Matthew's POV
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🎧Astronomy-Conan Gray
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It takes a wedding, to change things, this is the third one in a month. And I'm already bored, even just the process of getting ready is enough to make me bail. It surely isn't helpful that as a photographer, I get asked to take pictures every single time. I cannot even get hammered off of my face because I'll break the sodding camera. Two whiskeys, pushing it three and then I'll have a dance with Em before she looks at me as if I'm going to pop the question, at somebody else's wedding.
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Placing my white shirt on, gazing in the long mirror that sits proudly by the ornate dresser in Emily's home in Hampshire I think of the first wedding she invited me to as her plus one. Around three years ago, I had flatly told her that I wasn't her boyfriend and that I therefore would not be taking her to any engagement. Em however had whittled me down with her phone calls and her continuous onslaught of communication until I thought better of saying no anymore.
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Now, here I am donning an Armani suit and tie in a period house waiting for another evening of fancy food and less drink than I'm comfortable with. My green eyes flicking up to the reflection of the door in the mirror as she strides in with her strawberry blonde hair and her very high heels.
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"I thought you weren't supposed to wear white to weddings as a guest?" I say softly fiddling with the darn tie as the rain starts again outside and I glance at the wet gravel, the Porsche waiting for us in the courtyard. Em is from a family that has a long line of rather rich men, her father is one of those rich men. Emily's father, Richard, took one look at me and sighed thinking me a self starter rather than anybody with any backing. I'm sure he had imagined his precious only daughter to be with somebody of the same class, not some washed up Californian photographer who is secretly still in love with his past.
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"It's ecru Matthew" she says chagrined as she eyes me in the mirror. I push my brunette hair back and fix my best grin, the one that she cannot resist.
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“Ecru suits you Emily” I laugh slightly and she eyes me disapproving at first. I do love a challenge.
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“Of all the shades of white, ecru suits you the most” I continue eyeing her pale shoes.
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“Cream, linen. It’s a shade of cream technically” she argues, Em gets stressed before weddings and it makes me question why she insists on going to them. If the hours before are always going to be pure stress and arguing.
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“You suit cream, fuck the technicalities. You look exceptional” I say going in with the big guns, to hell with the consequences. Emily laughs out loud, it’s shrill and she clinks her heels all the way over to me by the mirror.
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“Here let me Matthew” she explains taking the two ends of the tie and smiling as she eyes me.
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“Never could do a tie” I laugh as she fastens it and I keep my eyes on her.
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“You’re hopeless” she jokes and I nod laughing, truthfully although I look the part- brunette, tall and looks good in a suit. I’m not everything she could hope for; wealthy and owns his own business, star quality kind of guy like somebody that I used to know. I push the thought aside and concentrate solely on my life now; England, oak trees, green grass and grey skies. Not even a hint of the sun that he must bathe in daily in Italy.
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“Hopelessly in love” I quip and she laughs charmed before placing her hands on my own. Her fingers tracing over the silver band on my finger, it wasn’t placed upon my engagement finger by her and so curiously she has asked me many times what it signifies. A brief pause as the rain patters against the sash windows and I look up at the chandeliers, waiting for the inquisition.
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“This ring huh still not going to tell me who it’s from” she teases as I look at the oak dresser, the four poster bed and the large area rug. Anything but her. Emily is inquisitive, Emily likes to know all of the facts. However this little part of my life is closed off and the more she presses the more I lock down the hatches.
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“This ring is not up for question” I reply slowly, my tone utterly cold. My expression dismissive as she eyes me displeased.
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“Look at the time!” She says after an uncomfortable silence, eyeing the large iron clock on the wall and darting her green eyes away from me.
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“We better get going” she smiles rushing on her heels and stepping out of the bedroom. It’s a miracle the parquet floor isn’t scratched within an inch of its life, I think idly as I watch her disappear down the vast hall. Securing the eternity ring over my finger I look into the mirror and scoop my curls back. Straightening the tie that Emily left wonky around my neck, I tell myself two or three times not to get my phone out. Not to open up social media. Not too “innocently” browse through my old life to see what everybody else is up too. Not to go through my hidden camera roll and look at pictures of the girl who gave me the eternity ring.
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Six steps and I’m out of Emily’s bedroom, six more and I’m walking down the hall over the velvet carpets. I lose count keeping my phone in my breast pocket as I follow the sound of her heels before me. Down the winding staircase, over to the glass entrance, the Porsche in sight as Emily opens it up surrendering the drivers seat as she climbs in the passenger side.
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The alarm system is set and it beeps as I lock up the property turning and pacing through the light rain and reminding myself that three years no contact is not something I wish to break. Three years hard graft of dismissing my love for Taylor, even saying her name is not allowed. Yet wearing her ring? Totally acceptable I almost laugh at myself before I swoop into the drivers seat of the Porsche and fire her up.
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“Matthew” Em says clutching her purse as I plug in Farnham castle into the fancy screen on the dash.
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“Yes” I say slightly clipped as I accelerate down the gravel drive to the road. It’s set way back from the streets, gated and secure.
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“Have you ever been married?” She asks me and my heart thuds, reminding me of a time when I, at eighteen got down on my knees and placed a ring upon Taylor’s hand.
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“No lord why? I’m not that old” I quip lighting up a menthol cigarette and cracking the window open. She shivers and the rain sprays through just ever so slightly.
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“Engaged then?” She presses and I inhale the cigarette deep. Why Emily must know the ins and outs of my entire life baffles me, I’m not that interesting.
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“No” I lie as she stares forward at the grey sky and wanders about me. The rest of the drive is peaceful, purely because Emily refrains from talking and the rain picks up. Hammering down on the pavements as we cross roads that take us to a castle. Hiring a castle is terribly pretentious if you ask me, however none of Emily’s friends generally speak with me so my opinion is irrelevant. The only questions I get are; can you take a picture of us or when are you proposing then? It’s an odd circle, focused on growing old and getting hitched. Not for love either, marriage in the pursuit of status and wealth is the ideal.
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“A castle!?” I remark looking out of the windscreen, my tone derisive and mocking as I take in the turrets and the grandeur of such a building.
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“It’s wonderful isn’t it!?” Em gushes, ignoring me entirely as she steps out into the rain erecting a large black umbrella and waltzing ahead to find her friends.
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