Blank - Cheater, cheater - 6

Cheater, cheater - Six

Rehearsal was at the beach where they were going to get married. Liz didn't go and said she’d meet us at dinner. It was almost at sunset. It was beautiful. Brigitte’s parents were standing there with her sister next to her, as were Ryan’s parents and his brother next to him. Brigitte’s parents were very like Ryan’s parents. It was kind of weird actually. Their mothers looked so much alike as did their fathers. They were all very polite and seemed like normal people, except they didn’t seem to have a problem with this too soon wedding. According to Molly that was a very serious imperfection. She was fine with so many more serious things, but this whole “too soon” wedding still bothered her.

Molly, Cami, Stew and I got there a few minutes before Ryan’s cousin Edward, who was walking with Molly’s. He looked a lot like Ryan and Alex. It was very odd how they all looked so much alike. Cami noticed it too, so it wasn’t just me. Brigitte was the only one who differed from them. After the rehearsal we left the beach and went to a restaurant. The same one where Molly and I had dinner the night before. We were all there. Except for Elizabeth. We sat down and were having drinks when she walked in. She looked absolutely magnificent in a one shoulder black dress and her long blonde hair down. I had noticed her beauty before, but I never stopped to appreciate how gorgeous she was. Then again I used to hate her.


Dinner was pleasant. Everyone was very nice and quiet funny. We walked back to the hotel. That was a very good characteristic of Catalina; everything was walking distance. We got to the hotel and – alcoholic that I am – I suggested we went to the bar to have a few drinks. Cami, Stew, Molly and Elizabeth joined me. Everyone else passed and went to bed. We sat at the bar and ordered some drinks. Stew ordered a coke. We talked for a half hour before Molly went off to bed and I had to go to the bathroom. Cami went with me.

“So what is this with you and Gregory?” Cami asked me, a little annoyed, as she washed her hands.

“What do you mean?” I didn’t know what answer she wanted.

“What is it? Do you like her? Is it serious? Or are you just having fun? Is it the sex?” she asked a little bitter.

“Cami, I don’t know. We had a very drunken night and I didn’t have time to figure anything out. It was fun and oddly enough she seems like a nice person out of the office, but it’s like we met yesterday. It’s not like we’re dating.”

“You’re taking her to Ryan’s wedding.” She said very annoyed.

“Yes, because I don’t know what’s going on exactly and I want to figure it out. That doesn’t mean that she’s my girlfriend or that this is anything serious. I don't know what it is. It just means I kinda like spending time with her and I need to figure a lot of stuff out.”

“Yeah. But can’t you do that with someone else?” she turned to look at me.

“I don’t know Cami!” I took a deep breath “Look, I know you don’t like her, and I didn’t either, but things happened and it wasn’t as I planned it. It’s not as if I ever thought this could happen between us. If you have a problem with her talk to her. If you have a problem with me talk to me. Just don’t let it get between us. What’s bothering you?”

She stared at me. “It’s just…” she looked away reaching for the paper towel “…I never thought she would be in our lives like this and I’m afraid it’ll just make work harder and awkward. I don’t like her.”

“I thought about that. It is definitely gonna be different at work, but we just have to work something out. And maybe it won’t even work out. I don’t know how it’s gonna be when we go back. It might be over sooner than it started. And then you can go back to calling her alien android evil monster, OK?” I said smiling to try to soothe the mood.

She smiled “Yes! I would love that!” and we went back to the table.

We had a couple more drinks and Cami and Stew went to sleep leaving me and Elizabeth. A little after that we got in the elevator. I pressed the fifth floor and she pressed sixth, where her room was. When the door closed it was just Elizabeth and I inside. She turned to me, put her hands around me, pressed me gently to the corner and kissed my cheek. Her lips moved softly kissing my ear and she whispered, “You know, we could skip the fifth floor” she kissed my cheek again and then my lips.

My stomach trembled and my heart flew contained by my ribs. I hadn't thought about it. I mean, I thought about being with her and spending time, I hadn’t thought about sex again. We had done it once, but I didn’t exactly remember it and I was terrified that I wouldn’t know what to do. The night before I was drunk so that helped, but the few drinks I had that night was definitely not enough to relax me into doing it again. But, then again, it seemed like I wanted to. The idea frightened me, but it also encouraged me.  I took a moment as she kissed my other cheek “yeah, I don’t even like the fifth floor that much” I whispered, almost to weak to get any words out. She smiled and kissed me again.

