“I can’t go with you to your Mom’s wedding.” I am confused. Why is she bailing on me?
“Why?” I ask. Sydney exhales again.
“This is gonna sound really selfish, and you’re gonna hate me for saying this but, I’m going to Paris with Austin.”
“Seriously, you’re bailing on me for a guy?” My tone is sharp, too sharp. Sydney’s nostrils flare and I sense that I have angered her. I try to redeem myself. “Look I know that sounded bad, but come on Sydney, you know how important this trip is for me. I can’t do it without you.”
“I feel bad, but Ashley this is such a massive deal for me. Austin is amazing, cute and maybe just the most perfect guy that I have ever met. I feel so lucky that he’s chosen to be with me. He wants me to go with him to Paris. Things like this don’t happen to me. They happen to you. Please let me have this.” My heart breaks. I had no idea that she felt this way. I reach out and grab onto her hand. A smile passes from my lips. How could I be as selfish as to deny my best friend this wonderful opportunity? I know how much she wants to go to Europe. There’s no way that I’m going to stand in the way of her happiness.
“Go,” I say smiling at her. She beams and it’s as if a massive weight has been lifted from her shoulders.
“But what about you, will you be okay going back to Dallas?” I take a deep breath. My mom’s wedding is one week from today, and I haven’t been able to sleep from worrying about my trip to Texas. I just don’t know what to expect. I mean, I am happy for my mom and all, but I guess I am just scared. I don’t know how I will react to being back in that city. I have a lot of painful memories of Dallas, all of which are creeping up on me at night. What got me through those terrible memories was the idea that, Sydney would be there to help me through it. But now that’s out of the question and a crippling fear overtakes my body, leaving me numb and powerless. There’s no way I can tell Sydney how I am feeling. She would feel bad, and I wouldn’t be comfortable with spoiling her plans with Austin. She really seems as if she likes him, and who knows, maybe he’s the one. I have to mask my true feelings and make sure she believes that I will be fine.
“Ah you know me, I’ll be fine.” Sydney smiles and I return her gesture. She pulls the car into the lot of the mall. We jump out and head for the stores.
“That’s my girl. Now let’s get you an outfit for that glamorous party.” Sydney chimes as we walk towards the entrance.
“I like this one, don’t you?” Sydney says holding up a black cocktail dress. I make my way through the racks of clothes and join her in front of a large mirror. I take in the view of the dress. It’s nice, but not really my scene. The dress has a high neck and long sleeves. It’s totally something that Sydney would wear; therefore it’s something that I wouldn’t. I scrunch my nose and she rolls her eyes. “Let me guess it’s not sexy enough for you?” I laugh. She’s right. Sydney hangs the dress back onto the rack and I begin to pick through some sequined dresses. Sydney has the urge to ask me exactly what type of dress I am looking for. “So you said the party has a theme, what is it again?”
“Yeah the theme is black and white,” Sydney presses her lips together in a mocking way.
“Oh how very posh,” she chimes. We laugh and then my ears can’t believe what they’re hearing. My song is on the radio. I grab onto Sydney’s arm for support as my voice fills the entire store. Sydney lets out a squeal and my cheeks blush. I can’t believe this. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would have song on the radio. It’s beyond cool. “I’m so proud of you,” Sydney says into my ear. I cannot contain my smile. I try to focus on the task in hand as I scan through some white dresses. Jonathon texted me earlier saying that he was wearing black, and that I should complement him by wearing white. He was annoyed when I refused his offer to buy me an outfit. He soon got over my refusal. I grab a dress from the rack and I smile at Sydney. We rush over to the fitting rooms, and I scramble out of my shorts and tank-top and into the dress. I emerge from the dressing room and Sydney beams when she sees me.
“Ashley, that’s the dress. You look a-m-a-z-i-n-g,” she emphases each letter for a dramatic affect. I look at myself in the mirror and I like what I see. The dress is a crisp shade of white, sleeveless arms and a V-neck, which is a see through material. The knee length is perfect for my size, and I must admit that the colour really embraces my tan. I have definitely found the dress, now all I need is shoes. We walk back into the store and head straight for the shoe department. I select some shiny black heels that will give my dress a glamour pop. Now to the cash register.
