Splintered Memory - By Natascha Holloway Page 0,77

to marry me,” Matt said; “and she said only if I promised to be stood at the altar waiting for her with a best man whose nose wasn’t broken.”

Ben and Nick both laughed and said; “but you’ve never once mentioned it to Rich?”

Matt smiled slyly.

“What?” Nick and Ben both asked together.

“It’s in my best man’s speech,” Matt said.

All three of them burst out laughing before Ben said; “we’re assuming Bex knows though right?”

“Jeez Ben, what kind of guy do you take me for? I checked with your missus before putting it in,” Matt said smiling at Ben and all three of them burst out laughing again.

The following morning Rich had a rotten hangover and couldn’t remember any of the journey home. None of them reminded him though. None of them wanted to ruin Matt’s speech.

***

Matt was stood in his morning suit fiddling with his cravat when Rich walked into his room wearing just his shirt and trousers, and Matt noticed that Rich was looking incredibly pale.

“You look like shit!” Matt said clearly rather amused. “Are you really this nervous?”

“I’m fine,” Rich said edgily. “The question is how you are? Are you okay? Not feeling the need to do any drugs or anything?”

Matt laughed and said; “I’m pretty chilled out mate, but then I’m not the one about to say I do.”

“Charlie’s here,” Rich said watching Matt’s face for his reaction.

“Okay and this has you tripping out why? Doubts, worried that you’re marrying the wrong girl?” Matt asked Rich before laughing.

“No, but you’re not freaked about seeing her?” Rich asked.

“I knew she was coming,” Matt said. “So no, I don’t think I was planning on being surprised or freaked out at seeing her here.”

“Oh,” Rich replied. “Okay, in that case I’m gonna go and finish getting my suit on.”

Rich turned and left the room, and Matt turned his attention back to the mirror and his cravat. Yet he suddenly felt very nervous, and a lot like he’d just started to sweat profusely.

Matt had known that Charlie was going to be here, but seeing her again was going to be strange. He hadn’t seen her in ten months, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to feel when he did see her again. In truth, he’d been trying desperately not to think about it.

He absent-mindedly looked at the wedding ring on his left hand. He assumed that Charlie would have taken her rings off by now, and he thought that she might think that it was strange if she saw that he was still wearing his. He turned the ring and felt dejected when it came off easily. He looked at it again and then put it in his trouser pocket. Yet as he did he only hoped that Emily wouldn’t notice that he’d taken it off, or that if she did that she wouldn’t read too much into it.

Matt shook his head to chase this concern away, and he walked out of his room.

Bex had chosen a nice venue for the wedding. It was a hotel that also had its own church. This made it ideal for wedding parties as the guests could stay at the hotel, walk to the church, and then walk back to the reception afterwards. There were also no undue delays in waiting for people to arrive, and the bride and groom didn’t have to pay any unnecessary transport costs for their guests.

Matt knew that if Rich had just seen Charlie, it was likely that she’d be at the hotel reception checking in. He headed in that direction at top speed, unsure of why he was so anxious to see her. His original plan had been to avoid her for the most part, unless forced to make polite conversation with her. Yet when Rich had said that she was here he’d known that he needed to see her. How bad could it be he asked himself as he hurtled down the corridors towards the hotel reception?

He rounded the last corner, and he saw two women and a man standing at the reception desk. He slowed down, and he tried to catch his breath and compose himself as he walked towards them.

Claire turned round and he saw that she looked momentarily uncomfortable at seeing him, but she just as quickly composed her face into a bright smile that made her blue eyes sparkle.

“Matt, it’s nice to see you. Wow, look at you looking devilishly handsome in your morning suit. God we must be running really late, we