Matt looked from Rich to Charlie, and he could’ve sworn that she’d been watching him less than a second ago. Yet he could now see Emily watching him, and he turned back towards his friends.
“I think I’d better go and ask Emily to dance before I die from a withering glare,” he said.
“You’d also better dance with Bex,” Rich suggested; “and maybe apologise.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Matt said as he started to walk over to Emily; “but you know she already knew right?”
Nick and Ben both laughed again as Rich looked completely shocked.
If Matt had thought that the wedding and early part of the reception had gone slowly, it was nothing compared to when the party on the dance floor had gotten under way. Once he had asked Emily to dance, she’d taken this as a sign that he was showing everyone there that they were a couple.
She had made him stay on the dance floor for twenty minutes, and she’d spent most of the dances pressed up against him almost inappropriately until he’d finally put a bit of space between them. When he had managed to shake her from his side completely, and had left her happily talking to Bex and her bridesmaids, it had been half past twelve and Charlie had been nowhere in sight.
“She’s prettier than I remember her being,” Claire said to him as he stopped by the bar near to where she’d already been stood.
“Hmm,” Matt said distractedly.
“The girlfriend,” Claire said. “Although has there been any need to flaunt her around quite as much as you have been doing. You are aware that your wife’s also in attendance right?”
“I wasn’t flaunting anybody,” Matt said angry with himself for sounding defensive.
“Touchy!” Claire remarked instantly.
“What do you want Claire?” He asked dropping any pretence of politeness.
“I’d like for you to stop hurting my best friend. But tell me? Did you come here with that as your sole intention? Flaunt the new girlfriend around, and then make some unfunny derisive remark about Charlie in your best man’s speech. Did Emily think that was funny?” She asked.
Matt could feel his temper rising and he said angrily; “fuck off Claire. I don’t think you have the right to talk to me about Charlie. Where were you after the accident?”
Claire was about to respond when Charlie said; “Guys. It’s Rich and Bex’s wedding, don’t argue.”
They both turned to look at her, and it was clear that neither of them had seen her arrive.
“Matt it wasn’t a shock for me to see you with Emily today,” she said. “I’m guessing someone had obviously told their mum or dad, and you know how these things go with our families. Plus when I left, I never expected you to stay single. So don’t let Claire wind you up, because honestly no one thinks you’re flaunting Emily around.” She then smiled at him reassuringly.
He didn’t reply, and she smiled at him again and said; “can you give us a sec?”
Matt nodded and walked away, but as he sat down at an empty table across from them he couldn’t help but watch the exchange that followed. He’d never seen Charlie like this before. She was clearly angry with Claire for something, but he couldn’t understand what Claire had done.
Normally he would’ve thought that if Claire was being yelled at it’d be deserved, not that Charlie would ever have agreed with him about that. Yet tonight, Claire had been taking Charlie’s side. How could that have annoyed Charlie so much he wondered?
The argument continued, and Matt couldn’t tear his eyes away. He saw Rich walk over to them, and he contemplated stopping him. Any man that was about to come between Charlie and Claire was a braver man than him, but Rich didn’t. Rich didn’t come between them. He took Charlie’s side instantly, and when Claire turned her back on both of them Rich walked off with Charlie. What the hell was going on Matt asked himself bemusedly?
He got up to go over to where Rich and Charlie were now stood talking to find out, but he could see that Rich for some reason now looked upset and that Charlie was consoling him. It didn’t make any sense, and he decided that enough was enough. He didn’t see why he had to be in the dark about whatever was going on, and he quickened his pace over to them. Unfortunately Emily suddenly appeared in front of him.