Gate Deadlock

  Chapter 4

  Wedding reception

  Christopher was on time for the wedding. I did not know if being punctual was another one of his assets, or whether he was just trying to keep up with my oddities, but he had never stood me up.

  Checking from the living room window, I saw him waiting for me standing next to his car, with his back against the passenger door. This had been another oddity of mine. Trying to avoid Kate’s and Tony’s inquisitive looks and teasing comments, I had asked him to wait for me outside instead of coming in.

  ‘He’s here!’ Kate shouted from her room.

  Next moment, she was standing next to me, staring at him too. ‘Look at him!’ she whispered, admiration unconcealed in her voice. ‘He could be posing for a fashion magazine.’

  ‘I know.’ I smiled as I kept staring at him. The loose, off-white linen suit matched the color of his skin and the light blue shirt made his eyes look brighter.

  I looked at her anxiously, waiting for a remark about my appearance.

  ‘Well?’

  She nodded approvingly. ‘You look astounding. Hey, I want all the details tonight!’ she said smiling, as she walked me to the door.

  I took a deep breath before crossing the doorstep. Christopher was holding the passenger door open for me as usual.

  ‘You look fabulous, Emma. I’m starting to think you deserve much more than a wedding reception tonight.’ he said, grinning his approval of my appearance.

  ‘Thanks. You look very handsome too.’ I said, unable to take my eyes off him.

  I was grateful to Kate for helping me overcome the total hysteria about finding the suitable dress for that night. On Friday morning she had insisted on a shopping trip to Athens for this purpose, to find the perfect dress for the wedding. Eventually, I’d chosen a

  light green, strapped dress that revealed the most of my back down to my waist. What had struck me about that dress, were the small Swarofski beads that decorated the delicate straps.

  ‘Definitely this!’ Kate had agreed. ‘It totally accentuates your curves.’ She had decided not to come to the wedding but spend the night with her sweetheart instead. She tried to arrange another romantic dinner, but this time Tony had insisted on ordering food from a nearby tavern.

  We arrived at church soon enough to see the nervous groom standing in front of the entrance, holding clumsily a bunch of white orchids. He was among his friends who kept teasing him that the bride would keep him waiting, indicating the gaining of the upper hand in their marriage, a typical joke at Greek weddings. But this did not happen. Tina was the kind of girl who would rather rush an hour earlier to marry her sweetheart than even think of torturing him by making him wait.

  Inside the church, we met Rose and Don, my godfather and professor at Brantel, who had flown here especially for the occasion. He and the groom’s parents had been good friends for many years. I was really glad to see him and I introduced him to Christopher right away. I noticed Don was rather cold towards him, probably not approving of him as my date. Christopher, on the other hand, did not seem to notice.

  Christopher was very interested in the wedding ceremony and the Greek marital customs. Rose and her Greek friend from the Language department, whose name I can’t recall, were more than happy to help him pore over the subject.

  After I had waited patiently in the queue for my turn to congratulate the newly weds, Don approached me and whispered to my ear.

  ‘I’ve just had a call from Colin. He’s coming straight from the airport. I was thinking, Emma, that tonight it might be a good opportunity for the two of you to get over this misunderstanding.’

  I gave him an angry look, but before I could say anything, Rose called him to introduce him to a group of Greek professors.

  This unexpected information wiped out the smile from my face instantly and I felt my temples burn with anger. Why should Colin come here now? And what was this little plot with Don suggesting we should work out the misunderstanding? To my eyes, there was no misunderstanding.

  I realized with surprise that after I had used his thought as a distraction on the first day I had been alone with Christopher, I had completely forgotten about Colin.

  I felt Christopher standing behind me, before I heard him say

  ‘What did Don tell you? You look very upset.’

  ‘Colin will be at the reception.’ I replied coldly.

  ‘Colin?’

  ‘Colin is my ex. We had been together for two years until I found out … he was cheating on me.’ These two sentences summarize our little romance perfectly, I thought. There was nothing else to say. Colin belonged to the past.

