Page 90 of The Suite Life
I arrive back out under the marquee just in time.
‘Ladies and gents, the bride and groom are about to share their first dance as husband and wife, and they would love it if you all would join them on the dance floor,’ a voice announces, amplified by the microphone.
Lucy and Rick, a mixture of excitement and nerves, make their way to the centre of the dance floor. I know that they’ve been practising this, again and again, because neither of them is an especially good dancer naturally (it definitely runs in the family) but they want it to be as close to perfect as possible. I suppose sometimes, realistically, close to perfect is more than enough.
As the soulful sound of Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Pointless’ fills the air, couples form on the dance floor, ready to join the newly-weds.
I always find, when I’m at a wedding, that I can never quite picture myself being a bride. I would like to, don’t get me wrong, but on a day like today, when everything seems so perfect, it’s hard to imagine it ever being for me.
Lost in my thoughts, I feel a tap on my shoulder.
‘May I have this dance?’ Donnie jokes, a touch of faux formality in his tone.
Unable to resist, I laugh.
‘You may,’ I reply.
Donnie envelops me in his arms, and we sway gently to the music, momentarily forgetting the world around us. Then I feel him tense up a little.
‘Listen, about last night,’ Donnie begins. ‘It doesn’t have to mean anything. We can just chalk it up to one of those holiday moments of madness and forget all about it.’
My body stiffens, bracing for the expected. This is the moment when he’ll tell me I’m just a holiday fling, and I realise I was just a fleeting distraction to fill his boring days while he’s been here alone. A pang of embarrassment washes over me, as I wonder why I let myself believe this could ever be something more than a holiday romance.
‘Okay,’ I reply coolly – someone give me an Oscar.
‘Really?’ Donnie replies, genuinely surprised.
I pull a face, my Oscar-worthy performance over as my frustration surges to the forefront.
‘What do you want me to do, beg you to change your mind? If that’s what you want, fine,’ I tell him.
I shrug in his arms – but still carry on dancing, of course. It’s one thing to be here without an impressive date, it’s another to have a row with your mate-date in the middle of the dance floor, during the first dance.
‘It’s not what I want at all,’ he tells me sincerely. ‘I assumed it was what you wanted – you’ve been so weird since last night.’
I sigh. Should I tell him the truth, should I try to smooth things over for now, or should I scorch the earth? If I push him away now, I won’t get hurt later. Sadly, that’s never been my style.
‘I woke up on top of the world this morning,’ I confess. ‘It was only after we found Lucy and Rick, and I overheard you on the phone, talking about keeping secrets from me, that my mood changed.’
‘Oh,’ Donnie says simply. ‘I can explain. I was talking to my s?—’
‘Here’s the thing, I don’t think I want you to,’ I interrupt him. ‘Honestly, I’m sick of men lying, sneaking around, of me catching them out. I’m sick of the burden being on me.’
‘You’re right, it’s not fair, and I’m sorry that you overheard what you did,’ he admits. ‘But I promise you, it’s not what it sounded like. There is something I want to talk to you about – and it’s nothing to worry about – I just wanted to tell you in my own time.’
Okay, now I feel bad. The last thing I wanted to do was push him in any way.
‘Look, I’m sorry,’ I say. ‘And I’m being ridiculous. So long as you are actually single, of course, and you’re over your ex, then whatever it is you’ve got going on, I want you to tell me in your own time. It’s been a long week – but it has only been a week. Perhaps we just need to slow things down a bit.’
‘First of all, I am single,’ he confirms, rubbing my back reassuringly with his hands. ‘And the break-up I told you about, well, it was more like the end of a relationship that was never romantic, so you have nothing to worry about there. It has been a long week, but it’s been one of the best weeks of my life. Maybe we should slow down, but I don’t want to. I really like you, Gigi, and I think we’ve got something special here. When I go back to London, I don’t want you to be just some girl I cross paths with when I’m strolling around museums, I want you to be there with me.’
‘I would really like that too,’ I admit, a genuine smile breaking through. ‘And I do too – really like you, that is.’
Donnie takes my face in his hands, sealing our fate with a kiss just as the song reaches its end.
The crowd cheers. Let’s be real, they’re probably cheering Lucy and Rick – because of course they are, it’s their wedding – but it only adds to the moment for me.
With the first dance finished, everyone gets back to partying. Some guests continue swaying on the dance floor, now that a DJ has taken over, while others gravitate toward the bar to grab a drink. Other people return to their seats, to rest their feet – Lucy being the first one to plonk herself down and kick off her heels.
