That day, as we made our entrance, my friends were already making inroads into their second bottle of champagne and as they saw us, a loud cheer went up that had everyone else’s heads turning.
‘You’ll get us thrown out,’ I admonished them, taking the glass of champagne that was pushed into one of my hands.
It was an afternoon of unbridled high spirits and hilarity, one during which after my initial tiddliness, for some reason I remained oddly sober.
‘Drink this.’ Lizzie thrust another glass at me. ‘It’s you who’s supposed to be drunk – not the rest of us.’
‘Thanks.’ I took it, aware that for reasons I couldn’t identify I just wasn’t feeling it.
Later, Mum had joined us. ‘Just for a while. Then I’ll leave you young people to it.’ She’d winked at me. ‘I wouldn’t want to cramp your style.’
But as afternoon became evening, my restlessness was growing. If it had been up to me, I would have settled for a Chinese takeaway and an early night, but I knew the others wouldn’t have heard of it. And I got it. In the past, it would have sounded boring to me, too. I mean, whoever heard of a tame hen party?
It’s strange, but I can remember exactly how I felt as I sat there. It was like I was detached in some way, observing everyone else. Lizzie, pink-cheeked, almost falling off the high heels she could carry off because she was so tiny. My lovely mum, in one of her printed cotton summer dresses. Jasmine, newly fake-tanned, in a golden dress that looked as though it had been sprayed on – Jasmine always had to outdo the rest of us.
I looked around at everyone – my family; the little group of friends I’d known since school. Then in a gesture that was out of character for me, I stood up. ‘Thank you, so much, all of you, for being here today.’ I gazed at each of them in turn, feeling my heart warm; knowing how much they were looking forward to our wedding day. ‘Sound like a flipping vicar, don’t I? But seriously, it means the world to me. Your glasses are looking very empty,’ I joked, even though it wasn’t true. ‘How about I order us some cocktails?’
After much passing around and deliberation of the menu, I went to the bar to order the cocktails, and there he was. Adam Cameron – except, in that moment, I didn’t know that was his name. Nor did I know that he was the man who, in the space of a short meeting, was going to turn my life upside down.
‘Looks like quite a party you’re having,’ he said amiably. ‘Your hen party?’ His eyes flickered over the veil I was wearing.
My hands went to it, straightening it, as suddenly I felt ridiculous. ‘Bit of a giveaway, isn’t it?’ I gazed into his warm brown eyes that looked oddly familiar. ‘Sorry about the racket. They’re my family and my best friends.’ I nodded towards our table.
‘No need to apologise. We were… er, enjoying it!’
‘Oh.’ I frowned, wondering who thewemeant. ‘Who are you here with?’
‘A mate.’ He nodded towards a table where a man was sitting.
Relief filled me that he wasn’t here with a girl – relief that made no sense when he meant nothing to me. ‘I’m Tilly.’ Impulsively, I held out my hand.
‘Adam.’
As I took the hand he held out, the touch of it sent an electric shock through me.
Adam smiled. Then still holding my hand, he frowned slightly. ‘Do I know you from somewhere?’
‘I don’t think so.’ I gently let go of his hand. I knew we hadn’t met before. There was no way on this earth I wouldn’t have remembered him.
‘It’s nice to meet you, Tilly.’
I couldn’t speak. It was the oddest feeling as he looked at me, like a powerful sense of déjà vu. The deepest sense of belonging, as though we’d known each other forever. As I stood there, a million thoughts had flashed through my brain. That I wanted to know more about this man, that I’d never felt like this about Gareth; that meetings like this were somehow fated. But a week away from the wedding I’d always dreamed of, that my mum had been planning down to the most carefully thought-out detail, it seemed the cruellest twist of fate that this was happening now.
My discomfort was growing by the second, and I did the only thing I could to break the moment. ‘I should get back to everyone,’ I said brightly. I nodded towards my family and friends.
‘Oh. Of course.’ He looked taken aback. Then he seemed to rally. ‘He’s a lucky guy,’ he said softly.
‘Thanks.’ But any excitement I’d felt before had been all but snuffed out. I knew, in a way I couldn’t explain, that sounded bonkers, even to me, that if I hadn’t been getting married, Adam and I could have been something.
Carrying the tray of cocktails, I went back to the table, pinning on a smile as I sat down. Listening to everyone chattering and laughing, I felt strangely out of it, as beside me Lizzie nudged my elbow.
‘You OK?’ Her eyes searched mine.
‘I’m fine.’ I smiled brightly, wondering if she knew it was false. ‘How could I not be?’
At that moment, the barman came over with a bottle of champagne and a tray of glasses. ‘With the compliments of the gentleman over there.’
I watched him nod towards Adam, still standing at the bar, my heart missing a beat as across the room he met my eyes again.
