In Another Life

“Thank you again,” I say quietly as I accept Theo’s outstretched hand and climb from his car. “I mean, you didn’t have—”

Theo pulls his cigarette from his lips and exhales before he turns to me. “It’s not even that big of a deal, Bryn. We were both going to the same place, why would I make you travel by yourself?”

“Because you don’t know me,” I offer, straightening out my coat and accepting his offered elbow before we begin to walk into the Armoury House, where Jasmine and Paul’s reception is to be held. “I was honestly just planning on taking a cab or catching a ride on the tube, or something.”

“Well then you’d have been extremely late and out, like, nearly 30 quid. That’s not fun,” Theo laughs as we cross over the threshold into the massive building.

I release my grip on his arm and step forward to a long, low table in front of us. It’s covered neatly in a white tablecloth and it holds hundreds of names and table seating numbers. All of the stiff little cardboard rectangles are held in place by a simple pair of silver hearts intertwined together. I go over all of the names until I finally spot my own in the ‘M’ section.

Table 13.

“Banished to Siberia,” Theo jokes, suddenly at my elbow. “That’s got to hurt.”

I smile up at him and shrug. “It was rather expected. I don’t know Jasmine or Paul very well.”

“Well apparently well enough to merit an invitation,” He observes, glancing down at his own little heart name. “I’m at table 3, but that’s only because I’m family. Well,” He scans the area and then shrugs. “I’m just going to sit with you.”

“Are you sure?” I begin doubtfully, half convinced that some starched, stiff employee is going to materialize in front of us and demand that Theo sits with his family. “I don’t want you to get into any trouble.”

Theo snorts and starts to guide me towards the back of the room. “I don’t care. Besides, no one will miss me in the front and I doubt that every single person is going to show up. And I’ll have more fun with you then I ever would with my cousin Gertrude.”

“Oh,” I feign a hurt face. “I’m sure Gertrude was truly looking forward to sitting with you.”

He laughs loudly as we cut across a corner of the dance floor and neatly sidestep an already rather tipsy guest. “I had no idea you could joke, Bryn. You’ve been so serious so far. I rather like this side of you.”

I wave his words away as we come to our table. “Oh please, like you really expected me to be solemn and boring all of the time?”

“Yes, yes I did,” He answers dryly before he pulls out a chair and throws himself into it unceremoniously. “And now you can get absolutely pissed with me!” He crows cheerfully, reaching into his pocket for his flask. He uncaps it and goes to take a drink before he pulls it away dejectedly. “Damn, already out of whiskey.”

“Then go get some more,” I suggest, untying the sash around my waist and slipping out of my overcoat. I place it on the back of my chair before I carefully sit down and place my clutch on the table. “Is it an open bar?”

“Knowing Uncle Edward, it is,” Theo replies as he looks about the room for the source of alcohol. “Be back in two ticks, love.” He slips out of his chair before he darts across the floor to the bar up by the wedding party’s table.

I take this sudden moment of freedom to examine my surroundings. The table that I’ve been seated at is tucked away in the corner of the room, a bit like an afterthought. I know this to be the outcasts table. Every wedding has that handful of random guests who don’t know anyone else, so they all get lumped together and shoved aside so that they remain out of the way.

I’m not hurt by this realization. I know that I don’t know either Jazz or Paul, so it’s not like I can be expected to have a seat in the front of the room with them. Besides, I’d much prefer to stay in the back, tucked behind this monstrous pillar so that I can observe things, rather than having been sat in the middle of everything.

My gaze traces over the numerous attendees already here. Of course, the wedding party hasn’t arrived—they were still at the chapel taking photographs. But that hasn’t stopped the DJ from starting the music and the bartenders from cracking open the alcohol.

As I look around me, I find myself wondering where exactly Harry is going to be sitting. Probably at the front of the room with the family, because who doesn’t want to have photographic evidence of a royal in their wedding album? Plus, I imagine it would be a big insult to Harry, William and Catherine if they were put in the back with me.

Theo appears in my line of vision, carefully balancing three drinks in his two hands as he skirts the dance floor and makes for our table. He appears to be concentrating deeply and as he moves, I can’t help but notice how well made his own suit is, especially in comparison to the rest of the party-goers.

“Going for a record blackout?” I inquire as he sets all of the drinks down in front of him.

