The One Left Behind (The One Series)

by Lena Nicole

  “Geez, you are always cleaning. Your house must sparkle.”

  “Eh, it’s something to pass the time. So, what’s up? I assume you didn’t call to check up on my cleaning skills.”

  “I was calling to see if you had any brilliant gift ideas for Addison and Pierce’s wedding. I’ve been online searching for probably an hour and can’t find anything.”

  “I can see how that would be difficult—buying a gift for your ex-fiancé and all. Hmmm, let me see. Have you gone to Things Remembered?”

  “Never heard of it.”

  “Well it’s this place that engraves any and everything. People love that kind of stuff for their wedding.”

  “I thought about that, but what would I get them engraved? They really don’t need anything for the house.”

  “Gosh, must I do everything. I’ll be ready in 20 minutes. Come pick me up and we’ll go together.”

  “You’re a little awesome.” I’m very relieved that she’s willing to help me. A small smile comes to my face as I think about her kindness and how she’s always helping me with these awkward things.

  “Yeah, yeah. Remind me of that when you’re bringing me a coffee and a bagel on Monday morning.”

  I laugh at her. “I think I can make it happen.”

  “And I don’t want regular cream cheese either. I want the strawberry kind.”

  “I got it. Go get ready. I’m leaving now.”

  I get in my car feeling more optimistic about the whole gift thing. I think it was starting to cause me anxiety. I don’t want them to think I am being an ass or don’t care. I’m happy for them and will be there to support my friend.

  I pick up Charlotte and we head over to the mall. She has me cracking up the whole way there singing to 80s power ballads the entire ride. Gotta love Sirius Radio. I’m actually surprised that she knows all the songs since she wasn’t exactly old enough to remember any of them in their hay day, not that I was either. Apparently, her dad is a huge fan and she grew up listening to it. Can’t say I expected that with the Leave it to Beaver picture she painted of her family.

  We walk through the mall and locate the store. “Oh, I’ve seen this store before. I guess I just never paid attention to the name,” I say to her as we walk in.

  “Well, look around and see if anything catches your eye. You know them better than I do.” She pauses and waits for me to lead the way.

  “You know Pierce just as well as me,” I mumble.

  “You know Addison. And I’m sure anything you get they’ll appreciate. They didn’t strike me as the snooty couple that would turn their nose up at a gift. Especially since you’re putting so much thought into it.”

  She’s right. Addison would like anything, or at least pretend to, and Pierce is polite enough not to bash the gift if he hates it.

  There are all kinds of things for home décor. Door knocker, every type of glassware you could imagine, coasters, picture frames. I don’t know which to settle on, so I picked up a couple things. I got them a picture frame for the bookcase I noticed they had in the formal sitting room. I thought it’d be nice to put a picture from the wedding in there. I have them engrave it:

  I also get a whiskey decanter for the wet bar they have. On it is engraved

  I hope they don’t think my gifts were cop outs and not thoughtful. I wanted them to see that I was sincere in my gesture. I expressed my worries to Charlotte. Her response was, “Who gives a shit if they don’t like it? They should be appreciative that you went out and had gifts personalized for them. But, in all honesty, I think they’ll like it. They’re sweet gestures.”

  Once again, she helped put my mind at ease.

  We’re in the car on the way back to her place and it’s really quiet. Not an awkward silence, but no one is talking. After a while, she finally speaks up.

  “I hate to pry, but how are you doing with all of this? I know it can’t be easy to see your ex marry someone else. In fact, I’m impressed you guys are still friends. Most people don’t work like that. I’m not friends with any of my exes.”

  I feel comfortable around her so I guess this is a good time to come clean about what happened exactly. “In a way, I think what really happened to us is harder than if it was an agreed upon separation.”

  “What do you mean? She wanted to break up and you didn’t?” I look at her and her brows are furrowed in confusion. She doesn’t get it, not yet.

