Playing With Fire

"Are you ready for this?" Reece asked, glancing at Bridgette from the corner of his eye. She turned to face him, the seat belt tugging against her navy dress.

"Am I?" she laughed. "The better question, love, is are you?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Look, I know you say that it doesn't matter and that nothing surprises you after working in New York, but I'm just warning you, my family is just one big bowl of shocking," she said lightly, but something in her eyes was trying to make him see the truth behind her words.

"Well, they're your family, and I'm going to love them regardless, because you do. I mean, I met your dad, and they can't be worse than him."

"Shut up," she giggled, smacking his arm lightly with the back of her hand. He tried to hide his grin as he turned into the hotel parking lot and turned off the car.

"It will be okay, Bridge," he assured her.

She was quiet as she unbuckled her seat belt, and Reece watched her with a soft look in his eyes. He followed suit, though, and the only noise filling the small space was the clicking of metal against plastic.

"Hey," he said quietly, reaching over and stroking her cheek. She looked up at him with a worried expression. "I love you. Everything will be perfect tonight."

She reached across the center console and wrapped her arms snugly around his torso. He cradled her head against his chest and buried his face into the top of her head. They held each other in the silence, and Bridgette actually believed everything would work out for a moment.

"We better get inside to check on Liv and James, huh?" Bridgette reluctantly mumbled. Reece agreed and they strolled right up to the ballroom hand-in-hand. When they entered, Bridgette's free hand flew over her mouth.

"Oh my gosh," she gasped, looking around the room.

It was more perfect than she ever could have imagined. Fairy lights danced across the room setting a warm yellow glow across the white lace of the table cloths. The colorful paper lanterns cast pastel shadows across the lilies sitting on each table. The photos of the couple nearly brought her to tears, and they were the perfect finishing touch to the closest thing to a fairy tale that Bridgette had ever seen.

"Wow," Reece breathed out, his eyes darting from table-to-table.

"Thank you, thank you. Please, hold the applause 'til later," Olivia said dramatically, taking a bow in the middle of the room.

"Liv, this is amazing," Bridgette gushed, rushing over to embrace her best friend.

"Well, duh," she responded with a ringing laugh. James watched the exchange, leaning against a back wall out of sight. Reece noticed and gave him a thumbs up, which he mirrored half-halfheartedly. Luckily, Reece didn't have a chance to question it because the guests started to flow in. It was go time.



"On behalf of both of us, I would just like to thank each and every one of you for being here with us tonight to celebrate our engagement. It means so much to have you here, so thank you," Reece said into the microphone, lifting up his glass. Everyone else did the same. "Okay, there will be more sappy stuff to come in the next few months, so for now, eat up and dance the night away!"

Cheers and whoops erupted from the crowd as the music started up again, and Bridgette felt a smile coil onto her lips as she sipped her champagne. A pair of lips pecked her cheek softly, and she looked up at Reece with a blush spreading across her cheeks.

"To us," he whispered, holding his glass out to her.

"To us," she echoed, clinking her glass to his. He kissed her lips gently before taking a sip, and she felt the familiar warmth of his touch spread through her.

It was quickly interrupted by the sound of something clattering to the ground. Reece didn't seem to hear it, but Bridgette's eyes snapped up to see a red-faced James with a broken glass at his feet and Olivia quickly swooping in.

"Why don't you go catch up with your parents and I'll be there in a little bit? I have something to do quick," she whispered into his ear.

"Okay, but don't be too long or I'll have to steal you back," he teased, kissing her forehead. She nodded and waited until he was well on his way before speeding over to James and Olivia. Olivia's high voice was rising even higher, and she could see the deadly look in her dark eyes.

"Liv, could you go get someone to clean this up? I'll handle the rest," she said quickly, resting a hand on her shoulder. Olivia looked up with a forced smile before shooting James one last glare.

"Sure."

"Thank you." Olivia's heels clicked against the hardwood as Bridgette turned to James.

"What?" he snapped with a flip of his long locks. She stared at him in disbelief for a few moments before grabbing onto his upper arm.

“What? What? You know exactly what! The real question is what is your problem?” Bridgette demanded, dragging him out of the crowded room.

Every bit of patience she had possessed for him and the situation was rapidly diminishing. James rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall of the vacant hallway and forcing Bridgette to a stop. The music and chatter from the party was still drifting to them, but not loud enough to make out any words.

“Problem? I don’t have one. It’s my pleasure, actually scratch that, my dream, really, being the best man while Reece marries you," he retorted, his voice dripping with angry sarcasm. Bridgette paced back and forth in front of him a few moments before facing him. With her heels, she was only a few inches shorter than him.

“Look, James, I know, you hate me." He opened his mouth to protest but her words flew even more quickly from her mouth. "You don’t want to see me with your friend because I’m just some bitch who overreacted and just couldn’t let go, and that’s why you let me walk right out of your life. You don't want him to be miserable or me to smash his heart.”

She finally paused to take a breath and look at him, and she was taken aback by the almost sad and broken expression in his hazy eyes. A confused expression crossed her face and she started to speak again but this time, he cut her off with his hand.

“Bridgette, you don’t know anything. You’re wrong,” he whispered, his voice pained. “I don’t hate you. I have never hated you. I loved you from the moment I met you, and I lost you because I was too afraid to say it.”

She stood frozen as he brushed past her. She only watched his back disappear further down the hallway as the world seemed to stop around her. His words echoed back and forth in her head, which felt like she was on a roller coaster. She sunk to the maroon carpet and leaned her head back against the wall and stayed there, unaware of how much time was passing.

"Bridge?" Olivia called, peeking her head around the corridor. "Oh god, what the hell happened? You look like you saw a ghost! Where's James?"

"Olivia," Bridgette said suddenly, snapping out of her trance. "How long have I been out here?"

"Oh, twenty minutes maybe. No one's noticed yet, except of course, Reece and me. What happened Bee?"

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know," she rambled with a groan. "Can you cover for me a little longer? I'll explain later, I promise."

She was already halfway down the hall before Olivia could even respond.

"Okay, you better!" she called after Bridgette before muttering under her breath to herself.

Bridgette sped down hallways and tried every door she could in pursuit of the chestnut-haired boy. She was about to give up when she spotted the open door at the end of another hall. She cautiously made her way over in a last chance effort and felt the chilling night wind breezing through. She stepped carefully onto the balcony and her breath hitched in her throat as she saw the back of James's black dress shirt.

"James?" she whispered so quietly that she wasn't even sure he had heard her at first.

“Do you ever think about it?" he asked clearly, not bothering to turn around.

"What?" She blinked a few times before walking over. It hadn't been what she was expecting. "About what?"

"About us.” James murmured, tilting his head to the side.

His hazel eyes flickered over her quickly, and Bridgette leaned against the balcony railings, watching the silver moon making it’s decent through the sky. For a moment, James swore he saw something flash through her eyes. She bit her lip and glanced at him for only a second before answering.

“Of course,” she muttered, the wind whipping a few curls loose from the tight twist, glowing in the moonlight. She shut her eyes and lifted her face up toward the sky, and all the emotions James swore he saw were gone the moment her eyelids fluttered back open.

“Bridge—“ he said desperately, in a sudden attempt to explain himself and everything that had transpired in the past three and a half years.

“I have to get back in there,” she cut him off, turning without a second glance. "Reece is going to worry."

James couldn’t watch her walk away from him again; instead he just listened to the clacking of her heels against the tiles and then muted against the carpet as she made her way back to the party. Back to Reece. And just like the sweeping wind that surrounded him, James couldn’t hold on to her, not anymore.