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“A-hem, knock, knock,” a voice calls from the door, making me jump.
“Hey, Zie,” I say, turning to face him and smiling.
“How did the meeting go?”
“I’m still alive,” I quip.
“Heard we’re your errand boys today,” he says. I pull a face and his expression becomes sympathetic. “It’s for your protection, nothing more, I swear.”
“Sure.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“Let me just get changed and sorted and I’ll meet you downstairs in twenty.”
“Okay. Odi?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you want to invite the girls to come along today?”
“Oh. I…I didn’t think of that.”
“It’s okay. If you don’t want to. I just thought you might like an extra opinion or two.”
“No, actually I’d love that…” I roll my lip between my teeth. It still smarts from where Axel bit it and I find myself absentmindedly grazing my teeth over the wound, making it reopen and start bleeding again. “What if they’re busy?”
“If they’re busy we can do it some other time. It’s up to you.”
“No. I want to get this done today. We don’t have a lot of time.”
“I tell you what, why don’t I get Kaiden to contact Lou and ask if she and the others are free, while you get ready? That way we’re not delaying. And if they’re not available, we can at least go and look at dresses today and can bring the girls back for the final opinion tomorrow or whenever.”
“Actually Zie, that sounds great. Yes please. Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you downstairs in a bit.”
As Zie leaves the room, I take a moment to gather my thoughts. The past few months have been a whirlwind of emotions and unexpected twists and turns. Axel and I, against all odds, have found ourselves working together towards a common goal. But beneath the surface, there’s an underlyingtension that I can’t quite decipher. It’s there in the set of Zie’s shoulders. The tightness in his face. The smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
I quickly change into a comfortable outfit and head downstairs to join Zie. As I descend the staircase, I notice Kaiden standing by the front door, talking animatedly on the phone. He flashes me a smile before ending the call.
“They’re all in,” he says. “Lou, Jess, Steph and the bitchy one will meet us at the bridal boutique.”
“It’s Lucy,” I remind him. “Please don’t call her that today.”
A sense of relief washes over me. Having my new friends by my side during this important decision feels reassuring. It feels like the sort of thing a bride would usually do with her best friend and her mum, but mine’s gone. A pang of sadness takes the shine off my excitement, but I take a deep breath and push it away.
Sure, if this were arealmarriage I would be missing my mum more than ever. But this isn’t real, so it’s not like I’m really missing out on anything.
Plus, the girls’ presence might help distract me from the confusing dynamic between Axel and me, and what happened with the boys this morning.
We make our way to the car, with Zie taking the driver’s seat and Kaiden joining me in the back. The drive is filled with playful banter and laughter, momentarily easing the weight of the situation we find ourselves in.
It’s not long until we’re pulling up at the high-end bridal boutique, and Zie leads us inside where we’re greeted by rows upon rows of stunning wedding dresses. The shop owner, an imposing, severe-faced woman, greets us tightly, sniffing about the last minute appointment. Kaiden ignores her and pulls me deeper into the shop, a wicked grin spread across his face while Zie waits outside for the girls to arrive.
“Do you see anything you like?” he whispers to me.
“Why are you whispering?” I whisper back and we both chuckle.