  Christopher looked worried and tried to read my face.

  ‘So you’d rather we skipped the reception?’ he asked.

  ‘No, of course not. I can handle this.’ I was determined not to let anything or anyone spoil that night.

  ‘Sure you can. I’ll be next to you the whole time.’ he smiled reassuringly.

  I wondered if he knew that all I cared about was looking into his eyes and being near him. For the last two weeks, I had become so used to his presence that I was counting the minutes until our next meeting. It is true that helping me with my presentation was for the most part an excuse to meet him everyday, at least as far as it concerned me. I knew he must have had a secret agenda about me, but I could live with this, at least for now. He was probably waiting for the project works to commence to reveal his true intentions about it, or I should say Brantel’s intentions, but he had not talked about the project not even once. I had chosen not to mention the project either, but wait for his move instead. I liked to think of it as a kind of game, not much different from a game of chess, only I had offered him the advantage of the first

  move. Besides, I had always been obsessed with mysteries, as they had always been sort of vicarious pleasure for me. Christopher was my personal mystery.

  There were certainly many gaps in Dr Auburn’s story, I was aware of that, as I was also certain by now that it had to be a very challenging story, having naively underestimated any possible danger, of course.

  Half an hour later, we were walking into the large garden of “Xenios Hotel”. A dark haired woman welcomed us and guided us to the large round table where Tina had arranged for Christopher and me to be seated, next to Rose, her Greek friend, Harry and his girlfriend Bessie.

  The night was pretty cool and the crystal water of the large swimming pool on the eastern side of the garden was sending off a feeling of freshness. The place was filled up with round tables, covered with white linen tablecloths. I noticed a big rectangular table, decorated with flowers on the other side of the garden, which was probably the one for the newly weds and their families. When the happy couple arrived, fireworks lit up the dark sky, scaring the birds off the nearby trees and making them fly frantically among the blazes of color.

  Tina was absolutely astounding, the epitome of happiness. She stood proudly next to Niko, right in front of the large table where both of them gave a little show for their guests, a part of the traditional ritual of the Greek wedding. A waiter, standing beside them opened up a bottle of champagne, with impressive skill, and filled their glasses. They each took a sip, crossing their elbows without spilling a drop, which I found quite amazing. Another waiter had rolled a small table next to them with the wedding cake on it. According to the marital ritual, the groom and the bride, holding a teaspoon each, took it in turns to feed each other with a small bite of the cake. A tingling sound of glass suddenly filled the place. It was coming from the guests’ spoons, which they enthusiastically clinked against their crystal glasses.

  ‘This is meant to make the couple kiss in public.’ I whispered to Christopher, who was watching, quite amazed. The couple kissed

  and the guests applauded enthusiastically. Then it was time for the new weds’ first dance. They took a few steps to the pebbled center of the garden, which served as a dance floor, and danced to the rhythm of a slow,
Greek song that made me shiver, although I could not make out all the lyrics. Tina and Nikos seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. Then they sat behind the big table and the wedding banquet started.

  ‘Is that all?’ Christopher asked.

  ‘Yes, as if that wasn’t enough.’ I joked. I was never in favor of swanky celebrations. I had imagined my wedding, as every girl has, but much different to what I had just witnessed.

  For the rest of the evening, Christopher had his arm around my shoulders, playing with the curls of my hair at the back of my neck as he talked. Harry was probably surprised to see us together but he was very discreet about it. As for me, I’d been chatting mostly with Bessie, enjoying the angry looks Rose and her friend gave me, probably because Christopher was not paying attention to them anymore.

  It was more than an hour later that I caught a glimpse of Colin, escorted by a pretty brunet. He was scanning the tables, looking for someone. At the same time, Christopher asked me to dance. The timing was excellent because Colin had just spotted me and was heading to our table, leaving his girlfriend behind.

