The Summer Bride (TSBS-1) COMPLETED

Chapter Fourteen

Spice up, baby or else no one would even think to fuck you.

And the laugh that he left on me while walking out was a true slap to me. If the words or the mocking tone wouldn't had broken me, then the laugh surely did. The remembrance of that day brought the sting in my eyes.

Sean, my ex-boyfriend. He really did a number on me. Never physically but always mentally. The only guy I ever let close to me. The only one to ever know me deeply. Sean was the only guy whom I slept with. Since, Chloe also became impressed with him upon meeting him. I thought maybe he was the one but no, it was all an act. An act to get me on a bed with him. It didn't last long. He got what he wanted and left with those words and laugh hanging around, still to torture, to remind me that no one would desire the plain boring Claire. No one. Not even Tyler. It was just my imagination. I realised that now.

I turned on the faucet and washed away all the irrational thoughts out of my mind. Taking a deep breath, I looked at myself on the mirror with hard eyes.

"This is for Lydia. All this for her and no one else." I spoke out loud even though those words failed to carry an ounce of truth. When I kept on staring back at my own eyes, they softened and an image of Tyler's small smile flashed before me. Realising my wayward mind's direction, I immediately turned away from the mirror not wanting to see the dreamy look on my boring, stiff and spiceless face.

After an hour of scrubbing my body clean of thoughts about my ex, I came out refreshed and lot better than an hour ago, and made my stomach happy in the kitchen. Another hour went away with me relaxing, before the three woman burst into my apartment with hands full of packets.

I stood up from the couch to have Chloe drag me to the bedroom instantly while saying in a singsong voice glazed with an evil tint. "Dress up time! We're gonnnnna have soooooo much fun."

And I gulped.

Behind me I heard mom squealing. "And she will look like a princess!"

And this time, I cringed. Even though I loved fairytales and all. I didn't want to dress up as a princess.

There was another determined voice behind me that stated next. "And I can make sure of that perfectly."

I picked up the unfamiliar voice that might belong to Chloe's friend. I bet she was as crazed as Chloe and mom to tag along on this dress up spree.

Taking those reluctant dreading steps, I looked up at the ceiling, noting the paint flaking off and praying for myself from these three crazed woman.

Save me!

*******

The dusk was upon us rather quickly and we had no idea how much time had past already.

Grabbing the hand at my shoulder which I later discovered belong to Chloe, I checked the time. It was six-oh nine, the tick reaching the 7'o clock rather drastically. My stomach had been fluttering since the moment I saw the beautiful dress laying over my bed.

Mademoiselle Ophélie's work was to be reckoned. Her master skilled fingers did their magic on my dress. It looked like the dress someone like a celebrity would wear but for tonight, even though I hated being the centre of attention I wanted to feel like a celebrity. Not just that. I wanted to feel beautiful. I wanted to feel desirable.

That was why, I let my mom, sister and her friend do their own magic on me. When they arrived we wasted away an hour, with sharpening my nails and painting each other's nails with a girly gossip session. After that lunch time rolled around and thank god for Mom who decided to cook something protein with my somewhat grocery. I hoped she didn't see the lack of some other vegetables and protein which were too pricy for me. And hell no, I wouldn't ask Tyler for anything more. What he had done for me till now was enough for my whole lifespan.