Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding #2)(120)

If you liked this chapter, like me on facebook here: facebook pages/KA-Linde/212796458753281

K.A. Linde

Mental Breakdown

Oh, a simple complication,

Miscommunications lead to fall-out.

So many things that I wish you knew,

So many walls that I can't break through.

-Taylor Swift "Story of Us"

* * *

Chapter 19: Present

Lexi walked into the empty restaurant with Ramsey at her side. Her hand was tucked neatly into the crook of his elbow. The other hung limp at her side. Her hair had been pulled high on top of her head into a tight twist revealing her slender neck, which was typically hidden beneath the locks. Her make-up appeared light though she had taken the time to conceal herself from the awaiting crowd. A polyester, slim-cut dress in the palest of purples shrouded her body. Her calves, thighs, and bu**ocks were accentuated in her tan pointy-toed mules. She had taken unusual care in her outfit knowing she would hardly be exempt from judgment on a night like tonight.

Ramsey appeared as gorgeous and perfect as ever. His suit fit to perfection tailored specifically for the evening. His golden hair, so fitting for the Golden Boy of the Bridges empire, shown in the setting sun. His green-gold eyes glittering splendidly in the shining light.

And though Lexi's anger welled inside of her, as still so much had been left unspoken between them, she could hardly deny the beauty that so easily entrapped so many woman…Lexi included. She fought the urge to consider beyond that beautiful face to the man that she still wondered if she really knew.

Tonight was not a night for such contemplations. When the wedding was over…when the week was up, she would get her answers and they could decide from there. She didn't know what lay ahead of them, but she could figure that all out later. She could decide then if everything was truly worth saving. She shook the thoughts from her head not wanting tears to begin to form in her eyes. The only thing she wanted to show as she sat through this rehearsal dinner was indifference.

Indifference to it all. Ramsey. Jack. Bekah. Parker. It could all wait until the end of the week. She had made a promise to endure the week for him, and she wouldn't go back on it.

A collection of round tables were placed around the back room they entered with a rectangular table at the front of the room. A large projection screen had been fitted on the wall behind the table. The screen was white with navy blue lettering displaying:

Rehearsal Dinner

In Honor of the Union Between

Jack Harrison Howard

and

Rebekah Caroline Bridges

Saturday, August 8th

Somehow seeing those words together made it all seem much more real. Lexi had never seen the save the date or the invitation for the wedding. She had never witnessed their names joined together in such a ceremonial fashion.

She didn't stop and gape or gag or feel revulsion at the sight before her. All things she would have felt previously, but somehow they felt unimportant at the moment. In the end, she was sure they would get what was coming to them, but tonight she could only manage indifference and hope it passed, however terribly, for acceptance for what would transpire the next afternoon.

"Are you ready?" Ramsey whispered his lips barely moving as he stared down upon her. Lexi gave a slight nod and allowed Ramsey to continue forward to their assigned seats. Each table was intricately detailed with tiny silver plaques engraved with the guests name on it in scrawling calligraphy.

Lexi's chair rested next to Ramsey's near the front of the room. She didn't fail to notice that she had been stuffed into a corner or that Parker's name was scribbled on the nameplate on the other side of Ramsey or that the next closest person to her was an old relative on the bride's side who appeared to be senile. Still she took her seat calmly and willingly hoping that a lack of disruption would make this night conclude quicker.

"I'm going to go check on my sister," Ramsey said brushing the top of her hand before departing the room. He had effectively deposited her at her seat and disappeared. So much for a fun evening.

Lexi sat in her corner as the room filled with friends and relatives of the couple. She was happy to supervise and people watch the interactions before her. She had been to a number of weddings. She had even been the maid of honor at Olivia's wedding straight out of college. As her best friend, Lexi had arranged everything for her, done everything for her.

And yet, this was nothing like anything she had witnessed previously. Everything about what was taking place between Bekah's guests and Jack's seemed forced and strained. Lexi wasn't sure what was the real premise for this, but she assumed it had something to do with Jack marrying into such exorbitant wealth. The meeting of the families and friends seemed practically humorous especially to someone who knew the couple as well as she did. Or perhaps she saw what she expected to see.

Jack's family wasn't poor by anyone's standards, but they clearly didn't have the money that the Bridges' were accustomed to. His family simply wasn't as…polished as Bekah's family. Her parents were still happily married…well happily is a matter of opinion. They had two children: one boy and one girl…and a partridge in a pear tree.

Jack on the other hand has two older brothers – ten and fifteen years older than him. Both are from a previous marriage on his father's side, and both are married with several rambunctious children running around the room in circles…screaming. Most people would have found this adorable, but all Lexi can guess from the whispering of Bekah's relatives is that children are supposed to be kept separate from the party festivities.