  ‘Dance with me!’ Christopher had demanded with his most irresistible smile. We walked to the dance floor and he put his arms around my waist sending goose bumps all over my body. I had my arms around his neck, always keeping a little distance between us. I could see Colin behind him, standing just a few metres away, frowning and staring at us. I was very proud of myself, because now I was sure I had become totally immune to Colin. All that mattered was that I was in Christopher’s arms and he was looking right into my eyes.

  ‘Are you cold?’ he asked.

  ‘No, I’m fine.’ I said, dazzled once again by his beautiful face. He smiled and stroked my naked back with his hand, as if trying to warm it up, oblivious to the fact that this only made things

  worse for me. Behind him, I could still see Colin shaking hands with Harry, Bessie and Rose and going back to his girlfriend, who was now seated in the same table with Don.

  When we got back to our table, I asked Christopher to excuse me and headed to the restroom. I checked my blushed cheeks and my make- up, put on a thin layer of lip-gloss and walked out.

  Colin was waiting for me at the restroom door, taking me by surprise. I recognized the anger in his eyes and his frowned face. He grabbed my arm viciously and pushed me in the shadows.

  ‘What do you think you’re doing, Emma?’ he asked.

  ‘You shouldn’t be here Colin. And I shouldn’t be talking to you.’ I replied coldly, trying to free my arm. I was certain it was going to be bruised the next day.

  ‘Who’s he? Are you dating professors now? I’ve come here for you to find you…’ his anger was growing to fury now.

  ‘You’re really pathetic. Please, don’t keep your girlfriend waiting for my sake.’ I smiled coldly. I had managed to keep my voice low and calm, but I knew my eyes had started to fill with tears of tension and anger. I pulled my arm with all the strength I could find and managed to free myself.

  ‘We have to talk.’ he demanded. As I tried to walk past him, he took a step forward trying to take hold of my shoulder. He missed it, but his fingers were caught in the strap of my dress. Next minute, the strap was torn, and I heard the shiny Swarofski beads make a tinkling sound as they hit the pebbled floor. My eyes were full of tears ready to burst out, and I could only see a haze in front of me.

  All of a sudden, I caught a glimpse of a hand grabbing Colin’s wrist and, through the curtain of my misted eyes, I was able to see Colin staring at Christopher, his eyes wide with surprise.

  ‘Are you all right Emma?’ Christopher asked me, without taking his eyes off Colin.

  ‘Yes.’ I muttered.

  ‘I think you owe the lady an apology.’ he said to Colin, and the threat was unconcealed in his voice.

  What I saw in Christopher’s eyes, I had never seen before. I was sure that he could, that he wanted, to hurt Colin. His eyes were sparkling with such rage I had never imagined he was capable of, as his face seemed as stiff as his voice. I was scared he might get into serious trouble if he hurt Colin, who was now speechless at the sight of Christopher, probably realizing the danger he was in.

  ‘This is between Emma and me.’ Colin said eventually.

  ‘Hardly.’ Christopher replied, and I knew he had already started to lose his patience.

  ‘Please Christopher, let go of him. I want to leave, now. I don’t want to listen to anything he has to say!’

  Christopher hesitated for a moment. Then, abruptly, he released Colin’s wrist and turned to me. The sparkle that had scared me before, had now left his eyes. He put his arm around my waist and walked me out, but not before casting a warning look at Colin over his shoulder. I felt Colin’s eyes glowering on us as we walked away and I knew he would not let this go so easily.

  Back in Christopher’s car, I could not hold back the tears anymore. I had turned my head to the window because I did not want Christopher to see me crying. Not that he did not know.

  ‘Do you want me to take you home?’ he asked, making an effort to keep his voice soft and calm.

  ‘No. I can’t go home like this. Kate and Tony will have so many questions and…’

  ‘Okay then.’ he said decisively.

  For a few minutes he was silent but I knew he was still trying to calm himself down.

  ‘He’s not worth it, you know.’ he remarked in a cold voice.

  He was right. But I was not crying for Colin. I was crying out of humiliation and shock. Never before had I been treated this way and Colin’s violent burst had shocked me. Part of me still refused to acknowledge that Colin was capable of such ungracious and violent behavior towards me.

