Vampire's Wedding (Vampire's Valentine Book Two) Page 2

  “I’m looking for your three o’clock groom. Michael Hertz.”

  “Down the hall and to the right.”

  “Thanks.”

  Millie proceeded quickly by her, but not before the woman double-taked her.

  Michael was found by the chapel, addressing a few of friends. Millie interrupted them.

  “Outside. Now.”

  One or two of his pals looked over their shoulders.

  “Hey Millie,” Greg Prichard muttered.

  Millie didn’t respond, but made a favorable note.

  Michael joined her out the back a few minutes later. He lit a smoke and undid the top three buttons of his shirt. “She’s not coming, is she?”

  Millie squinted at him. “You should be so lucky.”

  Michael sat down on the pavement. “So let’s hear it.”

  “Well, I ran into her. We had words.”

  “What sort of words?”

  “I accused her of caring more about her imaginary crush than she does you. She didn’t deny it.”

  “Because it’s freaking ridiculous.”

  Millie shook her head. “Oh no. No, Michael. It’s probable.”

  “What am I going to do?” he said. “She won’t listen to me. I’m just going to drive her further away.”

  “Yeah. Well. You guys shouldn’t be getting married. When the celebrant says that shit about forever holding your peace, I ain’t holding it. There’s no peace here.”

  “Let’s not go off the deep end,” Michael said. “Doesn’t look like we’ll be going that far anyway. But I mean, then what? What happens if we don’t get married?”

  “You break up? Go find someone else?”

  “You know she’s pregnant. What of that?”

  “Capital A.”

  “What if she … keeps it?”

  Millie shuddered. “I would strongly advise her against that.”

  Michael looked away bitterly. He crushed his smoke into the ground.

  “If you ask me, that friend of hers isn’t helping.”

  “Who? Christine?”

  “She’s probably been egging on this crazy idea all along.”

  “No,” Michael said. “They hadn’t talked in months before today.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Trust me. I know. I freaking … I freaking live with her now. I know what she’s up to.”

  “Didn’t foresee our little detour this afternoon though? Right?”

  Michael stroked his chin. “No. I didn’t.”

  “So what now?”

  Michael shrugged. “Guess we’ll just wait and see.” He stood up.

  “That’s it?”

  “I guess so.”

  “I don’t understand,” Millie said. “Aren’t you mad at her?”

  “For what? Being messed up beyond comprehension? Hard thing to be angry about. I’m just … deflated. I’m fucking … deflated.”

  “Something’s going on,” Millie said. “More than her just being skitzo. I reckon the guy could be real.”

  “What?” Michael said loudly. “What guy?”

  “The guy.”

  “The one in the maze? Are you … are you kidding me? God…”

  “It’s not impossible you know. Anyway … I guess that’s that then. Now we play the waiting game. Unless you want me to call the folks and tell everyone not to come.”

  “I don’t care anymore,” Michael said. “If I’m not getting married today then … I don’t care about the embarrassment. I just … let it crush me. You know. Just … let it…”

  He was so upset he could hardly speak.

  This was delicate territory, even for Millie.

  In the middle of the silence, Michael’s phone rang and he answered it.

  “Hello…”

  His eyes pierced Millie’s.

  “Out the front. Okay. Bye.”

  He put the phone away.

  “Who was that?” Millie asked.

  “She’s here,” Michael said.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Pru handed Christine’s phone back to her, who then tossed it in the car.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Christine asked. “What if he loses it?”

  “I haven’t made my mind up yet,” Pru replied. “It’s important that I see him.”

  “Well, be careful. You don’t want to upset him too much.”

  “I can handle myself fine, thanks.”

  Christine shrugged and leaned against the hood of the car.

  Pru’s eyes intensified, staring at the front of the wedding venue. Any minute now…

  Michael stormed out the entrance with Millie tagging along behind him.

  “You handle Michael then,” Christine said. “I’ll handle stepsister.”

  “Thanks,” Pru said stiffly.

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Pru remained where she was while Christine went up to meet them halfway. She immediately took Millie to one side, amid some fitful protesting.

  Leaving Pru and Michael face to face.

  One on one.

  Pru didn’t move. She waited for him to come to her.

  He seemed calmer than she thought he’d be.

  “That’s quite a dress you have on,” Michael remarked. “I don’t think I’ve seen that one before.”

  “Bastian gave it to me,” Pru replied.

  “Is … is this the same Bastian you met in the maze all those years ago?”

  Pru nodded.

  “Funny,” Michael said. “Because I thought we agreed he wasn’t real.”

  “Looks like we were wrong.”

  Michael turned and leaned into the hood of the car, where Christine had been.

  Pru caught a glimpse of Millie glaring at her from afar.

  But that was as close as she got.

  “Tell me what he’s like,” Michael said.

  “Pardon?”

  “Tell me … what happened between the two of you today.”

  “I went to the maze,” Pru said slowly. “He found me again. Pulled me into his world. And so I was there. I sat at a table with him, and he talked about how we’re compatible together. That he’s chosen me. That he needs me to … be fully realized in this world.”

