A Wedding Affair (The Wedding Affair) (31 page)

“Um what time is it again?” I look anxious at my scheduler on my phone, there it is seven thirty.

We both say

“Seven thirty pm” we both say at the same time.

I smile at him

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world”

“It will be nice to show you off to my colleagues”
he grins at me,

“A
rm candy am I?” as I sip my third cup of coffee.

“Well I am pretty sweet on you
, so yes” he is sweet, and kind and a good hearted person. He reaches over and kisses me on my cheek always the gentleman.

“It’s about that time” he stands and I follow him out, he grabs his coach legacy bri
efcase that I insisted he needed and I walk him to his car, he drives a silver Aston-Martin Vanquish, he puts his briefcase behind his than turns around to kisses me good-bye.

“I’m going to
miss you today”

“What time will you be home?”

“Last class is out at four thirty pm”

“Ok I
’ll close at five o’clock pm, hey that reminds me what was the surprise you got me?” He kisses me again and I caress his hair over his ear.

“I
t’s on the piano in an envelope, I gotta go! One more kiss for the teacher!” mmmmmahhhh and he gets and speeds off like fucking 007 IN THAT CAR.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP he beeps three times for I love you, he is cute
that way.

I run back inside to the piano and see the envelope.

________________________________________________

ONE NIGHT ONLY

HALL & OATS

LIVE ON THE STAGE IN CLEVELAND

SPECIAL GUEST

TEAR FOR FEARS

AND

BANANARAMA

JUNE 18,
2012

BUDLIGHT CONCERT SERIES

_________________________________________________

The concert is tonight, oh wow we have been trying to get tickets to this for a while there are four tickets, I wonder who else is going, I gotta call him, this is a wonderful surprise.

“Ian oh my gawd! I don’t know how you did it but thank you, thank you thank you!”

“It will be a great time, Erika and her husband Christopher, this was their idea”

“O
k I will pick her up and meet you back here. We can grill out sound good?”

“Sounds good to me I love you gotta go”

We hang up and I dial Erika she is very businesslike as she ask me to meet her tonight at the bar by the court house, very appropriately titled The Sidebar.

This is great, I am so excited
, her and Christopher and me and Ian we all went to high-school together and gosh Hall & Oats, and Tears for Fears that is the soundtrack of our high school years.

It
Should be a blast.

I finish getting dressed
for work and I feel more myself as I don a black Pants suit that fits and hugs with feminine detail. The notched collar, the short jacket over a white shirt along with my black flats. I pull my hair back into a ponytail high upon my head, very fun and flirty.

I get to the store early with coffee in hand. Oliver always shows up at around noon, he is not a morning person at all.

“Hey Oliver how was your event on Friday?” Gosh Friday seems like it was an eternity ago. He walks over to me and shows me his phone he took some great pictures, it was an auction to raise money to save one of theatres here. He even auctioned off the tie I made special for the occasion.

“So how was your weekend my dear
?” he is edgy but I don’t let it phase me

“O
h you know…” I go for the nonchalant response

“A
re you ok, you look different today, is it your hair, did you get new make-up?” shit he has always been the inquisitor, I don’t know who is worse him or Erika? Probably Erika she is a judge and will lock me away when she finds out I have been up to no good with Tristan Bach.

“W
hat do you mean?”

“W
ell for one you have two different shoes on!” My eyes open wide and I turn as pale as a ghost, I look at my feet, Oh gosh am I that loopy that I put on two different shoes?

“No I do not!”
as relief floods my face but nonetheless he made me look and he knows I’m hiding something.

“Ok what gives Aria? Y
ou’re white as a ghost, something is up, not only are you walking funny but drinking coffee like you own stock in it!” his words are dead on, he calls them as he see s them.

I can’t tell him, I know I need to talk to someone but I don’t think this is the place to do it, I never keep things from him, he is an amazing friend and pa
rtner and I love him like one of my brothers. I put down the coffee and walk over to him and throw my arms around him. I let out a sigh of relief and he holds me tight.

“Oliver I can’t talk about anything
, but when I can, I’m gonna need you”

He hugs me
hard and he always has three questions that I must answer immediately,

“I
s your mom ok?”

“Y
es”

“Has anyone died?”

“No!”

“A
re we closing?

“Yes at
five pm as usual”

“Ok smart ass, I will wait to hear from you further” see why can’t all men be
this easily placated like Oliver?

“I love you too Oliver”

“Keep calm and carry on?”

“Exactly”

We get through the day with a lot of new faces, our clients and customers are growing by leaps and bounds due to advertising and of course word of mouth; we do an awful lot of internet business since we went global with viral fashion-shows as ads. As well as very provocative layouts in very prestigious men’s magazines, the hash line were great one was ‘Did you lay out your man’s clothes?’ and the one I love ‘You ready to tie me up tie me down’ for our tie sale, but I have to say the cocktail parties are the best way to get them physically in the store, a little food definitely some drinks and free ties, men are very easily pleased as we wine and dine them then suit and tie them.

T
his business is my heart and soul. I just love dressing men, I love everything about it but I have to say the high for me today was seeing my wedding dress, she looks amazing as she is housed in my very pristine office on a bust form, almost complete and ready to make an entrance that is her alright.

