Okay so the wedding is coming? What do you think is going to happen? Will it happen? Will it not? Let me know what you guys and gals think

Chapter 10:

Barry hurried towards the room where Owen was supposed to be getting ready, opening the door only to find Owen half dressed and sitting down on the couch in the room, his elbows resting on his knees, head down almost in defeat. This was definitely not the look of happiness and excitement a groom should be having on the day of his wedding.

'What's up man?' Barry asked as he walked in and closed the door after him.

'I tried to talk to Jessica but no one would let me talk to her, and she is refusing to come out and talk' Owen explained.

'You know it's bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony' Barry replied.

'But I need to see her Barry…I need to talk to her' Owen insisted.

'Having second thoughts?' Barry asked as he took a seat next to him and Owen looked at him 'Do you want me to get anyone else maybe they can talk to her? Maybe Claire?' Barry asked.

'Anyone but Claire. If I see her now…' and Owen stopped. That was when they heard a knock on the door and then a woman's voice came through.

'Ceremony is about to start' they heard someone say and Owen almost jumped off the couch and went to open the door but whoever spoke was already gone, and after that it was all a blur to the moment he heard the music starting to play, and he found himself standing on the altar, as Madison, who was the flower girl, appeared and started making her way down the aisle, throwing coloured flower petals on the red carpet covering the area leading to the altar, as chairs and guests stood on each side. Owen found himself smiling at her, as she blushed before running towards him and Owen lifted her up and kissed her cheek.

'Go sit down over there' he told her as he pointed to the chair reserved for her.

Diane came down the aisle first and then Claire appeared and Owen's heart stopped. Their eyes locked on each other immediately as she made her way down the aisle ever so slow. She couldn't seem to drag her eyes away from him and neither could he. She looked so beautiful in her burgundy chiffon dress. She tried to force a smile but Owen could see the sadness in her green eyes. They were slightly red and a little glossy. Had she been crying? Was she crying because of him? The thought pained him and all he wanted to do was reach out and hug her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. She dragged her eyes away from him and took her place in front of Diane on the steps of the altar and their eyes locked on each other again, as she tried to force another smile his way, and it was only when Jessica appeared that they finally dragged their eyes away from each other and turned to look at her.

It was like she had fallen into a trance as the rest of the ceremony went by without so much of a memory of it all. All she could think about was that this was all over, any chance she might have had with Owen was over. He had chosen Jessica over her and Claire wished she was somewhere alone so she could let the tears fall and let her heart break into million pieces, because that was all she felt like doing. With her head slightly dropped, her eyes staring on the tiled covered floor, all she could see was memories of that night five years ago, of them sitting together on the couch with Madison during a movie night, of them at the picnic having fun and taking photos, of the two of them kissing in her kitchen, of that delicious dessert he prepared for her two nights ago after she had passed out. It was all going up in smoke and it was when she heard the famous line uttered by the priest, that Claire finally snapped out of it…but nobody spoke even though the air felt heavy like everyone was expecting the next shoe to drop but when no one spoke up, the priest continued and was ready to start uttering the vows. She found herself looking up at Owen to find him looking at her, his own eyes becoming glossy. She swallowed hard and tried to smile at him but she couldn't. Her heart was breaking having to stand there pretending to be happy for them, so she looked away and closed her eyes and a tear escaped down her cheek and then she heard Owen speak and Claire looked up.

'Stop…stop this' he said as his hands let go of Jessica's hands 'I'm sorry Jess…I can't. I can't marry you' he whispered and loud gasps were heard, Claire's gasp muted by everyone else's as her eyes went wide, locking briefly with Owen's before she watched him going down the steps of the altar and practically running out of church.

Claire felt frozen not really sure what she was supposed to do. Under normal circumstances, she should tend to the bride but in this case, the bride was only going to accuse her. She was sure of it.

'Mummy…where did daddy go?' Madison asked her as she hurried towards Claire, realizing something bad happened.

