Free Loving Rowan by Ariadne Wayne

best friend in the wedding party. Instead, Rowan had been left out. At least she had me.
    We pulled up into the church car park, and I held her hand as we approached the building. She shook as we grew closer, holding tight as we sat in the church well behind the rows of family. There were curious looks—everyone must have known how close the three of them had been over the years—but she ignored them, staring straight ahead.
    Andrew smiled and waved at her, and I wanted to get up and punch him in the face. He must have known what this was doing to her; he and Charlie supposedly knew her better than anyone. I hurt for Rowan.
    I slid my arm around Rowan’s shoulders, leaning over to kiss the side of her head. “You okay?”
    She nodded, turning to face me. There was the tiniest of smiles on her face. Screw the people around us, I was there for her, not them.
    I grinned, kissing her on the nose and squeezing her arm to show my support. When I looked up, Andrew was staring daggers at me. I just shook my head, kissing the top of Rowan’s head again. If he wanted the best of both worlds, marrying Charlie and keeping Rowan dangling, I would stand in his way. No one would ever use her again.
    Charlie arrived to great fanfare, and I watched as Andrew smiled at his bride.
    I gripped Rowan’s arm tight, and she stayed calm through the whole ceremony. While everyone threw rice, and cheered outside, we slipped back to my car.
    “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
    She nodded. “I can’t not be okay, if that makes sense. What’s done is done.”
    How on earth could I tell her I wanted to skip the reception? I wanted to take her home to her bed and find every freckle, explore every last inch of her body, make her scream my name. She only thought of me as a friend who was helping her through this tough situation, and all I could think about was how it would feel sinking into her, making her mine.
    Instead, I drove her where she needed to be and sat with her, back from the head table. The whole situation pissed me off more and more by the minute. I got that the day wasn’t about her, but I thought they could have done more for the woman they had both been best friends with since childhood.
    She just looked straight ahead again, through the speeches and ate her meal without a word.
    When the music started, she watched Andrew and Charlie dance, with a wistful look on her face. Her dream was over, but I wasn’t finished trying to make something of the evening.
    “Hey, beautiful. Want to take the next dance?” I said, leaning over to whisper in her ear.
    She leaned towards me, nodding slightly.
    As other couples took to the dance floor, I took her hand, pulling her to her feet. She looked so flat. “How about I show you what an amazing dancer I am?”
    “Amazing, huh?” Finally a real smile broke through and she laughed, shaking her head.
    “Only the best.”
    Her eyes lit up as I pulled her to the dance floor and into my arms, and we laughed together as we began to move. “Thank you for putting up with me today.”
    “That’s what I’m here for Rowan. I’m certainly not here for them.”
    She sighed. “I know. You’ve been so good to me, and I must drive you nuts with the way I’ve been going on.”
    I shook my head. “This is a big deal for you. As long as you know that I’m here for you no matter what.”
    Rowan pulled me closer. I could smell her perfume, delicate, as she was. I didn’t know if she could feel how hard I was getting, but I no longer cared. I loved this girl so freaking much, and soon I’d tell the world about it.
    The hairs on my neck were standing on end, and I looked up to see Andrew staring at us. Well, looking at me with that pissed off look he’d had on his face before. What his problem was, I didn’t know. It wasn’t like he had feelings for Rowan, right?
    After a couple of dances, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. If I didn’t get rid of this hard-on, it could prove to be embarrassing. I