Of White Dresses and Old Friends
Hey, this is a birthday present to my best friend and almost sister Millie, Head in the Clouds 14. Happy Birthday Mills, love you loads. Sorry about any mistakes.
Enjoy!
Death, damage and destruction.
Their death had caused damage to her. She was physically scarred from the incident but her emotional pain was much greater. She was lost, alone and broken.
Their death had caused destruction for her, her family and friends. She cut herself off from her friends. Moving house, changing phone numbers and getting a new job.
No one from her former life had seen her since the end of Camp Rock four years ago.
She was now twenty two.
Even at her age Caitlyn was successful in life. She had never been the one to sit back and hope. Like her parents she went for what she wanted and usually got it.
From an early age she had wanted to be a music producer but with their death and separation from her friends and more importantly her boyfriend Nate had changed her mind.
Nate was part of Connect Three along with his brothers Shane and Jason who had been like older brothers to Caitlyn and they were still dating Mitchie and Ella who were her best friends.
Instead she had followed in her mothers footsteps and become a wedding dress designer. Not a hugely famous one but someone with a reputation.
It was only eight thirty in the morning but already Caitlyn was at work. She was due to meet her next clients at ten and needed to make sure everything was organised and ready.
She was settled at her desk with a cup of coffee and was checking everything when she realised she still didn't know the names of her clients.
Leafing through the paperwork her boss had handed her she found that it was not just the engaged couple coming to the first meeting. The groom's two brothers and the bride's best friend were coming as well.
Still unable to find their names she snarled in frustration and continued to tidy her office up and clear the sofas and chairs so there was room for them to sit down.
At five to ten there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." she called forcing a fake smile on her face.
"We've tracked you down at last then."
And Caitlyn was face to face with the four people she thought she would never see again.
Mitchie and Shane stood at the front hand in hand smiling happily at her. Jason stood behind looking pleased and relieved to see her.
Nate stood at the back, leaning against the doorframe staring at her, his face expressionless.
"Caitlyn Gellar lost for words. There's something I never thought I'd see." Shane smirked at her.
Mitchie hit him lightly on the arm. "Shane!"
"It's ok." Caitlyn shrugged and truthfully she was rather thankful for him knocking her out of her trance.
"See." Shane childishly stuck his tongue out at his fiancée who rolled her eyes at him.
"Congratulations you guys." Caitlyn smiled and for the first time in months it was a proper genuine smile.
"Thanks." Mitchie said and then there was an awkward silence.
"Hug!" Jason bounced forward and wrapped Caitlyn in a hug. "We've missed you."
"I've missed you too." She murmured. "All of you." she avoided Nate and Mitchie's eyes and came to rest on Shane who came forward to give her hug.
Mitchie and Nate hung back warily.
"You left." Mitchie stated. Caitlyn nodded meeting her eyes for the first time.
"Why? Didn't you trust me, us? Couldn't we have helped?" Mitchie's voice rose. Caitlyn cut her off.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight. I thought it be easier to just leave. I didn't think you could help." Caitlyn stared at the floor, feeling like a child being told off by their mother.
"So you thought… "
"I never said I was right." Caitlyn screamed turning away from them and staring out the window, shaking with the effort to stay calm.
"What happened?" Mitchie's voice was still slightly cold and Shane moved over and wrapped his am round her waist.
Caitlyn hesitated for a second before speaking, her back still to the others. "My uncle turned up at my sister's birthday party."
"The uncle!" Mitchie seemed horrified but none of the rest of them seemed to realise what the significance of this was.
Caitlyn nodded. "And he… he killed them all."
"You're whole family!"
She nodded again, clenching her fists.
There was a stunned silence which predictably Shane broke. "What about you?"
"Way to be tactful." Mitchie snapped at him, moving closer to her best friend.
"He thought he did."
There was a tense silence in the room until Nate spoke for the first time since she had set eyes on him.
"Wasn't it on the news?"
Caitlyn turned slowly to face him. "It was but names weren't mentioned."
"And you say I have no tact." Shane rolled his eyes. Mitchie glared at him and he shot an apologetic look at Caitlyn.
It wasn't that Nate had no tact it was that he needed everything out in the open before things could get even more misunderstood and confused. And Caitlyn loved that about him.
"I'm so sorry." Mitchie whispered.
Her voice finally did Caitlyn in and the tears started to stream down her face and Mitchie wrapped her arms around her friend and let her sob.
Shane looked over at them and realised that Mitchie was crying too.
A couple of minutes later they pulled apart red eyed and pale but smiling at each other.
"I'm sorry Mitch."