I was so nervous, but so excited that it was about to happen and that I would remember it fully, that I would enjoy it entirely. I was terrified and extremely self-conscious. At the same time I was ready and amazed. And it was even more magnificent than I thought it would be. She turned me around as we walked in her room. She kissed the back of my neck as her hands we traveling on my waist. My body responded in goosebumps. She unzipped my dress and started kissing my back. I tried to turn face to her but she held me. Her hands firmly on my hips. She kissed me repeatedly down to my butt cheek. She pulled down my dress as she got up and kissed me passionately in my mouth. I reached to open her dress and let it fall on the floor. I felt her body pressed to mine. She laid me on the bed and I had one of the best nights of my life.

The way her soft skin felt on mine. The way she smelled so feminine. The way her lips felt on my body. The way she touched me. The way it felt when I touched her. It was all so different and it was mind-blowingly wonderful.

I woke up Saturday morning very early with my phone ringing. I looked at it and it was Cami. I picked it up.

“Where are you!?” she yelled on the other side.

“At the hotel. Why? What happened?” I asked getting up still half asleep.

“No you’re not. I’m at your room and you’re not here. Where are you?” She was still yelling.

“Calm down Cami. I’m at Liz’s room. Just tell me what’s going on.”

“Oh right. Just get over here now! It’s Molly.” She said and hung up.

Elizabeth rolled over turning to me “what’s going on?” she asked me.

“I don’t know. Something with Molly.” I said getting dressed.

“Is she ok?” she said worried.

“I don’t know. Cami wouldn’t say much.” I put my dress on. “I’ll just go and see what’s happening.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” she asked sitting up on the bed.

“No it’s fine. Go back to sleep. I’ll just see what’s going on and I’ll let you know, OK? I’m sorry!” I said giving her a quick kiss and hurrying out the door.

I got to our room in a minute. Molly was in tears and Cami was next to her trying to calm her down.

“What happened?” I asked trying to catch my breath.

“Roger.” Cami said handing me Molly’s phone.

I took the phone and sat down as I looked. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was a picture. Roger and some woman, naked in bed in a very compromising position. It wasn’t his ex-wife. I didn’t know who it was, but it was sent from the evil bitch’s number. I didn’t know what to say, but I had to give Roger the benefit of the doubt.

“Oh My God! Wha…Who…Woah!” I tried getting the words out. “Honey, you know this could be an old picture. Roger wouldn’t do that.” I wasn’t sure if he would, but I didn’t doubt that he would.

“It’s not older that two months.” Molly said sobbing. “That shirt next to her ass is a gift from me. I bought that bastard as an anniversary present.” She broke, crying again, putting her head in her hands.

I couldn’t believe what was going on. “Did she talk to him?” I asked Cami.

“Yeah.” Molly said looking up straight in my eyes, she was still crying very much. “I was sure it was a set-up, Photoshop or whatever.” She sobbed “but no. He didn’t deny it. He said that this wasn’t the way I was supposed to find out and that he was sorry.” I couldn’t believe Roger would say that. That he was cheating on her and he is sorry, and that’s it. He had been lying to her – and us – all this time. It turned out that he was not the nice guy we though he was, and that he let people walk allover him because he walked all over Molly as well. That was the moment I started hating Roger.

“That asshole!” I said reluctant. “I can’t believe that son of a bitch!”

“Curse at him for another hour and you’ll get where we are now.” Cami said holding Molly.

I was incredulous. So much had happened in two days and now Roger. He was supposed to be a good guy. None of us ever thought it would end that way. I was so furious at him. I just wanted to punch him in the face. And the worse is that there was nothing I could say to Molly that would make her feel better. We sat with her for an hour. At some point I would risk saying something, and Cami would try too. But it was in vain.

“Molly I can’t even imagine what is going through your mind right now and nothing we say is gonna make you feel any better. It is never easy to have a clean breakup and this one is even messier. But you’re just gonna have to be strong and get over this. And it’s not gonna be easy. Don’t think that I don’t know that. I do. But You’re gonna have to.” Cami spoke after a long quiet moment.

“Yeah, sweetie. And we’re here for you. You can always hold on to us.” I added.

“I just thought he was the one.” She said, calmer, but still crying.

“I know. We all did, honey.” Cami said, still holding her.

Someone knocked on the door. I got up and went to see who it was. I opened and Ryan stormed in the room.

“Just talked to Stewart. I'm gonna cut Roger’s balls off!” He said furious.

“Ry calm down.” Cami said moving her eyes to Molly.

“Yeah. I’ll calm when I kick his ass!” he sat down.