  “So he wants you then? Romantically?”

  “He wants me to be his wife.”

  “He said that to you,” Michael stated. “He actually proposed?”

  “He implied heavily that he would if I were to return to him.”

  “To the … to his world?”

  “Yes.”

  “And are you going to?”

  Pru blinked. “I don’t know.”

  Michael shrugged. “What’s stopping you?”

  She felt faint. “You.” She touched her belly. “Both of you.”

  Michael stepped away from the car and touched her shoulders, tears in his eyes. “What do I have to do?” he pleaded. “What can I do to break this spell he’s cast over you?”

  “I don’t know,” Pru said, also crying. “It’s – it’s utterly insane…”

  Michael nodded. “That’s what I was saying all along.”

  Pru laughed.

  He went to bring her closer to him, but she stepped back.

  Divided the space between them.

  His face darkened.

  “Where’s your engagement ring?” he suddenly demanded.

  “I – I –”

  He grabbed her wrist. “It’s not here.”

  “Let go of me!”

  Christine quickly rushed over. She jammed her shoe into Michael’s ankle who cried out, falling over.

  Millie ran up behind Christine and took her in a headlock, also pulling her to the ground.

  “Fucking hell!” Pru shrieked. “Stop it! Stop it, you guys!”

  Christine elbowed Millie and managed to roll around off her. They both got to their knees facing each other, in a cat like stance.

  “Enough,” Michael said crawling between them. “Nothing … no violence
is necessary.”

  Christine got to her feet. “Have we finished here, Pru?”

  “We’re finished when Michael says we are,” Millie snapped.

  “So now it’s up to him?” Christine barked. “We’re doing him a favor just being here!”

  “Fuck off,” Millie squealed. “That dumb bitch is supposed to marry him!”

  “SHUT UP,” Michael thundered.

  He got up and walked over to Pru whose feet wobbled with alarm.

  He put his arms around her, then moved his mouth to her ear.

  “Goodbye,” he said.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Pru was a hysterical mess back inside Christine’s car. She drove them as far away as they could get to, with neither one really knowing where they were going. Eventually she pulled up along the side of the road – nothing but trees and fencing surrounding them. There they waited, for Pru to become coherent again.

  “I’m sorry,” Pru apologized. “I’m sorry you had to come down and be a part of this. We should have had a fun time, but I’ve blown it.”

  “It’s not about us,” Christine said distantly. “It’s not about having a ‘fun time’.”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Pru said. “Was that supposed to happen? It’s like … the world just decided for us.”

  “He could see you weren’t ready for marriage. And … you’re not, are you?”

  Pru inhaled sharply. “I was. I know I was. But that … fucking maze … I couldn’t get it out of my head. I just kept going back there. Over and over and over. Wondering why it happened. Wondering … if life should have been another way.”

  “I’m willing to bet that most people have those kind of fears the day of their wedding. It’s a huge commitment. Tying yourself down to one person. And you love them but … can that love really speak for the next fifty years? Who knows what any of us will feel tomorrow, let alone for the rest of our lives?”

  “You’re so right,” Pru agreed. “It was stupid saying I’d marry him. Maybe I love him. Maybe I don’t. Maybe the only reason I think I do is because I haven’t had real love to compare it to.”

  “And what about the vampire? What about … Bastian?”

  “He’s a stranger to me,” Pru said softly. “I don’t know him. But … when I think about him, there’s so much potential. You might not understand this … but my meeting him as I did. Going back there and seeing that he was still there, still with me in our first evening together. After all those years… It’s like – who is ever going to compare to that? Who has magic? Who could make me feel this magic I feel inside?”

  “You need to go to him then. If that’s what your heart wants…”

  Pru shook her head. “I’m just so afraid. So, so afraid…”

  “I think you’re supposed to be. You can’t technically ‘win’ something if there isn’t the possibility of losing.”

  “And then I feel like a monster,” Pru said. “How could I do this to Michael? To … the beautiful baby inside of me?”

  There was a pause.

  “I guess you have to figure it out then,” Christine said. “What’s right for you.”

  “What would you do, if you were me?”

  “What would I do?” Christine hesitated. “Well, I’d probably be just as conflicted as you are. It would probably be decided on how much I loved my current partner, and weigh that up with how much I wanted to chase the phantom.”

  “But isn’t there a wrongness in that? Could it make me a bad person?”

  “What would you rather? Be a good person and be miserable? Or do something you’re not sure is right so you can find your happiness?”

  “I feel sick just thinking about it.”

  Christine wound down the window. Pru breathed in the air.

  “If you’re thinking about the abortion,” Christine said, “lots of people do that. It’s pretty normal if you’re not that far along. It’s not … you know. It doesn’t have to be –”

  “Maybe it will go on its own.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll just … ask it to leave. And then it will choose to go. No hard feelings.”

  Christine took a deep breath. “So – what do you want to do today? Is there somewhere you want to go? Hang out?”

