Drive, heading towards her parents’ lake house. I shrugged myself from Chelsea, concentrating on the road ahead.
“I can’t believe what you pulled.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
“Stop it! I know you brought Eric here to keep Camille away from me.”
“Trevor, I think it’s time for you two to cut the strings from each other and move on. The relationship you two have is clearly not healthy.”
“Says who? Camille and I were friends way before we met, so you can’t just take her out of my life.”
“I’m about to be your wife. If you want this marriage to work, then I suggest you do.”
I shook my head at Chelsea as I continued to drive.
“What happened to trust? Clearly it’s not available at the moment.”
“That went out the window when I walked in on you and her doing God knows what.”
“Nothing happened, Chelsea.”
“If I didn’t come when I did. I have asked you time and time again if there were feelings between you two, and you both flat out said no. How am I supposed to trust you now when you two are practically having sex with your eyes?”
“You’re being ridiculous now.”
“Am I? If you two wanted to be together, then you should have been. I’ve invested too much in this wedding to just let it slip away. Now be a good little boy and make the right decision tomorrow, got it?”
I looked at Chelsea wondering if she drank too much of the “happy” juice her Uncle Leo was supplying to everyone at the rehearsal dinner. This was not the Chelsea I fell in love with. Instead she had turned into a jealous woman who was trying to one-up my friend.
“Now can we at least be the happy couple we once were at the party, please? I don’t need anyone asking questions.”
“Whatever.”
We drove the rest of the way in silence, which was a good thing since I didn’t want to talk anyway. Twenty minutes later, we were at the lake house looking at how beautiful the place looked. Camille
outdid herself with the setup, complete with clear twinkling lights inside and outside, cream-colored balloons throughout the main room, and a blown-up picture of Chelsea and me sitting on the mantle (which I’m sure was Chelsea’s idea). The DJ was already there, set up and spinning a dance tune near the corner of the room. Several guests were already there, either eating or drinking at the bar next to the fireplace. I headed straight to the bar and grabbed a vodka bottle and glass from the bartender. The bartender gave me a strange look from the incident.
“I’m the groom,” I said while I poured the clear liquor into the glass.
If I’m going to get through tonight, I need to get drunk fast.
“Are you at least going to say hello to your guests?” Chelsea whispered.
“No,” I said as I tipped the glass to my lips and drank the entire glass straight up.
Chelsea gave a scoff as she turned on her heel and walked toward a group of friends. I poured another glass, not caring about anything at the moment.
Once I put the glass up to my lips, I noticed Camille walking in with Eric. She changed out of the outfit she wore to the rehearsal and was now wearing a peach-colored mini dress. The color definitely made her skin glow. Next to her was Eric, the guy I did not want anywhere near her.
Charles came over to me and grabbed a beer that was sitting on the bar.
“You might not want to be so obvious with the staring, man.”
“Does it matter? Chelsea knows anyway.” I said as I downed the glass in one second.
“Why are you doing this to yourself ? You’re getting married tomorrow. You should at least be happy.”
“For what? I pretty much messed up everything in my life. Now just let me drink in peace.”
Charles sighed as he went over to the center of the room to talk to some friends. I poured another glass and started to drink; dulling any type of pain I had right now.
z
Camille
“T
he place looks great, Camille.” Eric said as he and I walked into the lake house.
I had to give myself kudos for a job well done. The place did look good considering the amount of time I had to set everything up. I tried to get to the party before any guests arrived to do last-minute touches, but I had to make a last minute stop on the way here.
Tia was a lifesaver with the party. She arrived early to the house and gave instructions to the decorator, DJ, and bartenders to set up. As I was trying to look for her through the crowd, my eyes darted straight to the bar. I noticed Trevor throwing back drinks as if he was drinking water. Trevor was not a heavy drinker, so I knew the situation was definitely taking its toll on him.
Eric turned to the direction I was staring.
“Are you OK?”
“I’m fine. Couldn’t be better.”
“I know you have feelings for Trevor. I think everyone can see it. And how he looked at me, I know he does too.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“It’s obvious,” Eric said, smiling.
“Eric, I’m really sorry Chelsea put you in the middle of this. You don’t deserve to be in our problem.”
“It’s OK. It’s not your fault. I just wish things could have worked out between us.”
“You’re a great guy, and you deserve a woman who has the same feelings for you. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that woman.”
“Your heart sometimes can’t deny the feelings you have for someone. Trust me, I know.”
I looked down on to the ground, not expecting Eric to say the words he was expressing.
He put his hand onto my chin and aligned my face with his. “I didn’t get to say it, but you look beautiful tonight.”
I smiled at Eric’s compliment. “You look good too. I’m pretty sure there are some single women here tonight.”
“Maybe, but I’d rather spend my time with you, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
After Eric and I mingled for an hour, the DJ started to play one of my favorite songs; I felt the need to dance. Usually I would need a drink or two to get me to loosen up, but right now, I needed to do something to get my mind off of my issues with Trevor.
