by Lauren Wood
“I don't know, I have a wedding ring on my hand as well. I am getting married in less than an hour. This shouldn’t be there and it isn’t even the one that was picked out for the ceremony.”
“You're really getting married today?”
I agreed and I could tell that nothing I was saying at this point was doing me any good. Everything I seemed to say, pissed her off.
“You really need to get out of here. I don't want some mad bridezilla coming in here because you are here. What a mess.”
“Has that happened before?”
It was out of the blue and I don't know why I even ask that question. Once again, she didn't take it the right way. Although, admittedly, there wasn’t a ‘right way’ to take that comment.
“No, it hasn't happened before because I don't wake up next to somebody the next day. I told you last night that I don't do that sort of thing and I meant it. I don't know why you're here or why we have wedding rings on. I vaguely remember a priest at your wedding bachelor party. Did you invite him?”
“No, it was nothing like that. I didn't even want to do a bachelor party. My brother Jeff was one that pushed it. I don't really see him that much and then all of a sudden, he wants to do this for me. It seemed like the thing to do.”
“Well your brother told me that he was the bachelor and that he was the one getting married. I wouldn't have pulled you aside if he wouldn't have directed me towards you.”
That didn't give me a very good feeling. Jeff was always up to something and I felt like this was one of those times. But I had no idea why he would a sick a stripper on me. Did he put something in my drink?
“Yeah, I don't know what my brother was thinking. He is a bit of a clown you know. He likes to do jokes and stuff. It could be one of those situations. He finds the shit he does funny, but I never do.”
“Well if he is the reason that you woke up next to me, then I don't think I like your brother very much.”
“You and me both Anna. Trust me on that.”
For the first time since I woke up in a strange place, I saw the woman smile. It was the sort of expression that clamped at my chest and I didn’t know what to say. I was stunned for a moment. She was made absolutely gorgeous by the gesture and I found it strange how different she looked now. She looked like a completely different person.
Her black hair was shiny and reflected off of the sunlight coming in, almost with a bluish tinge. Her features were refined and her white teeth were perfectly straight. Anna’s body was the main attraction though. Even with clothes on, I could see her tiny bikini in my mind.
“Well I have to get ready for class. It looks like you have a full day ahead of you as well. I guess it was nice to meet you.”
She didn't sound so sure about the last part and I couldn't blame her. I wasn't too enthused about meeting her either. Not after it all of the questions went unanswered and I didn't know why I was even here.
“Thanks for the coffee.”
It sounded stupid once it came out, but I didn't even know what else to say to her. What do you say to a stripper the next morning? Was I supposed to leave money?
She walked off into one of the bedrooms and shut the door. I didn't leave any money. I just left.
Anna
When I got out of the bedroom, I was thankful to see that the man was gone. He was not as pleasant as I remembered from the night before, but it most likely had been the liquor. Guys always seem a lot more interesting when they had a little drink in them. This guy must have been the same.
I kept looking at the glittering diamond on my hand and I was curious where it came from. More than that, I was curious about what it was made of. Was it a real diamond? And if it was, how the hell had it come to be on my hand?
There was no time to really think. I had to get to my Economics class before the door was locked. The professor was a stickler for being on time and I had to literally run halfway across campus to get there before the bell rang. I was just getting in my seat when it did and I sent a smile his way, because I could see him glowering from below. It felt like he almost wanted to shut the door on my face, if he would have had the chance.
Economics was not that interesting. It was one of those classes that I had to take to graduate, but it didn't really have anything to do with my supposed job I was looking for. I was going into business management. I wasn't going to worry about the economics of the country once that happened.
Thankfully, it was over quick enough, and I was able to get out and get a little bit of air. I tried to call Cindy earlier before class started, but she had not answered. Now there was a message telling me to call her back.
When I did, I was thankful to hear her voice. Of all the crazy things that happened, I was actually worried about them. Who was to say that I was the only one that woke up where I did, with some strange guy?
“So, what happened at the party last night?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I woke up next to a man that was getting married today. And I don't know how I got there.”
There was a silence on the other side and it made the sound of my heartbeat a whole lot louder.
“You don't remember?”
“No, I woke up in bed with this guy and for some reason, there's a wedding ring on my hand. He had one too.”
“So, you're telling me that you really don't remember what you did last night?”
She was beating around the bush and I wanted to know why. What did I not remember?
“No, I don't remember. What happened? I have been thinking about it all morning and I can't figure out what happened after I went into the back with Scott. That is all I remember.”
“Do you remember the priest that was there?”
I don't know why that question bothered me so much. I did remember a priest, but what does that have to do with anything?
“Yeah why?”
“Because you got married by him last night. To the guy that the party was for. What did you say his name was, Scott?”
