If only they knew the truth
Luther's pov
"I am not even surprised. Charlotte must have turned you down, and when you saw us together, you lost your temper," Gavin said, his smug smile making my jaw tighten.
Charlotte looked at my date, her frown deepening when she noticed my hand on the woman’s waist. Still, she quickly covered it up with a weak hello and a fake smile. My eyes dropped to the space between her and Gavin, and I could feel my chest tighten.
That red dress of hers did little to hide her curves, especially her chest, and I hated the way others looked at her. Then Gavin had the nerve to slide his arm around her waist and pull her close, raising his brow at me as if to provoke me. It was a clear challenge, and I was doing everything I could to stay calm.
"Oh, come off it, Gavin. You know Luther hit you because you insulted Charlotte," Mateo said from behind me after clearing his throat. I saw Charlotte’s eyebrows pull together at his words. She had called me a liar when I told her Gavin insulted her. Hearing Mateo say it too must have made her start to question things.
"No one asked for your opinion," Gavin snapped at Mateo, gripping Charlotte tighter. She pressed her lips together. From the look on her face, she wanted to be anywhere but next to him, which honestly made me feel a bit better.
"Is it true?" Charlotte pulled herself away from Gavin and gave him a sharp look.
"Of course not. He’s making it up," Gavin said with a nervous laugh.
"Please take your seats, everyone. We are about to begin," the MC said, cutting in before Charlotte could ask more questions. She walked off towards the seating area, her hips swaying under her dress. My date had to tug my arm to get me to stop staring.
"This is going to be a long day," I muttered as I sat down on the bench across from Charlotte. She stared off into nothing while Gavin sat beside her, probably lying through his teeth. Music began playing once everyone had settled, and all eyes turned to the aisle where my brother entered. His face was lit up with joy as he walked towards the centre where the pastor stood.
"I cannot wait to see you walk down the aisle too, mate," Mateo said beside me.
"Shut up," I muttered quickly. As Sophie came down the aisle in a strapless white dress, all I could think about was Charlotte in her place... and me standing where my brother was. The image played in my mind before I could stop it.
"Thinking about it?" Mateo nudged me, snapping me out of it.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the pastor began, greeting us all. He got straight to the point and let the couple exchange their vows. Stanley was right when he said they wanted to keep it short. They had cut out most of the usual formalities, saying they were too grown up for unnecessary fuss.
As Stanley read his vows, I looked at Charlotte. She was already staring at me. I had to fight the urge to get up, walk over, and pull her away from Gavin. But her accusations still rang in my ears. It hurt to sit next to a woman I had hired as a date while the one I really wanted sat with the man I could not stand. If only she knew who Gavin really was.
"I swear that girl has you under her spell and she doesn't even know it," Mateo said, catching the direction of my gaze.
"Tell me about it," I muttered through clenched teeth as Gavin leaned in and said something to her. She turned her head to listen. Clearly, he had convinced her that Mateo made up the story.
It was my brother’s wedding, and yet I barely noticed a thing until they were told to kiss. As Stanley leaned in to kiss his bride, my eyes went back to Charlotte. I could not help but imagine what it would be like if it were me and her. She shifted slightly, and our eyes met, only for her to quickly look away.
"Talk to her," Mateo said as the pastor gave the microphone back to the MC.
"She does not believe anything I say," I replied, sighing and rubbing the bridge of my nose.
"But she cannot stop looking at you," he pointed out, clearly ignoring the woman next to me. She had followed my instruction well, stay quiet unless spoken to. So far, she had done exactly that.
"It does not matter; she still will not listen," I replied as I stood up when they called me to take a photo with the newlyweds.
It was a shame I had not heard a single thing during the ceremony. My mind was full of thoughts about Charlotte.
She was called forward too, and the moment she stood, I could not take my eyes off her.
I did not know if it was the way she walked, her figure, or just her beautiful face, but something about her pulled me in.
I knew my brother could read me like an open book, so I forced a smile and gave him a big hug, even though my gaze stayed on Charlotte.
As she hugged her mum and then my brother, I could not help wishing it was me in their place, just to hold her for even a second.
"Come on, you two. Just hug and put your issues aside for this one moment. Do not embarrass us," Charlotte's mum said quietly, giving us a sharp look that she quickly replaced with a polite smile for the guests.
"Go on," my brother added with a smile.
If only they knew the truth.
"Do not ruin my day, Charlotte!" Sophie hissed.
I stepped forward and hugged Charlotte, wrapping my arms tightly around her.
She wriggled after a moment, and I let go. Her glare was cold as she moved to stand beside me for the family photo.
When the photos were done, she excused herself, saying she needed to use the restroom in the cabin.
The main ceremony was nearly finished, and the rest of the celebration was planned at a large hotel in the city.
"I will go with..." I started to say, stepping forward, but Stanley stopped me, placing a hand on my arm.
"Let her go," he said calmly.
Kate and Loveth moved in for their photo with Charlotte's mum, but I barely noticed.
I watched Charlotte walk away quickly, her shoulders low, and it did not take long to see Gavin following her.
Mateo stood up too, nodded at me, mouthed “I got you,” and went after them.
"It only took me seconds to put everything together," Stanley said quietly.
"What do you mean?" I asked, trying not to react too much.
"The way you two look at each other, it is clear. I finally understand why you have seemed so distracted lately.
You have not been yourself, going back to drinking like you did after Brittany. Now it makes sense.
I am guessing Charlotte has not been any better either."
"This is not the time for this, Stanley. It is your wedding," I said, trying to change the subject.
"I told you I would not judge you," he replied.
"Just stop," I said, gritting my teeth.
"I know what I saw, Luther. It is obvious that something is going on between you and Charlotte.
And from the way you are acting, I believe it is real. No wonder she agreed to support my wedding after you spoke to her."
I shifted uncomfortably, glancing around to make sure no one was nearby.
"You wanted her the moment you saw her. You had her, but something went wrong between you two.
And from where I stand, it looks like her date has something to do with it."
"You are wrong," I said quickly, trying to explain.
But he simply patted my shoulder and said,
"I am not a detective for nothing, bro. The signs were all there, I just had to connect the dots."
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