Ghosted: Wicked Wedding Planners Series

by Alyssa Parsons

  Of course I have had relationships since Caspar. In fact, one of my relationships even lasted for over a year. Time heals all wounds so they say. I have to admit that I had barely given Caspar much thought in the last few years. That’s why my reaction to Leanna’s news today has completely thrown me. I honestly thought I was over him.

  I started flipping through my diary to the beginning. By the beginning, I am referring to the point in time where I had first been made aware of the existence of Caspar Danes.

  I used to mark each diary entry with a symbol according to what type of ‘Caspar Day’ it had been. Yes back then I had lived my life marking off time based on the type of interaction I had with Caspar.

  Confusing? Stick with me. I will explain.

  If I had seen Caspar that day but not spoken to him I would draw a smiley face in my diary entry. If I had seen him and spoken to him, I would draw a star. On the days I didn’t see him or speak to him, I used to draw a sad face. Predictable right? Well in my defence I was a young naïve teenager back then.

  I open the diary and find my first entry. It was September 8th. This marks the day I first laid eyes on Caspar Danes. I had been playing in the afternoon tennis league down at my local tennis club with Leanna.

  It was quite a friendly club complete with a bar and a small gym. Leanna and I joined the gym at the club after deciding that we needed to improve our cardio to play better tennis. We had failed at our initial attempts to take up running around the neighbourhood.

  One memorable running fail had occurred when we thought we should eat something before the run to get energy. So we had stuffed our faces with nuts and oranges about 5 minutes before going out to run. We both felt sick before we had even managed to get to the end of the road. Mental note: don’t stuff your face with food just before exercising.

  After that, we decided to speak to Fiona who ran the gym at the tennis club. She set us up with a cardio plan to build our stamina. We actually got fit and in no time we could manage to run on the treadmill for 30 minutes.

  Fiona’s gym was very basic. It contained more weights machines than anything else. The amount of cardio equipment was limited. There were a couple of treadmills, a cross trainer and a stationary bike. It was all pretty basic.

  As a result, the gym attracted more of the weight-lifting type of guys. You know, those stocky, protein shake drinking blokes with leathery tanned skin. Randomly the gym at the club got really popular with these body-builder types even though they weren’t into tennis.

  On this fateful Sept 8th, Leanna and I had just finished played in our afternoon league games. We were getting some drinks when I noticed a good-looking guy teaching tennis to a group of young children.

  ‘I haven’t seen him before’ I remember saying to Leanna. I spent the next few minutes checking him out and generally just drooling at him. He was the most gorgeous guy I had ever laid my eyes on. Leanna agreed that he was hot.

  Leanna Miles and I have been friends since we met at secondary school. She is stunningly gorgeous and is one of those lucky girls who never have problems getting the guys she fancies. Luckily for me, she was not interested in Caspar as she was currently in the process of seducing her latest prey. Her prey came in the form of Kent. He was 21 years old and the assistant manager who had just joined Sheridan’s, the local department store where we both worked at weekends.

  I remember walking home from tennis that afternoon fantasizing about how cool it would be if this hot guy noticed me at the club. Further fantasies included him declaring his undying love for me. He would ask me out and then we would be blissfully happy, get married and have kids. And we would be madly in love with each other forever. That’s how quickly I got infatuated with Caspar.

  As I walked home that day, I saw our new next door neighbours, Bethany and Phil. They looked like they were in their early fifties. They were unloading bags of groceries out of the boot of their black Audi. They said hello as I walked past their house.

  Bethany and Phil had moved in a few weeks ago but we hadn’t seen much of them. I knew they had a daughter who looked like she was a couple years younger than me. They were renting the house from our neighbour Jill. I later found out that they had sold their house and were renting until they were ready to move up to the Lake District.

  Jill was an extremely nosy pensioner who had decided to go and see if she would enjoy living with her daughter in Australia. She had also booked a trip to tour around New Zealand and South-East Asia before heading off to her daughter’s place. I had to give it to her, she was an adventurous lady. She kept sending us emails to ask if the new neighbours were treating the house okay.