“Let’s dance,” I said as I took Eric to the makeshift dance floor in the center of the room.
While half of the guests were already on the dance floor, Eric and I found a small area and got into the rhythm of the music. I noticed Tia was on the dance floor as well, dancing with Charles. I never would have expected that, since the two barely had said two words to each other since high school. Tia looked at me and then at Eric, confused as to why he was here. I didn’t get to tell Tia about Chelsea’s surprise, so I put up two fingers to my ear indicating I’d call her later.
As the beat started to intensify, I turned around and began grinding on Eric. Although Trevor might be looking, I didn’t care at that point. Trevor and I would never be, so not only did I need to move on, but he needed to as well.
Eric put his hands on my hips, while I put my hands in the air, feeling the pounding beat of the song. Before I knew it, I heard screaming from guests as Trevor went up to Eric and punched him right in the face, causing him to fall onto the floor. Before Eric could retaliate, Trevor got down on the floor and began punching him. Several onlookers moved out of the way to avoid being hit, as Chelsea ran over to the scene.
I didn’t know what to say as I watched the scene unfold. I wanted to tell the two to stop, but my mouth couldn’t form the word.
Eric regained his balance as he went up to Trevor and decked him across his jaw. The two were continuously punching each other when Charles and a guest pulled them apart.
“What the hell are you two doing?” Chelsea yelled as she looked at Trevor and Eric.
“Your fiancé was the one who punched me first!” Eric exclaimed. There was blood coming from his lip as he wiped some of it with his hand.
“I’ll do it again!” Trevor said as he tried to go after Eric. Charles held onto him, preventing him from moving.
Chelsea looked at me and came up to my face. “This is your fault. Why don’t you take your slutty ass home and leave my fiancé alone?”
I couldn’t take anymore of Chelsea’s badgering. I slapped her across her face, causing her to lunge after me. Tia ran over to me and pulled me back while one of Chelsea’s friends held onto her.
“Get the hell out of here now!” she yelled.
“With pleasure!” I yelled back.
I turned around to look at the shocked crowd. I sighed as I went toward the door without even looking back.
“Camille, wait!” Tia yelled as she was running behind me.
“I need to get out of here. I simply can’t take any more of this.”
“I don’t blame you. What happened in there was crazy.”
I went over to my car and leaned against the door. I took several deep breaths as I tried to regain my breathing.
Eric walked over to us. He said to me with a look of concern, “Are you OK?”
“I’m fine. I just need to get out of here.” “You want me to drive you home? You shouldn’t be driving right now.”
“I’m fine, Eric, thank you.”
“Don’t worry, Eric. I’ll see to it that she makes it home,” Tia said, smiling.
Eric looked at Tia and smiled.
I looked at the two, wondering what was going on.
I looked toward the house and noticed Trevor walking outside. He was heading straight to me.
“I need to go,” I said as I opened my car door.
“I’ll follow you home,” Tia said as she walked in the direction of her car.
Even though I should probably have talked to Trevor, right now was definitely not the time. I turned the ignition on and pulled out of the parking spot.
As soon as I made a turn onto the main road, the tears I tried to hold in began to flow out, causing me to scream in frustration.
Why can’t we just move on?
Chapter 15
Trevor
“Arghhh.”
I looked around my room wondering how I got home. Did I drive or did someone bring me here? I looked up and noticed Charles sitting in the armchair by my TV, giving me a severe glance. Right now, I certainly didn’t need a lecture from my friend, especially since my head was pounding and I felt sick to my stomach.
“Nice of you to finally wake up.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“A while; as you can see it’s morning.”
“Did you bring me home?”
“What choice did I have? After you made a complete ass out of yourself at the party, I had to take you out and bring you home. What the hell were you thinking, man?”
“I don’t even remember what happened. I know I was drinking, and the next thing I knew I was punching Eric.”
“Yeah, you were jealous of him and Camille dancing. I’m pretty sure after last night’s fiasco, everyone knows about you two.”
“What is there to know?”
“It was obvious. Listen, you’re one of my best friends. We have been friends for years, so what I’m about to tell you is only in good faith. Trevor, you need to call off this wedding. It’s clear you do not love Chelsea, especially after the caveman move you made on Eric.”
I sighed as I rolled onto my back. I looked up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what to do at this second.
“You don’t understand, Charles.”
“No, I understand completely. You want your cake and eat it too. You’re stringing two women along, and it’s starting to get out of hand. Either you be with Chelsea and work out your problems, or you be with Camille. Figure out something, because I don’t know how much more I can take of this.”
“How do you think I feel?” I yelled. I put my hand to my forehead, wishing I hadn’t just yelled.
“From what I can see, it seems as if you’re not doing a damn thing. Now you need to decide what you need to do,” Charles said as he moved from the armchair toward the hallway.
I closed my eyes to shield some of the light that was shining through my window. I rolled over to the side and looked at the picture of Chelsea and me on my nightstand.
In Love With My Best Friend Page 8