"As long as we don't lose touch again." Mitchie grinned.
"Well I hope you two actually are engaged and that you want me to design your dress."
"Unfortunately." Shane muttered.
"Excuse me?" Mitchie raised her eyebrows at her fiancée.
"Have you seen the prices she charges." He laughed.
"You're a pop star." Caitlyn rolled her eyes, high fiving Mitchie.
"Rock Star, god some people." Shane complained.
"But Mitchie always calls you a pop star." Jason told his brother.
"But this is Cait." Shane said.
"Thanks." She smiled sarcastically. "Now are you three going to stick around while we talk dresses."
"No." Jason looked petrified. Shane laughed.
"We'll be back in a couple of hours to take you two out to lunch." He told them pushing a frozen Nate out the door, Jason following them.
"Ok let's get started." Caitlyn grinned at her best friend.
"Um Cait." Mitchie stopped her.
The look on her face made Caitlyn freeze. "What?"
"You might want to sit down."
"What's going on?"
"Nate's got a girlfriend."
Caitlyn sat down heavily. "Oh. How long for?"
"About a month. It's not serious none of the rest of us like her."
Caitlyn remained silent.
"Do you still love him?"
There was a slight pause.
"Yeah. I think I still do."
"I…." Mitchie started to speak but her fiancée came running in cutting her off.
"Lucy's just dumped Nate."
"What? Why? How?" Mitchie flung her arms round Shane.
"It may have had something to do with the clay we put in her shampoo." Jason came up and high fived his brother.
Mitchie stifled a laugh as Nate came up behind his brother.
"That was you guys."
"Excuse me we are trying to discuss Mitchie's wedding." Caitlyn's tone was sharp and cold.
"Sorry." Jason looked ashamed.
"I was talking to Nate."
"Oh so you finally talk to me." Nate's tone matched hers.
"Yeah cause you made such an effort to talk to me just now."
"I wasn't the one who left."
"Yeah and I wasn't the one who replaced me."
"Well excuse me for trying to move on in my life. Maybe you should try and do that instead of coming back into our lives when we had just got over you." Shane placed a hand on his brother's shoulder trying to calm him.
"Well maybe I can't move on." Caitlyn screamed. "And you were the one who came waltzing in here."
"Can't or won't move on." Mitchie asked gently.
She remained silent.
"Caitlyn?" Nate asked his voice calmer. "Hello?"
"Fine I still love you happy now." She screeched.
"I still love you too." He muttered.
"Nate you don't have to say that just to make me feel better." Caitlyn stared at the floor, trying not to cry for the second time that day.
Nate moved forward and put a finger under her chin and lifted her head so she could meet his eyes.
"I'm not saying it to make you feel better. I'm saying it because it's true. You weren't the only one who didn't move on. I never got over you and I don't want to. We were supposed to be together for ever. It's not right just being the four of us. We need you... I need you… I love you."
Caitlyn had lost her internal battle and tears were making their way down her cheeks.
"I want to be with you for ever too." She whispered. Nate wiped her tears away with his thumb and leant down to kiss her.
He pulled away gently and got down on one knee. "Caitlyn will you marry me!"
She and Mitchie gasped and in unison their hands went to their mouths in shock.
"Yes. Yes I will." She laughed as he picked her up and spun her round.
"Noooooo. Put me down!" Caitlyn squealed as Mitchie burst out laughing and soon it spread around the rest of them.
Nate rolled his eyes. "Anyone would think you'd be getting dizzy." Nate teased his fiancée.
"Funny. Put me down now!" Caitlyn demanded and so Nate passed her over to his brothers for congratulatory hugs.
Once Caitlyn had made enough noise and caused them enough pain so that Shane was forced to put her down which he hated to do as he loved annoying her Mitchie had another surprise for her friend.
Mitchie and Shane seemed to have had a silent conversation during the chaos.
"What do you two feel about having a double wedding with us?" Mitchie asked them.
Nate and Caitlyn just looked at each other before nodding.
Mitchie met Caitlyn's eyes and the two of them squealed together, grabbing in each other in a hug and dancing round the room.
Nate cleared his throat. "You'd better get planning then girls."
The boys left to go and grab some lunch and returned to see the two girls bent over the desk talking excitedly about dresses.
Jason cleared his throat to announce their return. Neither of them looked up.
"Helloo!" Shane tried again and then turned to his brothers. "They love dresses more than us. How upsetting."
But Nate could see their faces. Both of them were smirking and Caitlyn caught his eye and blew him a kiss.
Nate smiled back. Everything was back to normal.