Wedding Bells

Chapter 1

The boxes were piling up. I could feel the stress taking over my body. The thoughts of having to move everything back to the apartment was exhausting. I turned to look at Clara, I was so grateful she was here to help, and I was thankful that Andrew had paid for a moving team.

I took a step back to take in the scene around me. Everything was moving so quickly. I shook my head turning to look at Andrew. He stood in the corner like a sad child. His eyes casted towards the floor boards, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

A part of me wanted to walk over to him to comfort him. To show him that things were going to be okay, but the voice in the back of my head told me that I shouldn’t. That things would get even more complicated.

Carter walked up behind me. His arms tightly on my shoulder. He was there for moral support, and it was the worst thing we had ever done. Andrew knew something was up, he knew we had kissed, but what he didn’t know was the two weeks ago Carter had proposed.

I shook my head turning to look at the rest of the group, pulling my shoulders away from Carters grip. Andrew looked up, his eyes boring into me, like I was the fire that burned in the depths of hell, the fire that has taken everything away from him.

“Are you almost ready to go?” My mother smiles, her hands taking the place that Carter’s once were. I turned to look at her. Nodding my head. The anxiety that was filling the room was almost drowning.

It'd been two weeks since Carter had shown up in New York. The thought of picking up my stuff had scared me away form this very moment. To the point where I was going to just let Andrew keep it all. Carter had suggested he would come with, for moral support and I realize now I should have said no. This wasn't fair. This wasn't right for Andrew. I turned to look at my friends. The people who had supported me so much in the last few years.

"Can I have a minute alone with Andrew?" I asked, the face of the man I was supposed to marry lightens as he finally makes eye contact with myself. I felt unusual under his gaze. So many memories were held behind those soft eyes that now captured mine. So many that I had destroyed and ruined for the rest of our lives.

He would always remember me as the girl who left, who walked away from our marriage. Who had to go on vacation and kissed her best friend, the guy she should have chosen in the first place. What he didn’t know what that he had proposed.

I glanced at the spot where the ring should have been on  my finger. Saying no to Carter was the hardest thing I had ever done, but it just didn’t feel right accepting a proposal so soon after being engaged. The trip to California had shown me things that I would have never seen without it. It was both a blessing and a curse and I was ready to start the healing process. I needed to be back at my shop.

“Sure,” Clara was the first to speak. Carter glares at Andrew, his eyes softening as he looks at me. I knew he would have reservations of leaving me along with Andrew. Unfortunately it wasn’t his choice if I did or didn’t. I tried my best to smile, showing him that everything was going to be okay.

“We will be outside, you know where to find us if you need anything,” Carter mumbled, picking up a box as he started towards the door. Everything had been piled up in the corridor of the entrance. We were almost done fully moving everything. I felt sad leaving the staff. The ones I had met and worked with, the ones that felt like they needed me around.

“How are you doing?” I leaned forward, taking a deep breath as I placed my hand on Andrew’s shoulder. He looked up at me, his eyes covered in a teary haze. He pulled away from me, leaning against one of the many pillars that rose from the floor to the ceiling.

“How do you think I’m doing?” He question, his words harsher than I had expected them to be. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Maybe I should have left with everyone else. We had already said goodbye, maybe that was why Carter was so worried of me being with Andrew by myself.

He wasn’t happy when he found out about our kiss. I couldn’t blame him. I hadn’t told him I was going over to Andrew’s but Carter had understood that it was something that needed to happen. Though he wasn’t happy he was okay with it. I was grateful for that. He was caring exactly the way I needed him to be, this was refreshing compared to Andrew’s controlling ways.

I knew I shouldn’t compare the two and honestly it was hard not to since they had came into my life around the same time. The competition between them was so apparent, I’m sure the entire world could see it.

“I’m just trying to make sure you are okay, I need you to understand why I did it, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” I muttered. My heart was breaking all over again. The thought of hurting Andrew this much had nearly destroyed me. I didn’t want him to think I did this on purpose, or that I knew it was going to happen like this.

I had planned on marrying him, I would have been happy marrying him, if he would have paid more attention to me. It was over now though and I was ready to move on with things. The next year for me was going to change. Things were going to be different. I was going to focus on my own life. Focus on changing the things that had made me so sad in the past.

