Siren

Everyone Needs To Do It Twice

The bridal shower did the trick. I had heard nothing from Mel or my mother since that night. It was bliss, not being bothered by either of them, and although the pain I was feeling showed no signs of going anywhere soon, it was made more bearable by the lack of contact with either of those two.

Word did reach me however, that she had decided against a hen night, supposedly trying to pass off the shower as having been her hen night to save embarrassment. She of course tried to get a little payback for the whole evening, in the form of the dress she selected for me to wear, which had been delivered to my work by courier a week before the wedding.

"She can't be bloody serious!" I sighed, looking in the mirror at the hideousness of it.

"Come on, let's see it." Evan called from the living room.

I walked around the corner and he immediately burst into laughter.

"You look like a fucking flamingo!" he exclaimed, practically rolling around on the sofa, laughing his ass off.

I winced as I caught sight of the near neon pink dress in the mirror above the sofa. The off-the-shoulder sleeves were puffy round cuffs, that fitted around my arms like arm bands, and the big, poofy bottom was made up of feathers over what looked like three hoop ring skirts.

"Well you'll be escorting this flamingo to the wedding." I said playfully with a cheeky smile, throwing myself down on the couch, and rolling my eyes as several hot pink feathers floated up in the air.

"If there's any of you left." He smirked picking a loose feather from the side of the dress and blowing it across the room.

"Oh don't worry, if I run out of feathers, I'll just go naked. It'll be Mel's fault anyway."

We exchanged looks, and I could tell that he was imagining Mel's reaction too, before we both dissolved into fits of laughter.

I continued to stay with Evan up to the wedding, I didn't want to be at home alone, over thinking everything and seeing the flashbacks of moments I spent with Sean in my house. The morning before the wedding, I had just gotten out of the shower, music blasting through the house as I tried to banish all thoughts from my head, when I caught sight of my phone screen flashing with an incoming call. I groaned as I saw the number of my parent's place on the display. Throwing the towel that I was drying my hair with, onto the table, I picked up the phone and slid my finger across the screen to answer the call.

"Yes mother." I said with as little energy that I could manage.

"It's not your mother." Came the deep voice of my father.

"Huh, well, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?" I replied, slumping down onto the chair and muting the music.

"Roxanne, could you manage to speak with a little less attitude." He snapped.

I pretended to think it through for a second before answering:

"Nope, could you just answer my question please, I have things to do."

"You do indeed, you need to get ready."

"What?" I sat upright, confusion and dread coursing through my veins.

"You are to be here this evening at five thirty sharp."

"Why would I be coming there tonight?" I asked, already dreading the answer and trying to think up a way out of it.

"It's Melody's rehearsal dinner, the whole family will be here, and so will Sean's. Everyone has to attend, yourself included, there's no way out of it Roxanne."