Witness

19. Chelsea

"What are you even going to do with an allotment?" Cece asks, puckering her lips before applying a lin layer of pink lip gloss. "Are you sure you'll have time for this with the wedding and everything?"

Believe it or not, I have a life outside of your wedding.

Not a good one. But... well. It's there.

"Grow vegetables, get some vitamin D. I'll get to spend my weekends with plants."

She juts out her lower lip.

"But I need you to keep your weekends free for rehearsals."

I section off a piece of her hair and lift up the curler.

"I'll have time, Cee. I need something for myself right now."

"Sheesh, was the date that bad?" She chuckles.

My eyes roll. I've not stopped hearing about that date all week. But wasn't Kaiden this...? And was it because you did that...? It was one fake date. I didn't mean to give my mother this amount of false hope, but with my going out on Friday's, she's beginning to think I'm hiding a secret boyfriend from her.

When, in actuality, I'm hiding the crimes of a well known criminal organisation.

"He was a dick," I answer bluntly, curling another piece of her platinum blonde hair. "And anyway, it takes months to get an allotment here. I'm lucky they had an opening this fast. I really just need to be with nature right now." 

"You sound like an advert," she sighs. "Can you make the curls a bit looser?" 

"Sure," I murmur. "Besides, isn't the wedding practically planned now anyway?" 

She gasps. 

"Chelsea, no! There's still so much to do. Rick is starting to get on top of things now though - finally."

Rick is her new, new wedding planner. The last one booked pink roses for the ceremony when she had obviously requested white. The slip up cost Cee and Dom over one thousand pounds, which is ironically more money than I currently have in my bank account. 

I'd ask what else there is to do, but I learnt to avoid that question weeks ago. It only sends her spiraling into a Bridezilla meltdown. 

"I was really hoping that guy would've been your date to the wedding. Mum and I still saved you a seat on the plan, you know. She's going to invite someone for you if you don't get a guy soon." 

"Can't I just come by myself?" I whine. "I'm twenty three, for God's sake, I don't need to be married off yet."

"You know how she is." 

Yes, I know how she is. 

Obsessed with true love. Obsessed with all things marriage. Absolutely delusional about the ways of the world since the uprise of online dating. 

Things could be worse: she could make me download Tinder. Or worse yet, she could make an account for me. 

"Remember when she brought home that guy from the bus stop?" Cecelia continues, snorting. She's brushing powder over her cheeks now. "That was wild." 

We make eye contact in the mirror. I try to be stern - because that was humiliating - but my lip quirks at the last second. Cecelia snaps her make-up pallet shut just as I finish curling the last piece of her hair. 

"Anyway," she huffs. "If you don't find a date to the wedding, there'll be another bus stop guy. I'm telling you now - mum is going to grab some guy off the street last minute if you don't come find someone."