TWO-FACED LOVER

***

OCTOBER 17TH, 2016

*

CAMERON'S POV

"There goes my heart beating.

'Cuz you are the reason

I'm losing my sleep, please come back now.

There goes my mind racing

And you are the reason

That I'm still breathing

I'm hopeless now.

I'll climb every mountain

And swim every ocean, just to be with you

Fix what I've broken

Oh cuz I need you to see

That you are the reason.

There goes my hand, shaking

And you are the reason..."

Light.

Bright light seeps through the closed blinds making me groan my displeasure as I toss and turn, snuggling deeper into my comforter.

Hmm.

So comfortable.

So nice.

I snuggle deeper, grabbing and pulling a pillow before returning to my beauty sleep.

Yep, you heard right.

Beauty sleep.

Men too need that. And I sure as hell need it today of all days.

Especially when I'm losing my bachelorship this day itself.

Hmm. Nothing could be better.

Nothing could change or dampen my mood.

Not even the news I received from my crook of a father last night during my bachelor's party.

My face sets into a deep scowl as I push the comforter away from my body and sit up in bed, running my fingers through my hair.

After so much hard work. After putting in every drop of effort I could squeeze out of my body to make the company which was almost in ruins rise to fame again, my father as amazing as he is (note the sarcasm), upped one morning and decided to make my younger brother the CEO and heir apparent to all his wealth.

It didn't bother me. Honestly, it didn't because I could care less about the wealth and power the Knight group of companies possessed. But I'll admit it did hurt. It f*cking damn well did hurt to see my father give everything I had invested my time and energy in, to my brother who does nothing but chases after everything in a skirt all day and drown his pitiable self in alcohol.

He hasn't got a damn knowledge about how to run a business but still.

I sigh, rubbing my forehead.

I climb down down the bed, padding naked towards the bathroom.

I can't let my father or nincompoop of a brother ruin my day.

I've got a wedding to attend.

My wedding.

I've got vows to make and finally make Natalie mine for eternity.

My wife. Mine.

Only mine.

A sheepish grin spreads across my face at the thought.

I can't wait. I just f*cking can't wait.

And so turning on the shower, I let the water cascade down my body as I tune into the music I was playing earlier.

You are the reason by Calum Scott.

Mine and Natalie's favorite track.

And we're certainly going to slow dance to this same song at our wedding reception.

And it's all going to be damn worth it.

***

10:00 AM

I adjust my tie for the thousandth time in like five minutes.

Well damn.

What else am I supposed to do standing at the alter waiting for my bride to arrive?

It's ten am already.

She was supposed to arrive at 9:30.

But...

She's a good thirty minutes late already.

Is she okay?

Did something unexpected occur?

Is she having doubts?

Does she want to call this off?

Does...

F*ck!

No no no!

No!

I shut my eyes tightly, trying to steady my accelerating heartbeat.

I can't be thinking this way.

I can't.

Natalie and I have been in love since were teenagers.

This...

All this has always been her dream.

Her dream wedding.

She loves me.

I know. She proves it when we make love, how she holds me, kisses me, caresses me.

She's proven it a hundred and one times.

So there's no room for doubts.

No room.

I turn to cast a glance at my best man and best friend, Julian and he smiles assuringly, giving me the thumbs up.

My mother does the same.

I smile back at them, feeling reassured.

Natalie's just late.

Just traffic.

Yea.

She's just late.

***

10:30 AM.

I'm getting restless.

I tug at my tie that's beginning to feel more like a rope instead around my neck as I glance at the church gate.

Still no sign.

I smile.

Despite the dread settling in the pit of my stomach and gnawing at my sides, I still smile.

She'll come.

My bride will come.

***

11:00 AM.

I'm sweating now.

Sweating profusely.

I can hear whispering and murmurs across the church room.

Everyone.

Every guest. From the commoner to the most important people in the society are all seated in the church.

I turn away, rubbing the ache rising in my chest.

She'll come.

My bride will come.

***

11:30 AM

The whispering and murmurs are getting louder by the second.

I can almost hear what they are saying.

"Mr knight will the bride arrive or not? I'm sorry but I have another wedding ceremony to commemorate by 12:30" the priest whispers in my ear.

"My bride is just running late. Just a few more minutes please" I reply, fighting hard to believe the words I just uttered and he nods briskly.

She will come.

***

11:50 AM.

I can't take it.

I'm suffocating.

The guests are filing out of the church auditorium now.

They're leaving one by one.

As they leave I can see some cast me pitiful glances and others staring at me as though they have finally found a juicy topic for gossip on the front page of every newspaper and social media handles.

I can almost imagine how the headlines are going to be like.

"Cameron Knight, son of famous Brandon Knight of the group of Knight companies has been stood up at the alter"

I shake my head.

They don't know shit.

I stand my ground.

At the alter, with my head held high as I continue to wait.

Not minding the guests who are leaving.

I can get married with only one witness and I'd be okay.

As long as my bride arrives because she will.

I know she will.

That's how much faith I have in her.

***

12:10AM

"Son"

"No mother. Not today. She will come" I shrug my mother's hand off my shoulders and trudge towards the church gate with my heart as heavy as cement blocks.

Natalie will arrive.

It doesn't matter how long it takes but I'll wait.

She won't do this to me on our wedding day.

The day we've both dreamt of for months. She won't.

***

12:45 PM

Everyone is gone now. Except for my family and best friend.

I'm standing outside now because another wedding is taking place.

But I don't care. I f*cking don't.

"Son"

"No mother!" I snap and she flinches at the harshness of my tone of voice but I couldn't give a flipping f*ck.

"I know you never liked Natalie but please don't show your hatred for her today. I'm getting married to the love of my life. She's going to come. She's just running late."

I turn to stare at the streets. Still no sign of her car.

"Running late?" My mother retorts

"You think she's running late? Open your eyes, Cameron! That girl just ditched you on your wedding day. It's been how many hours now? Three hours! Are you saying she's been stuck in traffic for three hours? Cam she just ditched you! Accept it!"

I blink. I blink and blink again.

No.

Natalie won't do this to me.

She loves me as much as I do her.

She's just late or so I think.

Because thinking that way is much much better than accepting the fact that she just left me at the altar.

And so I tune out to my mother's words and continue to wait.

***

I keep waiting.

And never left where I was standing.

Not when all the guests I invited to my wedding had left.

Not when the priest asked me to leave because another couple had booked their wedding for one o'clock.

Not when the red lights are going off in my head.

Not when my heart begins to shatter to scrambles at the mere thought that the woman who'd promised to love me till eternity just stood me up.

Not when I stare at the time and realize it's 3:00 pm now.

Almost six hours.

The sun is beginning to set and the clouds are gathering.

Clear signs of rain.

I continue to wait.

Not when the sky rumbles and thunder strikes. I still don't leave.

I keep waiting for Natalie.

My love. My woman and my bride-to-be.

Not when it begins to rain in torrents, wetting the hair I had spent hours styling to look good.

Wetting the white tuxedo I had worn to match my bride's wedding gown.

Wetting my shoes.

I still stood outside, in the rain like the stupid fool I hadn't realized I was until today because Natalie made the biggest fool out of me.

Realization finally sinks in at what's happening.

She stood me up.

She never showed up.

She left me. At the alter.

Leaving me to lick my wounds.

Leaving me with a shattered heart never to get healed.

Not in a million years to come.