He shoots me a rather patronizing look and scoots one of the drinks towards me. “One of them is for you, thank you. I’m not that big of an oaf. I know to get a lady a drink without asking. And yes, the other two are for me,” He shrugs nonchalantly, picking up one glass and draining half of it in two gulps.

“Well thank you,” I say, slightly surprised. I pick up the cool glass and take a timid sip. I’ve never been a big alcoholic drinker and my knowledge of drinks and beers is very, very limited. Much to my surprise, I find myself licking my lips appreciatively and peering even more closely at the drink in my grasp. “What is this?”

“It is a strawberry basil martini. You know Jazz, always having to color coordinate things,” He grins widely at me, setting his drink down with a contented sigh. “But she picks a damn fine cocktail, I’ll give her that.”

I nod my head in agreement, taking another generous drink and savoring the tang of the vodka. “It’s a bit of a girly drink, isn’t it?”

“Yep,” Theo agrees comfortably, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs neatly. “But haven’t you heard? I’m a girly gay, so I might as well embrace the stereotype.”

I nearly choke on my drink. “You’re gay?!”

Theo bursts into hearty peals of laughter at the look on my face. Just when I’m starting to feel a bit insulted, he shakes his head. “No, no I’m not gay. But… you can’t deny that I’m a bit, ahem, feminine. I blame my nanny—she was always letting me dress up and play with my sister’s dolls when I was younger.”

“So you’re not gay,” I say slowly, a bit confused by the turn of events. I mean, yes, I had noted that Theo had some rather effeminate characteristics, but I never would have labeled him as being homosexual. And normally my gaydar is pretty accurate. “But you act like you are?”

“You’ve seriously not heard about this?” He asks incredulously, setting his drink back down. “It was a huge story in the press a few years back.” When I shake my head, he looks even more surprised and then continues his story. “The media took one look at my fantastic fashion sense and noticed that I have particularly good hygiene and immediately decided that I was gay. I guess I never helped the rumors much; I never held onto a girl long enough to prove anything and I’ve more guy friends then girl friends. I’ve just never bothered to correct them, I guess. But I’m straight. I like girls. I just happen to be able to dress and groom myself well.”

“Well your suit is fantastic,” I murmur into my glass, trying hard to hide my smile.

Theo kicks me lightly on my ankle with his polished wingtip shoe. “Darling, I live for fashion,” His voice is purposefully high-pitched and he pulls of a lisp uncommonly well. I can see now how one can inaccurately believe him to be gay.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. I work as a personal shopper,” I reveal, playing with the slender stem of my glass absentmindedly. “I love fashion, too.”

“Yes, but you’re a girl, so it’s okay,” Theo replies calmly. “I’ve come to peace with it. It’ll just be a huge surprise if I step out with a girl one day and she’s sporting an engagement ring. Can’t wait to read the headlines on that: ‘Teddy Bear Finds Himself a Lifelong Playmate.’”

I cough into my drink and push it away hurriedly as I cover my mouth. “Teddy Bear?!”

“Yeah,” Theo laughs as well. “That’s my nickname in the press.”

I grin broadly, terribly amused by the mental image of Theo in a bear suit. “I’m going to call you that from now on.”

“No,” groans Theo, throwing his head back. “God no, please don’t do that.”

I shake my head, biting down on my lower lip. “No, it’s done. You’re now Teddy Bear to me.”

“Please don’t,” He begs, pouting attractively with his full lower lip jutting out. “I detest that name more than anything else in the world.”

I nod and shake my head. “Fine, fine. But you’re now Ted and I am not budging on that.”

He ponders over this new name for a moment and then shrugs. “I can live with that.”

A silence falls over our table and I look up in time to see Catherine and William enter the room on each other’s arm. They’re both holding their silver place cards and I watch as William is stopped immediately by some guy in a suit. He replies good-naturedly, using his hands as he speaks. I watch as Catherine stands behind him quietly and then my gaze drops down to their joined hands.

A soft smile lights up my face as I watch them. They’re so cute. I remember watching the wedding at Amanda’s place, but it’s an entirely different thing to witness it firsthand. I must remember to tell Manda, our resident Wills/Kate fanatic, about it, but then I remember that she’ll be far more interested in why I’m at a wedding with them.

