How many times do I have to try to tell you
That I'm sorry for the things I've done
But when I start to try to tell you
That's when you have to tell me
Hey... this kind of trouble's only just begun
I tell myself too many times
Why don't you ever learn to keep your big mouth shut
That's why it hurts so bad to hear the words
That keep on falling from your mouth
Falling from your mouth…
Tell me...
Why

-Annie Lennox, "Why"

CHAPTER SEVEN

I love weddings. The family, the flowers, the food, the dancing, it's all a big celebration of love. It doesn't even matter if you don't know the bride and groom that well, or if you hate one or the other, because really the wedding isn't specific to them. Sure the actual ceremony mentions them by name, and their likenesses are atop the big cake, but weddings are really about celebrating love – all kinds of love. Which explains why I love weddings, because I am in love myself. I love going to weddings with my husband, dancing with him, sitting next to him holding hands.

It's not as felicitous an experience for other people, however. It's hard to enjoy a good wedding when you're not in love yourself. It's especially hard to enjoy when you've recently been burned in love, which Frankie had. Not only that, but the person who burned her was sitting just down the pew from her.

I don't blame her. If I were her, I would've been miserable too. I wish I could've been more help to her… but I was a little busy being wrapped up in my fiancée and taking notes for my own wedding.

But I think Frankie did okay on her own.

Frankie glared at the couple standing at the altar in front of the priest, her arms crossed over her deep red dress and sweater, her black Steve Madden-clad feet tapping anxiously.

This was so stupid. What the hell was he doing here anyway? She knew that he knew the bride and groom too, and they had invited him… but did he honestly have the gall to show his face, and sit 2 people down from her? Lance and Katie were HER friends. Eddie hadn't even met Lance until that party at Charlie's place, and of course he knew she was going to be here. She glared at his knee – the only part of him that she could see, since he was sitting on the other side of Jane and Charlie. After a few seconds she looked away disgustedly, looking back up at the priest and wondering when this thing was going to be over so she could get out of there.

"You're not going to be able to escape," Jane whispered in her ear. Frankie turned her glare on her best friend.

"How the hell do you do that? Do you have ESP or something?" she muttered under her breath. Jane ignored her.

"You know I'm right. It's rude to just leave after the ceremony when you've already RSVPed for the reception. They planned on you being there, so you have to be there."

Frankie's shoulders slumped. She knew Jane was right, and she didn't want to be rude to Lance and Katie – they were her friends, after all.

The ceremony crept by, and when it was finally over, Frankie mechanically stood and applauded with everyone else. She had expected to be relieved when the ceremony was finally over, but she wasn't. Well… maybe I can avoid Eddie for most of the reception. There will be lots of people there, I'm sure it will be easy to avoid him.

She rode with Charlie and Jane to the reception, and her hopes were dashed when she realized that there was a planned seating chart, putting her at the same table with Jane, Charlie… and Eddie. Along with a couple of other people she didn't know, and didn't care to meet and schmooze with as Jane was doing. She looked down at the napkin on her plate when she saw that Eddie had arrived and was walking up to their table, and tried her best to ignore him as he introduced himself to the rest of the people at the table. Charlie clapped his brother on the back as he sat next to him, and Frankie tried her best to look away.

"Some reception, huh?" Charlie said. Eddie nodded.

"Pretty fancy," he replied. Frankie was caught off guard when Eddie looked straight at her. "Right up your alley, right Frankie?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. She had been perfectly content to pretend like he wasn't even there, and she'd hoped he would reciprocate the same courtesy… but apparently courtesy was too much to expect from Eddie Bennett.

"So how come you didn't bring Gabriella with you?" Charlie piped in before Frankie could say anything. He had clearly thought he was helping by changing the subject to Gabriella, which definitely wasn't the case. The tension at the table doubled, though Frankie was comforted by the fact that at least Jane had done what she said she would do and not told Charlie the truth about Gabriella. Eddie glared at Frankie, but she looked away, while Jane looked at the ceiling like she was praying for divine intervention.

"I asked her, but she said no," he replied. Frankie glared right back at him.