  As I entered my house, I could hear mum grumbling at my dad in the kitchen about the new neighbours and how noisy they had been all day with their loud music. She said she was going to go over there and have it out with them. I rolled my eyes and went upstairs. I spent the next few hours daydreaming about how hot that new guy was from the tennis club was.

  Fast forward to September 14th – my diary entry had a massive smiley face on it. That meant I would had would have spotted Caspar that day. I remember it well. Leanna and I had gone for a gym session down at the tennis club. Leanna has always loved sports and she is an exercise freak so she kept me motivated. Mind you now that Caspar was at the club, I didn’t need much motivation to go down there anymore.

  Sept 14th

  Saw the new hot guy coaching some kids. Leanna and I had a lemonade at the bar after our gym session. We ran for 40 minutes on the treadmill today. I am so proud of myself. We did loads of sit ups. I am going to get an amazing six pack. As we were walking back home from the club, I saw the hot guy walking up ahead of us. You won’t believe this but ……Oh my god….. he actually lives next door to me. I don’t believe it – he is my next door neighbour. I saw him turn in at the house where Bethany and Phil live.

  How embarrassing, my mother has already had a mini tiff with his parents about their music being too loud. I hope he doesn’t think we are bunch of whingy weirdos. Sometimes my mum can be so embarrassing.

  The Sept 16th entry also has a smiley face. On this occasion I had seen him in his garden. Conveniently, my bedroom window had a perfect view of next door’s back garden. I smile as I remembered the hours I used to spend perched on my window sill just so I could catch a glimpse of Caspar. He was just so fit. He would often spend time out there in the garden, just chilling and listening to music. Sometimes a group of his friends would come round and they would hang out there for hours.

  Sept 16th

  I was sitting on my bed doing some coursework on my laptop and when I looked out the window, I saw him. He looks amazing in this tight-fitting grey t-shirt. It totally showed off his arms and chest perfectly. He is ssssooo toned.

  My diary entries over the next couple of weeks revealed that I had seen him a further nine times either from my window or at the tennis club.

  October 18th was a pivotal day in our burgeoning relationship. As indicated by one massive happy face and 3 stars on that diary entry. The three stars represented the first day we spoke to each other. I was so ecstatically happy that I overdid it on the stars.

  Caspar had recently begun training in the gym too. He would come in to do some weight training with one of his friends. I remember how my legs had almost gone to jelly while I was running on the treadmill when he first came into the gym. He had smiled at me as he walked past. I smiled back hoping I wasn’t looking too red in the face.

  With dark brown floppy hair and the greenest eyes I had ever seen, he could have been a model. Leanna and I thought he had to be in his mid-twenties. I knew it was unlikely that anything would ever happen between us. He was way too grown up and good looking to ever be interested in an immature 18 year old like me.

  I had already resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t good looking enough to be his girlfriend. I rated myself as average in looks but I could look decent if I made an effort. My wavy brown hair prone to getting frizz
y was my downfall as I couldn’t usually be bothered to straighten it properly.

  Anyway he probably already had a girlfriend, some beautiful skinny blonde model with shiny long swingy hair. I could still look and hope though, couldn’t I? Before reading the entry, I close my eyes for a minute remembering the elation I felt on October 18th.

  October 18th

  I was doing sit ups and core work on the gym mat next to the rack of dumbbells today. He walked over to get some weights. And guess what – he spoke to me!!

  ‘Nice abs routine’ he says grinning at me. His smile was so cute and I felt my heart pound in my chest when he was speaking to me.

  ‘Thanks’ I croaked back trying to look cool and sophisticated despite the fact that my face was as red as a beetroot and I was glowing with sweat. Unfortunately, this is my signature look after taking part in exercise.

  He introduced himself to me and I have found out that his name is Caspar. I told him my name.

  He said: ‘Nice to meet you Sammi, see you around.’ Then, he winked at me and then went over to his mate who was by the weights rack. He wants to see me around. I can’t believe it. He knows I exist and he knows my name. He made my name sound so sexy when he said it.