My stomach twists uncomfortably at this revelation. I know that I’ll have to tell my friends eventually. I can’t keep this a secret for much longer, especially if I continue seeing Harry. They’ll be hurt enough by the fact that I’ve concealed things this long.

But I don’t want to jinx this thing by blabbing about it. For some reason, my little trysts with Harry seem so personal and private that I don’t want to share it with anyone else. They’re my special little fairytale advances in life and I don’t want to ruin it by getting ahead of myself. Because I can see myself getting carried away by all of this and maybe falling in love—

My heart leaps up into my throat as I watch Harry enter the ballroom. He’s walking with two other guys and they’re all smiling at something as Harry speaks. I watch with baited breath as Harry nods at them and says something else before he turns and walks towards the table where his brother and sister-in-law are seated.

A huge part of me wants to leap up and go up to him, but I know that I would never do that. I have a hard enough time speaking with Harry without tripping over my tongue or making a complete ass out of myself. Who knows how on earth I’d act if I found myself in the presence of not one, but three members of the royal family. I can just see myself blurting out something horridly embarrassing or doing something terribly uncouth and breaking an important rule of etiquette.

So I make the decision to remain where I am until Harry seeks me out. He knows I’m here; he saw me at the cathedral. Surely he’ll try to find me at some point. Otherwise I will have attended this wedding and reception for nothing.

“What are you getting to eat, the salmon or the lamb?” Ted asks suddenly, looking up from his mobile. “I can’t remember what I ordered. I think I went with the lamb, but who knows.”

“I ordered the salmon,” I answer, looking back at him. “I’ve never had lamb before, so I went with the safer option.”

Ted purses his lips and squints as he thinks. “I’m almost positive I went with the lamb. I hope I went with the lamb. I’m starving.”

“With as much alcohol as you’ve had, I would think so,” I tease him, raising my eyebrows. “Do you want something to eat? I have something in my bag.”

Ted looks as if he can’t decide between being offended at my sly jab or interested in my offer of food. He chooses the latter and peers down at my clutch bag. “You have food in there?”

“Yeah,” I nod as I undo the clasp and start to root through my bag. “I have a Mars bar and some granola and a bag of crisps,” I look up and stop at the incredulous look on his face. “What?”

“Do you bring food everywhere in your bag or just to weddings?” He laughs, running his hand down his face. “Is this a girl thing that I will never understand?”

I nod, shrugging my shoulders. “You never know when you’re going to get hungry, so you always pack a little something to tide you over. It’s basic knowledge. Now what will you have?”

“I’ll take the crisps,” Ted laughs again, shaking his head. “Unbelievable.”

I pull out a bag of potato chips and hand them over before I pull out the Mars bar for myself. “If it weren’t for me, you’d not only be really bored sitting up there with Cousin Gertrude, but you’d also be hungry. So you’re welcome for saving you this evening.”

He laughs and picks up his martini before he raises it to me in a little toast. “Thank you so incredibly much, Bryn. This evening would have been a dismal failure if we hadn’t met.”

I clink our glasses together lightly before I take a small sip and return my attention back to my candy bar. I unwrap it hurriedly and take a bite before I hum softly out of pure contentment. I hadn’t realized just how hungry I’d truly been until Ted pointed it out to me.



“That was so good,” I announce, setting my cutlery down on my plate and wiping my mouth. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a better meal at a wedding.”

“And you ate lamb and didn’t die, like you said you would,” Ted adds, smiling at me from over the rim of his wine glass. “So props on that.”

I shoot him a look and then smile, shaking my head. “I couldn’t help but feel like I was eating Little Bo Peep’s sheep or something. It was awful.”

“But so, so delicious,” He replies before draining his wine. “Now I’m off to get another drink and use the loo, but when I come back, we are dancing. I don’t care if you don’t dance,” He adds hurriedly upon seeing the distraught look on my face. “You owe me. I’ve been plying you with alcohol all evening. Let’s at least just have one dance.”

I shoot him a rather sour look. “We’ll be discussing this when you return from the washroom.”

“No we’re not,” He sings out before he disappears into the crowd.

The dance floor is already busy with numerous couples. Jazz and Paul had their first dance to some old-fashioned Frank Sinatra song and then everyone else spilled out, pairing off and moving about as the music got faster and more up-tempo.