'You…this is all your fault' Jessica turned to look at her angrily, pointing at her, her eyes full of tears, anger and hurt, while Diane tried to hold her from attacking Claire.

'Go Claire…go' Diane told her.

It all happened so fast, Claire could hardly keep up, as she grabbed Madison and hurried out of church, not daring to look back at the commotion she was leaving behind.

oooOOOooo

Was it the fifth or sixth? He had no idea how many glasses of beer he had already downed since he entered this bar. It wasn't his usual not wanting anyone to find him today, not even Barry. He knew he was looking for him, his phone kept ringing and text messages kept on coming, but Owen couldn't care less. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to be left alone. The barman had caught on the foul mood Owen had not to mention the tux he was still wearing, so he decided to let him be and just remove all the empty glasses that were lining up pretty fast in front of him.

He heard the barman cough suspiciously and Owen looked up at him, as he watched him eye the young brunette who had taken the stool next to him on his right. He glanced at her, and sure she was a beautiful woman, but not for him and definitely not today. He had already had enough women in his life as it was, although now Jessica was out of his life for sure and probably fuming at him. He was sure she hated him with every fibre of her being, after he left her at the altar.

Why did he wait so long? Why didn't he tell her before? The truth was, he should have put a stop to it as soon as he found out about Madison and Claire walked back in his life, because he has always known that his heart belonged to her. The fact that he had hoped everyday for the last five years that he would bump into her somewhere or that he constantly dreamt of her, should have been proof enough that Jessica was not for him, and after spending so much time with Claire, his feelings had only gotten stronger. He had only been trying to move on, since he never thought he would be seeing Claire again in his entire life. What was he supposed to do? Keep on waiting forever?

He peaked at his phone which was ringing again for the millionth time since he walked out of the church, but this time it was Claire. His hand ached to pick up that phone and let her voice fill his senses but at the same time he thought he better not. He had no idea what she was going to tell him or how she was feeling about all of this, although from the messages she sent him, because of course he read her messages and no one else's, she sounded worried about him. He wondered how she was feeling. Was she happy that he was now available? Would she want to be with him after all of this shit and madness or did he break Jessica's heart for nothing? His head was spinning. He needed more alcohol and he needed to see Claire. He couldn't get the way she was looking at him as she walked down the aisle, nor could he forget the tear he saw sliding down her cheek just before he stopped the ceremony. Seeing her crying because he was getting married was his undoing. He probably was going to stop the wedding anyway but when he saw her crying, knowing her heart was breaking because of him was his undoing.

He signalled the barman for another round but this time he asked for tequila. He watched as the barman placed a small glass in front of him and grabbed the bottle to pour a shot when Owen got up from his stool 'Forget the glass Chris – because somehow at some point he had learned the barman's name – give me a bottle' Owen told him.

'You sure about that? Maybe you should calm down a little' Chris suggested. Chris was a man in his forties and had been working at the bar for fifteen years, enough experience to know when a man has had more than enough to drink.

'Bottle' Owen repeated as he lifted his head, having it been resting against his arms. His eyes were almost half closed as if ready to sleep there, not that he was sleepy or anything. He was just getting drunk.

'Suit yourself' Chris replied with a shrug, as he grabbed a new bottle and sold it to him. Owen opened the bottle and locked it with his lips as he let the liquid burn his throat. He shook his head and squeezed his eyes as he removed the bottle from his lips, and walked out of the bar, hitting a couple of tables and chairs on the way.

oooOOOooo

Madison was fast asleep finally and Claire found herself alone in the kitchen, in the dark not bothering with turning off any lights, besides the refrigerator lit up as soon as Claire opened its door and pulled out a bottle of wine. She was about to open the cupboard door and pull out a glass but what the hell? She pulled the bottle up against her lips and shot down some wine. All she could see was Jessica's angry face, her voice accusing her that it was all her fault, Owen making his way out of the church… This day had definitely turned out different than she expected, but the worst part of it all was that deep down…really deep down…she was happy they didn't get married. She could still remember the horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach as she was walking down the aisle. He was standing there looking devastatingly handsome ready to marry another woman…and not her. She wanted to cry but somehow she managed to hold the tears back, well that was until the moment of the I do came and Claire couldn't hold back the tear any longer, and when Owen stopped the wedding, she knew he had seen her cry.