Sydney and I decide to grab some coffee, we need a little time-out. . We select a quite table at the back of the small Starbucks. As we sip our lattes, Sydney tenses again and I know that she wants to talk. I get the feeling that Jonathon will be the topic of our discussion.
“Okay I gotta ask, what’s going on with you and Mr Gucci?”
“What do you mean?” I ask as I inhale my latte.
“Well are you guys together or not together?” I roll my eyes. Do I really want to discuss this right now? I mean I don’t know the answer to that question, so how can I tell Sydney how it is?
“I don’t know. It’s … complicated. I like him and he feels the same way. You know what I’m like. I find it hard to trust after everything with Brandon. I just don’t know … how I feel.” Sydney sighs, looking into my eyes.
“You know that I’m rooting for you guys to be together. But, I know how hard it must be for you, so I understand why you’re being cautious. But Ashley, that guy adores you, and you would be crazy to let what happened in the past, ruin the chance to be happy.” I nod. I know she’s right, but it’s just so hard. I’m scared and I don’t know how to get rid of my fears. “I know this is gonna sound … insane, but why don’t you take him with you to your Mom’s wedding?” I almost choke on my coffee. My cheeks burst into flames as the hot liquid spouts out of my mouth. I quickly grab a napkin and try to compose myself. Mouth wiped and breathing returned to normal, I look at Sydney and try to summon her with an answer.
“I can’t. He wouldn’t go anyway. No. No. NO.”
“Okay calm down, but you’re wrong. He would go and what’s stopping you anyway? You’re going to meet his parents tonight. Surly he wouldn’t let you meet his family, if he wasn’t crazy about you?” she does have a point. I am going to meet his family tonight. That’s a massive deal. I start to panic. I am not ready for this.
“Oh Sydney what if they hate me.” I state. My elbows rest against the wooden table and my head falls into my hands.
“Pull yourself together. They’re gonna love you. Everyone else does, so why should they be any different?” I roll my eyes in protest. Sydney grimaces and dismisses me with a wave of her hand. “It will be fine and anyway, I need you to keep an eye on Austin for me.” I scowl at her.
“What do you mean ‘keep an eye on him’?” Sydney blushes and finally her cheeks have some colour.
“Well Austin is Mr Gucci’s best friend. They have known each other for forever, and since you’re my best friend, you can keep a close eye on him at the party.” My heart starts to race and my problems from earlier have seemed to dissolve. There’s no way I feel comfortable with spying on Sydney’s boyfriend.
“No. No there’s no way I’m gonna spy on Austin.” Sydney sniggers at me.
“Ashley, please. Just say you’ll watch out for him?” I press my lips together and they form a hard line. Sydney is confusing me. She has just told me that Austin is taking her to Paris, so obviously she trusts him. Clearly she has some insecurities when she wants me to spy on him.
“Sydney, do you realise what you’re asking me to do?”
“Yeah, I’m asking you to look out for me. Why are you acting so … spoilt?”
“I’m not acting spoilt. It’s just, you don’t realise how uncomfortable you’re making me right now.” Sydney’s expression has soured. I begin to sweat and now I am even more uncomfortable. I hate confrontation especially wit
h Sydney. She’s my best friend and I hate to argue with her. In fact, I have never seen her so upset. We haven’t had much to quarrel over since we met just the usual, cleaning and fighting over who used the last of the milk. Our arguments where never about serious stuff, but as I look into Sydney’s mascara stained eyes, I realise that she’s is furious with me.
“Then enlighten me, Ashley.” she says bitterly. I am genuinely shocked and speechless right now. This isn’t my friend. Sydney doesn’t act this way. She’s never spiteful or arrogant, but now she oozes those qualities.
“Listen to yourself. This isn’t you.” I state. Sydney eyes turn dark and I prepare myself to feel her wrath.
“Listen to me? Listen to you. You’re the one acting spoilt and selfish. Do you even care about anyone other than yourself?” Sydney snaps furiously at me.
