One Shot - Short Story Collection / Audiobook (Audio + Reads)

1: Hamptons Wedding - 1st Place Winner - #TrialsOfLove, Round 2 - Romance

Wedding of the Year:

He's late, as usual, can't even make it on time for his best friend's wedding.

The ceremony is over. Pictures of the bride and groom exchanging vows, under a rose-covered pergola with a sea view, are already all over Instagram.

At least, I haven't checked, but I'm sure they are.

Then there's the two-hour champagne reception with jazz quartet in the sculpted gardens hugging the seafront. But I can't enjoy the luxurious surroundings, even though nobody else I know is ever going to get married in a place like this again.

Well, apart from Nicky, but it's not like he'd ever invite me to his wedding. And if he did, I wouldn't go. My heart is in my mouth the whole time, waiting for him to show, and I resist the temptation to knock back the champagne.

"Still no sign of him, Izzie?" Julian asks at my side.

"He mustn't be coming," I say. Not even Nicky White could be this late.

Suzanne and Paul wander over to join us. It's her fault I'm here.

"A wedding in the Hamptons, it's the social event of the year," she said. "You can't miss it, Izzie, just because Nicky will be there."

"Go without me," I said. "Paul would love the Hamptons and you'll know plenty of people."

"So would you. There's a whole crew we hardly see these days. Come on, Izzie, don't be like this." Suzanne rarely pleads, which makes her hard to resist when she does. "Look, you left Ireland to get away from Nicky but you're still letting him control your life. Seriously, we'll never get asked to a wedding in the Hamptons again. Ever. This is a total one-off."

She was right about that.

And perhaps she was right about Nicky too.

Surely I'd put enough distance between us at this stage.

"I can't go on my own."

But Suzanne had thought of that. "You should ask Julian."

That's the thing. If Nicky wasn't going to be there with his supermodel girlfriend, I wouldn't have minded tagging along as Suzanne and Paul's third wheel, because asking Julian could get complicated.

When Suzanne dragged me to New York two years ago, Julian asked me out. Nicky and I had just broken up and I wasn't ready, not then.

I drank too much, and ended up pouring out all my heartbreak and misery. New York wasn't a fresh start, I explained through my tears. More of an attempt to flee the past.

Julian is a good listener, actually Julian is an amazing listener, and I told him pretty much everything, all about how Nicky started to become successful and when he got a huge offer in California, I got left behind.

Somehow, Julian assumed the new contract was in Silicon Valley and I let him, because, even then, even when I was raw and vulnerable, I knew I had to get out from under the shadow of Nicky's fame if I was ever truly to escape.

But Nicky White is no more a tech genius than I am.

He didn't go to Silicon Valley.

He went to Hollywood.

Surprisingly, our disastrous date turned into a close friendship. Lately though, I sometimes catch myself staring at Julian, almost tempted to cross the invisible line.

But it's not worth the risk.

And it would ruin our friendship, which is the best thing in my life.

That's why I'm not sure going to this wedding together is a good idea, but I couldn't face it on my own.