Chapter 2 TWO

BLAIRE

If someone had told me a week ago that I would spend my Saturday at a wedding where an entire town seemed to revolve around one bride, I probably would have laughed in their face.

Yet there I was, standing at the entrance of a venue so ridiculously extravagant that it looked as though someone had borrowed a palace for the weekend. 

Luxury cars stretched as far as my eyes could see, security officers stood at almost every corner, and the streets surrounding the estate had been blocked off to make room for guests who arrived dressed as though they belonged on magazine covers instead of ordinary wedding invitations.

Only Rita Lee could pull something like this off.

Then again, Rita Lee had never been ordinary.

She had been born into a family whose wealth was so enormous that people spoke about the Lees the same way they spoke about old royalty, and judging from the celebration unfolding around me, her parents had decided their only daughter deserved a wedding the entire city would remember for years.

I smiled to myself as I adjusted the gift bag in my hand before weaving through clusters of guests chatting happily over champagne.

The ceremony had already ended, and everyone had gathered for the reception, but finding Rita wasn’t exactly difficult.

She stood in the middle of the ballroom looking like she had stepped straight out of a fairy tale, laughing with a group of relatives while photographers circled around her every few seconds.

She looked… happy.

Really happy.

The moment she caught sight of me, her face lit up so brightly that she didn’t even bother excusing herself from the conversation before practically running across the room.

“Oh my God, Blaire!”

She threw both arms around me before I had the chance to say hello, hugging me so tightly that I almost lost my balance.

“I seriously thought I was going crazy every time someone walked through those doors because I kept thinking it was you.”

I laughed as I hugged her back.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

“I don’t care,” she replied immediately, pulling away just enough to look at me properly. “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

For a second, I simply stared at her.

Marriage suited her.

There was something different about the way she smiled now. It wasn’t just excitement over the wedding or the expensive dress or the endless attention from guests. There was a quiet peace resting behind her eyes that hadn’t been there the last time we’d spoken.

“You look different,” I admitted.

Her brows lifted.

“Different good or different bad?”

“Definitely different good,” I said with a grin. “You’re glowing so much it’s actually unfair.”

She laughed, the sound light and effortless.

“I was hoping someone would notice.”

“Oh, trust me. It’s impossible not to.”

A hand settled gently against the small of her back.

I looked up to find a tall man smiling warmly at the two of us.

“Blaire,” Rita said excitedly, slipping her hand into his. “Meet my husband.”

The word husband still sounded new coming from her.

“This is Daniel.”

He extended his hand.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.”

I shook it with a smile.

“I hope only the embarrassing stories.”

Rita gasped dramatically.

“I would never.”

Daniel chuckled.

“I don’t believe that for a second.”

We laughed together, and for a moment everything felt wonderfully good.

Before any of us could continue the conversation, someone behind me cleared their throat.

“I honestly never thought I’d see you again.”

The voice stopped me cold.

I turned around slowly and for a second, my mind went completely blank.

Then recognition hit me all at once.

“Gavin?”

He smiled.

The years had changed him enough that I almost hadn’t recognized him. He was taller than I remembered, his shoulders broader, and the awkward teenage boy who always hid behind oversized hoodies had disappeared completely.

Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around him.

“Oh my God.”

He laughed as he hugged me back.

“It’s really you.”

“When did you become… this tall?”

He grinned.

“When did you stop returning people’s messages?”

I pulled away with a guilty smile.

“Okay… fair enough.”

“It’s been years.”

“I know.”

I looked at him again, still trying to process the fact that he was actually standing in front of me.

“You’ve changed so much.”

“So have you.”

Rita smiled knowingly.

“I’ll let you two catch up.”

After introducing her husband properly to Gavin, she and Daniel drifted back toward their waiting guests, leaving the two of us standing near one of the balconies overlooking the gardens.

“So,” I asked, “what have you been up to?”

“I became a psychologist.”

I blinked.

“You?”

“I know.”

I laughed.

“I wasn’t expecting that answer.”

“Most people aren’t.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“I do,” he admitted. “Some days are exhausting, but I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else.”

“I’m proud of you.”

A warm smile spread across his face.

“I still remember the first time we met.”

I frowned slightly.

“I don’t.”

“You probably wouldn’t.”

He leaned casually against the balcony railing.

“There were three boys from the senior class picking on me because I couldn’t fight back, and before I knew what was happening, this tiny girl marched over, stood in front of me, and threatened to report every single one of them to the principal.”

I stared at him.

“I did that?”

“You absolutely did.”

A laugh escaped me.

“I honestly don’t remember any of this.”

“I figured you wouldn’t,” he said with a smile. “But I never forgot it and I’m always grateful.”

For a brief moment, I wished I could remember the memory he described.

Instead, all I felt was the familiar emptiness that always appeared whenever someone mentioned parts of my memories I couldn’t quite piece together.

Before I could ask another question, his phone began ringing.

He glanced at the screen, and the smile on his face faded.

“I’m sorry,” he said apologetically. “I have to take this.”

“Everything okay?”

“Work emergency.”

I nodded understandingly.

“The life of a psychologist?”

“The glamorous life.”

I laughed.

“Give me your number before you disappear again.”

He handed me his phone, and after we exchanged contacts, he slipped it back into his pocket.

“It was really good seeing you, Blaire.”

“You too.”

“I promise next time we meet, I’ll have more than five minutes.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

With one final wave, he disappeared into the crowd.

I watched him go before deciding it was probably time for me to leave as well.

I had barely taken a few steps toward the exit when something—no, someone—caught my attention.

He stood alone near the far end of the ballroom with a glass of whiskey resting loosely between tattooed fingers, and although I couldn’t make out the details from where I stood, the ink winding beneath the sleeves of his black shirt immediately drew my eyes.

Almost as though he was observing everyone instead of participating in the celebration.

As if sensing my stare, he slowly lifted his head.

Our eyes met across the crowded ballroom.

The corner of his mouth curved into a knowing smirk before he raised his glass ever so slightly in my direction, almost like a silent greeting.

Heat rushed unexpectedly to my face.

I blinked, quickly looking away and practically ran from there as though I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t have been doing.

What on earth was that?

No

Who on earth was that?