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“It’s okay.” Her voice is soft, sweet. “News travels fast in these circles. And you, erm, you know Clark. Have you seen him, since…?”
“We really don’t know each other all that well. We used to, but…”
“You saw him at the industry dinner though, right?” Rachel interjects.
What’s her game?
“Erm, yes, we were on the same table on Thursday. But it was a work thing, we didn’t really… we don’t talk. I know about the wedding from other people. Clark and I aren’t all that close.”
I feel like a babbling mess, but she nods like she understands. She looks so despondent I want to reach out and give her a hug. “He’s just mentioned you before, that’s all. He talked about you sometimes, and he mentioned you the night before the wedding. I just thought… oh I don’t know. I guess I’m just wondering how he is, how he seems.”
“Constance, I can assure you that there’s nothing romantic between Clark and me, if that’s what you’re really asking.”
There’s a flicker of acknowledgement before she curves her lips into a fake smile. “No, that’s not it. I’m sorry. I’m just a bit of a mess, that’s all.”
“Not at all. I’m sorry…” I want to say I’m sorry that it didn’t work out, but the words just won’t form. “That he hurt you.” I know exactly how that feels.
Her eyes cloud, and she excuses herself to the ladies. Afternoon tea is announced.
“That went well,” Rachel says as we make our way to the dining hall.
“Don’t start, Rach.”
“I’m not starting anything, I’m just wondering why he talked about you and, in particular, why he was talking about you the day before his wedding.”
“I’m the best friend of the best man,” I say, thinking quickly. “My name could have come up quite easily. Now, can we eat this godforsaken cake and get out of here?”
“I’ll eat super quickly if you’ll come out tonight. Let’s dress up, go big, go VIP, go flaming sambuca.”
“Fine. Deal.”
I spend the next hour over-indulging in Michelin-standard cakes and dessert-flavoured teas, all the while trying to calm my heart rate and beating myself up for wondering why he was talking about me.
