There was a knock on the door and he pushed away the irritation and exhaustion andcalled, “Come in!”
Laura stepped inside, her platinum blond hair was artfully arranged and her ice blue gown was perfectly matched to her eyes. Everything about her was cold, hard and sharp. Herchin was severe, her cheekbones incredibly high and her manner flinty. He wondered if shewould cut him to shreds when he touched her the night of their wedding.
“We need to talk.”
“I’m aware that I’m going to be late for the opera.” He said in an even voice.
“It’s not that.” Her slim pale hands came up and clasped each other, then wrung together. It was a gesture he had never seen her make and it caught his attention. “I…you see … I love ” h… er voice choked to a halt and, incredibly enough she began to weep. Not lady like tears either, harsh bitter sobs that echoed loudly in the chamber.
Stunned and surprised he did the only thing he knew to do, he went to her and wrapped his strong arms around her, “It’s okay Laura. You aren’t supposed to hate me.”
“It’s not you, I mean I don’t hate you but I love…I love someone else!”
His mouth fell open. He was literally speechless for an instant. “You love somebody else?”
“Yes, and… and it’s a woman. It’s Hallie, my school friend. I don’t want to marry you Matt, I want to live with Hallie and my parents are forcing me to marry... ”
His laughter rang out clear and joyous. He tilted her tearstained face up and kissed her on her forehead. “Laura, you do what makes you happy no matter what. You should be with the person that makes you want to live, makes you feel good.”
“My parents are going to be so angry.” She whispered. “I’m scared.”
“You could always blame me. Hell, go ahead, I don’t really care.” He took three steps toward the door, that huge smile still on his face “. Tell them that I called it off.”
“Where are you going?” She called after him.
“To take my own advice!” Matt yelled back. “Paul! Paul, book a flight. I need to get back to America!”
Matt got to the hotel too late to see Rachel at the bar. Too keyed up to wait he had Paul bribe a bellhop to give him an address. He knew that the paparazzi were already waiting tocatch him; the news that he had ‘jilted’ Laura had gone viral almost before his plane hadtaxied out of Heathrow. He didn’t care about the cameras but he wasn’t sure who Rachel would feel about them, or about the lie he had told her. The lie he intended to correct immediately.
He put on a dark coat and scarf, hid his head under a hat and went down the guests tunnel to where a cab sat. Jumping in he gave her address and sat impatiently looking out at the cityscape until they arrived in front of her apartment.
He knocked on the door and a tall man with sandy hair and a pair of far too loose cargo pants opened the door with a “Yeah?”
He had never asked if she were married or dating, he realized as he stared at the other man. Before he could think of anything to say Rachel appeared behind the man, her face paling in shock as she said,
Laura stepped inside, her platinum blond hair was artfully arranged and her ice blue gown was perfectly matched to her eyes. Everything about her was cold, hard and sharp. Herchin was severe, her cheekbones incredibly high and her manner flinty. He wondered if shewould cut him to shreds when he touched her the night of their wedding.
“We need to talk.”
“I’m aware that I’m going to be late for the opera.” He said in an even voice.
“It’s not that.” Her slim pale hands came up and clasped each other, then wrung together. It was a gesture he had never seen her make and it caught his attention. “I…you see … I love ” h… er voice choked to a halt and, incredibly enough she began to weep. Not lady like tears either, harsh bitter sobs that echoed loudly in the chamber.
Stunned and surprised he did the only thing he knew to do, he went to her and wrapped his strong arms around her, “It’s okay Laura. You aren’t supposed to hate me.”
“It’s not you, I mean I don’t hate you but I love…I love someone else!”
His mouth fell open. He was literally speechless for an instant. “You love somebody else?”
“Yes, and… and it’s a woman. It’s Hallie, my school friend. I don’t want to marry you Matt, I want to live with Hallie and my parents are forcing me to marry... ”
His laughter rang out clear and joyous. He tilted her tearstained face up and kissed her on her forehead. “Laura, you do what makes you happy no matter what. You should be with the person that makes you want to live, makes you feel good.”
“My parents are going to be so angry.” She whispered. “I’m scared.”
“You could always blame me. Hell, go ahead, I don’t really care.” He took three steps toward the door, that huge smile still on his face “. Tell them that I called it off.”
“Where are you going?” She called after him.
“To take my own advice!” Matt yelled back. “Paul! Paul, book a flight. I need to get back to America!”
Matt got to the hotel too late to see Rachel at the bar. Too keyed up to wait he had Paul bribe a bellhop to give him an address. He knew that the paparazzi were already waiting tocatch him; the news that he had ‘jilted’ Laura had gone viral almost before his plane hadtaxied out of Heathrow. He didn’t care about the cameras but he wasn’t sure who Rachel would feel about them, or about the lie he had told her. The lie he intended to correct immediately.
He put on a dark coat and scarf, hid his head under a hat and went down the guests tunnel to where a cab sat. Jumping in he gave her address and sat impatiently looking out at the cityscape until they arrived in front of her apartment.
He knocked on the door and a tall man with sandy hair and a pair of far too loose cargo pants opened the door with a “Yeah?”
He had never asked if she were married or dating, he realized as he stared at the other man. Before he could think of anything to say Rachel appeared behind the man, her face paling in shock as she said,
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