Tamara King by Emily Wright

Author:Emily Wright
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBTQIA+, Contemporary, lit, lesbian, bisexual, students, wedding, flashbacks, slow burn, friends to lovers, cheating
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Published: 2021-09-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

2021

Dinner was served. And a full vegetarian menu, to my delight. I assumed April was vegetarian also—Tamara had dipped and dabbed into the lifestyle but always caved at the sight of anything fried chicken. I had told her that I didn’t mind many a time after nights at the bar or dining out in town, but I did. It annoyed me that she was so flimsy. She wouldn’t commit to the idea but would be the first to tell somebody that she was vegetarian. Her decision-making always baffled me.

From the corner of my eye, I watched her tucking into her risotto cake and wild mushroom salad, whispering something into April’s ear, the two of them laughing. It was strange. She looked like Tamara and had the same Tamara-like mannerisms: her overactive eyebrows, rising like arches across her forehead, thick and brown and full of life; the incessant way she played with her hands, even during her speech, which was short and sweet; that golden glow to her brown eyes, the hidden innocence lying within them along with the secrets that made Tamara who she was. She looked like Tamara; that was indisputable, but she wasn’t the same Tamara to me.

Tom sat at the top table, along with his parents, Tamara’s mum and boyfriend (a new Tory Boy, I assumed), and April’s parents. Ellie and I were at a round dinner table with Jake, Lottie, and Jasper, Tamara’s cousin and their boyfriend, and two of April’s friends. I was grateful we hadn’t been seated with Mrs Hairy Mole. She was on the other side of the hall and, from the look on their faces, was terrorising her fellow table guests. We ate in sporadic conversation, from names and careers to funny wedding anecdotes and jokes that were followed with polite laughter.

I brushed over the subject of the empty seat next to me, reiterating what I had told everybody who asked me: my plus one was running late, yes, she was still coming, yes, she was real, and no, I hadn’t hired her. (Phil came back to question me some more once Debbie was distracted.) The table mulled this over with a feigned interest and expressed desire to meet her once she arrived. In reality, their foremost concern was probably the waiting time for the dessert, as Jake had been hyping up the chocolate coulis whilst waiting for our main to arrive. Jasper and Lottie and the other children at the wedding had their own little menu printed out on a colouring sheet that distracted them adequately.

Catherine ducked in and out of the hall, collecting finished plates and returning with the famous chocolate coulis. As much as I disliked her, it sure smelt damn good.

“Sam. Can you help me here?” Jake exhaled a hoot of laughter. “God, what a mess.” He dabbed at Lottie’s chocolate-smeared cheeks with a napkin.

“It’s on her arm too. How have you even managed that?” I asked her as she scooped in another mouthful.

Lottie giggled with delight. “Cos Imma princess.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.