Wren's Return.

The wedding planner Luke and I’ve been visiting was this young lady named Nicky Olivier and she had this shop in Harley Mall that was called ‘Nicky’s Weddings’. Harley Mall was a huge mall so it was quite a walk.

By the time I arrived, Luke and Nicky were talking to each other and once they saw me, they smiled. Luke got up to give me a kiss on the cheek and said, “Hi.” I smiled and said ‘hi’ back.

“So…” Nicky broke in, smiling. “Can we get started?”

We begin discussing about the wedding clothes, the theme, the venue and decorations. Luke seemed really into it so I tried not to be rude and sound interested too.

Suddenly, the door to Nicky’s shop opened and in came a guy with messy brown-blonde hair came bustling into the shop. Nicky ran towards him and flung her arms around him. The moment he looked up at Nicky with his bright green eyes, I knew exactly who it was.

Wren McCarty.

“Hey, cousin!” Nicky says, still having her arms around him. Wren hugs her back and I get on my feet, gasping. Wren looks at me and we both just stare at each other, mouths gaping open in surprise.

He’d changed since the last time I saw him. His hair had gotten longer and messier, he’d grown taller and much more attractive.

Luke sees me in complete shock and asks, “Love? What’s wrong?” That’s when Wren snaps out of his shock-stage and raises an eyebrow. “Love?” He asks, repeating what Luke had said. I look back at Luke and back to Wren and blush. I had no idea how to say it.

Luke gets up from his chair, walks over to Wren and shakes his hand. “Luke, Luke Reed. Naomi’s fiancé.” He introduces. Wren glances at me with eyes wide open as if to ask fiancé???

“Wren,” Wren says. “Wren McCarty. You’re a really lucky man, Luke Reed. Naomi’s a nice girl.” Luke looks at me and back to Wren in surprise.

“You both know each other?” He asks. Wren and I grin.

“It’s been a while but, yeah.” Wren says as he walks over to me as he gives me this very awkward hug. I awkward-hug him back and we both pull away, just standing there with our hands still griping each other’s arms and staring into each other’s widened eyes.

“H-How’ve you been?” I manage to say without choking into tears. Wren takes his hands away from my arms and says, “I’ve been fine. I’ve been in New Zealand for practically 2 years now with Imogen.”

Speak of the devil. Imogen comes walking into the shop and shrieks with delight when she sees me. “Naomi!” She screams, running over to me to give me a hug. Wren backs away and folds his arms. I hug Imogen back and laugh.

“What’re you doing here?” She asks and pulls away. I point to Luke and he waves his hand coyly at Imogen. Imogen takes one look at him, gasps and looks back at me with this slow dramatic head turn.

“You’re getting MARRIED?!” Imogen literally shrieks. I nod slightly and she shrieks again, this time jumping around as she holds my arms.

“What a coincidence!” Imogen says, taking Wren’s hand in hers. “Meet soon-to-be Mr and Mrs McCarty!”

Right after she says this, it’s as if the whole world stops for a second as I take this in. Imogen and Wren, going to get married?

I stare mouth gaped open at the two and try not to look so surprised and heartbroken because I mean, I’m getting married too but I expected Wren to do something about it not get married to Imogen.

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Luke calling my name. I snap out of my thoughts, plaster a fake smile on my face and ask, “Really? When?”

“New Year’s Day!” Wren says excitedly. He and Imogen smile at each other and my heart skips a beat.

“Really?” Luke says, looking at me. “Us, too!” Wren and Imogen gasp and Imogen squeals with excitement. “Omg, why don’t we just have a double marriage? Same venue, same time!” She says, looking at me with excitement.

And yet again, everything around me stops and I’m in my own space like, what the heeeeeck. Seriously that is THE WORST IDEA EVER, IMOGEN.

“Sure,” I say instead, plastering a fake smile on my face as I feel like slapping myself so hard I’d fly off to Mars. I fake-smile at Luke and he smiles sincerely back at me.  I look at Imogen and Wren who are still clasping hands with each other.

“Mogi, we gotta go. Mom’s expecting us at her house.” Great, Wren even has a nickname for Imogen. Imogen smiles at him and says okay. She looks back at me and Luke.

“I’m so happy for you,” She says as she puts a hand on my shoulder. I glance at it and say one of the biggest lies I’ve told in my life.

“Me too.”

…

I meet up with one of my old friends at a café in Harley Mall. Luke had went back to his house while ago, leaving me all the time in the world to explore this massive mall.

Violet shows up at the café’s front door with her phone in her hand. I wave my hand in a gesture that said, I’m here! Violet smiles and scampers over to me, her curly brown her swaying gracefully. This girl, I think. Has always been graceful.

“Naomi!” I stand up when she says my name as if she were a teacher and I were a student. She embraces me in the most graceful way possible and sits opposite me. A female waiter comes over to us and takes her order as I’d already ordered an ice latte.

After she orders, she folds her arms and sets them on the table and looks at me in full curiosity. I do the same and ask, “Uggggh have you heard about Wren and Imogen?” Violet lifts an eyebrow and asks, “Why?”

So I give her the dip, telling her about the deal Wren and I made a few years back and how Imogen and Wren are getting married on the same day Luke and I are and how much that FREAKS ME OUT. And also how Imogen suggested a double marriage and I idiotically agreed to it. Violet takes this all in and her face goes into ‘thinking mode’.

Her drink arrives after I finish my story telling and she takes a sip from it.

“What is it?”

“Chamomile. Want some?”

I shake my head and put it in my hands and say, “Ughh, what am I supposed to dooooo.”

Violet is quiet for a few seconds. I hear her put down her cup on the table. I take my head out of my hands and look at her as if to say, well?!

“I think you should fight for Wren back,” Violet says abruptly. I lift an eyebrow and take a sip from my ice latte. “Seriously? That’s the best you’ve got?” I ask judgingly.

“Do you have anything better?” Violet asks me in this dull voice. I put my head I my hands once again and groan.

“How do I fight to get Wren back anyway? He and Imogen are getting married.” I say, my head still in my hands.

“So are you and Luke,” Violet says, reminding me. “What does Wren like the most?” She asks.

“Ice skating.” I say. I take my head out of my hands and gasp. “I teach ice skating.”

“Exactly,” Violet takes a sip out of her chamomile tea.

“I should call him every time I teach,” I say, looking at Violet. She waves her hand in the air and says, “No.”

“No?!” I ask aloud. Almost everyone in the café has their eyes on me and I go blushing red. Violet takes a sip from her tea and whispers, “My, my, my.” She turns back to the crowd in the café and says, “Excuse me, don’t you all have anything better to do, hmm?”

“Anyway,” Violet says, looking back at me. “He’ll come to the skating rink, just believe me.”

To be continued in: You Teach?