  “You know what would be funny…”

  “What?”

  “We should go down to where Scott works. See if he recognizes us.”

  “Scott? You mean Scott McGuiness?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Where did that come from?”

  “I don’t know,” Pru said dreamily. “Maybe I just want to forget it’s freaking 2016, and go back to the old days.”

  “Well,” Christine said, “as long as it won’t make you feel worse.”

  “You know what,” Pru said.

  “What?”

  “I don’t think it will.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  They didn’t drive up to Scott’s work directly to surprise him out of the blue. They parked on a side street and walked up to the main road where there were shops littered about everywhere. They took a look at some inexpensive jewelry. Bought chocolate milkshakes and carried them with them. Christine thought she recognized their old Maths teacher from high school, but Pru wasn’t sure it was the same person. They did nothing, and they did everything. Michael was moving further and further away from Prudence’s mind…

  Eventually they came up to the garage. Christine gave Pru an inquisitive look to see if she was nervous or wanted to back out or something. But Pru didn’t feel much in that department. She sipped her drink through the straw and walked up the driveway towards the darkened interiors of the garage.

  A mechanic stepped out to meet them. “Can I help you?”

  “Scott McGuiness?” Pru asked. “Does he work here?”

  The mechanic nodded. “Scott! Some people here to see ya.”

  Half a minute later Scott trudged out blank faced, and sweaty. He wiped his hands on a nearby cloth and stood next to his work colleague.

  “Can I help you?” he asked plainly.

  “Who are we?” Pru asked him, pointing to herself then Christine. “Who are we?”

  “Some … what…” he mumbled.

  Then he recollected.

  “Whoa,” Scott laughed. “Prudence Blythe and Christine … Prudence’s friend. Whassup?”

  “Just wanted to see what you were doing,” Christine said with a smile.

  “What are you –?” he stammered. “How’d you know I worked here?”

  “You messaged me online,” Pru stated. “To say sorry for the whole thing back in the day. I looked at your profile.”

  “Yeah,” Scott nodded. “Yeah, yeah. That was … like three years ago?”

  “This counts as your break, Scott,” his coworker said. Then grinned and slapped him on the back. “Just joking. Take five.”

  Scott glanced over his shoulder.

  “Hey, come on,” Pru said. “Let’s go talk.”

  “Okay…”

  They moved round to the side wall and stood there.

  They were still on a slant though, with Scott being at the higher end.

  “Is it okay if I put his here?” Christine said placing her shake on the ground.

  Scott nodded absently.

  “So what are you like, married now?” Pru asked. “Kids?”

  “Fuck off,” Scott said. “Who told you that?”

  “No one,” Pru sighed. “I was just asking if you had that … stuff.”

  “Oh,” Scott said. Then he flashed his teeth. “No. I’m still out there. On the prowl.”

  “We should get together later,” Pru suggested. “What time do you finish?”

  “Four thirty.”

  “We’ll pick you up.”

  “Pick me up?” Scott said, puzzled. “What’s this all about?”

  “Just going to have fun. Catch up.”

  Scott considered. “Okay… Should I –? Should I call up Dane?”

>   “What?” Christine interrupted.

  “Dane? Cause we all used to hang together.”

  “You still hang with him?” Pru asked.

  “Occasionally,” Scott said. “I think … he’d be up for it. On short notice too.”

  “Don’t do that,” Christine said. “It’ll be awkward.”

  Scott nodded.

  “So we’ll see you then?” Pru asked.

  Scott shrugged. “Whatever.”

  He walked away.

  “Do you want to fuck this guy or what?” Christine demanded.

  “No,” Pru said. “Don’t be gross.”

  “You’re sending him that message. What if he calls up Dane? And then Dane thinks I’ll sleep with him. I just – I’m not even on the fence with this. This is a bad idea.”

  “What else is there?” Pru murmured. “I’m just trying to forget, you see. Trying to have a fun time. To think about … who I was before. All of this…”

  “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “Not really,” Pru said. “But you can’t win if there’s no risk of losing. Right?”

  CHAPTER TEN

  “I spoke with Dane,” Scott said as he got in the back of Christine’s car. “He said he knows some good spots we can hang tonight.”

  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Christine said pulling away onto the road. “We’re going to dinner in a public place and everyone can have a fun time catching up. No messing around, alright?”

  Scott leaned forward. “That’s not the vibe I got earlier. Pru?”

  “We’ll start with … something,” Pru murmured. “We just got to get out of here. I’m sick of this neighborhood.”

  “Yeah, yeah sure,” Scott replied. “So… What else is new?”

  A short conversation ensured between the trio and everyone seemed to calm down for a moment. Then after ten minutes on the road Scott remembered something.

  “Shit,” he said. “I can’t stay out long. I’ve got to feed my dog.”

  “You won’t be back that late,” Christine said. “I’m sure the dog can wait.”

  “Well, he’s still a puppy you see,” Scott said. “It’s important I go back and say hello to him. I’ll just be five minutes. My house isn’t far.”

  “Pru?” Christine asked.