With input and assistance from ariesgirl. Thank you.
Mike sat in his car outside the hotel room wondering what the hell he was doing here. He hadn't talked to Cindy in almost a year and then with only two days until the event he suddenly gets a Wedding Invitation with a special note asking him to come if at all possible.
He and Cindy had been "an item" throughout High School and had remained close, more or less, so without even thinking about it he had packed his clothes, jumped into his car and began the drive back to his hometown it was only after he had been driving for almost an hour that he remembered to call his secretary and tell her to cancel all of his appointments for the next two weeks. As soon as he hung up he started to wonder why he had said two week especially since he could be back to work in just a few days but decided not to worry about it. He hadn't taken a vacation in over five years so maybe this was fate stepping in to tell him it was time for a break.
Almost if by instinct he drove to the second of the three hotels in town and now sat in the parking lot thinking.
"What the fuck am I doing here of all places? And of all the rooms in the place how in the hell did I land up with this one?"
Reluctantly, he got out of the car and grabbed his suitcase. Opening the door it looked like most other hotel rooms: two Queen-size beds, a TV, and a bathroom but the memories of that night instantly overwhelmed him.
He had been 19 and Cindy had been 18 when they had decided that now was the time to do "it". Closing his eyes he could still see her laying on the bed waiting for him. They were "in love" but neither of them had any experience sexually so they had kissed and touched and then they had done "it". Afterwards, they were both sore and embarrassed and had silently left the room.
They never talked about what had happened. Then life changed when his mother informed him that she and his father were getting a divorce and that they would be moving since she had gotten a job with the help of a friend in Atlanta. He had barely had time to say good-by to Cindy before they had left yet there had always been a special bond between them, so they had kept in contact with each other over the years with the yearly birthday card or occasional phone call. Maybe that was why he had come back for her Wedding; he wasn't sure, he just knew that something inside had told him to come.
After getting settled, he walked across the street to the local restaurant for a late dinner. The food was as good as he remembered and he was relaxing with a drink when he heard her voice. Looking over his shoulder he saw Cindy entering the bar with some of her girlfriends. The past nine years had been good to her and she looked better than ever. Standing 5-foot 7-inches tall, her blonde hair framed her blue-green eyes perfectly before rolling off her shoulders and stopping just above her breasts. She was wearing a white, sleeveless top that had the top three buttons open giving everyone a view of her ample cleavage along with a pair of tight jeans and high-heels.
Jeans and high heels had always been a turn-on for him and Cindy had always known just how and when to wear them to tease the hell out of him. Shaking his head to clear the memories he looked back up and their eyes met momentarily. It was if all the years in between had disappeared and it was just to two of them again but then the moment was gone when she was scurried away by her friends to the backroom where her bachelorette party was taking place. Yet that moment was all it took for Mike to realize how much her still cared for her ... cared a lot more then he should for a woman who was going to get married the next day. Quietly paying his bill, he walked back across the street to his hotel room where he finally fell asleep dreaming of her.
All too soon the alarm went off and he began to get ready for the Wedding ... that is until he looked for his shoes. He checked the room ... twice ... and almost ripped apart his car but still no shoes. He was sure he had packed them but they were nowhere to be found and he has already going to be late so he slipped on his work shoes, gave them a quick buff with a wash cloth from the bathroom and headed for the church. He figured he'd slip into a back pew and no one would notice because of the ceremony but fate had other ideas.
When he entered, every set of eyes turned towards him a look of expectancy in their eyes before turning away. Time seemed to drag on forever until Cindy's father slowly walked up the aisle and stood at the front of the church. Every face turned towards him, his anger apparent, as he said, "Ladies and Gentleman, I regret to inform you that there will not be a wedding today. Apparently, the groom had a previous engagement with HIS WIFE and left town last night. I apologize for the inconvenience," and then walked swiftly back down the aisle.
The church burst into an uproar as everyone started to talk at once. Mike remained seated as he watched them leaving the church and talking about how they knew the groom was no good and up to something or simply how sorry they were for Cindy. Mike sat there quietly, unsure what else to do, until everyone had left. Then, just as he was about to leave he saw Cindy enter the church from the side door and walk up to the alter. He could hear her gently crying but didn't move for fear of disturbing her until she turned to leave and she saw him there.
Hesitantly, he walked up the aisle toward her and instinctively opened his arms.
She looked at him through tear reddened eyes and waited until her eyes focused on him, "Mike?"
He nodded as she stepped into his arms and melted against his chest while he wrapped them around her protectively and as she continued to cry.
Just then Mike saw Cindy's dad enter the church and look at them closely. Recognizing Mike he nodded his head as he mouthed the words "Thank you," and left.
"Oh Mike, I feel like such a fool. How could I have been so stupid? I've known Eric for almost a year now and never imagined this could happen. He always seemed to be "Mr. Right," our interests and dreams for the future matched so perfectly. How could he have done this to me? What did I do to deserve this? I mean am I ugly or does it look like I'm that desperate that he'd do this to me? And now it turns out that he's been married the whole time!" she sobbed.
Pulling her closer Mike whispered, "It's ok, Cin. You just got mixed up in a bad situation with the wrong guy, that's all. You're not stupid or foolish or desperate and you're definitely not ugly."
"But what am I supposed to do now? I quit my job, moved out of my apartment, put all my stuff in storage and sold my car. The plan was that we were going to move to his hometown to open a business together after we returned from our honeymoon. I even gave him the money to put a down-payment on the storefront for the business; now I don't even have a place to sleep tonight. My parents offered to let me stay with them for awhile, but I don't want to run back to mommy and daddy like a little kid."
"Well, then why don't you get away for awhile to think this out?" Mike queried.
Still wrapped in Mike's arms, Cindy stood quite for several moments before replying softly, "You're right but I really don't want to be alone right now, do you have any plans for the next two weeks?"
Mike stood there unsure of what to say. Here was the girl, now a woman, who had been the first love of his life asking him to go away with her for two weeks. Suddenly he remembered he had told his secretary that he'd be gone for two week and a question began to form in his mind before he was pulled back to the present as Cindy moved.
Reluctantly, Cindy stepped back and looked into his eyes, "Please."
With that one simple word all of the questions and reasons Mike had started to give himself for not going along with her melted away and he answered, "Sure."
Not another word was spoken as they picked up the last of Cindy's belongings and left the church with Cindy still in her Wedding gown. Standing on the church steps Cindy stopped and looked at Mike "Did you know you're the only one that calls me Cin instead of Cindy?"
