Once the room had cleared, Caleb and I headed to the bar to get some soft drinks and mingle with the crowd. I found Claire's parents to congratulate and catch up with, and soon, the bride and groom visited us. After quite a few hugs, tears and congratulations, Claire turned to us, studying Caleb with a grin.

"So this is the infamous Caleb. It's wonderful to meet you. Vince has nothing but good things to say about you and your family, and so does Audrey, which isn't as common as you'd think."

"Really? She was so elegant when we... on the plane ride here."

I snorted and shook my head. "It's not my fault everyone else had enormous carry-ons, and I was stuck ramming mine in like a frustrated bull."

Claire laughed. "That sounds about right. So I want all the details of how you met. Go on, dish."

I looked at Caleb as he'd fielded this one before, and my brain was stuck like an old computer at 95% on a system update. After that stunning ceremony, nothing I invented would ever match Claire and Vince's love story.

"I was on a family vacation in Labuan Bajo, and Audrey took us out for a dive. The way she talked about all the marine life and the ocean captivated me. She wasn't only there to show us around, but to share her passion and knowledge, which are two things I found very attractive."

His stare sent my stomach dancing to the light music playing from the barn. Was he sincere, as I had talked his ear off about Indonesia on the plane? Or was he using what he knew about my habits to build our lies? He'd remembered the town I was currently living in.

I couldn't ask now, so I deflected. "Yeah, he had many crushes on his teachers and professors growing up," I teased.

"It took a while to get over Ms. Chan and her wild anecdotes about wallabies, but she was quite happy with her husband and two kids, so I had to move on." He grinned back at me.

Claire glanced at me. "And Audrey, you need to spill because you are due for a cute romantic story."

"I apologize that my love life is not exciting enough for you."

Lines burrowed into Claire's forehead. "You're stalling."

"Okay. Caleb's a sweet, funny, and easygoing guy."

"I want more than that. His story was much more personal."

Both she and Caleb stared at me. I tucked my hair behind my right ear. Like him, I could fish through our genuine experiences to craft our story.

"If you must know, I like how easily we fit into each other's lives. Showing him around the city and diving was like getting to share the things I love with someone who cares about them as much as I do. We want the same things, and it feels right."

That put a satisfied smile on Claire and Vince's faces, while Caleb put a warm arm around my shoulder and pulled me nearer. Each time we got close, my desire to melt into his arms increased.

Claire turned to Caleb. "So by her logic, you'd love to tour Australia in a backpacker van?"

"I'm more partial to a tent, but," he turned to me, "If you'd do a Canada road trip with me, I'll do Australia with you." That smile would do me in if that offer didn't do it first. Was he serious?

"Does Churchill count?" Because I'd happily jump on a plane to Australia to uphold my end of the bargain if it did.

"Nah, I want coast to coast. Mountains and rainforest to seafood, lighthouses, and Viking landing spots."

His sense of adventure made my heart dance, and someone who had an international road trip planned had to share my drive to explore. Did he have other countries on his travel bucket list? Was he willing to give up or work abroad to see the world together?

Slow down, Audrey.

It could all be for show. He had agreed to make this look like a genuine relationship and perhaps had done the research to back up his story.

I looked up at Caleb, who still awaited my response with shallow breaths. "You'll need a good chunk of holidays to make that happen, but I'm down."

Claire slung an arm around my free shoulder and grinned at Caleb. "Good, this girl does not visit Canada enough."

"I told you to go on a diving honeymoon, and we could hang out," I said.

"We had our hearts set on Italy. But who knows what the future holds?" Claire gazed bright-eyed at her now-husband.

"Maybe Caleb will meet us there too. Fun reunion." Vince raised an eyebrow at his friend.

The happy couple was whisked away for a wedding party photo shoot, leaving Caleb and me alone. I sipped my drink as we took in the silence. That wasn't a great sign, given how intense our little speeches were. I must have gone too far.

He may think I expected him to follow through on those plans, so I said, "Thanks for being a great sport about this whole evening. You're quite good at making us seem very well-suited to each other."

He looked into my eyes for a moment before glancing away. "Happy to help you keep your friends and ex off your back."

The silence that followed had an awkward edge to it, like I'd said the wrong thing and turned off Caleb's charm fountain. We both stood together, taking in the crowd and sipping on our diminishing Sprites.

Was he upset I'd thanked him for playing along? Had he wanted those plans to be real or was I overthinking the crap out of this situation? The last option was by far the most likely.

Caleb glanced at his phone, his brow furrowed, and he muttered something about needing to make a call and ducked off toward the front yard. That seemed odd since it had to be around five or six am on the Australian east coast. Unless it was about the upcoming trip to Churchill.