“I just feel like…” Molly started.

“Like your heart’s been ripped out of your chest and you’ll never be able to trust anyone else.” Ryan completed sadly. I had forgotten he had been in that place.

“Yeah.” Molly agreed. Cami and I looked at each other and then back at Ryan and Molly. He should be talking to her, not us. Cami never had a messy breakup. I had a bad breakup, but tit was nothing close to this. Ryan knew what she was going through. He had been through it.

I looked at Cami. She was seeing what I was seeing. She got up and we left them talking. He would know what to tell her. We left the room, but couldn’t let ourselves leave the hallway before knowing that Molly was alright.

“Do you think it’s been going on for long?” I asked Cami.

“I don’t know.” She answered. “But I don’t doubt it.”

“Roger. I mean. Roger. He was a good guy.” I said reluctant.

“Yeah. People are not always what they seem. They’ll surprise you in the most strange ways.” She said looking at the door and the back at me. Somehow I knew that that was not about Roger. I knew that even though she denied it, Cami was having a hard time with my sexuality I just didn’t know how much it bothered her. And I was afraid to find out. We waited quietly for about a half an hour when Ryan opened the door, Molly behind him. Cami and I rushed to hug her.

“Are you gonna be OK, sweetie?” Cami asked.

“Yeah. I have to, right?” she looked at Ryan. He nodded agreeing.

I don’t know what Ryan told Molly, but she was a lot better. Still mad and devastated, but she was better. Not long and we had to get ready for the wedding. Molly went with me, Elizabeth, Stew and Cami. The sand was filled with white chairs contoured by wooden torches. In the end was the altar with a wooden arch decorated with white flowers. It was beautiful. We waited by the back as we had rehearsed. Surprisingly there were a lot of people at the wedding. I don’t know where they came from, but Alex seemed to know most of them so I guessed they were Ryan’s relatives. I knew he was close to his family, but I didn’t know they would all fly to California to his wedding.

“So how’s she doing?” Alex asked me in a low voice.

“Um, she’s better, but still pretty bad.” I answered.

“I’ve always wanted to punch him in the face. Now I want to break his neck.”

“I never wanted to punch him, now I also want to break his neck.”

“You think she’ll be OK?”

“If you’re asking if she’ll be ready to move on and date someone else, like you, I’d say no.” I knew that that was what he was asking. “If you’re asking if she will get over him after a long period of crying and drinking, then yes.”

“Right.”

“Just give her space. Don’t do anything now.”

“No. I know. Of course.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, Julia.”

“We’re ready everyone.” The wedding planner let us know.

Elizabeth took a seat and we all got to our places. Ryan walked down in white pants and white shirt with his mother. Then Brigitte’s mother and Ryan’s father walked. There was a break. Another music started and Alex and me walked down. Cami and Stew followed us. Molly and Edward walked down after them. The guys stood next to Ryan and us girls stood on the other side. There was another break, then “Here comes the bride” started and Brigitte walked down with her father. She looked amazing. She wore a strapless white dress and no veil. Her hair was down. She held a white bouquet.

The ceremony wasn’t long. At some point, Dominique walked in alone with the rings. Ryan looked so happy and they looked so in love I was almost jealous. The reception was at the Santa Catalina Casino Ballroom. After all the wedding formalities Molly decided it was time to drink. I, of course, accompanied her to the bar. You see, I see alcohol as painkiller for the soul. I think that drinking is the solution to everything. And if you think about it, it kind of is. It is suitable to any occasion. You drink when you’re sad, when you’re upset, when you’re happy, when you want to have fun, when you want to do something wrong, when you need the courage to do something right, when you have nothing to do. It’s just appropriated at any time. 

We got drunk. Not wasted, but drunk. Molly didn’t cry. I took that as a good sign. At one point I asked her why she slept at the beach on the night we got there. She said she didn’t know, but nothing hurt and she was alive so she probably just passed out. We had a good time. Cami, Stew, Molly, Alex, Elizabeth and I got back to the hotel and in the elevator. Molly, Cami and Stew walked out as the door opened on the fifth floor, but before they got out I grabbed Stew’s shirt and said “You ever cheat on Cami I will personally hunt you down, kick your ass and cut off your dick as I will do to Roger when we get to New York.”

“You won’t have to do that.” He said calmly.

“I hope not.” I said letting him go.

Cami laughed and they got out. Elizabeth looked at me trying to say something. I knew what she wanted. And I wanted it too. I wanted to go to her room instead of mine. But I couldn’t leave Molly alone that night.

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