Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
I managed to write a second fic for the Forgot My Invitation event hosted by @robrondale and @jackiemerrick
My prompts were: star crossed lovers, "kiss me again", Leyla Harding.
Leyla just stood, feet rooted to the ground, waiting to see what Robert would do next to disrupt the wedding.
Instead, Robert reached blindly for the nearest bottle of champagne from an ice filled bucket, muttered a quiet, “Sorry,” and walked straight back out of the marquee carrying the bottle by the neck.
Leyla let out a slow breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding.
Okay. Fine. Crisis manageable. Somehow.
Aaron took his place opposite John again, jaw tight, eyes fixed determinedly ahead. The celebrant cleared her throat awkwardly before attempting to resume the ceremony, her voice noticeably shakier than before.
And for half a second, Leyla genuinely thought they might somehow salvage this disaster.
Then Aaron stopped speaking.
His expression changed completely, like something inside him had suddenly cracked open. Before anyone could react, he turned away from John and walked straight towards the exit.
“Aaron—” John called after him, stunned.
People started talking over one another all at once, confused murmurs swelling into outright chaos as Aaron disappeared outside after Robert. John remained standing at the front looking shell shocked.
Leyla closed her eyes briefly.
Clapping her hands sharply to regain some attention, she slipped into full organiser mode before the panic could properly set in.
“Okay! Everyone let’s head over to the village hall,” she announced brightly, like this sort of thing happened at weddings every day. “Food’s ready, bar’s open, no point letting the sausage rolls go to waste!”