After he hurried off to the front yard, I scanned the backyard to see where Minji and Jason had ended up when a familiar man with dirty blonde hair strolled up to me also without his date.

Trevor approached with his typical self-assured but not cocky strut and a half smile that almost had traces of shyness that was hard not to find endearing. He tucked his hands in his dress pants pockets as he drew closer.

"Hey, Audrey."

My tongue and throat acted as a unified congealed ball of uselessness until I spit out "Trev" like the charming public speaker I was.

He looked me in the eye and glanced away. "How's... life?"

I chuckled a little, as at least he seemed as awkward as I did. "Pretty good, and yourself."

He nodded. "Decent."

A beat of silence passed, and I recalled how we used to tease each other about being such introverts. At any social function we'd attend, he'd lean in and whisper something like, "Do we have to stay much longer? I think my couch misses us."

I shook away those memories.

"Your date disappeared already?" I wanted to bite my tongue the second the words escaped. Our romantic lives were last the topic I had meant to address, but my mouth hadn't gotten the message.

"Nah, she's a social butterfly, happily meeting all our old classmates."

His eyes shot to the crowd gathered in the shade next to the barn where cocktail hour had started. I understood why he'd sneaked away to the quiet area in the sun.

"And yours?" he asked.

"Had to make a call home." At least that's what I assumed. He may have made that up to ditch me for a while.

A few birds flew overhead and landed on the roof eaves of the Adams' two-storey house.

Trevor chewed his lip like he had something to say. "You two been together long?"

"A few months. What about you and...?"

"Serenity. It's been a couple of months for us too."

Like Hannah had confirmed, it was nothing too serious, but I didn't want to imply that. It may be the early stages of a real and lasting relationship. They all started somewhere, and he had said 'us' like they were a couple.

The word left my skin prickling like a rash. I had no problem being Caleb's girlfriend, and Trevor moving on was the scenario I'd wanted, but it was weird for us to be with other people when we had so much history together. He knew me like no other person ever had, and there was no getting that back with him. But that feeling wouldn't help either of us.

"She seems great."

He nodded with less enthusiasm than I'd expected. Was that how he felt about me initially too? He'd been fixated on his ex for the first six months of our reignited friendship. But that was a fresh breakup. Two years after ours, he should have been long over me.

"Yeah, she's sweet and fun. And your date? Is he a big travel fan?"

I fought not to analyze those words. They seemed so light like you'd describe a friend. But it was good if Trev had a relationship founded on friendship because he wasn't an open book.

"Drea?"

The way he said my name and looked in my eyes brought back a tsunami of memories, slamming into my chest. I held my position the best I could.

Those blue eyes still studied me. Right, he'd asked about my date.

"Caleb? Yeah, he's got the travel bug too. He turned this wedding trip into a journey to Churchill, so I'm excited about that." I tried to maintain a neutral but not monotone tone. Was Caleb still excited about that or had chatting with Claire and Vince extinguished that? I glanced at the people chatting with cocktail glasses, wishing I had something to keep my hands occupied.

Trevor only nodded, but he didn't seem upset. "And you're working at that dive shop in..." He raised one of his thick eyebrows.

"Indonesia."

"You got your dream, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia. What's next?" If any bitterness resided in him, he hid it very well. He seemed genuinely interested.

The word "Australia" left my lips before I'd processed it. If you'd asked me five days ago, I would have said Borneo or another island in the Philippines which were far more budget-friendly options. But going on a live aboard on the Great Barrier Reef sounded like an absolute dream, plus I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to see all the animals Caleb had talked about. That he lived in the country was just a perk. Although he lived inland, so even if I worked there, Australia was big enough that we might not run into each other if things were weird between us.

Trevor remained quiet, but I realized I hadn't been asking him many questions. Trees made better conversation partners than I did. However, that may be underselling trees because they have a very intensive interconnected root system that shares a good deal of information to help their collective survival.

There had to be something else to talk about. He'd asked about work. Start there, social genius.

"Are you working for the same company you did before?" I asked.

Trevor nodded. He installed windows and doors for a living, which was reliable and well-paying work, but he'd gotten to skip the university route. His talent lay in watching a few YouTube videos and having the confidence to take on just about anything from building a bed to hand-making leather wallets or doing car repairs.

"All the woodwork you did is gorgeous too. Like professional-level."

He smiled, and his shoulders relaxed beneath his walnut suit jacket that must have been sweltering in this heat. "Thanks. It was a fun project. Some of them didn't turn out quite right, but Claire and Vince are happy with it, and no benches collapsed yet."

"The day is young," I teased.

"Oh yes, I considered that you and Shayne would climb up on them to dance later."

My laughter triggered his and soon I'd poured out some of my nerves. It almost seemed like we might be friends again someday.

"It's a short person thing."