  Of course being a teenager, the following few hours were spent in my room with Leanna analysing the entire conversation I had just had with Caspar. I was trying to search for any deeper meanings in what he had said.

  ‘I mean he wouldn’t have come over if he didn’t like you,’ I remember Leanna telling me as she had stretched out onto my bed.

  ‘I don’t know, he could just be one of these friendly people,’ I said to her. ‘You know he works at the club so he probably feels it’s his duty to chat to everyone.’

  ‘Well he didn’t think it was necessary to have a chat with me,’ teased Leanna.

  ‘Do you think?’ I asked her, ‘and he did say he would see me around…. Do you think he actually does want to see me again?’

  ‘Yeah maybe,’ Leanna was scrolling through a bunch of texts she had received from Kent, the assistant manager at Sheridan’s.

  They had been on a couple of dates and he had already fallen hard for her. Guys always did and apart from being beautiful, Leanna also had a great sense of humour. She was always loads of fun to hang out with.

  ‘I don’t know, he probably thinks I’m just a stupid teenager,’ I said. ‘He could be going out with some gorgeous model.’

  I was still thinking back about the first time Caspar had spoken to me when I hear my doorbell ring. Quickly snapping back to the present day I go downstairs to see who it is.

  ‘I’ve been texting you, Why are you ignoring me?’ says Leanna as she bursts through the door.

  She is in her gym gear and has probably just finished training with a client. Leanna has an amazing body, due to the hours she spends working out. It also helps that she works as a personal trainer. She is so popular that her diary is always booked out with clients wanting to be trained by her.

  Her long shiny black hair is tied back into a ponytail and her complexion has a healthy rosy glow. Why did I always look like a red beetroot after a workout, when she managed to look so gorgeous? It wasn’t fair.

  ‘I haven’t checked my phone, it’s still in my handbag,’ I apologise and let her in. I go to pick up my handbag from where I had chucked it onto the floor when I had come in earlier.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Leanna looks concerned.

  ‘I think I am still shell-shocked from the news. I was just upstairs going through my diary,’ I confess as I slump down in the comfy new grey snuggle chair I had bought last month.

  ‘I forgot about that,’ laughs Leanna, ‘You don’t mean that blue one with all the smiley faces and stars?’

  ‘Yeah,’ I giggled. ‘I got to the part where he introduced himself that time at the gym.’

  ‘You were so excited when that happened,’ Leanna smiles at the memory.

  ‘Do you remember? God, I was so immature back then,’ I cringe at the thought of my past teenage self.

  ‘Everyone was immature,’ Leanna reassures me. ‘If only you knew then what you know now. You wouldn’t have worried so much what he thought of you.’

  ‘If only,’ I sigh and snuggle deeper into my chair, wrapping myself up in the gorgeous soft grey knit blanket I had bought to go with the chair.

  ‘Hmm Caspar the ghost,’ Leanna jests.

  ‘Like I haven’t heard that before,’ I give her an evil look.

  ‘He appears, then he vanishes and just when you think you won’t see him again, Whoosh …. he appears out of thin air. I actually can’t believe he ghosted you. It is very ironic really.’

  Leanna used to make fun of his name back in the day and used to nickname him Caspar the ghost. It had nothing to do with his complexion as he had lovely tanned golden skin.

  ‘Ha ha, very funny,’ I give her a stony stare. I am about to have a go at her when I hear a knock on my door.

  ‘Uggh, who’s that?’ I say as I stomp off to open it.

  ‘Sammi are you ok?’ It’s Gemma, holding a bottle of prosecco and a bag full of snacks including my favourite bar of Green and Black’s chocolate. I can see it poking through the top of the bag.

  Gemma is a genuinely lovely girl who really cares about her friends. She is a real sweetie. I give her a hug and she follows me into the lounge. I flop back into my cosy snuggle chair.

  ‘Hey Leanna,’ Gemma waves the bottle of prosecco at her. ‘Shall I pour us some prosecco girlies?’