"Pity," she said dryly. Eddie leaned forward onto his elbows.

"She didn't want to come because she knew certain people were going to be here, and she knew how catty and… oh, what's the word… cold-hearted-" He looked at her pointedly. "-these same people can be, and she chose not to force them to ruin a happy situation because they wouldn't be able to keep their rampant bitchiness in check."

Frankie swallowed a snappy retort about how if he wanted to know bitchiness he should ask Gabriella, while Jane looked stunned. She turned towards Frankie.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about him tearing you apart," she said under her breath so that Eddie couldn't hear her. Frankie stood up abruptly.

"I have to go to the ladies' room," she announced before stalking away from the table. She left the table in silence and fumed all the way to the bathroom, slamming the door open and leaning against the sink. She stood there for a few minutes, attempting, it would seem fruitlessly, to collect herself. She took a few deep breaths, splashed some water on the back of her neck, then straightened up and walked back to the table, determined to stay dignified. When she sat back down everyone was talking about the wedding, except for Eddie, who was sitting in his chair with his arms crossed and looking very similar to what she imagined she looked like – pissed off and very unhappy to be there.

"So uh, Frankie…" Charlie started. "Jane tells me that since we're going to be with her family for the holidays, we'll probably be with your family for a lot of it too."

Frankie managed a weak smile for the man her best friend loved. "Yeah, probably… our moms are still best friends and we usually get together a lot over the holidays." She heard Eddie emit what sounded like a low groan, but she chose to ignore him.

"So what's your family like? You have siblings?" Charlie asked.

"My mom and me, and my little sister Grace, she's 20," Frankie answered.

"Oh yeah? What does she do?"

"She's in college, at Northwestern. Her major has changed a lot, but right now I think it's English."

"That's cool. What about your mom? What does she do?"

"She's a secretary for a law firm."

"Cool." The table fell into silence, and Frankie realized that she wasn't holding up her end of the conversation.

"So what about your family?" she asked politely.

"Oh, well, I have… well, Eddie and I have, that is…" She didn't look at him. "…two sisters, Maggie and Kelly. Maggie's still in high school, and Kelly is 20 as well, she works for a temp agency."

"And your parents… well, your father owns the construction company, of course, but what does your mom do?"

"She's a stay at home mom."

"Oh wow, good for her. That's an admirable job. Especially with difficult children." The little devil was sitting on her shoulder – she couldn't help herself. Eddie's attention snapped up to her.

"So I suppose that was directed at me?" he asked. He nodded. "Nice."

"Excuse me, Mr. Egotistical, I don't believe I was talking about you. I believe I was talking about your mother." She turned back to Charlie. "Really, very admirable woman."

"Y'know, if you're gonna be a bitch, you could at least do it to my face instead of doing it through my mother. That's low, Frankie, even for you."

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought you liked your women bitchy and mean. But I'm confused, you are dating Gabriella Wicks, aren't you?" Frankie regretted the words the instant they left her mouth. They were in a public place, her sense of propriety had completely flown out the window… but it was almost worth it just to see how red Eddie's face got after she said that.

"Enough!" Jane finally snapped. Frankie looked up, seeing the rest of the table looking at them with their jaws dropped. "Jesus Christ… I thought you two could handle a public setting, but clearly you've reverted back to 6 years old without telling us. Can you guys please just freakin' COOL IT?"

Frankie sat back, her arms crossed over her chest. "He started it," she muttered, unable to help herself. Maybe she really had reverted back to childhood.

"Oh yeah, that's real mature," Eddie said sarcastically. "Who's the bitch now?"

"Um, you?" Frankie replied quickly.

"ENOUGH!" Jane yelled again. Now people from OTHER tables were starting to stare. "Both of you, stop! My god!" The table fell into another silence that was awkward at best, which wasn't broken until a few minutes later when Charlie cleared his throat.

"So… what's everyone having for dinner?"