“Take your stuff and get out okay,” Andrew muttered, the pain in his voice apparent. What he didn’t know was he was hurting me to. Someone that loved me so much shouldn’t treat me this way. I shook my head turning on my heel, if that was what he wanted than that was what he would get.

I grabbed the handle to the front door of the large home. Turning to wave to Jimmy and Katy, the two that had treated me so well while I was here. I would find a way to get in contact with them eventually. I shook my head yet again looking around the house one last time. Taking in all the intricate details I might have taken for granted the first time I moved in.

Now that I was moving out everything seemed prettier than before, more sparkly, and like I was losing a bigger piece of who I had become. It wasn’t all for the worse though, because I’d become a better person as soon as I left these walls. The fear of having to fit into Andrew’s world would no longer exist.

I closed the door behind me, creating a divide between Andrew and I. Knowing I would never talk to him ever again had lifted a weight off of my shoulders. I wished for the best in his future. Wished that everything he did would be beneficial for him. I also hoped he would get some help for his mother Esmeralda. Chuckling to myself lightly I make my way down the steps in front of the large mansion.

Once all the stuff was gathered in the moving truck it took off, heading down the road until it bumped all the way down the driveway. Carter was the first to greet me, his arms wrapped around me as if I had been gone for years. I smiled slightly, taking in the warm scent that engulfed him.

“Now what is the plan?” I could feel the words fall from my lips but I couldn’t remember saying them. The conversation with Andrew hadn’t ended how I wanted it to but there was nothing I could do about it now. He was hurt, and he had a right to be. I’d been horrible to him, and for some reason Carter was okay with it.

“We were going to take you out to get some drinks,” Clara mumbled. Her voice was soft, her hair falling down her back in the perfect waves that suited her so perfectly. I shrugged my shoulder allowing Carter to pull me towards the car. The Uber driver had been waiting patiently for us, and I felt bad that I had affected his life as well.

After we had all piled into the back of the vehicle he followed the route the moving truck had gone, trying his best to avoid all of the bumps in the long driveway. I watched the trees from the window, my heart beating rapidly at the thought of this really being it.

“What bar do you want to go to?” My mother asked. I paused for a moment before answering. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go, or what I wanted to do. I kind of wanted to just go home and take a bath. Somehow Clara and I were supposed to fit all of our stuff in the same apartment.

The place I had called home for so long was now going to be shared with my best friend. Out of everything that had happened in the last little while I could think of worse things. But my mind and body were begging for things to go back to normal, for the world to just go back to how it was before Andrew. Before I had moved, given my apartment to Clara. I knew I would owe her for allowing me to move back in with her.

I would have felt horrible asking her, and I probably never would have, but she offered and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I was ready for the new adventure.

I turned and looked at Carter, his eyes watching me. Was he still waiting for me to answer?

“Um, I guess let’s go to the blues bar down by the shop,” I muttered. Turning to look out the window. Carter wrapped his arms around me even tighter, pulling me into him. It was comforting but I felt like I needed to space to breathe. My mind was being pulled in so many different directions. Maybe it would be good for me to have a few drinks. To lighten up a little bit.

I could see Carter’s reflection in the window, his eyes watching me carefully, a small smile on his face. He had picked up his entire world. Convincing his college to let him finish here, and currently he was working on finding an apartment of his own. He’d been working at the shop to help himself with the bills. His job allowing him to work a few times from here, but they couldn’t keep him full time with the distance. He’d gotten lucky in his move.

At least I think that’s what he had done. He’d moved all of his stuff across the country and now as it sits in storage he was looking at getting a job. Looking for anything to help sustain him while he searched. House shopping in New York was difficult, and I wanted to help, but I couldn’t allow myself to invest that much time into helping him right now. I needed some time to figure out what was going on in my own life.

“It’s good to finally have the crew back together,” My mother smiled, her words an attempt to make small talk. To bring up memories of when things were happier. It didn’t work in her favor though, as the thought of the group being back together while I was so miserable, made it feel like it was only together at the cost of my happiness. I shook my head. That was a horrible thing to think about.