Ted and I remained seated at our table, enjoying our meal and alcohol languidly. Our table had a few other people who quickly filtered away after their meal to table-hop and network. So we were left alone for the most part. A wedding photographer came by and snapped our picture, in which Ted insisted on smashing our faces together and smiling as widely as he could manage.

The song blasting over the speaker system is some R&B song that’s popular on the radio. I watch Jazz dance with a few of her bridesmaids, her large hoop skirt cutting a huge path on the dance floor as she moves. Paul is by the bar, nursing a drink and talking with a few men. I’d lost sight of the rest of the wedding party; though I’m almost positive I saw one of the groomsmen sneak into the coat closet with a bridesmaid.

I even spy William and Catherine out on the floor, dancing innocently on the outskirts of the floor. I watch them for a moment before I force myself to look away. Honestly, they’re not exhibits at the zoo to be stared at and here I was, gawking like I’d never seen royalty before now.

Which I hadn’t. But that’s beside the point.

Ted should be back at any moment and I know he’d be forcing me out onto the dance floor, even though I’ve told him that I have two left feet. So I sip at my alcohol, briefly thinking that maybe I’d be able to go out if I had some liquid courage running through my veins.

But my movements falter when I spot a familiar red-head out on the dance floor with a dark-haired girl. A weird, unsettling feeling descends upon me and I recognize it as disappointment. Harry was dancing with another girl. He hadn’t even made an attempt to come seek me out.

I suddenly feel a bit foolish. I’d gone to all of the trouble of coming to this wedding just because I’d thought that Harry had something to do with me receiving an invitation. But clearly, he’s got other plans for tonight. I’m nothing more than something to amuse him.

I’m hurt and I contemplate heading out now, just so I can go home in time to maybe catch the last half hour of a rerun of Grey’s Anatomy. I should call Liv to come hang out with me or whatever. Maybe I’ll get really, really drunk and try to forget that this evening ever happened.

“Ready?” Ted asks, a bright smile on his face.

I somehow manage to grin back before I drain my glass and stand up, placing my napkin on my seat. “Yeah, let’s do this.” I cling to his arm as he leads us towards the dance floor and I adjust my top as we slip into the moving sea of people.

It takes me a second to get a feel for the song and I begin to move along with Ted, his hands hot and heavy at my waist. I shake my hair back and move closer in an attempt to get away from a person who was busy elbowing me in the back.

“And you said you couldn’t dance,” Ted shouts over the music, leaning so close that I can feel his lips move against the soft skin of my ear.

I smile, pulling away and shrugging modestly. There’s really no point in trying to explain to him that jealousy fueled me at this point. It was a silly, childish thought, yes, but it made me feel a tiny bit better. Maybe Harry would see me dancing with Ted and suddenly realize that he’s the one who invited me or at least managed to get me invited.

The DJ smoothly transitions into another fast song and a bit of a cheer goes up as people recognize it as a popular American song that’s been resting comfortably on the charts for the past two months. Ted grabs my wrist and spins me out a bit before pulling me close.

A bit unsteady with my heels and the alcohol surging through me, I stumble into him and laugh at my gracelessness. But he doesn’t seem to mind, because he rights me up and then continues dancing, moving my hips up and down.

We manage to work our way further and further into the crowd until I realize suddenly that we’re dancing next to Jazz and Paul. Jazz smiles upon seeing her cousin and shouts something at him over the music, but I don’t pay attention. I’m busy scanning the rest of the floor for who else is around me.

I see a few older couples on the outskirts of the crowd, trying to keep up with the music, and I spot who Ted pointed out as his sister and her boyfriend earlier. I can feel the bass of the music scorching through the floor and I can feel it in my feet and climbing up my legs. It’s almost deafening this close to the speakers, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering anyone.

I smile politely at Jazz, who grins back without any recognition in her eyes before she turns back to her new husband. I look back up at Ted, who shrugs his shoulders and continues dancing, loosening his tie with his free hand as he moves.

The song starts to slow and then the DJ switches on his microphone. “Let’s slow things down a bit. This is a special song by request, so grab a partner and get comfortable. This is dedicated to Jasmine and Paul; congratulations and best wishes in the years to come.”

