The Groom's Dove

I Promise

005

~The Planner~

"Okay. We need to talk." Sophie's voice follows after the door clicks behind her.

I look up. Her face is a dead pan.

"What is going on?" She asks.

I shift my laptop. She looks from it to me, and I close it guiltily. I've been staring at my screen without working for almost twenty minutes.

"What do you mean?"

"I watched you on Friday, Dove."

Friday? Watch me where? She was at the restaurant?

"That look means you understand me."

I chuckle awkwardly. "You watched me. How?"

"I was at the restaurant with Marco..." She pauses. I hold my heart in my hands. "You looked at that man like he invented oxygen."

"Oxy... Oxygen? Don't be ridiculous Soph." I laugh.

She's not having it.

"It's just work..."

"Don't." She cuts me off. "I've known you for six years, Dove. You're falling for him."

"I'm not!" I blurt out in defense. "I'm not falling for him. I barely know him."

"But you want to know him..."

"No! I... I... It's just that..."

She's right! God! She's so right.

"He's trapped Soph. " I am unable to lie to her. I just can't lie to her. "Charlotte was late for the meeting and it was just us. We talked... We.... we really talked Soph."

Sophie exhales. "Come on, Dove. "

"And he listened to me Sophie. He listened. He actually listened. He focused on me. "

"Dove..."

I get to my feet and run my hands through my hair. "He's such a kind soul. And you should have seen the way Charlotte spoke to that barista and how I saw him later comfort her and apologize on behalf of Charlotte."

I look at Soph.

""He wants a married life full of love and peace and... And care like his grandparents, yet he's trapped... He's trapped in this wedding to a woman who doesn't see him. And I... "

"You want to save him." Sophie finishes with a sigh rooted deep in her soul.

"I..."

"You can't Dove. No matter what you do, you can't save him."

"Soph you don't get it."

She pulls out her phone and shows it to me. It's Charlotte's i********:. A post three hours ago.

Charlotte and Liam at the venue. He's in the background looking at his phone while she's posing, in the spotlight.

The Caption: "Planning our DREAM day with my PERFECT fiance." In just three hours, 98K likes.

"This is your client." Soph's voice snaps me back to her. "She will destroy you if you get in her way. "

Again, I know she's right. But I can't shake off the look on Liam's face when I asked if he's happy. The look on his face showed that this was the first time in a while someone was seeing him.

He's not happy. He's suffering. Why is he doing this to himself? Can't he just walk away? Does Charlotte have a leash on him?

"You are their wedding planner. Nothing else."

She walks towards me and takes my hands in hers.

"Promise me Dove. No more meetings alone with Liam Ashford. All communication must be through Charlotte and Charlotte alone. Have nothing to do with him ever. Okay? "

I nod.

She snarls. "I need a real answer."

I chuckle. Sometimes, she acts like my mum. "Okay. I promise."

She nods. "Good. This is the biggest opportunity of your career. Don't blow it for a man who's engaged to someone else."

"I won't. I promise." And I mean it. I'm a professional. I've planned more than 200 weddings in my lifetime without falling for a groom.

This is a crush born out of pity. It will pass. It will.

It's 10p.m. on Saturday and Charlotte's email drops. Seventeen bullet points for venue logistics.

It's the weekend for God's sake! I made it clear to her that I don't work on weekends!

"Please have this completed by Monday morning. I need to approve everything before we proceed."

No "thank you." No acknowledgement that it is the weekend. No "I'm sorry to bother you so late."

Nothing!

Forwarding it to Soph, I write. "See? Just a job. Difficult client, nothing more."

She replies with a thumbs up and, "Let's keep it that way. You're Dove Pierce. Go girl!"

I roll into my bed, staring at my ceiling. After a few minutes, I get up and sit at my table.

"This is just for research purposes." I mutter. I'm just being thorough. Nothing else.

I look up Liam's non-profit.

It's just as he said.

A video catches my attention. I play it. Liam's playing soccer with some kids in Honduras. He's smooth and precise with his moves but it's obvious to anyone that he plays weak and lets them win on purpose.

His Spanish is fluent and his smile is genuine. He turns to the camera and smiles with a wave. I find myself smiling too, my hands move to wave back.

I bring it down and clear my throat.

A little girl jumps on his back and he carries her around, laughing. The kids forget about soccer and start chasing him around.

This is Liam... the real Liam. Neither the silent presence in Charlotte's penthouse or the extra in the restaurant.

I hit the like button.

"s**t!"

I immediately unlike it. My heart pounds.

It's a two year old video on a small non-profit page. He'll never notice. But my heart keeps pounding.

I slam my laptop shut and rush under the covers. I promised Sophie.

My chest pounds harder.

I didn't do anything wrong. But I feel like I've crossed a line. A line that I cannot cross.

The ceiling judges me, staring into my eyes. I turn away from it. My eyes move to my hands and I remember how our fingers brushed at the restaurant.

Without thinking, I bring my hand to my lips, replaying the feel over and over in my head.

The question comes back. "Should I just quit?"

I shake my head.

I've spent years creating love stories for other people. Why does this one feel different?

My phone buzzes and I hiss. Who could it be at such an ungodly hour? Disrupting my train of thought?

I grab the phone. An unknown number. I toss the phone down. Something tells me to open it.

I sit up when I obey.

Should I send this to Sophie also?

No. That's not the wise thing to do now.

The text reads: "This is Liam. Charlotte gave me your number for vendor coordination. Hope that's okay. Also, thank you for being kind to that barista today. Most people in Charlotte's orbit aren't."