It wasn’t the case at all. All of this had happened to save my happiness in the long term and maybe it sucked right now but at least one day I would  be able to look back and know that I made the right decision. Andrew was not right for me.

The Uber pulled to the side of the road. Dropping us off as we all jump out of the car. My mother quickly paid him and we all head through the entrance and down the long stairwell. This place had always brought me happiness.

We waited to be seated and soon we were in our very own booth. All of us cuddled around the beautifully designed table. Candles were lit to keep the lighting soft and I was happy I’d picked this place. Already the heaviness had lifted.

We ordered our drinks, the group chattering around me. Carter’s arm still around me as if he was trying to protect me. Like he was terrified of losing me now that he thought he had me. But I couldn’t commit to him right now, and I needed a little more time to really figure out who I was and what was going on in my own life.

“The sales at the shop have been through the roof the last few weeks,” My mother beamed, Clara smiled nodding in agreement. Carter shuffled in his seat finally removing his hand from around me. I searched the menu not sure what to say.

Picking up the drink that had been placed in front of me I took a long sip, the alcohol dancing on my tongue as it worked itself down my throat.

The sales in the shop were up because I’d done nothing but sell dresses, my heart so devastated by everything around me that I wanted to focus on anything that would distract me. Selling dresses always had.

“That’s because we have such a wonderful boss,” Carter muttered nudging me with his elbow, his words wrapping around me and pulling me out of my thoughts.

I tried my best to smile.

“You have no clue what we’ve been talking about do you?” Clara chuckled to herself. I nodded my head, the smile growing wider on my face. I took another large drink before the waitress returned to take our food orders.

“So tell us your secrets,” My mother whispers loud enough that everyone can hear her. She leans against me as if I had a top secret selling tactic.

“Heartbreak,” I muttered. I had no idea how I was supposed to answer that. She’d wanted an answer and that was really why I’d been so well with my sales. Every sale I had made gave me a sense of happiness and I was struggling to find it in other places.

“When your father passed away I did the same thing, I went into a spiral and I just sold, and that was all I cared about. I wasn’t sure how the shop was going to work, and if you were quite ready to take over, and I tackled everything by just selling every freaking thing I could,” I knew her words were supposed to be inspiring and any other day they would have been.

“I think we need to change the subject,” Clara interrupted. I nodded my head hoping that they would do that. Soon the conversation was shifted to the boy Clara had met in California, she begged for Carter to convince him to come see her. I rolled my eyes just hoping the waitress would bring our food soon.

"David will come out when he is ready," Carter tried to mumble. His words falling to deaf ears as Clara continued to beg for him to come see her. I wondered why she didn't just ask him herself. I know they had been on the phone every second possible the last couple of weeks. I was thankful I was staying at my mother's house, instead of in the apartment with clara. Their phone calls would last into the wee hours of the night and at this moment I needed all the sleep I could get. Everything was stressing me out and I couldn't handle it. It was like I needed another vacation. A vacation from the one I had just taken.

Carter and her went back and forth for a few more minutes before my mother finally stepped in.

"Okay guys, I think that is enough, David cares about you we all know that Clara, why don't we talk about something else," Yet again the conversation was due for a change. Everyone sat in silence for a few moments, not sure what was safe to talk about and what needed to be avoided. I scoffed, which drew the attention to myself.

"Guys stop acting like I am broken, you can talk about whatever you want to, hell talk about Andrew if you want,"

"No we don't want to," Carter practically interrupted me, the words sharp like knives. I knew he would always hate Andrew but part of me was angered by that. He needed to know that Andrew was part of my past and that it would never change.

"Maybe we should talk about him then," I stare at Carter, my heart racing as I tried to break through the exterior of his emotions. He needed to figure out what was going on with himself and everything to do with our relationship. We would need to take time to be friends again before we could jump back into being lovers.

The week in California with him had been brilliant, everything flowed so well between us and you could hardly keep us away from each other. But honestly, since we had been in New York things were harsher, Carter was on edge, like he was worried. I'd done my best to allow him to breathe. To do what he needed to calm down, but the longer he was here the worse things seemed to get.

“What is your problem?”