  ‘Not yet, sit down,’ I bark at Gemma, ‘I need to know exactly what happened at the gym.’

  ‘You sure you don’t want any chocolate or wine first?’ Gemma opens her carrier bag to reveal the large stash of snacks she has brought over.

  ‘No just tell me what happened,’ I snap as I take the bag of snacks off her and put it on my coffee table.

  I feel bad at speaking so harshly at her because she has done nothing wrong. I am just so frazzled at the moment and I desperately need to know what happened at the gym.

  Knowing that she has seen Caspar has been doing my head in all day. I want to know every single detail of Caspar’s visit to the gym.

  Gemma Baker is another one of my best friends from school. The three of us have been friends forever. She works on reception over at Passion Health, the trendy new gym that opened up a few years ago. Thanks to her, we get a nice discount on our gym memberships.

  ‘Sure, Sammi,’ Gemma sits herself down on my charcoal grey sofa, right next to Leanna.

  I have a developed a thing for grey decor at the moment. Along with any accessory that is glittery or sparkly. I just love shiny things and the colour grey. My house is looking really good at the moment. I keep buying lovely items as I can afford them. I am big into getting the right look for my place.

  ‘So I was at the reception desk and this lady was telling me all about this smoothie she makes that’s meant to be really good for …..’ Gemma starts going off on a tangent which is something she is well known for as she is easily distracted.

  ‘Gemma,’ I snap at her again. ‘Get to the bit about Caspar.’

  ‘Well there’s not really that much to say,’ she says, looking disappointed that I cut her smoothie story short.

  ‘I was still talking to this lady when I see this guy walk in. Luke was out on the desk with me and starts talking to him. It took me a while before I realised it was Caspar,’ she continues telling me.

  Luke was the gym manager where Gemma worked. Unfortunately, I didn’t know him well enough to ask him about Casper’s sudden return to Roseford. But Gemma certainly could.

  One majorly important fact about Luke …. He seriously fancies Gemma. Gemma fancies him too but there is one big fly in the ointment. Luke’s wife.

  Yes he is married, unhappily apparently. Aren’t they always? His marital status does not stop him from flirting madly with Gemma. Gemma is not the type to break up a marriage and she doesn’t go there. I told you she i
s a sweet girl who wouldn’t purposely hurt anyone.

  ‘And …?’ I push Gemma for more info.

  ‘So I overhear him saying to Luke that he has moved back to the area and wants to sign up for a gym membership,’ Gemma says.

  ‘Did he notice you at this point?’ I ask her as I literally need to know every little detail.

  ‘No not at first. He went over to the sofa area to fill out the paperwork.’

  ‘Did he talk to you at all?’ I look at Gemma hoping to get any little nugget of information.

  ‘Yeah, he handed his paperwork over to me,’ she says casually.

  ‘What did he say?’ I felt it was like pulling teeth to get Gemma to spill the beans.

  She was really annoying me with all the effort it was taking to get her to tell me what had happened.

  ‘I don’t really remember,’ she thinks for a moment as she opens up a bag of Maltesers and shoves a few in her mouth. ‘Something like…. Hi Gemma, didn’t know you worked here…, I think he said.’

  ‘Did you ask him anything?’ I really wish she would stop stuffing her face with chocolate and concentrate on the conversation.

  ‘No, I didn’t really have time ‘cause Luke came out again and took the paperwork off me. He took Caspar into his office to finish processing his application,’ she explains.

  So that was that the story. I was a bit disappointed that there was no more info.

  ‘There is one thing,’ Gemma says slowly and looks at us as we wait for her to fill us in.

  ‘What thing?’ both Leanna and I shout out. She is obviously getting as frustrated as I am by now. God crack open the prosecco now and be done with it, I think. I need some to get through this conversation with Gemma.

  ‘I did notice his address but I really shouldn’t say,’ Gemma says hesitantly and she turns to look at Leanna.

  We both know that Gemma could get in trouble at work if she shares private information about gym members. However, she needs to make an exception for me. We are best friends after all.

  ‘Where’s he living?’ I ask her.