I was in a daze for a moment and I almost dropped the phone. I did remember the priest, but I certainly didn't remember getting married. How is that even possible? I thought that it was just some gag or something. How could the guy be a real priest?
“Are you fucking serious?”
That was literally the only thing I could think to say. It certainly wasn't eloquent, but what else was there to say at this point?
“Yeah, I'm serious. I kept asking you if you were sure, but you said you were. You didn't really seem to be all that drunk and you know that no one can tell you no if you want to do something.”
None of this made any sense to me and it was like she was speaking another language. I knew the words that she was saying, and I could hear them, but the sequence didn't make any sense. How could I be married?
“There's no way that I got married Cindy. I think I would remember that.”
There was a loud sigh on the other side of the phone.
“I told you that you would regret it in the morning. I don't know what in the world you were doing, but you were adamant about getting married.”
“So, you're telling me that the ring on my finger is real?”
“Yes Anna. The ring on your finger is real. I didn't get a good look at it. Does it look good at least?”
I looked down at the sparkling ring and I couldn't imagine that something so large was real. Was this a real diamond on my finger? Was I really married? Now I was even more confused than when I started. I was hoping that Cindy would be able to clear things up for me. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen.
“Yeah. It's big and beautiful.”
“Well, Scott Donovan is rich as hell. How do you not know this?”
“Why would I know his last name?”
“I don't know. Because I always find out our client’s names and then I do an internet search of them before I go. It's good to know who the rich ones are.”
I was the one that let
out a sigh, because this was not the first time I had heard my friends plans to get rich. She wasn't going to dance forever and until she stopped, she was going to make sure to find as many older men that would like to take care of her later. She told me that it was her 401 K plan.
“I didn't know he had any money. I don't even really know him, and he was kind of a jerk this morning when we woke up together. I even made him coffee. All he kept saying was that I was a stripper and he wasn't supposed to be there. It was quite embarrassing, so I hope you're wrong. I really hope I’m not married to that guy.”
“Well you are.”
The words didn’t sink in all the way.
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
“I will see you tonight at the party. You know, unless your husband won’t let you go.”
I hung up without saying goodbye. She was having far too much fun at my expense. My teeth were on edge and I couldn’t believe what she said. I wasn’t married. There was no way. And there was especially no way that I married Scott. He wasn’t even my type.
I was into bad boys, although he did have the jerk thing down pat.
Scott
“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you.”
“Jeff, hey. We need to talk after this is over. Not now though. You know that Lexie doesn't like it if I'm late.
“I think that you are reading the situation wrong brother. We need to talk now, because if you go out there, you're going to make a mistake. Lexie will not forgive you for this.”
I felt a shiver run through me, because I had a feeling that he knew something that I didn't. I had long since taken the ring off that was on my finger when I woke up. It wasn't supposed to be there. But now he was asking about it and I started to realize that it was supposed to be there. Not because I wanted it there, but because of what happened last night.
“What are you saying Jeff? Are you serious?”
He had just told me that I married the stripper I woke up with this morning. I don't even know if I really heard the rest of it. He was giving me all kinds of information that I just didn't understand. Maybe I was just blocking it out. I wasn't really sure. One way or another I wasn't able to process this. It was just too much.
“Yes. I am saying that you married Anna. You guys seemed really happy. Are you trying to tell me that the honeymoon is already over?”
He was smiling at me and I just couldn’t understand why. Why was he getting so much pleasure out of this? Maybe Anna had been right. Maybe we had been drugged and from the looks of things, I could almost guarantee that it was my brother who had done it. I just didn't understand the reason. With Jeff, there was always a reason.
“I cannot believe you are telling me this. What the hell happened last night? I don't even remember.”
“Like I said man, you got married. I tried to talk you out of it, but you seemed really smitten with her. I reminded you that you're getting married to Lexie, but that didn't seem to bother you one way or another. I don't know what is going on, but all I know is you're married. The last thing you want to do is go out there and try to marry someone else. I am pretty sure that it's a felony in most states.”
I just couldn't believe what he was saying. I mean I did believe it. For some reason or another I knew that it was true, but I just can't understand how the hell it happened.
“Did you give me something?”
He tried to look innocent, but he was never very good at that. Jeff was anything but innocent.
“How could you think that my brother?”
“I think you know why. Did you drug me last night Jeff? Because that would be low, even for you.”
“Like I said, you are all wrong Scott. I would never drug you man. I am sorry that you don't remember anything, but maybe you had a little too much to drink. I saw you and that stripper going into the other room, so I figured that maybe you were going to have a little bit more than drink. Who knows what you did once you got back there?”
