Wedding of the Year:

He's late, as usual, can't even make it on time for his best friend's wedding.

The ceremony is over. Pictures of the bride and groom exchanging vows, under a rose-covered pergola with a sea view, are already all over Instagram.

At least, I haven't checked, but I'm sure they are.

Then there's the two-hour champagne reception with jazz quartet in the sculpted gardens hugging the seafront. But I can't enjoy the luxurious surroundings, even though nobody else I know is ever going to get married in a place like this again.

Well, apart from Nicky, but it's not like he'd ever invite me to his wedding. And if he did, I wouldn't go. My heart is in my mouth the whole time, waiting for him to show, and I resist the temptation to knock back the champagne.

"Still no sign of him, Izzie?" Julian asks at my side.

"He mustn't be coming," I say. Not even Nicky White could be this late.

Suzanne and Paul wander over to join us. It's her fault I'm here.

"A wedding in the Hamptons, it's the social event of the year," she said. "You can't miss it, Izzie, just because Nicky will be there."

"Go without me," I said. "Paul would love the Hamptons and you'll know plenty of people."

"So would you. There's a whole crew we hardly see these days. Come on, Izzie, don't be like this." Suzanne rarely pleads, which makes her hard to resist when she does. "Look, you left Ireland to get away from Nicky but you're still letting him control your life. Seriously, we'll never get asked to a wedding in the Hamptons again. Ever. This is a total one-off."

She was right about that.

And perhaps she was right about Nicky too.

Surely I'd put enough distance between us at this stage.

"I can't go on my own."

But Suzanne had thought of that. "You should ask Julian."

That's the thing. If Nicky wasn't going to be there with his supermodel girlfriend, I wouldn't have minded tagging along as Suzanne and Paul's third wheel, because asking Julian could get complicated.

When Suzanne dragged me to New York two years ago, Julian asked me out. Nicky and I had just broken up and I wasn't ready, not then.

I drank too much, and ended up pouring out all my heartbreak and misery. New York wasn't a fresh start, I explained through my tears. More of an attempt to flee the past.

Julian is a good listener, actually Julian is an amazing listener, and I told him pretty much everything, all about how Nicky started to become successful and when he got a huge offer in California, I got left behind.

Somehow, Julian assumed the new contract was in Silicon Valley and I let him, because, even then, even when I was raw and vulnerable, I knew I had to get out from under the shadow of Nicky's fame if I was ever truly to escape.

But Nicky White is no more a tech genius than I am.

He didn't go to Silicon Valley.

He went to Hollywood.

Surprisingly, our disastrous date turned into a close friendship. Lately though, I sometimes catch myself staring at Julian, almost tempted to cross the invisible line.

But it's not worth the risk.

And it would ruin our friendship, which is the best thing in my life.

That's why I'm not sure going to this wedding together is a good idea, but I couldn't face it on my own.

And Julian is the perfect escort.

He can charm anyone when he wants to.

"Come on, Izzie!" Suzanne tugs at my arm. "They're calling us in for the meal. We've a great table, Niall and Pete, all the gang."

"Are you ready?" With mock-gallantry, Julian gives me his arm.

The marquee is a vision of floral fantasy, white linen and spindly gold chairs.

The round tables are set for ten, each place with a name in gilt script on a white card. Julian finds mine and pulls out my seat for me. I sink into it with relief. The worst is over. For the rest of the night, I can hide out here with people I know.

Eventually everyone is sitting down.

Pete and Carol are behind the flower arrangement which I'm glad about. Pete is part of the old crew but I never knew him that well. Carol does her usual trick of greeting Suzanne with enthusiasm and pretending she's no idea who I am, even though we've met at least three times. She takes an interest in Julian though, but then most women do. And he encourages them shamelessly.

It's the main reason I keep telling myself going out with him would be such bad idea. I know better than to think I can change him. That's one lesson I've learned from the past.

The two seats to my left are empty. Niall, an old friend, is in the space beyond. I hope we'll get a chance to catch up later as we don't see much of each other these days, not since he and Egon got serious. Idly I pick up the card beside me and glance at it.

Niall catches my eye and picks up the card beside him, turning it so I can read the name.

Julian is watching. "Nicky and June." His voice is too loud.

No.

The blood drains from my face.

No way.

It's not possible.

I have to get out of here.

Immediately.

Right at that moment an invisible wave passes through the whole length of the room. Everything goes quiet, just for an instant, and everyone looks up.

The bride and groom are forgotten.

In unison, a sea of phones rises into the air.

Nicky White and June Courtney have arrived.

Their entrance is so perfect it could have been choreographed.

"No way!" Julian turns to me as the penny drops. "That Nicky White? Don't tell me your Nicky White is THE Nicky White?"

I nod mutely. Even if my throat wasn't all jammed up and words could actually come out, I wouldn't know what to say.