A knock on the door or rather knocks, startled her out of her thoughts. She sighed heavily, pushed herself off the couch she had been sitting on and started making her way towards the door, drinking some wine along the way as she exited the archway leading straight to the door. She pulled the door open without even checking who was behind it all while drinking some wine, when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her forward almost making her loose her balance and drop her wine, when soft lips mixed with stubble pressed against her lips, and Claire knew instantly who was kissing her. Lost in the moment, she parted her lips and his tongue slid between her lips to meet her tongue, kissing her hungrily as he pushed them inside, slamming the door closed with one hand, while the other remained firmly at the back of her head holding her close to him, before pushing her against the wall. He felt her hand cup his cheek, as she moaned into his mouth deepening it and Owen groaned needing so much more right now.

He picked her up while at the same time still managed to hold on to the bottle of tequila and started making his way up the stairs, all while still kissing Claire, bumping against the wall and against the railing as they made their way up.

Pushing the door to her bedroom open and somehow managing to close it behind them as well, Owen made his way towards the bed. Both taking a quick gulp of tequila and wine respectively, they placed the bottles on the bedside table and crushed their lips hard against each other, as Claire fell onto her back, her arms wrapped around Owen's neck, she pulled him on top of her.

As they raced against each other in removing each other's clothes throwing them in every direction in the room, as a jacket flew to the left, and a panty flew to the right, Owen's hand found her breast, cupping it as his lips kissed passionately the crook of her neck to the left, her fingers sliding into his hair, as she arched her back feeding herself further into his body. She shifted her leg so Owen could position himself better as he pushed inside of her, as if they did not have a lot of time to take this slow, and he needed to do it now. He needed to be inside of her like he needed desperately to take his next breath, after having to wait for the last five years to be able to do so, and after having her so close to him for the last three months and yet not able to be in the position they were in now. His mind was foggy and barely able to think as he pounded hard into her, feeling her legs wrap better around his waist.

'Jesus Claire' he groaned 'You feel so good…so fuckin good' he growled before capturing her lips again hungrily as one hand cupped her cheek again.

'Owen' she whispered, feeling like her body was about to explode all around him.

The sound of his name falling out of her lips, almost made him loose all control but somehow he managed to drag it on a little longer, at least until Claire could find her own release, and when she did then, Owen let go, as her name slipped out of his mouth.

Resting his forehead against hers, Owen shifted slightly to her right as they still laid in the middle of the bed, so as not to crush her with his weight, while Claire whimpered at the loss of him from inside of her. It had been too quick for her to be satisfied and ready to stop. Just like Owen, she had desired and craved this moment since that night five years ago, and even more since that moment at Starbucks when they had met once again, and the stolen kisses along the way had definitely not helped to keep their feelings at bay.

She moved up in a sitting position before she reached ahead for the bottle of wine, needing a quick drink while she balanced herself on her knees and one hand, giving Owen a wonderful view of her behind. He watched her, letting his eyes drink in the view she was giving him freely, his hands aching to touch her, as he pushed himself up desiring both a drink and a bottom cheek in his hand. Shifting behind her, sliding a hand around her waist, his hand now flat on her belly, Owen started kissing her shoulder, as he pulled her closer to him, her ass teasing his cock. She pulled the bottle away from her mouth at the feeling of him against her bum, a moan escaping her mouth in the meantime, and Owen took the opportunity to take the bottle of wine from her hand and drink.