“The funny thing is that Anna doesn't remember anything either. How could both of us get married to each other and not remember anything? It just doesn’t add up Jeff and you’re looking like a hyena.”
Jeff acted like he had no idea what happened, but I knew better. I knew that he was keeping something from me, but I also knew that it was going to be almost impossible to get the information from him. He did this for a reason, and I was going to have to figure out what it was. Then the rest of it would make sense and fall into place.
“I don't know bro. It was a crazy party. I was just trying to send you off with a bang.”
“Yeah well you got your bang, Jeff. You have fucked up my life.”
“I know. I am sorry about that. If I would have known this was going to happen, I never would have had the party.”
“And what about pushing the stripper on me and inviting the priest? All coincidences huh?”
“I just told her that you needed to have a good time. That's all. Whatever you guys did in between the two of you, has nothing to do with me. I was just trying to help you out on your last night of freedom. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
I knew that he was lying to me. Jeff would say anything to get his way. He had always been that way and there was many times that I was punished for something that I didn't do. All because my brother wouldn't cop to it.
“I can't believe this. I have to go out there and talk to Lexie. Once she realizes what happened, she will understand.”
As soon as I said the words, I knew that they were a lie. Lexi didn't understand things. It was either her way or she was going to throw a fit. Most of the time, I just did things her way because it was easier, and I had fallen for her for one reason or another. But this was unforgivable. I knew right then and there that she was never going to forgive me. This marriage was never going to happen. It didn't matter if I fixed everything, she would never take me back.
“Be my guest Scott, but don't say that I didn't warn you. I'm just trying to lookout for you. It is going to be bad enough when everyone finds out about this. You know that it's going to look bad on the family.”
A light went off in my head. Of course, this had to do with the family. Mainly this had to do with the fact that my father was talking about giving me the company instead of him. This was his way of taking that away from me.
“This is despicable Jeff. I can’t believe you did this. Would you please tell Lexie that I can't do this? The wedding is off. And if she asks why, you can tell her what happened, what really happened, because I know that you’re not being honest with me.”
It was a statement that I didn't want to make, but I knew that I had to. It was also the sort of thing that most people would be shocked by. But not Jeff. Not my brother. He had a grin on his face, almost like he personally had something to do with the outcome. I didn’t want to think that of him, but I knew that I had to be real. This was a set-up and he had done a good job. At the moment, I’m screwed.
Anna
I had to turn my phone off, because I kept getting calls from a blocked number. I never did answer those and when I turned it to vibrate, I thought that would be enough. Quickly, it was getting on my nerves and I turned it off completely. I never did before, but whoever was calling, was not getting the hint. I was in class and even if I was going to answer, it wasn’t going to happen right now.
Able to focus on the Ethics class I was in, I tried my best to get my mind back on what I was supposed to be doing. I was supposed to be writing a report on an ethical scenario posed by the professor. It was an easy reason as to why it was wrong, but the teacher wanted more. She wanted research and actual statutes. It was never as easy as it should be and of course, it was due the next day.
I had to be to work until midnight, so I had a feeling that I was going to have to either not sleep tonight or try to get as much done before I left for work. That left me in class trying to research, while the professor droned on in front of me. Hopefully it was nothing too important. Unlike my
phone vibrations, I had no problem tuning her talking out.
When I got out of class, my mind was in its own little world. All I could think about is what Cindy told me. I wanted to believe that she was wrong, but I just knew deep down that she wasn’t. Somehow, I got married last night. From that was going to be a lot of drama. I just wasn't sure how it was going to end yet.
The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. I turned my phone back on, not worried about it bothering the rest of the class anymore and checked to see if I had any voicemails. There were several text messages from friends and then several voice mails from the blocked number.
Usually I wouldn't answer them, and I wouldn't listen, but today I was just curious. I knew without really knowing, that it was going to be Scott. My husband. How strange that sounded in my ears what I said it out loud.
“Anna, I really think we need to talk. I don't know why you're not answering your phone, but I just talked to my brother and I really think we need to talk. Like right now.”
There was a clear panic in his voice, and I didn't have to wonder too hard to figure out what he was so upset about. He was mad about the same thing I was mad about. We had gotten married and we didn't even know each other. Neither one of us even remember it. That was just wrong on so many levels.
Since I was still running around after class, I didn't call him back directly. I figured that was going to be a conversation that we needed to have when I was sitting down. It was a lot more than I could handle driving around at the moment. I especially didn't want to do it in front of the world.
The phone rang not too long after I left the grocery store and I picked up. I didn't even check, and I wasn’t thinking about the fact that it might be Scott. When I heard his voice, it had me stop in my tracks. I was standing in the middle of the sidewalk with the phone stuck to my ear, straining to hear what he was going to say next.
“I think we need to talk Anna.”
