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Chapter 3
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2021-07-21 12:23:32"I did. This is Sophie. Sophie, Miranda. Where is Peter?"
"By the bar, I'll get him!" One of Callum's friends chimed in, oblivious to the tension of the interaction.
Peter, who Sophie had deduced to be the groom made his way swiftly to where they stood and embraced Callum in a bear hug. Complete with the firm back-patting that men seem to do when they hug. She saw the resemblance immediately. Peter had to be Callum's brother. If not for him having brown hair instead of red, and looking a little older around the eyes, they could have been twins.
Sophie stood awkwardly, listening to their exchange and putting the pieces together. Peter was in fact, Callum's older brother and this was his wedding. For some reason, Callum had declined his invitation. Something about not being able to get off work. Peter hugged Callum again, evidently glad that he could make it. Miranda's stare was fixed on Callum the entire time, which struck Sophie as odd. After the pleasantries were over and Sophie had been introduced to Peter, who she instantly liked much like how she felt about Callum, the MC called the couple to the floor for their first dance.
As they began to sway slowly to "Love you til the End" by The Pogues, a little cliche, Sophie thought to herself, Callum leant in and whispered in her ear,
"Come outside with me...."
She followed him outside and realised the sun had gone down. The area around the marquee was illuminated by a few small firepits scattered around and fairy lights strung up between trees and posts. It was stunning.
Callum grabbed her and spun her around before dipping her. She couldn't help but giggle at the move.
He pulled her back up and held her close and they gently swayed to the rhythm of the dulled tones coming from inside the tent.
"So, are you gonna explain any of this?"
Callum gave her a half-smile and continued to sway as he rested his chin on the top of her head.
"Miranda's not good enough for Peter...." he sighed. "And I don't like keeping secrets from my brother, but if he knew, it'd kill him."
"You don't have to tell me..."
"No. I want to. I need to tell someone. And something tells me I can trust you, Sophie."
Sophie turned her head and rested it on his shoulder as they continued their steady rhythm. Gesturing without words for Callum to continue.
"It was a mistake. I was drunk, very drunk. It's no excuse but she was sober. She knew exactly what she was doing and with who. By the next morning, when I sobered up to find her in my bed... Well, it was too late to undo what was done."
Sophie's heart hurt at Callum's admission. Somehow she knew he would never have knowingly done anything to hurt his brother, and the guilt was tearing him up.
"I wasn't going to come. But then I saw you outside the patisserie. Staring down that chocolate cake with such fierce determination. I was mesmerised. I'd never felt so instantly captivated by another person. And then, well, you let me buy you some cake and asked me for an adventure. Call me crazy but, I took it as a sign to come here."
Sophie smiled to herself at his words. The truth was she felt connected to him too.
"So what now?" She asked sweetly, pulling away to look him in the eyes.
"Well, how about we finish this dance, and then I have every intention of kissing you... After that, I suggest we go looking for our next adventure.... what do you say?"
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“I say, I didn’t have to know you longer than a day to decide I’d go anywhere you wanted to take me. Is that crazy?” “Not in the slightest… now, about that kiss.” Butterflies erupted in Sophie’s stomach as Callum leaned in and kissed her softly. She was so nervous, anyone would have thought she’d never kissed anyone before. As she relaxed into the kiss, she realised that although it wasn’t her first kiss, it was a first… something. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she knew that this was different, that Callum was different to every boy that came before him. They were broken from their moment when they heard the applause from inside the marquee. The first dance was done and the rest of the wedding part had joined the couple on the dancefloor. “Should we go back in? This is your brother’s wedding after all.”
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Seven years later. "Breathe, Sophie,... In and out... One... two... three..." Sophie was a bundle of nerves as she attempted to steady her trembling hands enough to apply her make-up. It had been three days since the suspicious package wrapped in brown paper had been mysteriously left on her doorstep. She'd have been in less of a state right now if it hadn't taken her two days to work up the courage to open it. She could still feel the way her heart rate quickened as she untied the brown craft string and gently tore at the seams of the paper. She recalled the confusion as she found herself staring at a shoebox for a pair of R.M. Williams Craftsman boots. Men's, size 10. "Peculiar...." she thought to herself as she lifted the lid of the box. Hidden under a few layers of tissue paper was a book she had never seen before. A lump formed in her throat as she inspected the cover—"Chance, Fate & Chocolate Cake: When Advent
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As they pulled up to her destination, she thanked the driver and made her way down the cobblestone path toward the courtyard nestled behind the main building. As she rounded the corner, she noticed that the trail had been lined with pillar candles clustered in various sizes. Some in lanterns, others not. Her eyes followed the path before her, and she stopped in her tracks when she saw him, back toward her looking out over the orchard.It was the boots she noticed first. The Craftsman's that would have been in the shoebox containing the book and note that led her here. She remembered looking at his tattered old boots when they took that day trip to Inverness all those years ago. He complained he could never get a pair to last, and she told him when they visited Australia, she'd buy some for him, and he'd never complain about a set of boots not lasting again.He must have sensed that she'd stopped
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"You came…." Was all he could manage to get out. "I did…." She smiled sweetly at him before looking down at his feet. "Nice boots." She said playfully. Their eyes met briefly before they both chuckled nervously. "I was surprised to hear from you...." She said nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear before using the oversized jacket to wrap herself tighter. Callum wasn't sure if it was her nerves or the cold, but he saw the window of opportunity regardless. He strode toward her, a little more enthusiastically than intended, and draped a large blanket over her shoulders. She looked up at him and smiled gratefully. "Here, come sit by the fire. I wasn't entirely prepared for how cold an April evening here would be...." He deliberately avoided her first question. Th
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They had naturally moved into a position where their bodies were entwined. Her head resting on his chest as he draped his arm around her. She didn't need to tell him that she still loved him. He knew her soul better than she did. The fact that she showed up at all told him all he needed to know. She thought back to that first night, trying not to dwell on the time they had wasted these last five years apart. She looked up at him with her trademark sweet smile and said, "So, what now?" His smile lit up his face, reaching all the way to his eyes as he looked back at her. "Remember that time we went apple picking at Ballycross Apple Farm in Wexford?" "Of course." She laughed like she could forget the way he caught her. Like some kind of knight in shining armour when she fell from the ladder, only fo
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