Page 88 of The Layover
Then she mouths, ‘Where’s Leon?’
I shrug again.
Her face bunches into something full of concern, and I don’t blame her. I really thought I’d gotten through to him about writing Kayleigh off as a lost cause, but if he’s not here, he must have tried to corner her at the last minute …
It won’t go well. Poor Leon, she’ll tear him to pieces. He’ll be too heartbroken at letting his family down to show his face. I should probably try to mediate, if nothing else, or – or I don’t know. Dosomething.
Before I can decide whether to set off to look for him, though, there’s a man’s voice screaming, ‘Kayleigh!KAY-LEIGH!I’m here! Kayleigh, stop the wedding, I’m here!’
The entire congregation turns, people standing up to get a better look, and I hear the collective intake of breath as a guy comes running down the staircase, and—
‘Oh my God,’ I blurt. ‘Holy shit.’
And careening towards the pavilion in a very rumpled, days-old T-shirt, a backpack knocking against him as he runs, sunlight glinting off the remnants of silver glitter in his hair, with limp tulips in hand and a green Ladurée bag … is the kid from the airport.
The one who bought the sparkly thong, whose taxi we stole.
Here, yelling for Kayleigh like a man possessed.
What the fuck is going on?
I’m too stunned to do anything but gawp.
Someone comes up next to me. ‘Is that …?’
I tilt my head towards Fran, but can’t take my eyes off the scene. The guy is breathing hard as he comes to a stop, eyes searching wildly. The guests are all murmuring and whisperingbehind us. A little way off, the bridesmaids are looking aghast, conspiring about what the best course of action is.
‘That’s the boy from the airport,’ Fran says. ‘What’s he doing here?’
He shouts at us all, ‘Am I too late? Has it started? Where is Kayleigh?’
I tell Fran, ‘Looking for Kayleigh, apparently.’
And then Leon is appearing out of nowhere from a garden path, and he really does scrub up well in that navy suit. He spots us both immediately, but keeps his eyes on the inter-loper, scrutinising him.
‘Wait. Wait, I know him.’
‘Yeah, from the airport. He was almost as clumsy as you.’
‘No, that’s not … I think he’s—’
And then Kayleigh arrives at the top of the stairs for her grand entrance. Except the band hasn’t begun to play like they were supposed to, and we don’t all stand up as one with a reverent gasp, and her eyes blow wide as she sees what all the commotion is about. She grabs her skirt in one hand, bouquet clenched in the other, and we all hear her saying, ‘David,whatare you doing here?’
I let out an actual shriek when he throws himself down on one knee, arms flung to the sides. I’m not the only one.
Leon says, ‘It’s the fucking stripper from the video.’
NOOOOOO.
Oh my God. Oh my God, it is. It’s the silver cowboy!
‘It isnot,’ Fran gasps.
‘I didn’t recognise him with all his clothes on!’ I say, maybe a bit too loudly.
‘I’m not too late! Thank God! I’ve been trying to get hold of you for ages! You stopped replying to my messages yesterday. I can’t let you go through with this, Kayleigh. What we have is special. It’s something worth fighting for, I just know it. I thinkyou’re the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. That kiss rocked my world, baby. Didn’t you feel the same way?’
Next to me, Fran cringes. She presses her face into my shoulder and groans quietly.
