by Jordan Lynde
Swarms of people were entering the cabin, the women all dressed in lavender gowns, the men dressed in black tuxes. Mr. Heywood quickly grabbed my hand again so we wouldn’t get separated. I looked over to my shoulder to grab Casey’s hand, but I realized she had disappeared in the crowd behind us. Jeremy had too.
“Chris, Jeremy and Casey are still gone.”
He surveyed the area around us, frowning slightly. “They’ll find us when we sit down. Come on.”
We started moving again, going into the main room of the cabin where pew after pew was lined up, separated into the bride’s side and the groom’s side by a narrow strip of purple carpet. We chose one of the pews on the bride’s side, closest to the front.
“I didn’t expect Holly to have so many friends,” Mr. Heywood muttered, dropping into one of the seats.
I quickly sat down next to him, adjusting my dress. “Well there’s family too.”
Mr. Heywood frowned, gazing towards the front of the room where the alter was set up. For a second I thought I saw regret and his eyes and a nervous feeling spread through me. When Mr. Heywood finally looked away he turned to me, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“Are you sure you want to be here?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Color rose to my cheeks as I realized how stupid my thoughts were. “I . . . um, never mind actually.”
Mr. Heywood chuckled. “Were you thinking I would be uncomfortable watching the girl I used to love marry someone else?”
“Not exactly . . .”
“You can’t lie to me, Holly.”
I sighed. “I know. Sorry.”
Mr. Heywood offered me a small smile. “Don’t apologize. I’m over her, Holly. I’m happy that she’s found someone to love who won’t cause her any problems. And besides, I have someone I love much more now.”
“Jeremy?”
Mr. Heywood lightly slapped me on the forehead. “You, stupid.”
I pulled his hand off my forehead, but didn’t let it go. He entwined his fingers with mine, setting our hands down on his lap. I gave his hand a hard squeeze.
“One day our friends will be the ones sitting here,” Mr. Heywood stated, sending me a grin. “And you’ll literally be a blushing bride.”
To no one’s surprise, a warm blush spread across my face at his words. “I—I won’t blush.”
Mr. Heywood laughed. “Whatever you say, Holly.”
“Casey! They’re over here!”
My head snapped towards the sound of Jeremy’s voice that had abruptly appeared next to me. He sent me a quick grin, sliding down the pew that was suddenly full of people. Casey came down the aisle next, apologizing as she passed each person. Jeremy sat next to me, forcing Casey to sit on his other side, and next to a man who rather resembled a bear.
“You ready for this, Chris?” Jeremy asked, leaning around me.
Mr. Heywood rolled his eyes. “There’s nothing to be ready for. I’ve attended a wedding before.”
“But this is Holly.”
“And this is my Holly,” Mr. Heywood responded, holding up our entwined hands.
Jeremy chuckled, nodding his head. “Touché.”
“You guys are so cute together!” Casey gushed, leaning over Jeremy so she could see us better.
“Don’t . . . call me cute like I’m a child,” Mr. Heywood responded, making a face. “I’m four years older than you.”
Casey frowned. “Fine, old man.”
I laughed as Mr. Heywood scowled at her. A sudden silence seeped through pew after pew, causing the room to fall noiseless. Guests were turning in their seats, looking all around them. My gaze met a pair of sharp-looking eyes from a young man in the row in front of us. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and I quickly averted my gaze, turning to Mr. Heywood.
“Making eye contact with strangers is so awkward,” I muttered quietly to him.
He chuckled. “You’re cute, Holly.”
My heart skipped a beat when he leaned in and planted a quick kiss on my forehead. Involuntarily my eyes returned to the spot where the young man I had made eye contact with sat. He was smirking at us. He nudged the person sitting next to him, and she turned around, a pair of eyes landing on me. They widened slightly in surprise. She then nudged her neighbor, who also turned to look at me. This time it was an older woman.
“Holly?” the woman questioned, sounding surprised.
Taken aback, I stared at her with wide eyes. How did she know my name? I didn’t know anyone here besides Mr. Heywood, Casey, and Jeremy.