This was such a stupid idea. How did I let Suzanne talk me into it? I just want to crawl under the table and die.

"Oh my god," Julian is saying. "I feel like I don't know you at all. It's like you're a completely different person."

"Yeah!" I find my voice. "I know. Nicky White's ex-girlfriend. What kind of identity is that? It's totally objectifying. That's why I never told you."

"Hey, you're right. I'm sorry." Out of sight, under the linen cloth, he takes my hand in his and grips it reassuringly. "Say no more."

Nicky and June greet the happy couple in a flurry of photographed embraces, and turn to make their way towards their seats.

The empty seats.

Nicky and June.

At our table.

I'm not going to falter. I clench my teeth and whisper the mantra under my breath. There is nothing left that Nicky can do to me. He's already ripped my soul apart. Nobody can ever devastate me like that again. It's something that only happens once.

The truth is I thought I was ready, but I'm not.

"Wow, this is a blast from the past," Nicky says as he sits down. "Great to see you guys."

Everyone glows back at him, except Julian who frowns. Suzanne is ecstatic. Ours is officially the table everyone in the room wishes they were at.

Except me.

"Hey Izzie!" Nicky turns to me. "You have to meet June."

"Hi!" I nod in her direction. "This is Julian."

Nicky's eyes narrow as Julian stands up and bows to June. "Enchanted, I'm sure."

She rewards him with the radiant smile that graces the front covers of international fashion magazines.

As he sits back down, Julian murmurs in my ear. "You've got this. You're killing it."

It's exactly the encouragement I need.

"So, tell me about this guy, Julian," Nicky says to me. "What's the story there?"

"It's really none of your business."

"Don't be like that, Izzie."

"Look," he continues when I say nothing, "I wish we could just, you know, stay friends or something. I miss you."

"It's too late for that."

"But the rest of you stayed in touch." He looks around the table. "You know, you need people from the past in your life. They're the only people who know who you really are."

"Oh my god!" It dawns on me then. "You asked them to put you at this table."

"Yes," he replies like it's the most normal thing in the world. "I wanted to see you guys, thought it would be a chance to catch up."

"It doesn't work like that, Nicky, we're the ones you left behind."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The rest of us don't have a life like yours, but we're not still all hanging around and chilling either. Time didn't stop just because you left. When someone becomes as successful as you, it makes everyone else feel like a failure. We've each had to find our own paths and it hasn't always been easy. In fact most of us haven't seen each other in ages."

"You always told me the truth, Izzie. You were the only one who ever did." His smile has a trace of sadness. "Fame and success can mislead you. It's a rootless existence, always on the move from one location to the next. It's not just your career that's in front of the camera, your whole life is. Everyone takes your picture, or wants a picture taken with you, but nobody actually sees you any more. All they see is the image."

"Instagram perfection," I say. "That's the life everyone wants. Don't tell me you're not happy?" I can't believe Nicky White is sitting beside me full of nostalgia for the past and telling me his life is empty. "That's June Courtney sitting beside you."

"Izzie!" He shakes his head. "Can't you, of all people, see through the illusion? June and I aren't a couple. It makes life simpler for both of us to attend events together and, yeah, it's good PR. But, really, we're just friends. Now, are you going to tell me about Julian?"

He's just a friend too. The response comes automatically to my lips but I bite the words back.

It's not true.

The thing I loved about Nicky was his drive, but it was exhausting. When we were together, he never had any time to spare for us. There was always something else he needed to do first.

The thing I love about Julian is that he always has plenty of time. He reads long books and chats for hours over a coffee. He is not rich or famous and never will be.

But Julian is a terrible flirt and his relationships are short and intense.

Up to now, I've chosen the safety of friendship over the risk of a relationship.

It's time to come out from under the shadow of the past.

There's no such thing as perfection.

Life is about living.

I'm ready to roll the dice and take a chance on the future.

Julian is not just a friend.

He's a lot more.

Nicky reads my expression.

"Lucky guy," he says. "I hope he deserves you."

Under the table, Julian's hand reaches for mine and our fingers intertwine in an unspoken promise.

(c. 1900 words)

Author's Note

This story for Round 2 (Final Round) of the #TrialsofLove contest hosted by the Romance Ambassador  Profile (September 2019) actually ended up winning the contest, which was really cool!

This was the prompt for Round 2.

Save the...face!

You're invited to a wedding where you KNOW your ex is going to be invited too, but here's the thing. He will be accompanied by his new girlfriend, while you are unhappily still single.

So how are you gonna save face? (max 2000 words)

Thanks so much for checking out my work and I appreciate your time. If the Izzie & Nicky storyline appealed to you, but you would like something longer, you might enjoy  Kit & Tully.

The characters and setting are different, but the slow-burn friends to lovers premise is similar.