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I love Ant, but I don’t love this side of him – the crazy Hyde to his incredible Jekyll. I’d be done and walking out with my suitcase if it was a simple choice, but it’s not. Not this time.
Cass is way too important for that.
Cass
I feel at least vaguely human when I step through the office door, which is lucky since I was retching my guts up most of yesterday, with the biggest hangover I’ve ever known.
Janie’s got a huge smile on her face, and I give her one right back, even though I’m hiding a wince with every step, my pussy still battered to hell.
“Wow, what a night Friday night was,” she says. “I mean, I knew Ant would be amazing, but whoa, he’s something else. He’s stunning, and suave and intense, and the way he looks at you… it’s just divine. He worships you!”
She looks like she’s been watching a romance movie, and it gives me a lovely glow, but it’s that kind of lovely glow which makes it way less likely I’ll ever tell her what kind of fucking I took on Saturday night, and what kind of showdown came after it. I wouldn’t want to burst the bubble of perfect romance she sees, just like I wouldn’t want to burst that bubble in myself.
I show her the new necklace around my neck, and she gives a fresh squeal of happiness for me, looking as excited as ever that I’ve found my Mr Right.
Maybe now’s the time she’ll find hers.
“So, how about Gerwyn? What did you think of him?” I ask her.
She looks so cute and coy. “He’s pretty great too.”
“Yeah?” I ask as I drop my clutch on my desk. “Great enough that you’d want to date him?”
She laughs. “Um, yes. Great enough that I’d want to be Mrs Rhodes right now.”
“I don’t blame you.”
The world of romance we live in every day of our lives makes it so easy to encourage it in each other. Here, at Wedding Bliss, we are constantly in the fantastical realms of I do, and it makes it so easy to grin together, picturing her walking down the aisle to Gerwyn Rhodes.
“Did he say anything? About me?” she asks.
I wish I had something more mind blowing to tell her than Gerwyn said you seem really nice, but I don’t. I got to hang out with him and Ant a bit last night when I’d recovered enough to have a few spoons of casserole, but there were no undying declarations of Janie seems like my forever. My instant true love.
“He likes you,” I tell her. “He said it was a great evening, and really wants to do it again.”
“Phew, that’s good, because when I followed him out for a cigarette I thought I goofed up a bit. Gave him a bit of a cringeworthy come on, but he didn’t really react, so I figured… urgh. I’m waffling.” She pauses with a shy smile. “He wasn’t quite what I was expecting, he’s much more…”
She struggles to find the words, hands swirling as she tries to conjure them.
I fill in the blanks. “Much more down to earth? Cute? Quirky? Fun?”
She nods her head at all of it.
“Yeah. I absolutely loved him at the podium on the video, but seeing him in real life was different. He’s even greater than I imagined.” She taps a pen on the counter, still smiling. “I was thinking actually, if he’s going to be around later this week, how about you invite him swimming with us? I’d love to see him in the pool.”
“I bet you would,” I tell her with a grin, trying to imagine Gerwyn in swimming trunks. He’s not going to look anything like the wiry, toned athlete Ant is, and I’m curious. I’m sure he’ll look amazing under his chequered shirts and chinos.
“I’ll ask him as soon as he’s back.”
I know exactly what Janie means by Gerwyn being even greater in person. He’s an incredible guy. He was lovely to me last night when he saw the extent of my hangover, delivering me his finest coffees to the sofa one after the other as I was chilling out with Ant, and asking me right through the evening if I was ok.
I wish we’d had more time together instead of him racing off to Bristol for a flight this morning. He’ll have his head firmly back in work mode right now, just as I need my head back in mine.
I look at my client schedule for the week ahead, smiling as I remember the first of our appointments today is Claire – coming in to approve her bridesmaids dresses.
I need to get back into professional mode and live up to the amazing review she’s given me.
On cue, there’s a knock at the door and Janie rushes over to answer it. She’s already greeted Claire when I turn my attention from the onscreen calendar to flash her a smile, getting up from my seat to join them.