“You’ve got the wrong person,” Mr. Heywood finally responded for me. “This is my girlfriend.”
Girlfriend. It was silly, but when Mr. Heywood called me his girlfriend, a thrill of excitement ran through me. It was like knowing a secret that no one else knew.
The old woman furrowed her eyebrows. “Oh, I’m sorry . . . She looks so much like the bride though . . .”
I gave her a small smile. “So I’ve heard.”
After another smile from the old woman, she turned to face the front again. The other boy and girl followed her example, facing forwards. Mr. Heywood chuckled quietly, giving my hand another squeeze.
“Watch out, Holly. You might be congratulated at the reception.”
I grimaced. I hoped that wouldn’t happen . . . I still hate being reminded about how much I looked like Holly. It was weird. But I was excited for the reception. Weddings always had the best food.
*
“Congratulations!”
I turned my head, coming face to face with yet another stranger. “Um, you have the wrong person.”
Mr. Heywood snickered from beside me as the embarrassed greeter apologized and walked away. I shook my head, taking a sip of my sparking cider. I wasn’t allowed to drink the wine—Mr. Heywood’s orders.
“I told you,” he taunted.
I waved him off with my hand. “I don’t get why people are confusing us. We’re wearing two totally different dresses . . .” I trailed off, remembering when Holly first entered the room. It was the only time in my life I could remember when a girl took my breath away. “She looks ten times better than me.”
Mr. Heywood snorted. “No way.”
I smiled at him. “You’re biased.”
“Maybe.”
“Where’s Jeremy?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
Mr. Heywood hooked his thumb towards the dance floor. “Making a fool of himself with Casey.”
A laugh escaped my lips when my eyes landed on Casey and Jeremy, who were indeed dancing like maniacs. They were sort of doing the tango and flamenco at the same time, with a touch of salsa. Those dancing around them were shooting them wary looks every so often.
“Holly!”
Sighing quietly, I turned around to fend off another exited guest. When my eyes landed on my doppelganger, I gasped. She seemed to be surprised too, because she stopped short, her eyes widening.
“I forgot how much we look alike,” she breathed, smiling again. “It’s weird.”
“Yeah,” I responded, feeling shy.
Her eyes dropped to my hand, which was holding Mr. Heywood’s. She turned her attention to his face, a grin spreading across it. “Chris, I see you finally made your move.”
Mr. Heywood shot her an embarrassed look. “Shut up.”
She laughed. “Follow me, I want to introduce you to my husband.”
I sent Mr. Heywood a concerned look but he shook his head, taking the lead, and pulling me after Holly. The three of us weaved through crowds of guests, who all called out congratulations to Holly, and gawked when they realized there were two of her. Finally we made it to a quiet spot around the food stand, where the groom and a young child were waiting.
The groom, a curly haired brunette, stared at me in disbelief as we grew closer. “Holly, you didn’t tell me you had a twin.”
Holly chuckled, taking her husband’s hand. “Andy, this i
s Holly. She’s Chris’s girlfriend. Holly, this is Andy, my husband.”
Andy slowly held out his hand, still taking me in. I quickly placed my free one in his, and he grasped it firmly, shaking it twice before letting it go. “Nice to meet you,” he stated after a moment.
“You too,” I murmured, feeling shy again.
“This is Paul, my stepson,” Holly continued, pushing a young boy in front of her.
I bit my tongue so an “aw” couldn’t escape my lips. The little boy had to be one of the cutest toddlers I had ever seen. He had curly hair like his father’s and the brightest blue eyes. “How old is he?” I asked curiously.
“Two,” Andy responded, putting a hand on his son’s head. “His birthday just passed.”
Paul stared at me, a goofy grin spreading across his face. “Hi!”
“Hello,” I responded, catching his smile. “I’m Holly.”
Paul quickly hid behind his father’s legs, dropping his gaze. Andy laughed, giving me a sheepish look. “He’s not good around new people.”
