CHAPTER FIVE – LAST DAY BEING SINGLE

Emmett Waverly, Alexander's best mate since their Eton days, signaled the waiter for another round of scotches. "You know we'd follow you into the pits of hell itself, mate. Much less an escape from that vipers' nest of mums and pops you call in-laws." Raucous laughter rose up from their group as they clinked glasses and settled into the night's debauchery. As the hours ticked by, crisp suits were shed and top buttons came undone, the dance floor becoming more and more populated with their party. Somewhere around the bottle of Glenlivet's finest single malt reserve being drained, Alexander found himself clutching Emmett in a headlock on the verge of tears from hysterics. "Lord, I'm going to miss these nights of youthful indiscretion once I've got that ball and chain on my ankle," he crowed, to a chorus of jeers and whistles from the others. "That's my boy, securing the future misses before he descends entirely into bachelorhood decrepitude!" Emmett sing-songed through wheezing laughs. "Though with those in-laws of yours, maybe we ought to enjoy more than a few stag send-offs while we're at it..." The realization that this blissfully chaotic existence was rapidly drawing to a close struck Alexander like a kick to the gut, dousing his giddy mood. Even with Charlotte by his side, would his life soon become an endless series of stuffy parties and high society posturing? Squabbles with his parents and her family over minutiae and BS hierarchies? He shook his head forcefully, as if to physically dislodge the morose notion. That wasn't the reality he envisioned for himself and Charlotte at all. But after the overblown disaster the other night, he couldn't quite stamp out the nagging seed of doubt that had taken root. No, he decided with a surge of resolve. He and Charlotte would muddle through the archaic hang-ups of their families, same as they'd powered through countless relationship hurdles already. If she was game to keep charging ahead towards their happy future, then Alexander would match her step for step. "Another round, lads?" he shouted over the pulsing music, fishing a sleek black credit card from his wallet. Nearby, in the trendy Lower East Side cocktail lounge Sublime Cacaõ, Charlotte was helping her own bachelorette party get into full swing. Despite the stylish exposed brick and soft lighting exuding an unmistakable Manhattan cool, an undercurrent of tension crackled between the attendees. Charlotte's maid of honor and oldest friend, Skylar, nursed a drink at the circular booth, casting occasional withering glares across the table towards Jessica Dunlap. Six months ago, Jessica and Charlotte's other closest confidants from their debutante circle had been excitedly swapping plans and visions for the most glamorous, showstopping bachelorette weekend of the year. But ever since word leaked about Charlotte's choice of Skylar as the maid of honor instead of Jessica, the other bridesmaids had no-so-discreetly split into two camps. The tight inner circle surrounding Skylar, and Jessica's fiercely loyal loyalists who clearly felt their queen had been usurped. "So, are we doing Cronuts and mimosas again for brunch tomorrow?" Sienna asked with forced brightness as she sipped a glittery vodka-based cocktail. "That new Soho patisserie is supposed to be all the rage." Skylar's eyes narrowed into slits as her gaze flicked briefly towards Jessica and her breathy cohorts, whispering conspiratorially a few feet away. "I thought we agreed brunch wasn't really Charlotte's speed anymore? She wanted to do something a little more...elevated? For her send-off as a single lady." Jessica outright scoffed at the thinly veiled dig. "That translates to boring as hell, if I know Skylar's definition of 'elevated'." "At least she has a definition of tact and restraint," Skylar shot back with lethal sweetness. "Two concepts I doubt that ever entered your limited vocabulary, Dunlap." Charlotte rapidly found herself sandwiched between the two feuding bridesmaids, cringing as their verbal boxing match escalated in both volume and vitriol. Any hopes she'd had about this being a lighthearted, enjoyable night rapidly disintegrated with each snarled barb they traded. "Oh what, so you two are the gatekeepers of what counts as an authentic good time these days?" Jessica's eyes flashed dangerously as she leaned across the table until she was just inches from Skylar's face. "Need I remind you that you used to be the Queen of Crashing It before you became such an uptight -" "Enough!" Charlotte exploded, slamming her palm against the tabletop with a resounding crack. The other bachelorettes startled, drinks sloshing precariously in their flutes. "I can't...I won't sit here and listen to my two closest friends in the world tear each other apart on what's supposed to be a celebratory night." Sucking in a ragged breath, she fought to steady her nerves. Her gaze swept across the assembled party - Skylar and Jessica looking appropriately abashed, Sienna averting her eyes sheepishly, and the others shifting in uncomfortable silence. This was supposed to be her event, her one final fling before settling into married life. But even here, the specter of family drama and long-simmering feuds couldn't be escaped. Charlotte felt her throat constrict with a heady mixture of disappointment, frustration, and sudden overwhelming anger. "Do you know how lucky we all are?" The words rushed out in an impassioned torrent, unable to be contained any longer. "How blessed we've been since birth to be part of this rarified circle of wealth and privilege? To be part of Manhattan's elite society while others struggle just to scrape by? And this...this is how we spend our charmed existences? Bickering and hazing each other over perceived slights and imaginary hierarchies until all sense of joy is drained?" Tears blurred Charlotte's vision but she blinked them away furiously, needing to forge ahead and finally purge this poisonous weight from her soul. "I'm not innocent in this either. I've played along with the stupid games and soap operas practically since I was in pigtails. But I can't...I won't do it anymore. Not with my wedding on the horizon." The other girls looked properly chastened by Charlotte's outburst, with even Skylar and Jessica averting their gazes guiltily. For long moments, a heavy silence blanketed their corner of the sultry lounge. Then, much to Charlotte's surprise, one of Jessica's wingmen spoke up - a willowy blonde scion of the Van Doren industrialists. "She's right, you know. We do get far too carried away with the high school level backstabbing." She toyed with the sugar-rimmed edge of her cocktail glass, worrying her glossed lower lip. "Charli's wedding should be a fresh start to put all that nonsense behind us. For her sake." A murmur of agreement issued from the other girls. Even Skylar managed a terse nod of acknowledgment. "So..." Sienna hedged after clearing her throat. "Let's look at this as taking the night in a new, more chill direction then?" She gestured towards the leather-bound cocktail menu. "I'll grab us some fresh drinks and maybe we can decide on our next move as a group?" Charlotte's heart swelled with affection towards her old friend. Trust Sienna to try smoothing any choppy social waters, always the peacemaker. She nodded gratefully, offering up a watery smile.