glow - trixya

chapter 1: blaze

2021

Out of all the beautiful things that Katya has ever seen, including the glowing plankton from that one time at the beach, she's looking at the most gorgeous one yet. Her white dress, draped in glittering small rocks, makes her look like a real princess. Meghan Markle eat your heart out.

Trixie is the most splendid bride she's ever seen, in every sense of the word. Her smile glitters the world around her and everything smells like lilies. Her hair cascades down her back in golden waves, clashing with the white of the dress that fits beautifully on her body. It accentuates her chest without revealing too much, then flows down her waist and reaches the floor. Katya wonders how heavy the dress must be, though Trixie carries it well enough to make it look like it's made of clouds. Her makeup remains intact, the highlighter atop her cheeks reflecting against all of the lights turned to her. There is a soft smile on her face and her enormous lashes bat rhythmically. She could easily be mistaken for a painting hanging in an art gallery. It could be perfect, Katya thinks. It really could .

The only thing in the way is the 6-foot tall groom, who looks like he's come straight out of a GQ Magazine photoshoot, reciting his genuine and heartfelt vows, promising to love her forever and ever and to always carry her bags when they go shopping. He's charming enough to make her blush and quirky enough to make her laugh. Perfect enough to make Katya want to fucking die. In fact, a little too perfect if you ask her. She doesn't trust men with smooth tan skin, sharp jawlines, and well-built figures. It almost makes her squint her eyes, but she tries to focus on Trixie instead.

Even though Priyanka tried to drag her to the front, Katya chose to sit on the last row, as close to the exit as possible. She'd be able to make her way out quickly if she needed to and she hoped it wouldn't be so painful (or at least not so painfully awkward) if she weren't able to see up close. Maybe then she could ignore everything just a little, pretend she wasn't there. Pretty stupid of her, because so far it's been proven rather impossible to blink or look away from the altar, considering the bride looks exactly like what she imagines a star - no, not any star, but the Sun would look like if it were a person. That's her Sun right there looking at her own Earth.

And now Katya is just Pluto.

She shouldn't have come. She knew it was a bad idea since the very moment the words came out of Priyanka's mouth. "It'll be fun," her friend said. "The odds are you won't even come across her at all, and you'll still get drunk at her expense." It sounded like an act of small revenge to show up at Trixie's wedding and steal all of the alcohol she had paid for before the other guests could make good use of it, but she was still unsure. It took weeks of Priyanka's insistence until she gave in. She put on her pretty face and her Sunday best, but then sat in the parking lot, frozen still on the backseat of the Uber, for half an hour. As the driver looked at her from the rearview mirror with impatience, she tried to convince herself she was proud and strong, and that it was stupid to think that something that happened so long ago could still stir so many things up between her and Trixie, things that were meant to be left for dead and forgotten. She was halfway there when fucking Priyanka knocked on the window, pulled her out of the car by her arm, and tipped the poor driver before hauling her to a ceremony that looked like it had popped straight out of a rom-com - groom included.

As soon as she walked into the room reserved for the wedding at the most expensive hotel she's ever stepped foot on, her eyes rolled at the abundance of flowers, and bows, and old people wearing ugly hats. She wondered what Trixie would look like. Not that I care , she thought, it's pure curiosity.

She looked like a dream, Katya realized once the music started playing and Trixie slid her way to the front. Katya forgot every word she had told herself about being proud, and strong, and leaving the past behind. She felt eighteen again, mischievous butterflies flying around in her stomach. Katya smiled when she saw Trixie's smile.

But Trixie wasn't smiling at her. She was smiling at the picture-perfect groom that had been waiting for her at the altar. Katya swallowed her pride and the flutter of the butterflies.

Trixie was never hers anyway.