How To Ruin A Wedding

Chapter 48 - Speak Now Or

"How is she doing?" I heard the indiscreet whisper of Parker's low voice to Alani behind me. I continued to brush the blush over my cheekbones. My previously paler than usual face was covered with foundation to look like it had been perfectly sun kissed. I had told the makeup artist to leave me alone for a few minutes. The only thing that she would let me do was apply my brush.

The thick brush moved in slow, fluid strokes. I wasn't really thinking as I stared blankly at the mirror. "How do you think she's doing?" Alani sounded irritated that Parker had been so stupid as to ask the pointless question. I knew that she had been watching me cautiously since this morning. Apparently, she somehow knew that something was disastrously wrong between Aiden and me. More than usual.

I set the brush down on the palette of pale pinks. "I'm right here." I sighed as I turned in the chair to look at them.

They both looked at me with wide eyes like two pre-teen girls caught gossiping. They might as well have been two girls gossiping. Parker stepped further into the large room, and Alani closed it behind him. "Sorry." They muttered.

Parker was dressed in his suit already. His hair had been gelled back slightly so that it wasn't a mess in front of his eyes like usual. He was clean-shaven, and he kept his hands on the edge of his jacket. He looked great in the sleek black, and I managed to give him that small compliment. He gave me a half-smile because he knew what plagued me, and that caused him to hug me. "I'm fine." I muttered as I pulled away from him.

I really wasn't, but I needed to get through the next ten hours. I could have shaved that time down to seven or eight hours if I could sneak out of the reception early. I had been trying to think of excuses all day so that I could leave, but I kept getting distracted. The weak thumping of my heart kept my thoughts swirling around the single topic. Even thinking about him made me want to start crying again.

"Don't lie to me." Parker looked at me with his head tilted to the side a little in effort to catch my eyes. "We could always get you out of here right now." He offered. I wanted to take that offer, but I knew that I couldn't. Alani knew that I couldn't either.

"The guard dog isn't letting anyone past the front doors because the queen says so." Alani said with her arms crossed over her chest. While I was silently wallowing all this time, Alani was openly angry about the whole ordeal. She constantly threatened to go see him and slap some sense into him. "Mrs. Price is a lot stronger than she looks." Alani rolled her eyes as she took a seat at the vanity next to me.

We bridesmaids were all preparing ourselves in a conference-like room of the second floor of the hotel. It was a little cramped. There were four vanities lined up against the wall. Our dresses in their black bags were hanging on a metallic rack that was next to a large folder like wall for dressing behind. A large oak table was in the center of the room, which was the hint that this wasn't supposed to be a dressing room. The room was empty besides the three of us. "I'm fine." I repeated. I had read somewhere that the more you repeat something, the more you start believing it. It seemed valid, and now was as good as any to see if it was true.

"Where's Lauren?" Alani asked, changing the subject. "I thought she was with you guys."

Parker nodded as he leaned on the large wooden table. "She was for about five minutes. She was recruiting for some final sabotage plans." Parker explained as he relaxed, his arms and legs crossing. "Harry is going about in the crowd as a lookout. Ginger is keeping Kendra busy and on edge. Seth and Lauren are executing some final feat to make the tent collapse. Then, Christian is with...." Parker started to trail off, which made it all the more obvious what he was about to say.

I looked at his color changing eyes. "I'm fine." I said once again.

Both of them didn't seem to believe me.