"I am three inches taller than you, although not in those shoes, and I never feel the need to dance on tables." His eyes traced from my toes, up my bare legs, dress and neck to meet my eyes, leaving me feeling exposed. 

I shrugged off the sensation. "Your loss. But they look amazing to me, regardless of whether we can dance on them. You're always too hard on yourself."

Our eyes met, and my body warmed like it did before he'd pull me into a hug, but we both kept our distance today. I broke away from the trance first and cleared my throat.

"Claire mentioned you're living in your old apartment. What's that all about?"

He studied me for a moment like he wasn't sure what to make of the question. "I'm used to it, and it's close to work. My new roommate is a paramedic, so I get the place to myself often enough when he's on nights."

"You were so excited about moving back in the day."

His smile wasn't as wide as it was earlier. "I'm still planning and saving up."

Trevor's date spotted us and strode over, her hips swaying in that attractive way I could never pull off. As she joined us, she smiled at me, then Trev, and linked her arm with his. With her heels, she stood taller than him.

Did that bug him like it did when we were together?

"I don't think we've met before. I'm Serenity." She stretched out her hand to shake mine gently. She'd even gotten a manicure for the event, reminding me my nails were stubby and bare. I tucked them behind my back.

"I'm Audrey. Just in town for the wedding then I'm back to living in Asia." Hopefully that downplayed some of the awkward talking-solo-with-an-ex vibe I'm sure she would pick up on.

Serenity grinned in a way that seemed genuine. "Wow, that's exciting. What do you do?"

"Divemaster and sometimes instructor."

"That sounds so cool. What do divemasters do?" She let go of Trevor's arm.

"I mostly guide visitors and tourists around the dive sights. Find all the cool aquatic life and make sure the current doesn't sweep my divers out into the ocean."

"Sounds intense. Do you have like a favourite spot?"

"They're all amazing in their own ways. Some have colourful nudibranchs and coral, or lionfish and their cool fins or beautiful Hawksbill sea turtles. Others have epic whale sharks, thresher sharks, or manta rays, which are very undersold and intense. Do you dive?"

"No, but I want to now. Wouldn't that be cool?" She met Trev's gaze. He'd been silent but taking in all of my answers.

"Yeah, it sounds much better than the diving out here." He gave me a forced smile and looked away.

Serenity nudged his side. "Weren't you saying you wanted to take a trip somewhere this winter? If I had a friend in Indonesia with access to all these cool places, that would be my first stop."

I glanced at Trevor, and he averted his gaze again. Had he not talked about me? No wonder she was so sweet and welcoming. She must have thought I was an old high school friend, which was only half true. Perhaps it was a good sign he didn't talk about me. But being honest seemed like the right thing to do, as I wasn't looking to be all covert about our past.

"I'm his ex, so that's probably a big reason it's not on his list."

"Oh." Her bottom lip dropped, and she looked between us subtly. "That makes more sense."

Trev had tensed, but Serenity hadn't left his side. She placed a gentle hand on his arm as if to reassure him.

Perhaps she knew about us after all. Did he mention me in passing or talk about how I hurt him? He must have said something about his ex being at the wedding since Serenity wasn't defensive or territorial like she might have been if he'd hidden it. Maybe that meant he was over me.

"You don't have to feel weird about it. It was a long time ago, and we've both moved on," I said, hoping it was true for both of us. I didn't dare glance at Trev for confirmation. "I love your dress, by the way. Looks great on you."

Serenity smiled and ran her hand over the gray material. "Thank you. Your dress is cute too."

"Thanks. Would you believe it has pockets?"

"Gotta love a dress with pockets."

We both laughed. My gaze drifted toward the front of the house. Caleb still wasn't back, and while I didn't want to eavesdrop, I wanted to make sure he was okay.

"It was great to meet you, Serenity, and to see you again, Trev-or." The last syllable came out like a robot as I tried to course-correct for the too-intimate nickname in front of his girlfriend.

"You too." Trevor smiled, brightening his blue eyes.

"I'm going to check how Caleb's doing. Make sure there aren't any kangaroo emergencies."

God, had those words really left my mouth? At least I could tell Caleb and give him a good laugh at my expense.

Trevor raised an eyebrow, and Serenity looked at me.

"He's Australian. Sorry, the joke makes a lot more sense if you've met him. We'll stop by to chat more later."

I walked away with my hands twitching at my side. Way to make things awkward, Audrey. What was wrong with 'see you around'? Now I'd look rude if I didn't go talk to them a second time with Caleb. I sure knew how to put my foot in my mouth. 

The wedding continues in the next chapters too (it's a long night XD - more Caleb & Audrey as well as dancing to come). Hope you enjoyed seeing Trevor and Audrey reconnect. Any theories on what's up with Caleb?