Page 86 of Sweeper
The ceremony begins, and we all take our seats. Daphney still hasn’t appeared, so I peek at my phone to make sure she hasn’t texted, and there’s nothing. I’m so distracted, I barely hear them recite their own vows to each other.
Finally, the officiant of the wedding announces that Santino and Tilly will light a unity candle. That’s when I finally spot Daphney. She was seated behind a giant pillar this whole time.
My eyes travel down her long black dress that hugs her curves to perfection. The straps sag off her shoulders in a goddess way, and her blonde hair is curled and pinned loosely off to one side. She looks fucking stunning.
Our eyes connect briefly as she shoots me a soft smile and bends to retrieve an acoustic guitar sitting in a stand next to the piano. After she positions the strap over her neck, she adjusts the mic slightly before strumming a light, springy intro to a song I recognize instantly as “The Book of Love.” This isn’t the Peter Gabriel cover that I’m familiar with. It’s the Magnetic Fields cover with a unique guitar accompaniment.
When she steps forward and begins singing, all air escapes my lungs. Her face is poised and emotionless, her fingers quick and confident over the guitar strings. Her voice reverberates clearly through the speakers, and the tone takes my breath away. When she gets to the longer, drawn-out licks of the song, her voice breaks with purpose and pain. Like a raspy cry. It’s a perfect mix of raw and effortless emotion. It’s utterly haunting.
My palms begin to sweat as I watch her sing the melody with all her heart for this couple who have chosen to share their lives together. I quickly glance down the rows around me, noticing how all the Harris Brothers and even Vi are holding the hands of their significant others. They’re all sharing in the sentiment behind the song that waxes lyrical about a book of love that’s full of rules and instructions, but deep down, all that matters is the moments when you read to each other or sing to each other. It’s talking about the quiet moments of love between a couple, not what we all think love is supposed to look like.
When Daphney finishes, I realize the entire room was as entranced by her as I was. We were all captivated, including the bride and groom. She offers a soft smile to Santino and Tilly before sitting back down in her secluded seat. As soon as she’s out of sight, I instantly feel the loss of her. I wish I could talk to her right now. Tell her how incredible she sounded. The entire time they exchange the rings, I find myself stir-crazy in my seat, feeling trapped in with the last people in the world I want to be with right now. I don’t want to be here with this family. I want to be sitting with Daphney.
Finally, the service ends, and we’re ushered out of the room and down a flight of stairs into a larger reception room. It’s covered with white and green floral arrangements and another sweeping view that I couldn’t give a shit about. My eyes scan the space, and when I see Daphney standing at the bar with a champagne flute in her hand talking to the bartender, I ditch the Harris group and make a beeline right for her.
“Of course you look good in a suit,” she says, but I ignore the compliment as I take the glass from her and set it on the bar. I lace my fingers through hers and pull her through a few tables into a small hallway where the bathrooms are.
“What’s the matter?” she asks, her brows furrowed as I clutch her shoulders and position her against the wall.
My answer is to grab her face and crush my lips to hers.
She whimpers in surprise but must not mind what’s happening because her hands reach up and comb through the hair on the back of my head. I arch her chin up to deepen our kiss. Our tongues dance as my hands map the back of her neck and the feminine muscle that lines her shoulders. She squeezes me tightly to her, and the sensation of her nails scoring over my scalp travels all the way to my gut as that feeling of breathlessness rushes through me again.
I feel frantic and on edge right now. I’m kissing the life out of her because I’m certain words could never express how much I love hearing her sing. She’s got such a gift, such an innocent beauty to her entire being. It’s all overwhelming.
When I finally pull away from her, we’re both dazed, and I can feel her pulse racing, just like mine. I drag my thumb over her lower lip and pin her with a serious look. “You have to take back your songs, Daphney.”
“What?” she asks, her eyes dancing between mine in confusion.
“You’re too special to let your music go. I mean it. No matter what happens, please don’t let this side of you go. You’re more than commercial jingles. Do you hear me?”
Her lips twitch like she wants to argue, but when she sees the sincerity on my face, she nods and bites her lip. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I repeat for confirmation.
“Yes.” She laughs and gives me a light shove. “You’re acting mental.”
I lean in and press a chaste kiss to her lips. “You look fucking beautiful, too.” I turn to walk her back out to the party and freeze midstride when I come face-to-face with her brother Hayden.
“Everything alright here?” Hayden asks, his eyes narrowing on me first and then moving to Daphney behind me. His gaze dips down to our hands interlocked together.
Daphney clears her throat and wraps her other hand around my elbow. “We’re brilliant. Cheers, Hayden!” She pushes past her brother and attempts to drag me behind her.
I shoot Hayden an apologetic smile as I call over my shoulder, “Cheers means thanks.”
The reception is a casual buffet-style, and there are no seating arrangements, so Daphney and I grab some food and find an empty table with a view.
“So is your brother going to kill me?” I inquire, eating some sort of chicken on a stick.
Daphney shrugs, her long black lashes framing her gorgeous blue eyes in a way that makes it hard to focus on what comes out of her mouth. She plays with her salad and murmurs, “Probably.”
Fear niggles inside me, and apparently, it shows on my face because Daphney starts laughing. “Would you relax? I’m an adult. What’s he going to do?”
“He could evict me.” I take a drink of my beer, realizing how much it would suck not to live in the same building as Daphney anymore. I’ve become pretty addicted to her, as it turns out.
“He’s not going to evict you. I’m sure your contract with the club didn’t include…no dating any neighbors.” She rolls her eyes and takes a bite of her salad.
“He could corner me later tonight and ask me what my intentions are.” I watch her for a moment as she finishes chewing and dabs at her lips.