“That’s okay,” I responded, still enthusiastic about how cute his on was. “He’s adorable.”
Holly flashed me a smile. “Do you like children, Holly?”
I nodded. “Most of them.”
She smirked, sending Mr. Heywood a suggestive look. Immediately I flushed, understanding what she meant. He rolled his eyes at her, shaking his head. Andy looked confused, obviously missing the whole exchange.
“Holly, do you want to dance?” Mr. Heywood suddenly asked, tugging me towards the dance floor. “Let’s go.”
“Um, but—”
“You two have fun,” Holly interjected, looking smug. “We have to go talk to more of our guests.”
Andy groaned. “But we’ve already talked to like a thousand people—”
“You’re exaggerating,” Holly cut him off, rolling her eyes. “Bye Holly, bye Chris.”
I said goodbye to the new family and Mr. Heywood pulled me towards the dance floor, where Casey and Jeremy were still having a blast. Just as we stepped on the wooden flooring the song changed into a slow, calm one. Mr. Heywood gave me a small smirk, taking my other hand in his.
“Perfect timing, right?”
I blushed as Mr. Heywood wrapped my arms around his neck and dropped his to my waist. “I feel like you knew the song was going to change.”
Mr. Heywood rolled his eyes. “I’m not psychic.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” My gaze turned back to Jeremy and Casey, who were now, surprisingly, dancing just as Mr. Heywood and I were. “Hey, Chris, look.”
Mr. Heywood froze for a moment. I cocked my head questioningly. He shook his head, staring to move to the music again. “Sometimes it still throws me off guard when you call me ‘Chris.’”
“That’s good . . . I think.”
He laughed quietly. “I don’t know if it is or not.”
“Anyway, look at Casey and Jeremy. Don’t they look cute together?”
Mr. Heywood glanced at said pair and made a face. “Don’t even think about that, Holly.”
I pouted. “Why not?”
“Jeremy having a girlfriend? That’s impossible.”
“You never know.”
Mr. Heywood shrugged. “True, but come on. It’s Jeremy.”
“You just don’t want him to have a girlfriend because—”
“Holly if you make another gay joke I will not talk to you for the rest of the night,” he cut me off, giving me an exasperated look.
I chuckled, trying not to laugh too hard. Without any warning, I moved to my tiptoes, reaching just high enough to quickly kiss him. Once again he was nonplussed. He stood still for a moment, looking flustered. I smirked at him. He gave me a cautious look.
“That’s not fair, Holly.”
“You kiss me without warning all the time,” I pointed out.
He pursed his lips. “It’s different.”
“No it’s not!”
“Okay,” he said with a shrug. “But if I attack you because you do something like that, it’s not my fault.” As he said the last words, an amused smile appeared on his face.
“Attack?”
He wagged his eyebrows seductively. “You know what I mean.”
Warmth spread across my cheeks and I had to look away from him.
“I love you,” he said.
“I know,” I replied.
He suddenly pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arm all the way around me, and squeezing me against his chest. “What?”
“I love you too,” I corrected myself, mumbling into his shoulder.
He let me go, smiling in a satisfied way. “That’s much better, Holly. Much better.”
“Mind if I cut in?”
In the blink of an eye I was swept into the arms of Jeremy. Mr. Heywood sent Jeremy and annoyed look, but dropped it when Casey was suddenly shoved into his arms.
“Partner switch,” Jeremy sang, pulling me close to him.
“We didn’t even have one dance,” I protested but still wrapped my arms around his neck.
He shrugged. “There will be plenty more.”
“You could have waited.”
“I’m impatient.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Obviously.”
“What did you think of the wedding?” Jeremy inquired, slowly swaying side to side with the beat.
“This is a really nice place for one,” I responded, smiling. “Holly looked really good in her dress.”
“Do you want to get married?”
“Some day.”
Jeremy grinned, suddenly letting me go. I paused, staring at him curiously. He suddenly dropped onto one knee, taking my hand in his. “Holly, would you marry me?”