“How dare you,”
“What have I touched a nerve? It’s true, you never think about anyone other than yourself. You can’t even admit how feel about Jonathon. You have that poor guy’s head so messed up, that he drinks himself to sleep every night. You think that the world is yours and that everyone else just lives in it. I have had enough. I don’t know who you are anymore.” Sydney slams her hand down onto the surface of the table, and then she springs to her feet. She grabs her shopping bag and then she marches away from me. I watch as she violently pushes past the new customers entering the coffee shop. I am speechless. Have I really changed? My head falls into my hands and a light tear forms in my eye. I don’t think that I have changed. I am still me. I don’t understand how Sydney could just blow on me like that. My heads messed up. I can’t stay here any longer. I grab my shopping bags and I quickly pay the cheque. I scramble out of the coffee shop into the crowded mall. I head in the direction of the exit, pulling my phone out of my pocket as I do. I dial Jonathon’s number. I need a ride home and I hate to admit it, but I need someone to talk to. Right now, he’s the only person that I want to see.
Jonathon agreed to pick me up from the mall. He didn’t need much persuading either. I just had to mention that I needed him and he came running to my aid. He drove me back to my apartment. We talked on the way. He was surprised at how Sydney reacted. As I told him about our conflict, I myself still could not believe it. I can’t begin to understand why Sydney would act like that. I am shocked to my core over her choice of words. I had no idea that she felt that way about me. She said some pretty hurtful things and I have no idea why. She had me so confused. One minute she was telling me that Austin was whisking her away to Paris, and the next she was asking me to spy on him. That’s something which I feel very strongly about. She put me in such an awkward position. There’s no way that I would spy on her boyfriend. What if I did see him doing something that wasn’t right, could I really tell her about it? Would she thank me for it if I did? I try to make my friends happy, not to make them sad by ratting out their boyfriends. I don’t know what Sydney was thinking. I don’t get her. I am beginning to think that her outburst has a deeper meaning, and that her issues go beyond me spying on Austin. Either way my day has turned into a nightmare. To make matters worse, I have to meet Jonathan’s parents when I have all this hanging over my shoulders, great.
“So I’ll pick you up around seven,” Jonathon says as he lightly kisses the top of my head. His breath blows against my forehead and my eyes slightly close from his tender embrace. He backs away from me, sensing that I’m still a little upset. He extends his arm and gently runs his fingers along my cheek. I sigh and bask in this tender moment with him. His deep, dark eyes bore into mine, soothing me with a daunting stare. “Don’t worry. I don’t like to see your beautiful face this way. Sydney will come round in time and anyway, you were right to say no to what she asked you to do.” I force a smile as I wrap my arms around his neck. I squeeze him as I stand on my tip-toes. He holds onto me until my feet start to ache. I am the one who pulls back first. He pushes a loose strand of hair away from my face, and then he heads for the door. I fold my arms and watch as he leaves. “See you tonight … angel.”
It’s ten to seven and I have pampered and buffed every inch of my body. I have styled my hair into a French braid, which is carefully drooped to one side. I have slipped on my new white dress and shoes. Now all I have to do is apply some make up. I go for a smoky eye and bold lip colour. I finish with a light spray of perfume, and then I make my way into the living area. My phone buzzes against the glass coffee table. I stomp over in my new heels and I am careful not fall from their four inch height. I smack my painted lips together as I see that my mom is calling. I quickly answer her. I hope everything is alright.
“Hey Mom,” I say trying to sound upbeat. I am still upset about earlier, and I feel like crying at the very thought of what happened. But I know that I can’t. I don’t want my mom to worry. She has a lot on her mind with the wedding being so close. I don’t want to add to her stress. “What’s up?” I ask still sounding bright.
“Nothing dear, just checking in with my ‘superstar’ is all.” My mom says in a proud voice. I feel tense, but happy at the same time. I am glad that my mom is proud of me. God knows I haven’t given her many reasons to be proud in the past. “How have you been dear? And how’s every one, your friend Sydney and that dashing Mr Wilde.” I blush at my mom’s words. She practically forced me to describe Jonathon over the phone. She had sensed that things between Jonathon and I had changed, so she wanted to know the full story. I spared her some of the more awkward details, but at the same time, it did feel good to talk to her about him. I know that she would love him.
