Transparent Hearts | ✓

24.

VENTIQUATTRO

MONEY IS SHUFFLED OUT OF GEMMAS PURSE BEFORE THE CAB EVEN COMES TO A HALT. She pats her hair down on her head to attempt to look like she hasn't been running around in a an airport all morning. Her eyes lift to the driver with pleading eyes, it took a lot of convincing but he agreed on waiting for her till she got back.

Practically skipping inside the plaza, Gemma halted at the service hallway. Panting breaths escape her mouth as she frantically moves her eyes in search of a familiar face. She sighs, noticing people giving her dirty looks as she's the only one dressed in a t-shirt and boyfriend jeans.

Any thoughts on her appearance disperse when she catches eyes with Theo exiting a door, letting out a scared yet content sigh. She thought where the groomsmen, the groom wasn't too far off. Gemma ran past a few huddles of guests before entering the door, not knocking, of course.

Lyle turns his head, hearing the door open and shut obnoxiously. His eyes widen in shock, lips parting and a look of sorrow flashing in his expression. Gemma feels pitiful watching him but ignores it when his lips start moving.

The air feels muggy and stuffy. Its just Gemma and Lyle and for some reason she wishes they were in the hallway with all of Laurens scrutinizing family members. She wishes she wasn't stuck in this small space with only their breathing filling the air, as silence overcomes for a few moments. She feels like she's suffocating under his stare and its not just because he chose Lauren over her. Its because back in their senior year of high school, he chose popularity over her. He always had Gemma as an option. Settling. She didn't want to be someones option.

"Gemma? Where were you last night?" He asks. His blazer is off and Gemma is thankful because the whole wedding feels less real without the final touches finished.

She clutches her chest, trying to catch up with her breath, still breathing heavily from the running. "I wa-was going to leave- New York." She huffed out in a long stretched out sentence.

His palm meets his forehead, rubbing his temples. He shut his eyes for a moment like he was scrambling around sentences in his head to pronounce an apology and when he opens his eyes so does his mouth. "I'm so sorry, Gem. I feel terrible really. Ever since last night...I'm an asshole, God." He groaned, shaking his head. His eyes almost gazing through Gemma.

Gemma doesn't accept his apology, not really. Lyle was supposed to be the person who stuck by her under any circumstances, especially one where he had to choose between a psychotic fiancé and his best friend. Regardless of how she felt, she made no action of telling him. She kept silent, not wanting to hurt his feelings or lie, she settles on a small nod.

"Lauren won't be happy to see you." He states and Gemma rolls her eyes nonchalantly, like its just normal to hate the girl and it is, for Gemma at least.

"I don't care. I don't even know what I'm doing." She admits, her eyes falling to the floor.

"Just breathe. Relax." He tells her, nodding his head reassuringly.

Her eyes spike up at him so quickly, her neck starts to ache. She ignores the pain though, her mind replaying his words.

Just breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

She can breathe, though. She's looking at Lyle and her heart is not stopping. She can feel her heart beating and the steady breaths escaping her lips in wisps and now she's smiling. Her breath used to hitch at the mere thought of Lyle but now she doesn't feel anything out of the ordinary, just her heart beating against her chest at a controlled constant rate.