There were a few gasps from around us, and I looked around to see the guests closer to us were all staring with wide eyes. A few of the women broke out into huge smiles, nudging their partners to look at us. A blush spread across my face as I glared down at Jeremy, who was also staring around in surprise. When his gaze returned to my face, he gave me a sheepish grin.
“Say yes!” one of the young women to my right urged.
“Yeah, do it!”
“You’d have to be a bitch to turn him down here.”
I smiled wryly, trying my best not to glare at Jeremy. My gaze shifted, landing on Mr. Heywood, who looked extremely irked. Casey on the other hand, looked absolutely amused. She was trying her best not to laugh.
“Why is she hesitating?” the same woman that had made the bitch comment whispered loudly.
Now annoyed, I sent Jeremy a hard look. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” There was no way I was going to be the bad guy here.
Applause broke out as Jeremy slowly returned to his feet, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. A few people came up to him and congratulated him, slapping him on the back. Some of the women sent me wide grins, but didn’t come over to me. I didn’t blame them. They didn’t know me.
Mr. Heywood suddenly appeared, going straight to Jeremy. He stopped about a foot away, putting on a broad smile. “Hey, congratulations man!”
Jeremy sent Mr. Heywood a heedful look. “Um, thanks dude . . .”
“You really deserve a slap on the back.”
“No that’s quite alright, Chri—Ugh,” Jeremy groaned as Mr. Heywood seemingly used all his force to slap Jeremy on the back.
“I hope you live a long and happy life with my girlfriend.”
Casey burst out laughing, suddenly appearing by my side. I started, turning my head to her quickly. She gave me an amused smile, gesturing to Jeremy, who was still grimacing. Mr. Heywood came over to Casey and me, crossing his arms. After a few more moments Jeremy came over too, his hand clutching his back. “Holly, I think I’ll have to call this wedding off.”
“That’s too bad,” I responded, frowning. “I was really looking forward to it.”
He grinned. “Maybe after you and Chris marry and divorce.”
“We’re not going to di
vorce,” Mr. Heywood interjected, giving Jeremy an annoyed look.
Casey gave me a secret smile, obviously catching what I did. Mr. Heywood didn’t say we weren’t going to get married. Jeremy pursed his lips at Mr. Heywood.
“You ruin all my fun.”
“You’re annoying.”
Jeremy turned to Casey, a grin slipping onto his face. He was one resilient person. “Casey, will you marry me?”
Casey cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t know. I’m not sure how I feel about men who buy women’s lingerie in Victoria’s Secret for themselves . . .”
“I didn’t!”
“I saw you.”
“No you didn’t!”
Casey narrowed her eyes. “Are you calling me a liar?”
Jeremy’s face faltered. “No, but—”
“But what?”
Suddenly I felt someone tug on my elbow, and I turned my head to see Mr. Heywood nodding his head towards the other side of the room. While Jeremy and Casey were distracted, we quietly snuck away from them. I laughed quietly; a bit surprised we had gotten away so easily. He slipped his hand into mine, pulling me past the rest of the dancers, towards the exit.
“Where are we going?” I questioned as Mr. Heywood continued to drag me through the entrance hall.
“To be alone for a moment.”
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Mr. Heywood suddenly made a right, pulling me to a side hallway. “Are we allowed to be down here?”
Mr. Heywood shrugged. “Maybe.”
The corners of my lips twitched into a small smile. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”
He suddenly stopped, causing me to run into him. He steadied me, an amused smile crossing his face. “Then I’ll make this quick.”
“Make what quick?”
He shoved his hand into his pants pocket, suddenly looking a little embarrassed. “Well, you were in the hospital on Christmas so I never got a chance to give you your Christmas present.”
My heart skipped a beat in surprise. “You got me a present?”
“It’s kind of both a Christmas present and a birthday present, since I didn’t get you one of those either.”
“I don’t need anything—”
He shook his head, suddenly thrusting a small package in to my hand. “Take it, Holly.”
I looked at the poorly wrapped package in my hand and smiled. “You’re not good at wrapping things, are you?”
