[4]

I wasn't sure whose idea this was, but a three-day-long wedding party was nerve-wracking. I felt it was Mida's doing, considering how psyched she was about it.

Her room was more than glamorous. Even though most of the furniture and wallpapers were white, it still was beautiful. A giant queen-sized bed sat at the farthest wall, a white bedside table and lamp right next to it. A dresser and vanity mirror stood in one corner with a wardrobe beside them. The large chandelier hanging from the ceiling served as the major light source of the room.

"So, the night of day one will be for couples' games and the dance. Oh, which reminds me. You have to ensure that everyone at my party has a partner."

My face contorted in confusion. "Why?"

She sighed exaggeratedly, dramatically rubbing her forehead while I rolled my eyes. As much as the armchair I was seated on was plush and comfortable, this discussion was boring. I mean, what single wedding planner would want to sit down and listen to a bride go on and on about her guest list.

"I don't want to take any chances. You know? With Shawn," she explained, giving me a look.

I stared at her in disbelief. "So you don't trust your fiancé enough to let single people attend the pre-wedding party. That's great." I drew out the last word, throwing in a small snort. "How about me then?"

She shrugged. "I've known you all my life, dear. And it's not that I don't trust him. I don't trust the girls. Most of them were recruited from this online bridesmaids app..."

I had to fight back the urge to roll my eyes again.

Shawn, her husband-to-be, was the former CEO of Wells and Co. The gaming company was one of the most successful in America. After he'd left five years ago, he opened his own company, and it was now competing with Wells and Co for the top spot, which was why Mida could have almost anything she wanted at her wedding.

"How do you expect me to know who does and doesn't have a partner?"

"By asking, of course?"

"I'm just going to stop there," I shook my head at her. Did she really think everyone would be honest because this was a rich dude's party? "Please go on before I bolt."

She proceeded, but not before giving me a warning glare.

Mida was only a few years younger than me, but she behaved like a teenager most of the time. So immature and bubbly. Too hopeful. Too demanding.

"Day two would be for the bachelorette party and the bridal shower, which you would not be attending."

"Thank the heavens."

"Day three is the wedding and after party." She dropped the guest list to the side stool in between our seats. "Why are you so bent on avoiding all the wedding events? You know you could find your soulmate here, don't you?" She had placed her chin on her hand by now, leaning forward over the arm of the sofa towards me. A sparkle crossed her brown irises.

"You said everyone is going to have a partner. Do I look like a relationship destroyer to you?" I shot her a disgusted look. I might have been single, but I wasn't looking forward to stealing people's boyfriends. I had dignity.

"You never know what might happen," she sighed, reaching for her glass of wine and taking a small sip.

"I'm not searching for a mate, Mida. And even if I was, everyone knows love is never on my side anyway." There wasn't even a dash of sadness in my tone as I said it. Like I said before, I'd accepted fate.

Mida, however, let her face mirror the sadness I was supposed to be feeling. "Is this about Liam, or is it that one-night stand that left before the morning?"

I felt all the air leave my lungs at the mention of Parker. I hadn't told anyone his name, but I did tell Mida and Simone about that drunken one-night stand. They were the closest people to my personal life.

My hand went to my glass of wine, and I brought it to my lips, gulping its contents at once.

She didn't know this, but Parker had come back days after that incident. And it wasn't just one time. The only thing that kept me running away from him was the fact that each time he returned, he never spoke about the night we shared-in my car. Part of me felt used even though we used each other. Technically.

"It's about fate, Mida," I said as I placed the empty glass back on the side stool with a small clink. "Not everyone gets lucky, and I'm one of the unlucky ones."

"No one is unlucky in love. All that matters is what you want."

What I want? Ha!

The only reason she was saying this was because she hadn't gotten heartbroken thirteen times! Fourteen if you counted the Parker incident.

I let a twitchy smile settle on my lips as I nodded towards the bottle of wine. "Give me a tall glass of that, and then I'll listen to your preaching."

That statement only made Mida look sadder. Just as she was about to say something else, the door flew open, and Simone rushed in, sneakers squeaking against the tiles.

"Thirty minutes are up. Shawn's searching for the both of you," she announced as she reached us. Her eyes zeroed in on Mida's drink.

Before Mida could do anything, she had already snatched the drink and was halfway through with it. Mida snarled.

"The hell is your problem?!"

Simone grinned, letting a loud burp escape her throat. Mida grimaced.

"Shawn's waiting," Simone sang. "Oh, and he has his hot brother with him."

I hadn't met Shawn's brother before now. The only reason why I even knew Shawn was because Mida wouldn't shut up about him. And she forced me to one of the Wellington dinner parties his younger brother hadn't attended.

