Indestructible: Reinforced

Chapter 78

Chapter Seventy-Eight

     November 2012

     Present Day

     “Ici.” I said and ushered Gaby’s hair and makeup person into her room. Audrey was in there with her, wearing a peach-colored silk robe, and was trying to calm down a hyperventilating Gaby. “Here.”

     “What took you so long?” Audrey frowned at me but continued rubbing Gaby’s back soothingly. “We got an hour before she’s supposed to be downstairs, Avy!”

     I frowned back and held my hands up defensively, my cream-colored silk robe riding up my thighs, causing the brown-haired hair and makeup guy blush and look away. I was beyond caring about modesty right now, after I spent yesterday at the spa with the girls. Well, minus Natasha. “There’s traffic! So it took him so time.”

     “Whatever.” Audrey waved her hand dismissively as she left Gaby in the capable hands of Antoine and came over to me. “You’re really not going to let someone style your hair for you? Or your makeup?”

     “We don’t have time.” I sighed in frustration. “I cannot believe everyone canceled on us last night.” I stomped my foot and the two of us headed back to my room, where Mom was doing Amanda’s hair. “Besides, I don’t want something special to be done. And Mom knows how to pull my hair up for me.”

     “Mom needs to get ready, you know.” Mom glanced up at me briefly before going back to inserting pins into Amanda’s hair. Amanda sat on my vanity chair in a light-pink silk robe, with her legs crossed, and her back straight. She’d had a haircut yesterday, and now her hair was layered and stunning. Mom pinned some of the shorter strands up, and the longer part fell straight past her shoulders. Her freckles were gone now, and her face was glowing. She was really pretty. Mom sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “I won’t have time to look good at all.”

     “I can wait till last.” I shrugged. “Don’t worry about me right now. Finish up Amy and I’ll do Audrey’s hair and makeup.”

     “Just keep it simple.” Audrey said as the two of us stepped into the bathroom. Her hair was still damp from the shower she’d taken not too long ago, so I didn’t have to wash it again. “Nothing too much.”

     “Okay.” I nodded and made her sit down on a chair I’d placed inside when they’d decided to use my room as the beauty station. “Straight or wavy?”

     “Straight.” She crossed her legs and leaned back in her seat. “I never have it straight, it’s always curly or wavy.”

     “Got it.” I grabbed a comb and started working out the snarls and tangles in it. Her hair was beautiful, though, and the sun and ocean water had worked wonders on it. “I hate you, Audrey. You have beautiful hair.”

     She chuckled and shrugged. “Eat your heart out, Frenchie.”

     “Whatever.” I shook my head and plugged the hairdryer into a socket above the sink. I turned it on and started moving her hair around, trying to dry it all quickly. “I’m really sorry about this, Audrey.” I said in a loud voice so she could hear me over the noise of the hairdryer. “I didn’t think they’d bail on us in the last minute.”

     “It’s fine.” She yelled back. “It’s a wedding, there has to be drama.”

     I chuckled and nodded. “Well, I just hope neither the bride nor the groom run away or something.” I sighed. “I remember feeling extremely nervous before my wedding. And Drake tried to calm me down, and we stayed up the night before my wedding talking and reminiscing as we sipped on hot chocolate.” I shook my head and realized I had a dopey grin on my face. “How did you feel before your wedding?”

     “Nervous as hell.” She laughed. “But you know, we only decided to do it a day or so before, so I didn’t really have time to think about it.”

     “That’s right.” I nodded. “But it was beautiful, nonetheless. Your dress was amazing, and it wasn’t even a real wedding dress. It was just a summer dress, right?”

     “Yeah.” She sighed happily. “Seth gave me his credit card and asked me to buy a dress and some honeymoon apparel.” She giggled and I rolled my eyes. Seth was so cheesy and he was such a pervert. We didn’t have a choice but to love him. “And then we took our friend’s yacht out and stayed out in the sea for a couple of days before coming back home.” She sighed happily – again – and shrugged. “Seth and I… Some people think we’re too simple, that we’re not passionate or whatever. But the people who really know us know it’s not true. We might not be the most romantic people out there, but I know that he loves me beyond reason. And I love him just as much. But we aren’t romantic. It was never like that between us.”

     I remembered a conversation I’d had with Seth when we’d been at Moulin Noir. He’d told us that he didn’t like being romantic, and neither did Audrey. We’d tried to ask him more about it but he’d changed the subject. Looking at Audrey now, I had a feeling she wouldn’t mind a little romance. “Audrey? Can I ask you something?”

     She twisted in her seat to look at me. “Sure.” She looked at me questioningly. “What’s up?”

     “Do you want some romance in your and Seth’s relationship?” I tried to gauge her reaction, I didn’t want to impose, but I was too curious, and I had a feeling something good could come out of this. “Or are you the one who doesn’t want it?”

     She chuckled and looked down at her hands. “When Seth and I first met, I knew who he was and I knew he was a flirt, but he wasn’t dangerous, he wouldn’t break hearts. Everyone just loved him, and even though some people called him a whore, he was still too damn loveable. So when he set his eyes on me, I knew I had to be different. He sort of got the impression that I didn’t like romance or any of that, that I was totally against it.” She looked at me and shrugged. “I haven’t tried to correct him since.”

     I gaped at her. “But you want him to be romantic, right?”

     She blushed and smiled shyly. “It wouldn’t hurt. But I’m happy with how things are.” She tucked a now-dry strand of hair behind her ear. “Besides, it’s not like he’s cold or anything. He makes me laugh, and he’s so loyal and kind, and he takes care of me when I’m tired or sick. He’s the sweetest, cuddliest guy I know. But he’s not the kind of guy who buys you roses and fixes you candlelit dinners. He doesn’t tell me he loves me in that sappy romantic way, but he says it in a light, macho way.” She shrugged again. “And it doesn’t matter to me. A lot of guys do grand romantic gestures just to please their girlfriends, what Seth does is from the heart, and that’s what matters to me.”

     I sniffed and batted my eyelashes so that I wouldn’t cry. “Damn it, you two are amazing.” I chuckled and shook my head. “But you know, if he does start being romantic, then it would be from the heart too.” I smiled reassuringly at her. “When it comes to you, I think Seth does and says everything from the heart.”

     She couldn’t suppress a grin and she beamed at me. “And now I need to see him.” She lightly smacked my arm. “Damn you, Avy! I don’t want to miss him when he’s in a room a few feet away.”

     “I wouldn’t let you go to him even if you wanted to.” I pointed at her hair and unplugged the hairdryer so I could plug in the straightener. “We need to finish up here, preferably before the wedding starts.”