“Sydney’s … good, she has a boyfriend now.” I mask my pain about Sydney. I don’t want to add more to my mom’s already full plate. “And Mr Wilde is amazing as ever. But I do have some bad news about Sydney. She’s not coming to the wedding.”
“Why? I was really looking forward to meeting her.”
“I know, but she has other … plans.”
“Hmm … what is more important than the wedding of your best friend’s mom?” I laugh at her comment. My mom is ever the joker.
“Apparently a trip to Paris with her new boyfriend is.”
“You’re still coming, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am. I’ll just be flying solo.” My mom is quiet and I fear that I know what her next words are going to be.
“Why don’t you ask Mr Wilde to join you?” And there it is the words that I was dreading.
“Mom, I can’t.”
“Why not, what’s stopping you?”
“Everything, you know how it is.”
“I know dear, but you need to move on and Mr Wilde, seems like the perfect guy to move on to.”
“Mom you haven’t even met him.”
“I know, but I know that he’s a good guy from your description. And I’ll bet anything that you’re smiling right now.” Dam it. The smile that has plastered my face is now irritating me. My mom knows me too well. “Your silence tells me everything that I need to know.” I say goodbye to my mom as the door buzzes. I stand and smooth out my dress. I take a deep breath and I carefully walk over to the door. My heart is racing. I softly turn the door-knob and I pull the door towards me. I gasp when I see him. He is dressed in a three-piece-suit, black on black with a matching tie. His hair is even longer and pushed off his face into a dark quiff. His black diamond eyes are glossy and sinful. He takes my breath away, as he stands in front of me with a large bouquet of white roses. His lips lightly twitch at the sides, as I look at the amazing flowers and then at him. My blue eyes lock on his. He’s now smiling that devilish smile. I gently shake my head, he’s too perfect.
“These are for you,” he says passing me the flowers. I smile at him.
“There’re beautiful,” I say thanking him with a nod. He moves closer to me, filling the space that burns between us. His hand moves and ends up on my cheek. I look up at him and I melt.
“No, the flowers were ordinary … until now. You’ve made them beautiful with your beauty.” M
y heart skips a beat at his sweet words. I have to compose myself. I could easily drop the flowers to the ground and wrap my arms around his neck. I want his kiss, but I know that course of action would make me look psychotic. Instead, I flash him another smile as I move away from him. I walk back into the apartment. I set the flowers down onto the small table by the sofa. I franticly begin to search for a vase. Jonathon makes his way into the lounge. He sets himself down onto the sofa, answering a text on his phone in the process. I finally spot an empty vase in the spare bedroom. I grab it and dash towards the kitchen. I fill the vase with water and then I start back for the lounge. My heels click against the wooden floor. The flowers look lovely as I set them in the vase. I gently pat the rose heads, fixing them upright and then I set the vase onto the coffee table. I turn to Jonathon, he’s eyeing me intently. I blush as I wonder what he’s thinking. He checks the time on his expensive watch, and he almost looks annoyed that it’s time to go. He slumps from the sofa and he buttons his suit jacket as he stands. I grab my white clutch bag from the coffee, table as he offers me his arm. I take his offer and he politely kisses me on the cheek. He escorts me out of the apartment, and into the elevator this time and then into his car. I buckle-up as he speeds off into the warm LA night.
“You seem ... tense. Are you alright?” Jonathon asks as he pulls my hand away from my mouth. “Don’t bite your nails.” he commands. I nervously place my hands onto my lap. My stomach is in knots and I can’t believe that I am about to meet his family.
“I’m really nervous.” I confess. Jonathon briefly makes eye contact with me as we stop in a line of traffic.
“What are you nervous about?” I stare blankly at him. Is he for real?
“I’m nervous about meeting your family, duh!” his expression changes from light to thunderous in a matter of seconds.
“Don’t be.”
“How can I not be? It’s human nature to be nervous when meeting a … boy …” I trail off. Crap I have already said too much. My cheeks burst into flames.
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