Title: All That Is Left
Notes: So, here's the next bit. I'll have the next chapter up soon (I'm kind of excited to see where the hell I'm going with this). Enjoy and thanks for the reviews.
Chapter 5
It would have almost been comical, if it hadn't been so sad. Two people who once loved each other, now working their hardest to avoid one another, casually of course.
Most people were finishing eating and the rehearsal dinner was taking on more the atmosphere of a cocktail party as people talked and mingled. Penny stood in a corner chatting with Kevin and his wife, but her eyes kept drifting over the room as she watched Luke and Grace do their level best to avoid coming into contact with each other. It was subtle and probably went unnoticed by the other guests, but if you knew what you were looking for, it became sadly apparent. If Luke was in a certain part of the room, then Grace stayed on the opposite side. Any shift in position by one was casually noted by the other, who then took pains to maintain a safe distance. At one point, without checking first, Luke went up to the buffet table for some food, only to realize that Grace was there as well. He made a quick course correction and casually headed over to speak to his parents; as if it had been his intention all along. It was a very smooth move, except for the fact that he was still carrying his dinner plate.
Tired of watching this absurd little dance and wanting a moment away from the bustle of the party, Penny excused herself from the conversation and went out into the reception hall foyer. Her feet hurt from the new shoes she was wearing and all she wanted was to sit down and rest for a minute. There was a small hallway off to one side of the foyer with chairs piled against the wall. Taking one off the pile, Penny sat down and gratefully removed her shoes. The little hallway in which she was sitting wasn't directly visible from most of the foyer so she figured that she'd sit here awhile, out of sight, until full feeling returned to her feet.
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Luke was on the verge of violence. He wasn't going to be able to stop himself. A few more minutes of this torture and he would literally be forced to kill. He took comfort in the fact that his drastic actions would probably save countless others from this terrible fate. That, and the fact that no jury in the world would convict him. All it would take would be for them to hear one of Uncle Isaac's little stories, especially the one about how he passed his gallstones, and they'd rule it justifiable homicide! As Isaac continued to drone on about how swollen his prostate was, Luke considered the best angle at which to smash his beer bottle over the guy's head to achieve maximum damage.
"I'm telling you, the size of a bagel." The old man demonstrated the size with his hands, almost sounding proud. "And sore! Let me tell..."
"Excuse me you two, sorry to break this up." Helen interrupted.
At that moment, Luke thought his mother's voice was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard. Turning towards her, he flashed a grateful smile. "No problem Mom, was there something you needed me to do? Anything?"
"Actually, it was Isaac who I needed. We're taking some pictures in the corner and your wife wanted you." Helen took the old man's arm. "Don't worry Luke, I'll have him back to finish your little talk as soon as I can." Flashing her son a playful smile, Helen led Isaac away.
Letting out a relieved sigh, Luke glanced around the room. He hadn't seen Penny for a little while and he hoped that she was getting along okay. His family could be a bit of a handful, especially if you didn't know them. Mix in Adam's relatives and it was definitely a daunting combination. Trying to catch a flash of Penny's distinctive red hair, Luke quickly scanned the room. He couldn't find her. Figuring she was either in the bathroom, or taking a breather, Luke headed towards the foyer. If she was there, he'd check in with her and make sure she was having a good time.
Walking out of the noise of the reception hall, Luke glanced quickly around. The foyer was empty. Turning to go back into the party, Luke saw Uncle Isaac moving away from the group taking photos. Apparently they were done with him and he was looking for someone to talk to. Ducking back into the foyer, Luke resolved to wait for a little while, until Isaac had found himself another victim.
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"Don't they make a beautiful couple?"
She'd heard that phrase uttered so many times tonight Grace thought it might have replaced "hello" as the standard form of greeting. Everyone seemed to start conversations that way. Grace swore that if she heard it one more time, she was going to respond, "Well...Adam looks good, but I think Joan looks pregnant!"
Half an hour. That was how much longer Grace figured she would have to endure before being able to make an early, yet polite, exit. Even without the load of emotional baggage that this night carried, Grace never enjoyed these types of events. Small talk had never been one of her strengths and especially not the type of small talk that was being made here tonight. It seemed that a looming wedding reduced people's range of conversation topics to: "How much do you think this whole thing set the Girardi's back?", "So dear, any wedding bells in your future?" and, of course, "Don't they make a beautiful couple?" She'd quickly gotten tired of saying the same old boring answers and tried spicing things up a bit. When Adam's grandma had asked her, "Where's your date tonight dear?" Grace had jokingly told her that he was tied up in the trunk of her car. She hadn't laughed. Grandma Rove had simply pursed her lips and told her, "Boys don't like funny girls." Sadly, that had been one of the better conversations of the evening.