I make it through the day
just fine, Tristan has not called or texted me, by which I am grateful and maybe a little hurt, I mean jeez the day after shouldn’t he have made a grand gesture to send me something? Oh well I guess it is just illicit sex, a few stolen moments. I put the thought out of my mind and I close up shop and head out to go fetch Erika.

Erika works two blocks from Tower Centre s
he ask me to meet her at The Sidebar, it’s a bar where all the attorneys and judges hang out. I’ll meet her for a quick one and then we can head back to my place, Christopher is meeting us at my house for dinner, then we’ll all head down to the concert together.

-------<>--------

“Hello, hello,” I greet her.

I have not seen Erika is weeks, she looks too young
to be a judge but she is. Tall blond hair blue eyes, she is a Goddess and heavy with the gavel. I sometimes tread lightly with Erika; she has been known to go ape-shit crazy on me over Tristan Bach in the past.

She jumps off the bar stool and throws her arms around me.

“It’s so good to see you, Aria you look amazing, shit you are positively glowing, well Ian really agrees with you” I go to sit and I wince, ouch I mime as I very gingerly sit in the high boy at the bar. I know I am going to get shit for this.

“Too much Ian?”
she says with a saucy glacial tone in her voice, boy is she way out in left field on that one, shit this is gonna be an interesting evening, I can see her wheels turning already.

“What can I get you?”
the bartender greets me fondly

“I’ll have what you’re having?”
I say innocently.

“Club soda with lime
” gosh is this the drink of choice nowadays?
Bartender returns with my cocktail of choice these days, and I think if I would have had this on Friday maybe I wouldn’t be sore today.

“Cheers to you and Ian and your new life together” we clink our glasses together an
d I take a sip, yeah this is definitely the anti-sex-drink, gotta keep that in mind.

“
Hmm…let me see your ring! I have not seen you since he popped the question, and the way you are siting funny and that beautiful glow on your face, he popped something else!” She gives me the one eyed glare of hers, I blush immediately as she taunts me with having sex for the first time, but wait till she hears the real story,
ten to one she will throw something at me.

“Well it’s just perfect look at you Aria, I am so happy for you”
I nod agreeing not saying too much
I don’t want to talk here, me and bars bad places to talk.

“Come Erika we gotta get going!”
We settle the tab and get in my car that is illegally parked of course. We make it to my house in good time. Ian and Christopher are in the back yard making burgers on the grill.

Ian gives me a
hug and kiss’s me on my temple, Erika and Christopher are all over each other, shit they might need the guest room!

These
two have been married a little over year, but were high school sweethearts. They lost contact and found one another only to live together then marry once she became a judge and he made partner in his law firm, they are my inspiration, they found one another and love was still there for them, so that was the big deciding factor when I said yes to Ian, but who am I kidding a man gets down on bended knee and gives you a Cartier ring you say
yes
.

I fumble with my food, I push it around, Erika catches me zoning out and when Ian speaks of the w
edding a chill run through me. Shit its next Saturday! I stand suddenly while they are talking and I don’t look like the happy bride-to-be, Erika mouths
what’s wrong
? I begin cleaning up and making myself busy, why am I so disoriented? Is it because I have not seen him today, is it because whenever I move just as he said I am reminded of him, because he indeed did brand me. My feelings are all over the place, is it melancholy? Or is it guilt of what I did over the weekend? I mean it was all fine and good while I was in his arms, but in reality, here in my life Tristan can’t exist, I am looking at three people who will go
ape-shit-bananas-on-me
and they have every right too. I know I went through hell and they were right there with me as they witnessed my demise at Tristan’s hand. I was the naïve girl who was used and abused by the bad boy from Wall Street. I can’t take it anymore I need to get some air and of course change out of my work clothes.

“Um guys we are going to change
we’ll be right down” Erika stands and follows me upstairs to my closet, I change into my new black skinny jeans and my slinky white camisole. I don’t look like the naïve little girl from high school anymore I look like the
doomed courtesan
. As I glance at myself in the three way mirror a poetic notion haunts me
‘oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive’
I believe Sir Walter Scott knows the depths of my deception maybe he too was having illicit sex with an ex? I believe he and Tristan share the same birthday September 21, as a matter a fact.

Erika
comes out of the powder room she shuts the door and I know I am in the judge’s chambers.

“Ok Aria, what’s going on?” she messes with her hair and puts it up in a ponytail.

“What?” I am looking at her and I know she knows something is up. It is a waste of time to hide it from her as I finish glossing my lips because they hurt so bad.

“You know what!”
did I mention she is a very stern judge and quite intimidating.

“Tell me or I will start with the accusations!”
I have to tell her because little white lies always lead to a case of the blues for me.

We walk to the sitting
area of my closet she sits in the Bergere chair and I lay on the chaise lounge.

The thought does cross my mind that we look like we
are in a psychiatrist office, how befitting since I have been acting like a sex crazed lunatic all weekend with my ex whom I have not seen in over two years. But a thought about the room we are in, my closet is huge, I gotta come up with a better name for this room than
my closet
it’s bigger than the damn kitchen for goodness sakes!