That One Moment (Lost in London #2)(16)



“Oh God, I haven’t a clue,” Leslie groans. “I still have a million things to do.”

“Well if you guys wouldn’t have rushed the wedding—”

“Rushed?” I interrupt Finley with a laugh. “Theo’s been cross at Leslie for ages for making him wait this long. If she’d put him off even another day, he would have gone completely mental.”

Theo eyes me sternly through his glasses as everybody gawks at him. “Hayden, my dear brother,” he starts, “you watch the love of your life give birth to the second love of your life and then tell me that you could wait a second longer to make your family completely yours in every way possible.”

His devoted proclamation stuns me. It stuns the whole table as we all stare at him completely gobsmacked. A sniffle from Leslie diverts my eyes.

“Damn, Theo. You can’t say that shit in public. I’m still a post-natal emotional mess.” Leslie wipes fresh tears from her eyes and grabs his face. She plants a fierce kiss on his lips, completely oblivious to the audience around them. She breaks their kiss and her eyes are swimming with emotion. “I love you.”

Theo closes his eyes and rests his forehead against hers and breathes a deep, contented breath. It’s as if he’s drinking in the words from her mouth, pulling them into his lungs, and pushing them out through his bloodstream straight to his heart. It’s such a tender moment, I can’t look away.

The announcer breaks the mood, informing everyone to take their seats for the auction portion of the fundraiser to begin. Leslie, Theo, and I stand to head over to my parent’s table, but my heart stutters as I catch sight of a familiar woman in a white dress.

“Vi,” I say on a quiet exhale without even thinking. I look around nervously and am grateful no one seems to have heard me. I didn’t even mean to say her name out loud, but the truth is her name has been on repeat in my mind since two weeks ago. This mess of long blonde hair and long, spindly limbs literally knocked me flat on my back and I’ve been seeing stars ever since.

What the hell is she doing here?

My eyes slant and do a double take to confirm they aren’t tricking me. My view is distracted by some guy in a baggy tuxedo who has his hands wrapped tightly around her waist. He’s standing behind her and whispering into her ear as she giggles halfheartedly. Or at least I think it’s halfheartedly. Just then, she gives him a coy “come hither” look that makes me feel immediately…annoyed.

Without permission, my gaze takes a walk down her body, absorbing how her snug dress hugs every line of her slim frame. The dim chandelier light bounces off the shimmering fabric and creates a glowing effect all around her.

Christ, she’s still gorgeous.

She appears to be guiding the man-boy in our direction. Just when I snap out of my daze, Leslie’s voice calls out, “Vi? Benji? You guys okay?”

Curiosity keeps my feet planted. Vi glances up, her brow puckering in the middle as she looks pleadingly to Leslie. When this Benji fellow sees Leslie, he releases Vi and steps around her. His droopy eyes grow wide in shock. “My sexy lady in red,” he bellows and stumbles toward Leslie with his arms outstretched.

Before I have a chance to react, Theo moves in front of Leslie with his chest puffed out protectively. Now the two men are eye to eye, or chin to eye I guess you’d say since Benji is on the smallish size. Vi’s face turns from uncomfortable to nervous, so I take two steps closer and place a calming hand on Theo’s shoulder.

Vi’s wide blue eyes peer between the small space between Benji and Theo and land right on me. Her round cheeks flush a rosy hue. She instantly looks away and then right back at me again. I can’t help but stare back. It’s that same f*cking strange pull that I felt at The White Swan. Frustrated, I look away, clenching my jaw.

“I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink, mate,” Theo’s voice is low and controlled but has an obvious edge to it. He adjusts his black-framed glasses like he always does when he’s feeling cagey. I swear it’s a defense mechanism that he developed growing up. Whenever we tussled as kids, he’d get so barking mad at me if I’d gone at him when he had his glasses on.

“I think you might be spot on, good sir,” Benji slurs and pokes his finger into Theo’s chest. “Good Lord, are you wearing protective armour under your dress shirt?”

“No,” Theo replies without a shred of amusement.

“Someone needs to get control of him,” I grumble, annoyed.

Vi moves in and grabs Benji around the arm, “C’mon Benji boy, here’s our seats.”

Her eyes flash coolly to me as she pulls him down onto a chair. She looks away and pours a glass of water, then shoves it into his chest. Her eyes find mine again and I can’t help but frown at the whole situation. If this is her boyfriend, she should have better control over him. Wanker.

Leslie catches me scowling at Vi and steps in between my line of sight. “Hayden, you remember my coworker Vi, right? And Benji?”

I nod dismissively and then quietly excuse myself. I’m confused by how I feel about having the woman who sparked something I thought was dormant inside of me be here to witness the speech I just gave about all of my innermost secrets. Definitely not the first impression I would have wanted with her. And now she’s eyeing me like I’m the prat here.

I stroll over to my parents and take my seat. The farther I stay away from Vi tonight, the better. Perhaps I don’t affect her the same way she affects me. The way she was eyeing me at The White Swan Pub led me to believe otherwise. Regardless, something about her makes me feel out of control…and I don’t like it. It doesn’t help that every time I look over at her, she looks over at me. God, it’s so maddeningly juvenile I could laugh.

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