Standing by the bar, Grace thought to herself that the only thing that could have made this even worse would have been if Joan had gone through with her plans to make Grace a bridesmaid. That had been her initial idea, but Grace had quickly killed any such notion. She told Joan, in no uncertain terms, that while she was her friend, any attempt to place her in the wedding party would lead to bloodshed. Joan had pleaded, but Grace remained firm.
Looking over at her friend, Grace saw that Joan was once again crying. She'd been bursting into tears of joy periodically throughout the whole night. If that wasn't bad enough, whenever Joan went off, so did her mother, followed by seemingly any other female within a three metre radius. Watching this spectacle, Grace noticed that now even Adam's father seemed to be getting teary eyed. Deciding to retreat before she was somehow infected by this joyful hysteria, Grace made a beeline for the door to the foyer. Pushing it open, she turned her head back to quickly scan the reception hall for Luke. She'd been avoiding him all night and hoped to continue to do so. Grace figured that if she was lucky, she might be able to go through the rest of tonight and tomorrow without having to speak to him. She was so intent on looking for Luke among the guests, that she failed to see that there was someone in the foyer already.
Stepping into the foyer, Grace finally took note of the blond figure standing by the front doors. The one who was now looking at her with a surprised and wary expression on his face. Grace fought the urge to retreat back into the crowd of guests. She was not going to run, that was not in her nature. She would be bold and face this head on.
Allowing the door to close behind her, Grace faced Luke and looked him directly in the eye. Opening her mouth, she wanted to say something strong, something witty. Unfortunately, under the intense gaze of those blue eyes she remembered so well, Grace became flustered and simply said the first thing that came into her head.
"So..." she remarked, cringing even as she heard herself say it , "don't they make a beautiful couple?"
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They both stood there in the foyer, each attempting to act nonchalant and unaffected by the presence of the other. Neither one wanted to be the first to give anything away, to reveal just how uncomfortable and unwanted this little meeting was. After avoiding each other all night, they now found themselves unexpectedly face-to-face and retreat was not an option.
"Don't they make a beautiful couple?" Those had been the first words that came to Grace's lips when she'd opened her mouth. Inwardly cursing their inanity, she gave no indication of her embarrassment as she waited for Luke's response.
For his part, Luke was working very hard to remain calm and keep his face impassive. After their impromptu reunion yesterday and the sleepless night that followed, he had hoped that he wouldn't have to do this again so soon. Here she was however and Luke steeled himself for another conversation with Grace, focussing all his will on keeping it light and impersonal.
"I always thought so." he said, "Adam and Joan: the kinda-spacey meets the kinda-crazy. A match made in heaven."
"Definitely." agreed Grace, deciding that his sister was a safe topic to stick to, "can you believe it all started in an AP science class? Not really the place one expects romance."
"Actually," said Luke, trying hard not to think of the fact that their romance had started in the same class, "Seems like the perfect place, considering that they operate along the same principles."
Grace's lips quirked as Luke unconsciously slipped into his "science" voice. "Are you saying that physics and love are the same thing?"
"No." he responded, "I'm saying love is chemistry. Sex is physics."
The tension momentarily forgotten, they both shared a small chuckle. Grace stole a glance at Luke as he laughed. For a moment, she saw a bit of the boy that he used to be. It caused her to unthinkingly lower her guard slightly.
"Except when we did it," she commented wryly, "Then it was advanced physics."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. She had strayed into a topic that was definitely not safe. Instantly, the icy look snapped back onto Luke's face and he pretended as if he hadn't even heard her last statement.
"It's really starting to snow out there," he said slowly, "Looks like there will be quite a bit by tomorrow." Seeking safety and control, Luke reverted back to talking about banalities.
Hearing the distant tone in his voice, Grace decided that she'd had enough. She hadn't intended to have this particular conversation, but having him talk to her again in that standoffish manner caused the anger to well up inside of her.
"Don't!" she said, bring her eyes to meet his, "Don't do that!"
"Do what?"
"Don't talk to me as if I'm 'other people'." she responded forcefully, "As if I'm just an old acquaintance that you barely remember."
"I'm making polite small talk with my sister's friend." Luke stated, intentionally keeping his voice neutral. "Should I be doing something else?"