Giving her the bottle back to place it back on the bedside table, Owen took the opportunity once again, from the position she ended up in, as she ended momentarily on all fours, and Owen centred himself against her opening. Biting her bottom lip, she embraced herself and when he pushed himself in, she moaned a little too loud, enjoying the feeling of him sliding inside of her once again, as she fisted the sheets, and once again, Owen started pounding into her, barely able to take it slow and drag this out, and the way Claire was moaning and whispering his name, was definitely not helping not to mention the drunken state they were both in, and just like before, as soon as Claire came viciously around him, Owen lost all sorts of control and emptied himself inside of her.

oooOOOooo

She had no idea what time it was when her eyes slowly flattered open as they adjusted to the bright morning light filling the room. She could feel the pounding in her head getting stronger as the seconds ticked by and then she felt a dip into the mattress and Claire froze, not sure if she should glance to her right from where the movement came or not, when she realized how cool the sheets felt against her skin. Slowly taking a look down to check herself out, Claire gasped in horror as she realized she was naked, and then she felt the bed shift again and an arm wrap around her mid-section and Claire gasped loudly this time, pushing his arm away from her. What the hell happened last night?

'Owen…Owen wake up' she told him shoving him from his shoulder.

'Mmm' Owen groaned as he frowned at the rude interruption to his dreams.

'Get up' she told him again as she tried to push him a little rougher than before until his eyes started blinking and they were finally open.

'What the hell happened last night?' she asked him, one hand holding the sheets to keep her breasts covered while the other one now held her head, the hammering in there taking to a whole new level.

'What do you mean? What happened?' he asked as he pushed himself up in a sitting position.

'I don't know damn it that's why I am asking you' she replied a little pissed off.

Frowning at the rude awakening, he took a moment as he pinched the bridge of his nose before letting his hand run down his face hard. Where the hell was he? He thought as he started taking in his surroundings. Was he in Claire's bed? Did they…? Is that why she is freaking out?

'I don't know what happened' he replied rubbing his eyes hard 'I can't remember anything that happened last night. The last thing I remember is leaving the bar' he told her as the realization hit him 'How the hell did I end up here?' he asked her, feeling his head suddenly becoming too much to handle 'Fuck. My head' he cursed.

'You too?' she asked 'Ohhh God…I need a coffee' she said.

'Me too' Owen replied.

'What you need is to get out of my bed' she told him instantly 'Come on get out' she told him almost pushing him out.

'What the hell Claire? Jesus relax' he replied trying to bite his tongue from cursing. This was not how he always imagined it would be waking up beside her. She was literally pushing him out of her bed. He pushed the sheets angrily off him and got out of bed. He walked around the room shamelessly naked as he caught Claire shielding her eyes, 'You realize this is nothing you haven't seen before right?' he asked her with a roll of his eyes.

'Just get dressed damn it' she told him 'And get out of here so I can get dressed too' she continued. He rolled his eyes again at her, put on his pants and shirt, not even bothering to close up the buttons, grabbed his jacket and shoes and made his way out of her bedroom. Owen let himself rest against the closed door as he let out a heavy sigh, he rubbed his face hard, pushed himself off the door and made his way downstairs.

oooOOOooo

Claire was still pacing crazily from one side of the room to the other, one hand on her hip and another on her forehead. All she could think about was that she slept with Owen…on the night he was supposed to marry her best friend. How could she do this? How could they do this? And then her eyes settled on the empty bottle of wine and the half drunk bottle of tequila. No wonder they don't remember anything that happened last night. Almost all her clothes were still scattered on the floor all over the room as she stopped to take it all in. Damn, they must have been in a frenzy she realized.

Letting out a heavy sigh of frustration, she picked up the clothes from the floor, put on the robe on top of her nightdress and made her way downstairs, to find Owen in the kitchen washing the mug he had clearly just had coffee from. She was about to say something, when her eyes caught sight of the mug waiting for her on the table.

