A sudden disappearance

“I’m afraid we have a little problem. Harold is nowhere to be found.” Diane’s younger brother, Lucas, said worriedly, avoiding his sister’s gaze.

Diane felt a chill come over her at the sound of those seven words. She had been having a premonition all day, and now, it seemed that that premonition had come to pass.

“That’s not possible. Our wedding ceremony starts in less than fifteen minutes. How can he be missing?” Diane asked faintly, already hyperventilating.

“Just calm down, big sis. I’m certain we’ll find him. I’ll go and check again.” Lucas comforted his sister, but it was clear that even he didn’t believe his own words.

“No, you stay here. I’ll go look for him myself. I need to clear my head anyway. He’s probably just really nervous and went to get some air or something.” Diane said.

Before anyone could stop her, she got up and hurried out the door in search of her fiancé. She would not be able to bear the embarrassment if he turned out to be a no-show on their wedding day of all days.

***

Harold Collins sighed inwardly, wondering to himself the best way to get rid of the woman who was clinging to him and crying passionately, with her heavy makeup running down her face.

“But I love you! Why on earth will you choose her over me even after all this time? I can’t bear to watch you get married to that woman instead of me. Please, Harold. It’s not too late. You can call off your wedding with that woman right now before it’s too late.” Nicole Moore cried, clinging tightly to Harold.

‘“That woman,’ as you so casually put it, happens to be your best friend, and you’re supposed to play the role of her chief’s bridesmaid in a few minutes, Nicole. I’m going to get married to Diane because I’ve made up my mind to do so, and besides, I love her. You need to accept that.” Harold told Nicole.

He wondered briefly to himself if he could persuade her to stop crying and have a quickie with him, or at least, give him a quick blowjob before the ceremony. The thought of it excited him greatly.

“But it’s not fair and I love you!”

“You’re not listening to me, Nicole. What say you put that sweet and talented mouth of yours to good use and give me a blowjob instead of whining on this beautiful day? There’s no rule that says that we can’t continue with what we have after I’m married, you know. You’ll always have a special place in my heart. You know that.  Besides, I’ve missed you and us so much.”

“Really?” Nicole asked, her tone doubtful.

“Come on, baby. God knows how I miss you. You know, since Diane got pregnant, she's so nervous about the baby that I haven't had sex with her.” Harold replied, trying to make his tone sound as sincere as he could.

He had come to see her because he was horny and the thrill of having sex with her just before he got married to another woman was great, but now, he was regretting coming to see her, because it didn’t look like she was interested in putting out.

There was no way he would pick her over Diane for marriage because Diane was more beautiful than she was, soft-spoken, and kind-hearted … everything that a woman was supposed to be, and everything that Nicole wasn’t, but there was no way he was going to tell Nicole that.

Nicole’s crying intensified at his last sentence.

“Did you marry her because she was pregnant? If I was …”

At that same moment, the door to the room in which they were, burst open and a visibly distraught Diane burst into the room.

Nicole and Harold froze in place in surprise, as they were not expecting anyone to burst into the room, while Diane stopped in her tracks, startled at the sight in front of her.

The relief on her face at having finally found Harold was fast turning into confusion and suspicion. 

“There you are, my beloved wife-to­-be!” Harold exclaimed heartily, hurrying over to meet Diane.

“What’s going on here? Everybody’s been looking for you, Harold.” Diane said warily, still trying to make sense of why her best friend and her fiancé were in a room alone in a room at the last minute to the start of her wedding.

“I know, but I had to comfort your best friend. She’s having a somewhat rough day.” Harold replied, thinking fast.

At that moment, Nicole, who had been backing them all this while, turned to face them, and Diane gasped out loud when she saw her face.

Diane hurried over to meet the other woman immediately, her expression worried because it was obvious that Nicole was very upset and had even been crying profusely.

“Oh, my God, babe! What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Diane asked Nicole, who took in a deep, shuddering breath to answer, but Harold quickly spoke up from behind them.

“She got an offer to study abroad but didn’t want to tell you about it just yet because she didn’t want to spoil your mood on our wedding day. I know its great news, but it’s also a sad one because you guys are going to miss each other so much.” Harold said, with a subtle glance at Nicole that told her that she had better go with the story that he was telling Diane.

“Oh, bestie! I’m so happy for you, but you’re right. It would have been better for me to know after the ceremony because now, tears are gathering in my eyes, and I’m afraid that I'm going to ruin my makeup.” Diane exclaimed, gathering Nicole in her arms for a heartfelt hug, and trying desperately to control her tears.

The two women hugged each other, but of course, Nicole’s mind wasn’t in the act. Her eyes met Harold’s who winked at her and blew her a kiss, and she forced herself to smile a little.

At least, Harold was still willing to see her even after he got married to Diane, which surely had to mean that he wasn’t truly in love with Diane. The thought of that made her feel slightly better.

"I just heard you guys talk about pregnancy, I…" Diane started to say, but before she could finish speaking, Nicole quickly interrupted.

"I just found out you're pregnant. I'm your bestie, Diane. How could you keep such great news from me?”  

"I just confirmed it a few days ago. I've been busy preparing for the wedding and looking for a chance to tell you. I hope it's not too late. Nicole, even though you’re going to be far away, I want you to please be my unborn baby’s godmother. Is that alright by you?”

 “Oh, my God! So it’s true! Congratulations, bestie! That’s such an honor. Of course, I’ll be your baby’s godmother!” Nicole exclaimed, as Harold also made appropriate noises of elation at the news that Diane had just divulged to them.

“Then it’s settled. You’re such a good friend, and I wish you all the best in your studies. I can't wait for you to be done and come back home.” Diane said sadly, hugging Nicole again.

She was too emotional at that moment to notice the impatience on Harold’s face or the sneer that crossed Nicole’s face as she hugged her again.