"How about dropping the robot routine and speaking to me like a person?" Grace pointed a figure at him, "You owe me that at least!"
Luke's eyes narrowed at her words. "I owe you? I owe you?" If it was possible, his voice became even colder. "I don't think I owe you anything." Turning his back on her, Luke moved towards the front doors, trying to put a bit of distance between them.
"We had a relationship. Can you at least acknowledge that?" Grace said forcefully, trying to get a rise out of him, "Or are you pretending that it didn't happen?"
"I acknowledge our relationship Grace. I also acknowledge that it ended." Swivelling back to look at her his face was neutral, but he couldn't keep the hurt and anger out of his eyes. "You do remember how it ended don't you?"
Taking a breath, Grace attempted to reign in her anger. "Luke," she said, trying to sound reasonable, "That was four years ago. We were too young. There were things I had to do..we had to do. Would that have been possible if we had stayed together? I don't think so." She tried hard to invest her voice with certainty, but it was lacking even to her own ears.
"So what's the problem then?" Luke asked, "You did the right thing and unselfishly saved us both from a fate worse then death. Correct? The last four years have been a roller coaster of fun and adventure for you and, apparently, as you seem to think, for me too. Since dumping me was such a good idea, then why shouldn't I treat you politely? What more can you expect?" Moving towards her, he stopped a few feet from Grace and looked her in the eyes. "Should I also have sent a 'thank you' card?" His voice remained level, but Grace could hear the anger and resentment behind the words.
"Of course not!" Grace said, dismissing his silly statement with an angry wave, "You just..."
"No Grace." Luke interrupted her coldly, "You're the one who seems to be having the problem, so you tell me, after all this time, what could you possibly have to say to me...that wouldn't be covered in meaningless small talk?"
Grace paused, trying to collect her thoughts. Anger and despair were coursing through her in equal measures and she was having trouble deciding which one to focus on. Her internal battle was not helped by the fact that Luke still seemed to be well in control of himself. He had yet to raise his voice, or change his tone. There was definite anger burning in his eyes, but even that seemed to produce little heat. It was almost as if he were a spectator to this argument, instead of a participant.
Wanting desperately to reach him, to illicit some sign of emotion, Grace lowered her voice and got her anger under control. "After all this time, I guess I could say that I'm sorry." She spoke softly, hoping her words were having an effect. "I did what I thought would be best. I can't take it back, I know that." Grace felt a tear roll down her cheek and brushed it aside, trying to remain strong. "I guess that all I can hope for is that one day you'll forgive me. Maybe then we can be friends again." Finished, Grace glanced at Luke, wondering what his response might be.
"Is that what this is about Grace?" Luke asked, "Forgiveness? Absolution?" He gave her a mirthless smile. "Fine. You are forgiven." he intoned, making the sign of the cross in front of her. "You are absolved of your sins. Go forth and sin no more! Hope you feel better about yourself now."
Shaking his head, Luke moved passed Grace. "I have to get back in there." he said, motioning towards the door. "I have to mingle with the other guests. It's only polite." Luke kept his voice neutral, but inside he was a churning mass of emotions. He stomach was burning and it was only by sheer force of will that he prevented himself from being sick. Despite outward appearances, this conversation had been terrible for him. Wounds he had long tried to close had been violently ripped open again. All he wanted was to escape.
Pushing open the door to leave, he paused as Grace's voice, full of pain and wonder, reached his ears.
"Luke..."
Grace stared in horrid fascination at the boy she had once known. He didn't look much different then he had four years ago, but now she realized that looks were very deceiving. The man before her was cold, impassive and terribly cynical. There had been a time when he was the closest person in her life, when it felt as if her heart had beat in time with his. Now, he was surrounded by wall so high that she couldn't even begin to see the tops of them. This couldn't have all been her doing, she told herself, could it?
"Luke," she asked again, wanting an answer but dreading hearing it, "what happened to you?"
"What happened?" he said. For a second, the icy mask slipped and Grace caught a glimpse of loneliness and desolation in his eyes.
"A girl broke my heart...so I learned to live without it."
Without another look, Luke turned away and walked back into the reception hall.
As the door swung shut behind him, Grace closed her eyes and let out a long, tortured sigh. Standing in the foyer, she struggled not to cry. She had almost lost the battle when she heard a soft voice behind her. Turning around, Grace was faced with redhead she'd seen the night before.
"You know," Penny said thoughtfully, gesturing towards the place where Luke had just been. "Maybe I should have hit him on the head with that plant potter."
TBC