'Thanks' she told him as she walked into the kitchen, picked the mug up and took a sip. He warm dark liquid felt so good, Claire closed her eyes enjoying the feeling that was warming her up on the inside. So lost in the warm feeling drinking her coffee was giving her, Claire nearly forgot Owen was still there and in the same room as her, until she felt his hands settle on her shoulders.

'Claire' he whispered and Claire took a deep long breath before she turned around to look at him.

'What?' she asked, the word coming out almost in a whisper.

'Is it really bothering you that much that we had sex?' he asked her, his voice almost sounding pained 'I thought you wanted to be with me' he told her with a frown, trying to understand why she was making such a big deal out of this.

'I…I do okay, it's just…' and Claire paused for a minute, placing the mug back on the table 'It's just that we had sex on the night of your wedding Owen' she explained, as she stepped away from him and started walking around.

'Okay…we made love on not the most appropriate night, I give you that but it's not like we cheated on her. I broke up with her. I left her at the altar because I wanted to be with you' he started telling her, and maybe it was the way that he said it, but Claire got upset and a little angry at that remark.

'Hey I never asked you to leave her at the altar' she snapped.

'You asked me to make a choice. To choose one of you and I did. I chose you Claire' he told her as he closed the gap between them and cupped one cheek, his fingers sliding easily into her hair, his thumb caressing her cheek now.

She didn't know what to say. He was right. She had given him an ultimatum and in the and he did choose her, even if it took him a while, but he did, and now she was here all upset because they had made love on the worst night possible. She sighed heavily and sat down on the couch, letting her head drop in her hands. She felt him sit down next to her and then she felt his hand settle on her back, before he started moving it up and down trying to sooth her nerves.

'I'm sorry' she whispered, but still not looking at him.

She said she was sorry but yet she couldn't even bring herself to look at him, and that hurt Owen in more ways than he could explain. What had he done to end up like this? Why was she making such a big deal out of a night where everything went to hell and two drunken people had found comfort in each other? He just couldn't take it anymore…not at this moment. He needed to get away. Maybe it was all because of the headache he had or maybe it was just the way Claire was behaving, he didn't really know but he just needed to get out, so he got up and was about to walk past her when he felt her grab his hand from his wrist.

'Where are you going?' she asked him and Owen wasn't sure but she almost looked worried.

'I don't know Claire…anywhere' he replied with a shrug.

'You don't even have a place to stay' she remined 'Well unless you plan on going to your place' she continued.

'I don't know Claire…it doesn't really matter. You clearly don't want me here, so I'll just…get out of your hair' he told her.

'Owen wait' she called out as she got up from the couch and made her way after him stopping him at the main door 'I never said I don't want you here' she told him.

'You're making a big deal out of a night where we were both so drunk we don't even remember what happened Claire. I thought you wanted me but looks like maybe I was wrong I don't know. I don't know what you want from me' he told her with a shrug before slipping his hands in his pockets 'I left Jess at the altar for you, because all I wanted was to be with you. I have wanted you for the last five years Claire, and when we finally make love again, even though we don't remember it, all you wanted to do was kick me out of bed' he went on 'And now it seems like you don't want to be with me at all' he told her sounding defeated.

'I just need some time to wrap my mind around everything that has happened Owen. I just need some time…that's all' she tried to explain.

'Fine' he replied but he clearly wasn't fine and Claire was beginning to worry. The last thing he needed was to go somewhere and continue drinking or ending up hurt somewhere. Last night, he was lucky he made it to her house, but what if he is not so lucky next time?

'Owen please' she whispered, leaning against the door, her hands resting against the wooden frame under her head.

He shook his head not saying anything, as he dismissed her with a wave of his hand and turned to leave but then he hurried up the two steps he had already gone down and closed the distance between them, crushing his lips hard against hers, both hands cupping her face. He took her by surprise at first, but Claire soon caught up and deepened the kiss as her hands grabbed onto his shirt, and then just like that, he pulled away, turned around and ran down the stairs without so much as a glance back.