He was the current CEO of Wells and Co. He'd held that position for almost five years, from what Mida told me.

And his name was Garth.

"You have a boyfriend, Simone," I said to Simone.

"Doesn't mean I can't appreciate beauty because damn. He is hot."

"You," Mida cut in, pointing to Simone. "Shut up. You." She turned to me. "Let's go see my husband." At the mention of her husband, her entire face lit up.

Simone was quick to kill her joy, smirking evilly. "To be."

She let out a battle cry and a string of curse words before chasing Simone out of the room. I sighed in exasperation and followed them, shutting the door behind me.

"Cam!" Shawn exclaimed as my figure descended the stairs, which were decorated with roses. He approached me with Mida by his side. I couldn't find Simone anywhere.

"Hey, Shawn," I greeted, earning myself a rather dashing smile from him.

"You look even prettier by the day," he said, taking my hand and planting a kiss on the back of it. I felt myself blush, not because I was attracted to Shawn. He just had that effect on people.

He was a bit older than Mida, but she didn't care. According to her, love didn't give a shit about age. Though, I could see what drew them together. Shawn was charming, and Mida was drawn to charm. They were a match made in heaven.

"Stop," I gushed. "You're making me blush."

He let go of my hand, wrapping his arm around his now pouting bride-to-be and planting a kiss on the side of her head. Mida turned the shade of an overripe tomato instantly.

Charming, I tell you.

"You two are so cute," I cooed, clasping my hands together. A grin split my face. "Can't wait to see the babies."

That statement made the couple scramble away from each other, dissolving into a series of exaggerated coughs. The tips of Shawn's ears went red in embarrassment.

"The decorations are splendid," Shawn pointed out in an obvious attempt to diverge the topic.

A wicked grin came upon me. "You have the florist and decorator to thank for that, not me."

His gaze leveled to mine, begging me to stop. "You're the one who did the organizing, and you did a marvelous job."

I didn't reply, choosing to smile instead. I'd decided not to taunt or tease him further.

"Where's Garth? I thought you said you were coming with him?" Mida suddenly asked.

"I did come with him." Shawn craned his neck then turned to survey the place. The majority of the decorators and workers had already left on Simone's dismissal, but there were still enough of them to almost crowd the room. Shawn chuckled. "He should be here somewhere. He's probably mingling with all the ladies in this room."

Mida turned to me, grabbing both my hands and grinning so brightly, you could mistake her grin for the sun. It burned.

"You should see him. I know the two of you haven't met properly, but I'm positive you will get along," she chirped, adding a wink at the end for good measure. I blinked, unable to believe that my cousin was trying to set me up with her brother-in-law.

"He has a partner. You said all the members of the wedding party did. And Shawn," I faced Shawn. "Isn't he your best man?"

"He is," he nodded in reply.

"But," Mida cut in, her grip on my hands tightening. "He's an exception, just like you."

I did not like the way her eyes were sparkling, and, certainly, I was not too fond of that smile she was wearing.

"Stop it, Mida!" I removed my hands from her grasp. "I'm not-"

"Ah!" Shawn suddenly exclaimed, "there he is."

"Look who I bumped into." The sound of Simone's voice and the announcement of Garth's arrival made me spin around to see him-the mighty Garth. Finally.

But then the world stopped. My world did.

The world around me continued like nothing was wrong when everything was. Oh, so terribly wrong.

Mida went to Garth, offering a small hug. Shawn and Simone stood around him too, bright smiles on their faces as they stared at him and conversed lightly.

He looked different from how I remembered at first, so I wasn't sure. His shoulders looked broader and more squared up. His blonde hair seemed darker, and his face appeared more... masculine. A crisp black suit adorned his body with a black shirt inside and the first two buttons undone.

At this point, I was sweating profusely. It wasn't him. It couldn't be.

Mida motioned toward me with her hand. I watched in slow motion as a familiar brilliant green gaze settled on me, feeling like a deer caught in the lights.

His lips parted in shock as we stared at each other, neither of us able to move. Shawn, Simone, and Mida now watched us with confusion. He blinked. I broke out of the trance, taking a step back, yelling silently at my racing, aching heart.

I wasn't sure which happened first. Simone's "watch out!" or the bowl of fruit punch that doused me in the sticky liquid.

My hands went to my eyes, wiping away the punch. The moment my vision was restored, it locked onto the same green orbs from before. Every doubt was flung out the window as realization gave me a smack in the face.

Garth was Parker. Parker was Garth. But-

I took another step back, ignoring the apologies of the young man I'd bumped into. When I spoke, my voice was hoarse, clouded with a five-year-old emotion.

"I have to go," I said, turning towards the staircase.

I ran.