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“Charlie,” he started, his gaze then stopped at her clothes. “Uh, are you okay?”
Right, she was still dressed like a failed rapper. “I’m fine, Matt. Please, come in.”
He stepped inside, his posture awkward and tentative. Charlie couldn’t remember the last time she had him over. They rarely hung out in their respective homes. After dinner dates, they’d go tohis place to have sex, and she’d come back home and vice versa. There were hardly any sleepovers.
“Please, sit down,” Charlie gestured to the dining table and pulled a chair out, and he politely sat down. She couldn’t read his expression, but he didn’t look angry.
She sat across from him, clasping her hands together as they stared at one another. A moment of uncomfortable silence passed before Matt spoke.
“Listen, about?—”
“I’msosorry. I know it was awful of me to leave, but Ineededto get out of there,” she quickly interrupted. “I just know that I couldn’t go through with it?—”
“Before you go on, let me have a say,” he said, and she closed her mouth. Matt released a breath before admitting, “I’m actually relieved you left.”
Her mouth hung open, gobsmacked. “You—you are?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been feeling a certain way. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about it sooner. During the rehearsal, I kept going for the whiskey. I didn’t remember much about the night. When the morning of the wedding came and I was so hungover, the only thing I thought of was how I could use the excuse to cancel the wedding.”
Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, Matt. It was the same for me. I had nothing anchoring me to stay. You’re wonderful, and I love you. But you’re like a brother to me, and I don’t mean that as an insult.”
His smile was wry. “No offense taken. I should’ve known something was off when I couldn’t answer the trivia questions of you during my bachelor party. I don’t know what size bra you wear. That’s something I should know, right?”
She chuckled. “It doesn’t make any sense. We’re good together.”
“We’re great. I think problems will come up if we go through with it. Things sneak up on you like that,” he said. “And I don’tfeel like I’m ready to make that kind of commitment. Not only to you, but to anyone.”
“Exactly! I have other things I want to do. And we both have time before we settle down.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” He paused, then threw her a glance. “Now, in terms of what happensnext, we have to talk about.”
The anxiety found her again, but she was ready for the consequences. “I’ll do anything to help make it right again. I’ll take care of the financial repercussions. Everything.”
Matt nodded in agreement. “I can’t say that things are ideal. My parents are livid, but I didn’t want you to take on all the responsibilities. If you didn’t leave, something else would have happened.”
Her mouth rounded to a worried ‘O’ hearing him speak of his parents. If there was one ultimate weakness of hers, it was the awful need to have parental figures approve of her. She’d been the dutiful daughter-in-law, but it was time to take charge of her own happiness. “Should I meet with your parents and explain?”
Matt looked thoughtful, but ultimately shook his head. “No, there’s no point. They won’t understand. Let me deal with them. This is my life as well. I think as consolation for being the poor groom left at the altar, you could handle the finance part and mitigate the gossip going around. You know, the one about the…other man?”
Flustered, she sputtered. “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. And just so you know, they’re not true! The gossip. I don’t have another man. I wouldn’t disrespect you like that. He’s a friend’s brother who was there. I swear.”
“I know, Charlie. But it doesn’t stop people from talking. Just… make it believable, okay?”
“Okay!”
If Matt was really okay with everything and was offering to clear his side of the mess, then she’d do everythingin her power to rectify whatever she could. She didn’t know many people who ran away from their wedding, but the aftermath would have been much more catastrophic if not for the people taking it easy on her. Her friends, Rick, and now, Matt. Even Ryan was rooting for her. She must be doing something right.
It could only get better from here.
Six
Within a week,Charlie restarted her credit cards, got her phone back, and planned her schedule for the next month. Her friends asked about her through texts, but she wasn’t ready to deal with them yet. She needed to get things in order first.
The first was cleaning up the aftermath of the cost of the canceled wedding, and she made true to her words. It had cost her a pretty penny and took a chunk out of her savings, but the hefty price was worth her freedom. And to say it rather poetically, she felt even wealthier because of it.
She even did something she had been holding off on because of her mother’s disapproval—cutting her hair. Throughout life, her hair always reached past her shoulders; any shorter would be heinous. Charlie went for straight layered medium-length this time. The dark brown waves stopped at her collarbone and framed her face shape. It was a bold decision, and one she might regret later, but hair grew back. She loved the look and felt like a different person.
This was a good start. It made a loud statement that changes are soon to come.
