Chapter 13 - Impromptu sleepover.

Cara had gotten back from work tired and a little stressed out. Her father had told her she could stop working since the wedding was drawing close but she had refused vehemently.

She honestly didn't know what else she would do if she didn't work so she had to work.

It was the least she could do.

Her apartment was quiet and she was very hungry, Alex had not come to visit in a while, because he was probably busy with work or something like that, it wasn't as if Cara cared enough to ask or know what was going on.

She took off her clothes quickly and jumped into the shower

She was so hungry.

As she washed her hair she wondered if she was going to make something to eat or order some food.

She had not eaten much at work except for the salad that she had gotten at the office.

She needed to get something to eat.

And fast.

She thought as she let the hot water wash all over her.

Thoughts of Nicholas slipped into her head again as she remembered the last time she saw him.

She wondered why it was so hard to get him out of her mind.

Maybe because he kept popping up in her life just when she was trying to forget him.

A voice in her head said and she cringed.

Yes, that bit was true.

For some reason she didn't understand he had come to the cake tasting. He could have easily said no, he had missed more important events before.

After leaving the shower, Cara put on a simple night shirt and decided to order tacos for the night.

She was still searching for her phone when her doorbell rang.

She rolled her eyes.

It could be Alexander, he might have come straight from work and was hoping to spend the night.

Not that she wanted him to see him but then she also wouldn't know how to tell him to leave.

She walked towards the door and opened it.

It was Malory, in her usual attire. She was wearing red baggy shorts and a sweatshirt.

"Malory?! What are you doing here?!"

Cara asked in surprise and Malory shrugged.

"Oh I don't know. Can't I spend the night with my favourite girlfriend?"

She said as she walked in and Cara nodded.

"Of course you can! Silly me. I just wasn't really expecting you."

Cara nodded.

"Yes. I actually thought you'd still be in the office and I called your work phone before my phone died to tell you I was on my way. I hope you don't mind."

Cara waved Malory's comment off.

"Why would I mind? I mean. I love seeing you."

"Let me get that for you."

She said as she collected Malory's overnight bag from her.

"So how's everything going? We haven't really talked ever since the cake tasting. I keep hearing from the wedding planner but not you."

Cara turned to her friend Malory and smiled.

Malory was wearing a red turtleneck and high waist dark jeans with a cute pair of boots.

"Yea I've been really busy at work. As you can see, I just got out of the shower."

She pointed at her wet hair and robe

"And besides. I'm tired of being overwhelmed with the wedding plans so I just decided to leave it to everybody else."

Malory nodded.

"Okay. I think I understand."

Cara dropped Malory's overnight bag in her bedroom and walked back to the living room.

Malory was her best friend and Cara knew her like the back of her hand and one thing Malory would never do is just pop in at her place unannounced, so something was definitely wrong.

"Malory. What's wrong?"

Cara asked as she smiled at her.

Malory shrugged, trying to force the smile that was on her lips.

"Tom and I are just going through a rough patch and I just needed some time to clear my head. Is it okay if I stay here?"

She asked and Cara nodded.

"Of course! Your place is my place. Always "

She patted Malory on the back and turned to her kitchen.

"Want something to drink? I've got a nice bottle of wine chilling in the fridge."

Malory nodded.

"Sure. Got anything to eat or should I order pizza?"

She said as she brought out her phone and Cara grinned.

"I was thinking some tacos for dinner but yea a pizza is great."


An hour later, Cara and Malory were on the floor laughing and the bottle of wine lay next to them empty.

They were slightly drunk.

Drunk enough to slur their words slightly and laugh at every single thing.

They talked about their childhood a lot, how they were as little girls, the things they had expected of adulthood and what didnt quite turn out to be their future.

Slowly, the conversation became even more sober as Malory asked Cara a question.

"If you had the choice, would you still marry Alex?"

She asked and Cara swallowed awkwardly.

"No."

She replied slowly and Malory nodded.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence and Malory turned to her again.

"Are things really that bad?"

She asked and Cara shrugged.

"Yep."

"This is what my life is now."

She said as she raised her hand to show Malory the huge engagement ring on her finger.

Malory sat up slowly, suddenly coming to her senses. Before she left for Wyoming things had been fine between the two of them. Cara had been worried about the wedding being rushed but that was akk.

But now Malory knew there was a different problem.

She could see it in the sad faraway look Cara got when they had to talk about the wedding, her utter lack of excitement or care whenever Alexander's name was mentioned.

The way she treated everything like a business proposal.

There was something else, something weighing on Cara's mind.

She had to get to the bottom of it.

"Cara. I know there's something wrong. I mean... I knew things were bad. But really, not this bad."

Cara opened her mouth and then quickly closed it.

For a moment she was going to tell Malory the truth. She was going to tell her what was going on but then she stopped herself.

She and Nicholas had promised not to tell anyone.

She knew that she could trust Malory but she was just too ashamed to even mention it.

To even hear herself speak the words, she couldn't even bear to hear them.

She cheated.

On Alexander.

With his brother.

It wasn't only shameful.

It was embarrassing.

It was scandalous.


Their wedding was going to be a society one. Everyone of high society in New York knew the Greenes, especially now since Mr Greene was going to campaign to be a senator.

The local tabloids would have a field day dragging her name and her family name through filth if they heard what happened.

She couldn't even imagine what her parents would think about if they ever heard of it.

How disappointed they would be in her.

"Malory, I know you love and care about me and I understand. Truly, I do."

"There's nothing wrong. Really."

"Sometimes I just wonder what would be happening in my life if I didn't have to get married to Alexander."

She said as she smiled and Malory shrugged.

"You'd probably be doing fine. Working at the company, having a blast, planning our next girl's trip."

Cara chuckled.

Malory was right, she would have been doing exactly that.

Malory sighed as she lay on the floor and started looking forward.

"And I'd probably be trying to convince you to go on a blind date with some nerdy professor from NYU."

Cara threw her head back in laughter.

Yea that bit was right.

Once, Malory had invited her on a blind date with some nerdy professor. The guy had been cute but he talked way too much and he seemed to have a foot fetish.

He wanted Cara to take off her shoes right in the restaurant. That was when Cara decided she had enough.

"And I would go. Just so you can stop complaining about how single I am and how I'm not giving you the chance to plan our double dates."

Cara replied and Malory smiled again.

"Are you and Tom going to be fine? Nothing serious?"

She finally asked the question that Malory had been avoiding and Malory nodded.

"Yes. We'll get through it."

The two of them were quiet again before Malory broke the silence.

"I forgot to ask, what do you have planned for your bachellorette party."

Cara chuckled nervously.

She wasn't sure she was having one.
Were they really necessary?

No, no they were not.

"I don't know. I'm not sure there's going to even be a party."

"What?!"

Malory said as she rushed to get up.

She stood right in front of Cara with her hands on her waist.

"Cara! You have to have a bachelorette party! I don't care how awful it is you think getting married is."

Cara shrugged.

"Fine then. We can have one here."

She said as she pointed to her apartment and Malory gave her a look that seemed to ask if she was beings serious

"You're having the wedding of the summer, with over one thousand guests in attendance and you think that this tiny little apartment will be appropriate place for a bacheloorette party?!!"

Cara sighed as she narrowed her eyes at Malory.

She asked the question she was dreading to ask.

"What do you have in mind?"

Malory's eyes lit up in excitement.

"A destination bachelorrette party."