Page 65 of Endgame

‘Meh, I owe Lara several favours. We look out for each other,’ he says, then pats me on the back and walks away.

Honey and Lara have left me all warm and fuzzy, so I find my happy place.

Mason, you beautiful creature, where are you?

Having a chat with Dominic and a couple of others outside away from the noise. Come and get me when you’ve had enough?

Just as I start to cross the dance floor to retrieve my girlfriend, a very tipsy Melissa stumbles up, drinkingchampagne straight from the bottle even though she is holding a perfectly useable flute. I’ve been sticking close to the team and avoiding her all day. I was just starting to feel like I could get through her circus without any contact.

‘Wanna dance with the bride?’ She isn’t quite fully drunk yet, and all eyes are on her, so I can’t exactly decline. I wrestle the champagne bottle and glass from her and put them down on the closest table.

‘Of course.’ I force a smile. Thankfully it’s a fast track and we can dance at a distance. The good thing about weddings is that people tend to follow the bride and dance around her. It won’t take long before we end up in a dancing group. I plan to slip away as soon as a Whitney Houston or Beyoncé track comes on and sends all the women in the vicinity into a frenzy. Thankfully, the DJ is being generous with those tonight. It’s just a matter of time.

‘Are you having a good time?’ she asks over the music.

‘For an event that required our mandatory attendance, it hasn’t been terrible. Are you and your “chains” having a good time?’ I already know the answer.

‘The drink was helping me come to terms with it.’ She points to the bottle I confiscated, then grabs my hand and clumsily makes me twirl her.

‘You really don’t want to be doing this, do you?’

‘I had no choice.’ She shimmies away and shimmies back again.

‘You’re Melissa Chang. All you have is choice.’ I bring her back to me and twirl her properly.

‘That’s where I messed up.’

‘How did you mess up?’

‘Ask me if I come back from my honeymoon.’ She dances around me suggestively.

‘If?’

‘Did I say if?’ She feigns a shocked face. ‘I meant when.’

I leave it because, at this point, I don’t care. It’s her day and, as much as she doesn’t want to be here, she is making the best of it. Thankfully, after an unusually long hiatus, the DJ finally hits us with ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’. There is joyful screaming, and the women on the dance floor immediately gravitate towards Melissa. Perfect. Time to find Ariella and take her home.

The pavilion has several doors, so it takes me a few tries to find the right one. I spot Ariella standing with Dominic Miller, Kevin Wong and a couple of other people I don’t recognise. I join them. I don’t particularly want to stay, but she is talking passionately about expanding our Conscious Experience app and I love watching her when she’s like this. Dominic Miller’s jacket is draped over her shoulders as he listens, standing protectively next to her in his white shirt, black bow tie and cummerbund. It’s not a visual I like, at all.

‘Hey, congratulations, Kevin.’ I approach. Aari’s face lights up as soon as she sees me and I’m not the only one who notices. In fact, it’s so obvious it doesn’t bother me any more that Dominic’s coat is over her shoulders.

‘The infamous Caleb. Thanks.’ Kevin reaches out his hand and Dominic stifles a chuckle as I shake it.

‘The infamous Caleb indeed. How are you doing? Getting ready to head to London next week?’ Dominic asks, extending his own hand. I take it.

‘Yes. Should be a good trip.’

I promised Ariella I would grow up and, to be honest, it’s not very difficult after last night. Whatever that was between us created such a deep tie to her that I don’t feel the usual need to draw big, fat, red lines around her. Her heart is mine, we belong to each other and nothing is going to touch that.

I am introduced to the other two guys, who work in the same industry space as Kevin and Dominic.

‘Are you ready to go?’ Aari asks, hinting that she is.

‘Noooo, stay.’ The guys turn to Ariella together.

‘Yes, Caleb. Stay,’ Kevin directs at me instead. ‘I’ve got to tell you guys, Caleb is a big reason why I’m getting married today.’ He puts his hand on my shoulder. Shit, he knows. No, he can’t know. He simply can’t.

‘Why?’ one of the other guys asks.

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