Chapter Two
1208 Words
Chapter two
Amelia was still stunned by the way Ethan had reacted. She couldn’t stop replaying the brief encounter in her mind. Most people would have been furious after having champagne spilled all over an expensive suit, yet he had remained calm—almost amused. His warm smile and gentle voice lingered in her thoughts, making it impossible to focus on anything else.
Shaking her head, she let out a quiet sigh.
“Why am I even thinking about him?” she muttered to herself.
Only then did she notice that some of the champagne had splashed onto the front of her emerald-green dress. The sticky stain made her grimace.
“I should clean this before it dries,” she whispered.
She made her way toward the ladies’ restroom, carefully avoiding the clusters of guests chatting and laughing in the hallway. Once inside, she stood in front of the large mirror and stared at her reflection for a moment.
Her cheeks were still slightly flushed.
She turned on the faucet, dampened a paper towel with cold water, and gently dabbed at the stain on her dress. Thankfully, it wasn’t too noticeable.
As she cleaned it, her thoughts wandered back to the man she had just met.
“Ethan…”
She softly repeated his name, almost testing how it sounded.
There was something different about him. Despite his expensive suit and confident appearance, he hadn’t looked down on her. He hadn’t made her feel small or embarrassed. Instead, he had made her laugh in what could have been the most awkward moment of the day.
A faint smile crept onto her lips before she quickly caught herself.
“Get a grip, Amelia,” she scolded her reflection. “You’ll probably never see him again.”
Taking one last look in the mirror, she smoothed out her dress, adjusted a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and took a deep breath before walking back into the reception hall.
The ballroom was even livelier than before. Soft music filled the room while guests laughed over dinner and children ran between the tables. The newlyweds were surrounded by photographers as family members congratulated them.
Amelia scanned the room until she spotted Lily waving at her from across the hall.
“There you are!” Lily exclaimed as Amelia reached the table. “I thought you got lost.”
“I just went to clean up,” Amelia replied, taking her seat.
Lily narrowed her eyes with a teasing smile.
“Or were you hiding from that handsome man you bumped into?”
Amelia nearly choked on the sip of water she had just taken.
“I wasn’t hiding.”
“So you admit he was handsome.”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Before Amelia could defend herself, she heard a familiar voice calling her from another table.
“Amelia.”
She turned immediately.
It was her mother.
“Yes, Mum?” she answered politely.
Her mother beckoned her over with a gentle wave.
“Come over here for a moment.”
Amelia already had a feeling she knew what was coming.
She rose slowly from her chair and walked toward her mother’s table.
Her mother smiled warmly.
“Come and greet your aunties.”
The smile on Amelia’s face froze for the briefest moment.
Inside, she wanted nothing more than to disappear.
She had spent the entire afternoon trying to avoid this exact situation.
She loved her relatives, but family gatherings always ended the same way—with questions she was tired of answering.
“When are you getting married?”
As soon as Amelia reached the table, the very question she had been dreading all afternoon came.
“So, Amelia,” one of her aunties said with a knowing smile, “when are we coming to dance at your own wedding?”
The other women at the table chuckled, waiting eagerly for her response.
Another aunt leaned forward. “You’re such a beautiful young woman. Surely there must be someone special in your life.”
Amelia forced a smile, though inside she felt like sinking into the ground.
Why did every family gathering have to turn into an interrogation about her love life?
She glanced briefly at her mother, hoping she would change the subject, but instead, her mother simply smiled awkwardly, leaving Amelia to answer for herself.
Taking a deep breath, she replied softly, “God’s time, Aunty. When the right person comes, it will happen.”
The women exchanged amused glances.
“Just don’t keep us waiting for too long,” one of them joked.
Amelia let out a small, polite laugh, but the conversation had already drained her. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, she excused herself and returned to her seat, relieved that the questioning was finally over.
Lily looked at her sympathetically.
“I told you they’d ask.”
Amelia sighed dramatically as she picked up her glass of water.
“They ask every single time. At this point, I think they’re more concerned about my love life than I am.”
Lily couldn’t help but laugh.
Before Amelia could say another word, the master of ceremonies stepped onto the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced cheerfully, “it’s now time for the bride’s family to join the newlyweds on the dance floor!”
Applause erupted throughout the hall as upbeat music filled the room.
Guests turned their attention toward the center of the ballroom while members of the bride’s family happily made their way to the dance floor.
Amelia smiled as she watched her cousin laughing with her new husband.
It was a beautiful moment.
Then, without warning, someone familiar caught her eye.
Her smile slowly faded into surprise.
Standing beside the bride, dressed in the same charcoal-gray suit—now with a fresh jacket—was the man she had bumped into earlier.
Ethan.
He was smiling warmly as he hugged the bride before joining the rest of the family on the dance floor.
Amelia blinked in disbelief.
“So… he’s the bride’s brother?”
She hadn’t expected that.
Not in a million years.
As she watched him laughing with his family, she realized why he had rushed away so quickly in the garden. He hadn’t just been another guest.
He was an important part of the wedding.
Without realizing it, Amelia continued watching him.
At that exact moment, Lily followed her gaze.
A slow, mischievous smile spread across her face.
“Oh…” Lily teased, nudging Amelia gently with her elbow. “So that’s who you’ve been looking at.”
Amelia quickly looked away.
“I wasn’t staring.”
“Were you not?” Lily raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve been watching him for almost a full minute.”
“I was only surprised.”
“Surprised that he’s handsome…”
“…or surprised that you can’t seem to take your eyes off him?”
Amelia rolled her eyes, trying to hide the warmth creeping into her cheeks.
“Stop imagining things.”
But deep down, she couldn’t deny one thing.
For someone she had met only once, Ethan Brooks was already occupying far more space in her thoughts than he should have.
- Writer