It’s a soft song, but everyone plays it at weddings. Ted and I stop dancing and look at each other a bit awkwardly. I wouldn’t mind slow dancing with him, but somehow, I don’t think that he’s that kind of guy.

“So shall we get a drink?” I offer brightly, smiling as best I can with all of these couples dancing around us.

Ted looks relieved and nods, stepping away. “Yes, that sounds like such a great idea.”

We start to move off of the dance floor, but there’s a light touch on my bare shoulder. I look over my shoulder to see Harry just behind me, his tie loosened and his crooked smile dancing across his lips. He runs his hands through his hair before he looks me in the eye.

“May I have this dance?” He asks quietly.

I glance back up at Ted and slowly release his hand before I look into his concerned eyes. “Rain check on that drink?” He nods, working hard to hide his huge grin. I smile at him before I look back to Harry. “Yes.”

I place my trembling hand in his offered palm and his fingers close around my own so gently. He nods at Ted before he leads me back onto the dance floor. His hands drop down to my hips and I hesitantly wrap my arms around his neck, stepping into his warm embrace shyly.

“You came,” He says quietly as we begin to rock.

I nod, biting down on my lip. “Yeah, I had to.”

His eyebrows come up. “You had to come?”

“To see you, yes,” I whisper, a ferocious blush settling in my cheeks as Harry smiles down at me. “I guessed you had something to do with me receiving an invitation.”

He shrugs his shoulders and looks properly surprised. “I’ve no idea what you’re speaking about, Miss Matthews. I did nothing of the sort.” But the smile tugging at his lips tells a different story altogether. “So are you enjoying yourself?”

I nod as we twirl about in a small circle. His hand is warm on the small of my back and I lean into his touch just the slightest bit. “I am. It was a lovely wedding and it’s a gorgeous reception.”

“A bit overdone on the floral arrangements for my taste,” Harry jokes, glancing around at the bunches of roses on all of the tables. “But you’re right, it was nice. I’m glad you got to come.”

“Me too,” I say softly, smiling shyly up at him. My heart races in my chest as he squeezes my hand tightly in his own and I have to work hard to suppress the girlish giggle that wells up in my throat. “So we’ve upgraded from polo matches, huh?”

He smiles, chuckling a bit. “Yeah, we have. It got old waiting for a polo match to come around just to see you, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

“I’m happy you did,” I admit in a low voice. What I wouldn’t give for us to be alone and not on this crowded dance floor. All I really want to do now is go somewhere quiet where we can talk and not be bothered with all of the open ears around us.

The song is ending and Harry seems to be thinking the same thing, because he’s guiding us to the end of the dance floor. But he stops suddenly and I turn to see William just behind him, a hand on his arm.

He smiles politely at me before he turns to his brother. “We have to be going. Remember that we have that meeting with Dad and Gran about signing those forms.”

“Oh,” Harry pauses, looking a bit put off. “Right. I’ll be out to the car in a moment.”

William nods before he turns and takes Catherine’s hand up in his own. My eyes meet Catherine’s for the briefest of seconds and she smiles at me before she follows William from the room. I wait silently, still holding Harry’s warm hand in my own.

He turns to me with an apologetic smile. “Well I guess duty calls.”

“That’s okay,” I reply honestly, smiling at him. “I understand. Go be important and royal and whatnot.”

He smiles at this and nods. “I wish I could stay. Uhm, I’ll see you soon?” When I nod, his grin deepens. “Brilliant. Thanks for coming out tonight, Bryn.”

It’s there and gone so quickly that for a moment, I think I’ve imagined it. But I can feel the burning spot where his lips touched my cheek gently and I manage to stammer a satisfactory apology and perform a small curtsy.

Harry squeezes my hand once more before he lets go and disappears back into the crowd. I watch the spot where he vanished for a moment, my fingertips touching the spot on my skin where he kissed me. A wide, excited smile blooms on my face and I hug myself happily before I turn and spy Ted by the bar.

As I start to make my way towards him, I find myself dreaming up ways for Harry to invite me to other places. They range from the absurd (inviting me to some massive royal function) to the subtle (taking me out for a quiet dinner). The only thing they have in common is that I’m together with Harry and we’re both inexplicably happy and content just to be with each other.

But I still can’t help but wonder to myself. Where will I end up next with him?