  “Not exactly. Not long after we were engaged we got hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light. It flipped the car and everything. My injuries were very minimal, but Addison suffered from some brain trauma. She still doesn’t remember ever being engaged to me. She had no recollection of who I was. She didn’t remember Jeremy either, but I guess that makes sense because she met us both at the same time. She called off the engagement while she tried to get her head sorted out. I supported that decision. I thought if we didn’t push it, it would come back to her naturally. Then she met Pierce and her memory still hasn’t resurfaced. So here I sit, with a wedding gift in my back seat for a fiancé that still doesn’t remember who I was to her.”

  Charlotte is quiet for a while after I make that little revelation to her. I guess she’s trying to process all of the information I gave her when she finally says, “Holy cow! That’s intense. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

  “It’s okay. I would have told you before. It’s not like it’s a big secret since everyone knows, but I am so sick of people feeling sorry for me. I’m finally learning to deal with it and I hate to see the pity on people’s faces when it gets brought up. Even Jeremy looks at me like that when I’ve told him repeatedly to stop. I don’t think he realizes he does it. Anyways, that’s why I avoid telling other people about it.”

  “I can’t relate to any of that. I haven’t really had any hardships in life I guess. I’ve been pretty fortunate. But I can tell you that life is a bitch sometimes and you have to just suck it up and carry on. You can’t let it suck you down. With that said, I think you’re handling it remarkably. I don’t know of many guys who would be going to the wedding given how this all happened. You’re a good guy and a very strong person.”

  Me? Strong? Just like my dad, she would think differently if she knew about all the drinking and sexscapades with Brooklyn.

  “Thanks, but it’s taken me a long time to get to this point. I went through a pretty rough stage that I never want to go back to.” I physically shudder actually thinking about it. “Anyway, enough about my sad stories. Let’s talk about something else.”

  “I have a better idea. Let’s go out and have fun. It’ll do you good to take your mind off of things now that you had to tell that story to me.”

  “Okay, I’m in but what did you have in mind?”

  “I think I want to make it a surprise. In fact, pull over and I’ll drive us there.”

  Was she serious? I’ve never heard someone bark orders like she did without sounding like a complete bitch. And here I am, pulling over into a parking lot to do exactly as I am told. Is this what Jeremy feels like when he’s around Morgan? Constantly taking orders without any hesitation? I shake my head at that thought.

  We drive for what seems like forever. It probably is really only 20 minutes, but when you don’t know where you’re going it always seems longer. Finally, we pull up to this warehouse that looks abandoned.

  “Okay,” I say to her, “this doesn’t look sketchy at all.” I eye her out of the corner of my eye and I see her grin at me.

  “Well, I hope you’re wearing comfortable shoes because you’re going to be on your feet the rest of the evening.”

  “Is that a clue?”

  “Yep. Let’s go.” I’m very confused and have no idea what I’m getting myself in to.

  We walk in and I’m hit with a blast of heat. I take in my surroundings and notice everyone is dancing. The heat must be coming off all these sweaty bodies. I look at Charlotte who is staring at me intently with a big smile on her face. It dawns on me that this isn�
��t any old dancing, this is salsa dancing. You have got to be kidding me. I look back at her and she nods her head at me as she sees the realization cross my features.

  “Come on, Colin. Let’s see your moves.” She nudges my shoulder.

  “I really don’t know how to do this type of dancing. I’m gonna look stupid.” Suddenly I feel like I’m living a real life scene from Along Came Polly. This is not happening.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll show you. The basics are actually pretty simple.” She grabs my hand and drags me to the dance floor.

  That’s what she thinks. All I really know how to do in the form of couple’s dancing that’s not in a club is the waltz. And it’s pretty hard to fuck up the waltz. This, on the other hand, looks way more complicated. I follow her onto the edge of the dance floor where we’re out of the way of all the other more experienced patrons. I’m about to look like a fool.

  She walks me through the basic steps and I catch on pretty quickly. She’s very patient even when I step on her toes…four times. Eventually, I get the hang of it.

  “Now, just feel the music and relax. Don’t think and just let your body move,” she tells me.

