Cruel Sanctuary

Chapter 17

"I do-" I say to the hooded groom and he turns to face me with a big smile but I gasp as I see a glimpse of his face, horror filling my features as his familiar sharp jaw and azure eyes reveal themselves. "Wake up, Sky! You're due at the shops in an hour and a half!" Someone shakes me awake. 

Eyes suddenly wide, I rise from my disturbed slumber, "I'm up, I'm up!" I shout, flinging myself up and head butting Owen straight on the nose. He flinches backwards, holding his nose, "Fucking hell, Sky. Remind me not to mess with you," He mutters under his breath as he rushes out of my room to stop what I assume to be a bleeding nose. 

Immediately, I realise that I have been nervous for this day for a while because, one, Clara is there and, two, I haven't spent a full day with Emily for six years! Emily and my aunt Cherie arrived very late last night. We pretty much greeted each other, participated in introductions with Owen and then went straight to bed. 

***

The shops are bustling, everybody heaving to and fro in the usually sparsely packed corridors, "Right, so everybody is here," Tina starts as we all gather around in the centre of the shopping mall that I have spent so long in for the past week or so. 

Standing behind Tina who places a hand on the small of my back, I swallow my anxiety, "Today, we're here to buy dresses!" I exclaim and they all beam at me, "Right, maid of honour is Emma, flower girl is Everleigh and the bridesmaids are," I point to them all so they all know who is who, "Lucy, Clara, Emily, Isabella and Brooklyn." 

They all wave at each other and begin to chat whilst Tina checks out the shops, Emily makes her way over to me, "We didn't get to catch up much last night," She greets and we step aside, "Ugh, I know!" Explaining that I was absolutely shattered after the long few weeks that Owen and I have endured, she furrows her eyebrows when I have finished, "I must say, I was quite surprised when I heard you were marrying someone but then I found out the reason. Are you okay?" 

Inside, my lungs collapse but, instead of pouring out my issues onto my gorgeously care-free cousin, I nod in a nonchalant manner, "I'm fine, Em, really." 

"Okay, well you can always talk to me if you ever need to," She concludes as Tina starts rallying us upstairs. 

***

We decided to all bind together and find a dress for Emma first and then Everleigh and then we can sort out the bridesmaid dresses. We have been whisked into Tina's favourite bridal shop. Saving hassle in the shopping process, Owen and I decided that we want Emma to be in a blush shaded dress and the rest of the bridesmaids to be in a matching pastel colour. We were thinking Emma's could be a dark blush pink and the girls' could be a light pastel pink since that will match with my bouquet. 

Angel sent over a picture of the bouquet inspiration and it's a bunch of shades of pink with white dotted in between them. I'm not a huge fan of pink but I can't really have bright crimson red at a whimsical themed wedding, can I? We need delicate, feminine colours! "What colours were you thinking, madam?" The owner, David, helps us. Releasing myself from my rabbit hole of thoughts, I turn to face him, "We were thinking, because we're focusing on our maid of honour first, that she could be in a dark blush pink dress?" I suggest, awaiting judgment. 

Clasping his moisturised hands together, he gasps, "Oh, darling, that will be gorgeous with her hair colour! Are you having a pastel-blush coloured wedding?" He infers and I nod, pleased with my ability to please him, "Yes, it's a whimsical theme," I inform him and he sighs in content, "Let's look over here first," He beckons us. The other girls' sit, chatting amongst themselves whilst Tina, Emma and I go with David. 

***

Emma tries on about five dresses of different lengths, necklines, colours etcetera and she looked amazing in all of them. This sixth one really is model-worthy, however. It is a chianti coloured crisscross, off-the-shoulder, mesh bridesmaid dress that is floor length and it suits her perfectly.