Two hours later Frankie was still sitting at the table, against her will. She'd wanted to bolt as soon as dinner was over, but Jane wouldn't let her, and she and Charlie were her ride, so she didn't have a lot of options. She was currently sitting at the table alone, cheek in one hand, drinking from her second glass of champagne. Jane and Charlie had abandoned her as soon as the dancing started, and once their presence as a buffer was gone, Eddie had bolted too. She could see him now, dancing with some woman, though she was trying her hardest not to look. She took another gulp of champagne, draining the glass.

"More champagne?" a waiter asked, appearing at her elbow.

"Oh, uh…" Two drink rule, TWO DRINK RULE! Her brain screamed. She smiled. She didn't care. In a situation like this, a better rule was "The More Alcohol, the Better."

"Yes, thank you." She handed him the empty glass and took the full one he offered her. She had downed half the glass before she noticed that Eddie had materialized in front of her. She choked on the drink in her mouth. Eddie smiled arrogantly.

"You got a little dribble," he said. Frankie narrowed her eyes and wiped at her chin.

"What do you want?"

Eddie rolled his eyes, putting his hands on his hips. As much as she tried to block the thought from her brain, she couldn't help thinking that he looked good. He was actually wearing a suit. It was a bit old and out of fashion, but it still looked good on him, the fabric of the shirt and jacket stretched across his shoulders.

"You wanna dance?"

Frankie stared at him.

She laughed, rubbing her ear.

"I'm sorry, I must be losing my hearing, I thought I heard you just ask me to dance," she said, laughing.

"I did."

She stared at him again.

"Why? Are you gonna dump pig's blood on me or something?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"No… although that's not a bad idea…" he said. Frankie rolled her eyes. "You just looked so pathetic sitting over here by yourself, I just thought hey, what the hell, I'll give her a little thrill." She glared at him. She knew exactly what she should say – fuck off, go thrill yourself, you couldn't thrill me if you were a freakin rollercoaster, any one of those would've been fine.

"Fine," was what came out of her mouth. She couldn't even believe herself. She really couldn't believe it when she saw Eddie's hand extended in front of her. She took it, and the two of them walked out onto the dance floor. Jane caught her eye as the two of them were walking, a look on her face of total shock. All Frankie could do was shrug.

They reached the middle of the dance floor and Eddie turned around, pulling her close to him and wrapping an arm around her waist. Frankie's heart rammed into her chest. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be this close to a guy, and the fact that it was Eddie… her attraction for him just increased, as much as it infuriated her. She tried to avoid looking him in the eye but it was pretty much unavoidable. His right hand was holding hers close to his chest, her other hand pressed flat against his back. She took a shaky breath.

"Does this throw you off?" Eddie asked. His words barely made it through the cloud around her head. She wrinkled her brow.

"What?"

Eddie was grinning at her again. "I've seen what kind of effect I have on you… especially when I get real close to you like this."

Frankie tried her best to maintain her disgusted expression as he leaned even closer to her and she could feel his breath on her face. "The only effect you have is on my gag reflex," she replied succinctly. Eddie just chuckled.

"See, normally, a comment like that might work. But now, you already asked me out, so clearly, there's something about Eddie Bennett that you like, much as you try to hide it."

Frankie swallowed hard. Not only had she lost control, but she had practically handed it to Eddie gift-wrapped.

"A momentary lapse in my sanity. Trust me, it won't happen again."

"You sure about that?"

"Positive."

"Even if I do this?" He wrapped the arm that had been holding her hand around her waist. She glared at him evenly.

"Still positive."

"What about this?" He pulled her closer so that now their bodies were flush with one another, his hands pressing against her lower back so that she could feel the heat of his skin through the thin fabric of her dress.

"Nothing."

"What if I kissed you?"

"What?" Frankie said quickly. Her heart started pounding, and she was convinced he could feel it too.

"What if I kissed you right now?" he said in a low voice. He reached one hand up and touched her cheek. "If I kissed you right now, would you still be able to pretend that you find me so repulsive?"

Frankie didn't answer – she couldn't. She had completely lost her power of speech. They stood there, still swaying back and forth to the music, for another minute before she could finally collect herself enough to say something.

"If you're so curious, then why don't you try?"

Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that he was actually leaning towards her. She was about to let herself get swept up in the moment when she realized what a golden opportunity it was to win back the control. He was mere inches from touching his lips to hers when she did it.

"On second thought… maybe not," she said before pushing him away. He stood there as she walked away, her hips swaying a bit more than normal.

"Hey, good morning," Charlie greeted Eddie as he walked into the Bennett Construction office Monday morning. Eddie grunted his greeting, walking straight for the coffee pot. Charlie got up from his desk. "So where did you disappear to at the wedding? Jane and I got back from dancing and you were gone." Eddie rolled his eyes.

"I had to get out of there, Frankie was driving me freaking nuts," he replied. Charlie leaned against the desk and casually crossed his arms over his chest, a knowing grin on his face.

"Really… cuz it looked like you guys were having a pretty good time out on the dance floor."

Eddie turned around and glared at his brother. "Shut up, and not another word about that," he said menacingly before taking a gulp of his coffee. He brushed past his brother on his way to desk, slowing down when he saw the plain white envelope with his name on it resting on top of the piles of paper. "What's this?" he asked, picking it up. Charlie shrugged and played dumb, but Eddie didn't buy it. "Oh come on, Charlie, you think I don't know when you're lying?"

"It's from Frankie," he said. "She gave it to Jane who gave it to me to give to you. But please read it, I think it's important." Eddie stared at it for a moment, debating just throwing it right into the garbage, but curiosity won him over and he ripped it open.

Dear Eddie,

I know that the last thing that you expected or wanted was a letter from me, but there were a few things that I thought you should know. I hadn't planned on telling you any of this, but I realize that it's not only to save my own reputation, but also to prevent something bad from happening to you too.

There were three things that you said when you rejected me, and I plan on addressing each. First of all, what happened with Zach. I'll admit that I was not at all interested in him, but the truth is, I was trying to let him down as easily as possible. He called me at least 20 times after I met him at the party and I didn't answer any of his calls. I had thought that after the first unanswered message or two he would take the hint, but apparently not. If I hurt Zach, I am sorry. It wasn't what I intended to do.

Second of all, I wanted to say something about what you said about the way I have treated you since I met you, and the things that I said when I was asking you out. Once again, I'm sorry if "cold-hearted bitchiness" is the only impression you have gotten from me, because once again, that was not what I intended. When I asked you out, I'll admit, I was nervous. I was flustered, which doesn't happen to me often, and things came out very different from what I intended them to be. That being said, I don't think you can honestly say that anything I said was wrong. We are two very different people, obviously, and the truth is, I never thought I would ever be attracted to someone with the qualities that you have. But the reality is that I was. I didn't mean for what I said to be insulting, I just meant to emphasize that I hadn't planned on being attracted to you.

Okay. That brings me to the main reason I wanted to write this letter – Gabriella Wicks. The truth is that you have been deceived by her. I'm assuming, by what you said to me, that Gabriella told you that she dated my ex back in high school. What she probably didn't tell you was that she started seeing him before I had broken up with him. For almost a month the two of them were dating, and once he broke up with me, the two of them took their relationship public. The rumors started almost immediately, that he had broken up with me because I was a frigid bitch who wouldn't put out. And I'll give you three guesses as to who started and perpetuated those rumors. Gabriella completely betrayed me. She trashed my reputation to the entire school. For the rest of high school I was known as the girl who wouldn't put out, and I was tortured by all the guys in my school. I'm sure you can imagine the kind of things they did, so I won't go into detail. She moved away a couple of months after all this happened, and I haven't seen her since.

I just wanted you to know the truth about the whole situation, because the truth is, Gabriella is great at manipulating and deceiving people. And, as much as you can infuriate me, I don't want anyone else to have to go through what I went through at the hands of Gabriella Wicks.

I know it's possible that you might completely disregard this letter, because you'll be convinced that I'm a liar. And that's perfectly legitimate, because I haven't given you very many reasons to trust me. But I'm hoping you will, for your own sake.

Sincerely,

Frankie

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Keep it up! As some of you might be able to tell, I made a fairly major change starting in this chapter, and it will be even more evident in the next one. So keep reading! Thanks!