  I do just that and find that I’m getting lost to the rhythm. It’s almost therapeutic, like a stress reliever. We dance through three songs before we step off the floor to get something to drink.

  “Are you having fun?” she shouts over the music.

  “Surprisingly, I am. This was a great idea. How long have you been coming here?”

  “Just for a little bit, a few months maybe. It’s kind of like an unknown spot which is why I like it. Plus, the dancing is great exercise. I don’t think I sweat this much at the gym.”

  I nod in agreement since I am pretty drenched with sweat, but I’m having a lot of fun too. I definitely don’t have this much fun running or lifting weights at the gym.

  We hang out for a few more hours and leave when we are utterly exhausted and I don’t think I can stand anymore. We get in my car and I start to drive her home. When we get there she invites me in to have some coffee.

  “Sure, but I hope your toilets are clean,” I joke with her.

  “Go outside if they don’t meet your standards.” She shrugs one shoulder and I laugh.

  Her house is nice and very clean. Of course, with as much as she cleans it, I wouldn’t expect anything less. The house is fairly open and is filled with light colors that brighten the rooms up. I actually like it a lot. I might have to have her help me redecorate my place.

  She makes us some coffee and we’re sitting at the kitchen bar when she starts to giggle.

  “What’s so funny?” I ask her setting down my coffee.

  “I was just thinking about Taboo and how awful Jeremy was at that game.”

  I throw my head back in laughter. “Yeah, he sucked pretty bad.”

  “I about died when he got giraffe and graffiti mixed up.”

  “Or what about this?

  ‘It’s where the planets are.’

  ‘In orbit?’

  ‘No, they’re in this huge area.’

  ‘Space?’

  ‘Yes! That’s the first word. Second word is an animal that’s seen on a farm.’

  ‘A cow.’

  ‘No! It says baaaa.’

  ‘Oh, a sheep.’

  ‘No. Some people call the males Billys.’

  ‘Oh! A goat.’

  ‘Yeah! Put the two words together.’

  ‘Space goat?’

  ‘Yes! We got one! On to the next card…’

  “Then Addison doubles over laughing and tells him that’s not the word on the card,” I say remembering that round of the game.

  “Yeah,” Charlotte adds, “turns out the word was scape goat.” We both start cracking up and I’m clutching my stomach trying to catch my breath.

  “Morgan was so mad,” I say trying to talk through my laughter.

  Charlotte wipes at her eyes. “I know. That was so hilarious What did Jeremy think a space goat was anyway?”

  “I have no idea. Knowing him he probably thought it was a goat astronaut or something.”

  We talk for a while longer and before I know it, it’s already one in the morning. I let out a long yawn. “Crap, I better go. It’s late.”

  “If you don’t feel like driving back, you can always crash here in the guest bedroom,” she calls out over her shoulder as she rinses out our cups.

  I think about this a little. Would that blur the lines? I don’t want to send out mixed signals. I like hanging out with her as a friend and she’s a good colleague, but I don’t want to give any impressions that I think this is more. She’s never made any moves or suggestions for me to think she wants things any other way, so maybe I’m just overanalyzing it. And I am really tired.

  “Sure, if it’s not putting you out or anything.”

  “No, it’s not a problem. That room never gets used anyway.”

  Soon I’m pulling down the covers and climbing in with nothing on but my boxers. I’m able to fall asleep quickly having ended this day on a good note.

  TONIGHT IS OUR rehearsal dinner for the wedding and I’m having a hard time getting ready. Every time I go to get out of bed Pierce pulls me back in and we end up having sex. He said that since we aren’t going to be spending tonight together he wanted to make sure that I was fully satisfied to hold me over until tomorrow. I have to say he is doing a great job at that.

  “Okay, I appreciate all the extra love I got from you all morning—and all afternoon—but I really need to get out of bed now and get ready or else we will never make it there on time.” I say to Pierce.

  “Are you sure you don’t want one more for the road?” I laugh and walk to the shower shaking my head the whole way. That man is a machine. Of course, Pierce tries to join me. I’m having a hard time saying no to him so I make him promise to be on his best behavior. After he gives me his word that he’ll be good and keep his hands to himself, mostly, he joins me. I’m glad he’s in here with me though. There’s something so intimate about showering and washing someone. I love it.

