It was unclear whether the customs of the East Coast and West Coast differed, or if the weddings Jack had attended before were of a different sort—where the bride wasn't rushing things or where two women were wearing wedding dresses together. Perhaps they just weren't as traditional.
In any case, whether or not the bride and groom had slept together the night before the wedding didn't seem particularly relevant to the case. After questioning the groom again and getting nowhere, Beckett decided to head back to the precinct to sort out the case's timeline.
Jack also planned to go home. After all, this case had little to do with him. Of course, he could justify taking over by citing the victim being from another state, but there was clearly no need for that right now.
The two wandered around the sixth floor of the hotel but couldn't find Castle. This struck them as odd. Beckett was about to pull out her phone to call him when Jack raised a hand to stop her and led her to the banquet hall doors.
Raising a finger to his lips, Jack motioned for silence. Beckett caught on and carefully pushed the door ajar, peeking inside.
Castle was at the center of the banquet hall—the original wedding venue—sneaking bites of the wedding cake with the runaway bride, Kyra.
Beckett frowned and was about to enter when Jack stopped her again. He leaned in and whispered in her ear so softly it was almost inaudible, "Don't you want to know a bit about Castle and her history? After all, this girl doesn't seem anything like his two ex-wives."
Jack didn't elaborate on what was different, but even though he had gotten to know Castle fairly well, Beckett, who had spent so much time with him lately, would undoubtedly have greater insight. After all, Castle was the type who never hesitated to share his past with others.
Beckett's gaze flickered, and she bit her lip without responding, but her actions betrayed her. She pressed her ear closer to the door crack.
"If everything had gone as planned today, I should be here dancing gracefully with my husband," Kyra said softly.
"Do you remember the last time we danced?" Castle replied.
"Of course. It was under the clock at Grand Central Station."
"That was right before you were heading to the airport for a flight to London."
"You should have come with me."
Jack couldn't help but roll his eyes at their dialogue. "Are these writers only capable of ripping off Nicolas Cage's The Family Man? Sure, it sounds romantic, but the déjà vu here is overwhelming."
His stifled laugh earned him a sharp glare from Beckett, as though he were some annoying guy munching popcorn loudly in a theater.
Jack raised his hands in mock surrender, his expression saying, "Fine, my bad." But who was the one ready to barge in and ruin the moment earlier?
The dialogue in the banquet hall continued. Kyra's voice carried a trace of sadness. "You should've come with me."
Castle responded defensively, "You're the one who said you needed some space."
Kyra sighed, her tone even more wistful. "But I didn't mean forever."
A silence fell between them. Castle opened his mouth as if to speak but said nothing.
Kyra glanced around the room. The contrast between the wedding decorations and her memories of the past pulled her back to reality. Time, the best healer, had already helped her let go.
She pinched the bridge of her nose to hold back emotions that threatened to overflow. Forcing a smile, she attempted to change the subject.
"Well, it doesn't matter. To you, this is all old news, isn't it?"
She was, of course, referring to weddings. Castle didn't shy away from answering. "Twice."
Kyra stepped closer, her gaze serious. "So, every time, you thought you'd found the one, right?"
Jack's internal alarms went off. This wasn't a topic shift—it was a trap. What was this bride planning to ask next?
Castle carefully considered his words before cautiously replying, "At least at the time, I believed I was making the right choice."
Sure enough, Kyra took another step closer, nearly pressing against him, her face tilted upward so their breaths mingled. "But in the end, you weren't, were you?"
Castle was momentarily at a loss for words. Kyra's gaze turned intense. "You know, some girls might see what happened today as a sign."
"You mean the murder?" Castle feigned ignorance. At least that's what Jack thought—surely a seasoned charmer like Castle couldn't misinterpret her meaning.
The murder was irrelevant. An ex-boyfriend showing up at a wedding uninvited—that was the real omen. Why else would officiants always ask if anyone objects before declaring a couple married?
"And your appearance, Rick," Kyra murmured, staring at Castle with an increasingly entranced expression.
This was getting dangerous. As their heads drew closer, Jack glanced at Beckett, who was still peeking through the door. Her knuckles, gripping the doorknob, had turned white.
Well, I'm doing you both a favor here, Jack thought. He deliberately stumbled, bumping into Beckett and sending her tumbling into the banquet hall.
"You're welcome," Jack mouthed silently as Beckett shot him a furious glare.
Grinding her teeth, Beckett forced a composed expression as she turned to the startled pair in the center of the room. "Castle, we're leaving. Want a ride?"
Kyra looked flustered, her gaze darting between the two. Bowing her head slightly, she adjusted her wedding dress—more to calm her emotions than anything else. "I should get back. They're probably looking for me by now."
As she hurried away, Castle watched her retreating figure for a long moment. When he finally turned back, his gaze met Beckett's directly.
Hesitation, regret, nostalgia, acceptance—all these emotions flickered across Castle's face in an instant. Beckett had never seen such a range of expressions on a man before.
She stared at him until he returned to his usual innocent look and raised his cake plate. "Want some?"
"No, thanks." Beckett spun on her heel, suppressing a grin. But when she saw Jack's smug expression, she shot him a murderous glare.
"What's with you two?" Castle asked Jack as he walked by.
"Nothing. Detective Beckett's just in a rush to get back. We were looking for you for ages," Jack replied casually.
He'd had his fill of drama for the day. Tonight, he'd make sure to brag about it to Hannah—she'd regret choosing a shopping trip with Alexis over this.
As the elevator descended, an awkward silence filled the air. Jack stood in a corner, typing a message to Hannah while pretending to be invisible, distancing himself from the tense atmosphere between Beckett and Castle.
Castle eventually broke the silence. "We met in college. We were together for three years."
"I didn't ask," Beckett replied tartly, stealing a glance at Jack in the corner. Satisfied he was pretending not to hear, she looked away.
"You asked. Just not out loud," Castle said softly. He wasn't stupid—Beckett's sudden entrance had interrupted an intimate moment and stopped things from veering into morally questionable territory.
"I just thought she seemed different from your ex-wives," Beckett blurted before realizing she'd inadvertently repeated Jack's earlier remark.
Sure enough, when she looked up, Jack's wide-eyed expression was filled with barely suppressed amusement. Furious and embarrassed, she glared at him again.
"What do you mean?" Castle asked, unaware of Jack's reaction. His gaze fixed intently on Beckett.
Beckett stammered, "I mean, she seems real, like, genuine. I didn't think you'd go for someone like that. Breaking up with her must've been hard."
Castle hesitated. Her words seemed to stir up painful memories he wasn't keen on revisiting. But after a moment, he replied quietly, "Well, it's been a long time."
(End of Chapter)
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