“So?” Sasha asked. “You live with me, don’t you? Honestly, the whole system is ridiculous. And she was here forages. I mean, what were the two of you talking about? You never talk to your mom for that long.”
Ari’s name and face briefly crossed Tom’s mind. Closing his eyes, he settled back on his pillows and took a deep breath.
“Nothing,” he lied. “We didn’t really talk about anything. She was just making sure I was okay. I am okay, by the way,”he added, suddenly realising Sasha hadn’t even asked. “They’re keeping me in overnight, just as a precaution.”
He saw her give him a quick, sharp glance. “Well of course you’re okay,” she said, matter-of-factly. “I have to say, I’m incredibly relieved you don’t have any visible wounds or scars, Tom. That would have fucked up our wedding pictures completely.”
He stared at her, a little shocked, and she blinked.
“And of course,” she added, her voice sweeter, “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried about you. When they called and said the plane had crashed, my stomach just dropped. But you’re okay, and you don’t have any scars.”
“No,” Tom murmured quietly. “No scars.”
Sasha gave a satisfied nod. “Good. Oh, and that’s it, by the way. No more flying for you—”
Tom smiled at Sasha’s concern for him even as he opened his mouth to protest.
“—until after the wedding. You can crash all the planes you want once Stella Snow has finished taking our photos, but until that moment, you keep your feet on the ground.”
The smile dropped from Tom’s face. “Fine,” he agreed with a sigh. “Look, Sasha, I need to get out of this hospital. My mom has... Well, she’s made a mistake and I need to rectify it and—”
“We got Stella Snow, did I tell you?” Sasha carried on, as though Tom hadn’t even spoken. “Our new wedding planners — you’ll love one of them, by the way, he’s divine, I’m sure we’re going to be the best of friends—anyway, they pulled the rabbit out of the hat and not only managed to snag a Luis De León dress for me but a Stella Snow wedding shoot too. The wedding planners are miracle workers. I’m so lucky.”
“You meanwe’reso lucky,” Tom corrected her tiredly, and Sasha gave a shrug.
“Well, obviously. We found each other, didn’t we?” she asked, sweet once more. “Fated to be together.”
Tom paused, wondering why Sasha’s words, still hanging in the air like her cloying perfume, suddenly sounded so ominous and vaguely threatening. He was probably tired, he decided. The crash and his mother’s visit were catching up with him, and his mind was done for the day.
“I think I need to sleep,” he announced, abruptly exhausted. “I was going to come home, talk to my mom... but I think I need to sleep first.”
“Oh.” Sasha looked slightly annoyed. “But I drove all this way.”
“Come and get me tomorrow morning,” he suggested, pulling a blanket over his legs. “I just need to sleep. I’d be no good to you tonight anyway, and—”
“I can’t come and get you tomorrow,” Sasha replied irritably. “Luis De León is arriving tomorrow, and I need to go over wedding ideas with... oh, what was her name, Ari something or other—”
“What did you say?” Tom snapped, sitting upright in his bed and staring at Sasha with dark eyes. “Who are you talking about? Who is Ari?”
Sasha looked at him sharply. “You are tired,” she decided. “Ari is the wedding planner, silly.”
Tom’s heart pounded hard in his chest, his hands felt damp and sweaty. “Ari...” he said, in utter disbelief. “Ari who?”
“I don’t know,” Sasha shook her head, an odd look in her eyes. “She’s from Queen and Country Weddings. Although now that I’m thinking about it, Ari might not even be her name. It might have been Carrie. Or maybe Sally. I don’t know, I didn’t pay much attention to her. She didn’t say anything of importance.”
Tom sat back, suddenly feeling like a fool.
“Yeah,” he muttered. “I shouldn’t have... it doesn’t matter.”
But Sasha was still looking at him oddly, sharp curiosity in her face. “You jumped at the name Ari. Who was she?” she asked, her voice syrup sweet. “An old girlfriend?”
Tom, sensing danger in her words, set his face into carefully bland lines. “No,” he shook his head. “She was just someone I, uh, worked with. Once upon a time. Besides, she’s married now. Happily married.”
“Oh,” Sasha looked bored again. “Well, this Ari, or Carrie or whatever... She wasn’t married. She’s never been married.”
Tom felt, once again, that sharp stab of disappointment.When will it end?he asked himself.When will I forget?But he shrugged to Sasha, trying his best to look nonchalant.
“Right,” he said. “I guess it can’t be her then. Look, Sasha, I really am tired—”