  As I’m blow drying my hair, Pierce takes out his shaving cream and razor. I yell over the blow dryer, “Don’t shave please.”

  “Okay...Mind if I ask why?” He says with a questioning look as he puts the razor and cream away.

  “Well, I like your stubble; it’s sexy. And since you’re going to be clean shaved tomorrow for all our pictures, I will have some pictures tonight with some stubble.” Pierce smiles at me endearingly and gives me a peck on the lips before he leaves the bathroom to get dressed.

  I put on a scoop neck, black dress that stops just above my knee. It has sheer loose sleeves that come down to my elbows. It is simple but elegant. I accessorize it with diamond stud earrings and a long silver necklace with a butterfly pendant at the bottom that rests a few inches below my breasts. The outline of the butterfly wings are lined with small diamonds. The center of the wings are hollow and the body is a straight line of diamonds. It’s gorgeous and elegant at the same time.

  Pierce comes into the bedroom and hands me a box. He’s wearing black pants with a white dress shirt and a pair of black dress shoes. It always amazes me how he makes the simplest outfits look sexy as hell.

  “What’s this?” I scrunch my eyebrows.

  “Open it. I just wanted to give you your something blue. You don’t have to wear them to the wedding but you can wear them tonight with your dress.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. He does this a lot but I love the way his eyes soften and the corners of his mouth lift up just the tiniest bit when he does it.

  I smile and open the box. Inside is a pair of peep toe, dark blue sequined Christian Louboutin’s. They are gorgeous. I put them on and walk over to the full sized length mirror to get a look at them.

  “They are gorgeous Pierce. I can’t believe you bought me a pair of Louboutin’s.”

  “Before you go giving me too much credit, I have to admit I had a little help from Colby. I
thought she was going to die of a heart attack when I took her shopping with me for them. I don’t know if you know this, but she has a major shoe problem.” Oh, I know all about Colby’s shoe problem. “She must have tried on every pair they had,” he shakes his head in disbelief and I think Colby might have traumatized him.

  “That is why I put us on a time limit when I go shoe shopping with her. How did you ever get her to leave?” I’m curious to know how he managed to get her out of that store.

  “After being there for a lot longer than I thought necessary, I told her if she picked a pair of shoes in five minutes I would buy them for her.” Pierce shrugs.

  “You did not.” I stare at him to see if he’s joking. When I realize he’s serious, I can’t contain my laughter. Of all the ways to get her out of there he had to bribe her?

  “What?” He holds his hands up. “I got desperate. I told her what I wanted to do for you and we had your shoes in about ten minutes. We were there for another hour and a half with her trying on shoe after shoe. I tried getting her out of there and she wouldn’t go, so I improvised.”

  “Pierce, that’s a lot of money on shoes!” My chuckling has quickly subsided as the reality of what two pairs of shoes just cost him.

  “She went easy on me. She ended up buying a pair that was on clearance,” he waves his hand to brush off the topic. It’s like it’s making him uncomfortable that I’m making such a big deal about this.

  I finish getting ready and we go to the church. The Priest greets us and we do a walk-through of the ceremony. It goes by fairly quickly and before I know it we are all off to the restaurant for dinner. The restaurant is only ten minutes away from the church, so it doesn’t take long for us to get there.

  We rented out a private room since we have the whole bridal party and our families there as well. Pierce and I sit at a table with our parents. We have the bridesmaids and groomsmen all at a table together, and the rest of the family got to choose where they want to sit.

  As I go to sit, Pierce pulls out my chair for me and places a kiss on my cheek before taking the seat next to me. I grab his hand in mine and look at him lovingly. Now that the rehearsal is out of the way, the only thing left to do is enjoy dinner and get married tomorrow. I’d thought I’d be more nervous since it’s the day before, but when I look at Pierce I feel at peace with my decision to marry him. He clearly loves me and I absolutely adore him.