  Christopher had already parked outside his apartment.

  ‘Why are we here?’ I asked him.

  ‘Harry is staying over at Bessie’s tonight. So we’ll fix your dress, and then I’ll take you home.’

  A few moments later, I was sitting on the swinging loveseat at Christopher’s porch. The musical sound of the wind chimes hanging above me was soothingly relaxing as it swayed rhythmically to the soft breeze.

  I was not crying now. I had overcome the shock and started to experience anger about my weakness for not being able to defend myself better when Colin had grabbed me. I should have slapped him with all my strength. I even regretted I did not let Christopher hit him. I would like to see this now. It would most certainly make my day.

  Christopher sat next to me with two glasses of wine in his hands.

  ‘Here, take this. It’ll make you feel better.’ We both emptied our glasses at one gulp. It turned out that I wasn’t the only one who needed the drink.

  ‘I’m sorry you had to see this.’ I said apologetically. ‘I don’t know what got into him.’

  ‘I think it’s pretty obvious.’ he said in the most natural manner. ‘He is jealous. And for good reason if you ask me.’ He seemed very calm and rather amused by the situation now.

  ‘What do you mean?’ I asked with my most innocent smile, but sensing something in his voice that made my heart beat fast.

  ‘Correct me if I’m wrong, but we kissed last night. Or do I have to refresh your memory?’ If he was trying to distract me, he did a good job.

  ‘Well, if I’ve forgotten about it, then…you’ve got a problem!’ I challenged him, unable to believe it had been me the one who had said those words.

  He thought about it for a moment. ‘I guess this means I have to refresh your memory anyway.’ he grinned and took the glass of my hand to put it on the small table, next to his. He turned to me and held my face in his warm hands.

  He leaned forward and kissed me. I was more than eager to kiss him back, of course. His sweet, cinnamon scented breath felt hot

  in my mouth, making me shiver. I tried to hide a faint chuckle. He stopped without drawing back.

  ‘What?’ he asked.

  ‘I’d just like to see Colin’s face now.’ I said, looking into his eyes.

  He si
ghed. ‘Still thinking about Colin, are you? I guess I should try harder then.’

  He kissed me again; only his kiss was now more demanding, wilder, as his hands left my face to caress tenderly my arms and my back. There was nothing else on earth at that moment, the world around us had stopped turning. I knew my body was responding to his touch more than I intended to, but I was determined to let myself free, tired of holding down for so long. I was simply offering myself to him, unconditionally and without shame.

  He stopped suddenly and drew back a little. ‘I should take you home now.’ he spoke in the same gruff, sexy voice I had heard him speak the previous night.

  ‘I don’t want to go home.’ I protested. ‘I… want to… stay.’

  He looked at me, astonished. ‘You’re crazy. You know nothing about me.’

  ‘I know all I need to.’

  He shook his head impatiently with his eyes closed as he sighed deeply.

  ‘Believe me, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. You’re going to hate me one of these days.’

  ‘I’m never going to hate you. I’m …’ He put his finger on my lips to stop me. He knew what I was going to say.

  ‘Have you ever thought I may be bad? Bad for you?’ That was the second time he was warning me but I did not want to think about it then. I could never think of him as the bad guy and I was determined to take the risk anyway. Right there, I had the chance to open my heart to him, so I took a deep breath and told him the most candid words that came to me.

  ‘Christopher, you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. Don’t make me go. I need you.’ My last words must have

  touched him deeply, because his expression changed, making him look like he was suffering. He kissed me again.

  ‘What about Colin?’ he whispered in my ear.

  ‘Who’s Colin?’ I felt him smile against my lips.

  He lifted me in his arms and carried me to his bedroom. For the rest of the night, I lost track of place and time in the warmth of his body. I was in the center of the universe, experiencing a bizarre sense of fulfillment. The last piece of the puzzle was in place now. Still, a low, warning voice inside me kept warning me that this was only the beginning.

  And this is how our love story started, in blissful ignorance of the nightmare that lay beneath and had already slyly changed my life in so many ways.