The Morning After the Wedding Before. Laura Ziepe

so she knew he had arrived back. Instead, he waited until Holly answered the door; something they’d never actually discussed but just something Rob started doing when he moved out. It was the polite thing to do. It was so Rob. Holly was pleased they still respected each other and hadn’t fallen out. She prided herself on the fact that she was friends with the ex; she wasn’t one of those women who sent bitter text messages and used their children as a weapon. They were mature and grown up about it. They put their children first.

      Holly thought back to how she handed Rob a bag with the kids’ things in, wondering why he was acting so distracted. Questioning why he looked so nervous.

      ‘Erm, I need to speak to you,’ he said, suddenly sounding serious.

      ‘Right, okay,’ Holly had replied, her brow furrowed. She’d told Lottie and Jacob to go fetch their teddies from the other room so they could be alone and she’d stared at Rob in wonderment, assuming it was going to be about whether he could switch weekends or something trivial. ‘Speak away.’

      Rob bit his lip looking a bit unsure of himself. His nostrils flared and she could feel the tension emanating from him. ‘Errr … I just wanted to tell you that I’ve met someone,’ he stated, looking ill at ease. ‘She’s called Nikki.’

      He was never great in uncomfortable situations. She remembered once when she’d made him question the gardener about charging too much or the time they’d gone into a sex shop together to buy her some new underwear at the start of their relationship and the sales assistant asked him if he needed any help – he simply couldn’t make eye contact, shifted on the spot and kept clearing his throat as though it would clear his awkwardness. Looking at him with his flushed cheeks, Holly had almost felt sorry for him. That was, if his words hadn’t felt like he’d slapped her hard across the face. She always thought if Rob met someone else, then she would guess long before he told her. She knew him so well, she thought herself wise enough to see the telltale signs. When they’d first became a couple, he couldn’t stop smiling. He couldn’t even ask her if she wanted a drink without a huge grin on his face. Like the cat that got the cream. When he woke up, he would turn to face her with this look on his face. As though he couldn’t quite believe that she was there. He couldn’t believe his luck. He had made her feel like the most precious, loved person in the whole entire world.

      So for him to stand in front of her telling her he had met someone else had been a complete shock. Holly realized then that she hadn’t been expecting Rob to meet someone so soon.

      ‘That’s nice,’ Holly managed to say, forcing her voice to sound bright. Her face felt hot and she knew it wasn’t because it was a humid summer’s evening. She was irritated that she hadn’t been prepared for this and also at herself for not feeling as relaxed about it as she always told herself she would be. She felt a shot of betrayal, even though she knew it was silly, and was slightly embarrassed. Holly hadn’t met anyone since they’d split up. She hadn’t so much as had a flirty conversation with someone of the opposite sex. Not even a harmless text message. It just wasn’t a priority of hers. She had her friends, family and children and that was the most important thing.

      Rob had then proceeded to say that Nikki wanted to meet her. Holly couldn’t deny it was the mature and sensible thing to do, seeing as Rob wanted to introduce her to their children.

      As soon as Holly had agreed, his awkwardness had melted away as quickly as an ice cube on a hot summer’s day. Instead, it was Holly left there feeling anxious.

      ‘Where did you meet her? How old is she?’ Holly enquired, unable to suppress her curiousness.

      He gave a light laugh, looking happy. There was the expression she hadn’t seen in years and Holly knew at that point it was serious. This wasn’t just a casual fling – Rob had fallen in love. It was a strange situation, but Holly was pleased for him. She would always have a special place in her heart for Rob. ‘Online. I know you’ll find that quite sad, but trust me she’s a nice girl. She’s twenty-five. She’s not a weirdo or anything; she’s actually training to be a doctor. You’ll like her, I’m certain of it.’

      ‘I have something to tell you too, actually.’ The words had just come tumbling out of her mouth impulsively. What was she saying? She hadn’t thought any of it through, but it was at that moment that Holly decided she was going to Emma’s wedding. Rob could have his doctor and she would have Vegas. For some reason she didn’t want him to be the only one with some important news to share that day.

      ‘Okay?’ He looked at her questioningly.

      ‘I’m going to Vegas for Emma’s wedding,’ Holly told him boldly. She was going with or without Kim. She wasn’t sure if there were any other people she knew attending the wedding, but Holly would be just fine going alone. She liked to think herself as a friendly, innocuous person who didn’t have any problems socializing all by herself. Life was too short and she deserved some fun. Rob was clearly enjoying himself with Nikki and now it was her turn to have a break away and think about herself for once. She’d been pleasantly surprised when Kim had announced the following day that she would join her.

      Memories of that day faded as Holly focused on Emma’s concerned expression in front of her as she explained what had happened, taking a sip of her frozen strawberry daquiri the barman had just handed her. ‘So I met Nikki before I came out here, and she’s actually really nice,’ she said truthfully. It had been impossible not to like Nikki. She wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but she was attractive in her own way. She had beautiful hazel eyes, flecked with amber and green (the kind Rob would have called interesting) and a perfect smile (Holly could imagine she took great photos). She was just so nice. Holly had been terrified she would hate Nikki. What if she didn’t get on with her children? It was a worrying thought that there would be another person playing ‘‘Mummy" to Lottie and Jacob when she wasn’t around. She’d been worried she’d be envious of her young, toned, stretch mark-free body. She didn’t want to resent the fact that she and Rob could go out for dinner whenever it suited them. Or to the cinema. They had time to be alone without having to watch children’s programmes like Bing and Mr Tumble. But Holly had felt relieved when it hadn’t been like that at all. Nikki’s happy, breezy nature was contagious. Holly could just imagine her giving money to charity every month and volunteering in a soup kitchen on Christmas Day. Nikki was understanding and inoffensive. Deep down Holly knew she was very lucky if this was her ex-partner’s new girlfriend. Holly instantly trusted her and felt comfortable that her children would be in her presence. Nikki had told her she loved kids and had been excited about getting to know Lottie and Jacob; she’d even gone out to buy them small gifts. ‘I actually really liked her. She’s mature for a twenty-five-year-old and she couldn’t wait to meet the children. She was so easy to get on with and I can see that she and Rob make a great couple. They seem so much better suited than Rob and I ever were.’

      ‘You’re handling things great,’ Emma said sincerely. ‘I can’t imagine many people like their ex’s new girlfriend. I think it’s fantastic if you can be friends.’

      ‘Yes, I really hope we can,’ Holly replied truthfully. ‘Anyway, tell me about the wedding,’ she said eagerly, not wanting to talk all about herself. ‘What’s the dress like? Or are you keeping it a secret?’

      ‘Charlie sorted a hire company for me and they’ve leant me one for free providing I tag them in my wedding posts,’ she explained. ‘I’ll show you a photo; it’s so pretty,’ she said, clicking on her mobile and flicking through her images.

      ‘Wow, Em, that’s so good. I can’t believe you haven’t had to pay for your wedding dress,’ Holly said, incredulous.

      ‘Charlie has managed to get free suit hires for all the men too; I’m really lucky to have him,’ she explained, flashing Holly the image of a stunning ivory, backless gown. ‘He’s been great at getting all the free stuff. I still have a few things to do though before the wedding, so I wondered if you and Kim wanted to come along to help me pick things? I’m so indecisive about this kind of thing.’

      ‘Of course. Anything to help, you know that. Your dress is stunning,’ she said, her mouth popping