When An Accident Prone No One Marries A Celebrity There Will Be Chaos...

Chapter 24

“Nope,” I tell him while stooped low in order to study the cupcakes closer.

“Well your tea is ready and so is my coffee,” he informs me.

“Oh right… erm… okay… I’ll have the one with the mango icing,” I decide.

“All that just to go back to your original choice?” Ollie asks me in disbelief.

“Well the cherry one looked really nice too and…,” I begin to explain.

“Never mind, we’ll just have two of the mango cupcakes and I’ll get her out of here before she can change her mind,” Ollie jokes to the guy behind the counter.

He steers me to a free couch and plants me down before going off to fetch our things. I immediately reach for the cupcake and tuck in with excited anticipation. “This cupcake is like a party in my mouth,” I exclaim before taking another bite and not particularly caring if I’m getting icing everywhere. I can get rid of it once I’m done eating. “Okay, these are pretty good,” Ollie admits. I would say ‘I told you so’ but I’m too busy eating. “What are we having for dessert at the wedding again?” he asks. I dig out my phone and scroll until I eventually find the correct email. There are a lot of emails from Cora. To be honest I ignore most of them, I think it’s better for me not to know really. “Erm… oh that’s right. We’re not having a proper dessert or cake as not to alienate those of our guests who are watching their weight. Instead we are having a luxury selection of yogurts and fruit,” I read off the email.

“Do you think we can smuggle a few of these in?” he jokes while lifting up his half eaten cupcake.

“I bet Cora will have sniffer-dogs at the door to make sure that doesn’t happen,” I reply. “Having said that I’m sure I could hide a few under the hideous ruffles of the monstrosity that is my wedding dress,” I add.

“Sounds lovely,” Ollie smirks.

“It really is. I think I cried the first time they put me in it.”

“I wonder how many other couples bitch about their wedding a week beforehand,” Ollie comments. He catches my eye and the two of us burst into laughter. “Oh hang on my phone is ringing,” I say in between giggles. “Is it our wedding planner ready to tell us more about the delicious food we will be serving to our guests?” Ollie teases.

“Unfortunately no, it’s Emmie,” I reply. Ollie mocks devastation at the news as I answer the phone. “Good morning, your royal highness of Finland,” I joke into the phone.

“Izzie, where are you?” Emmie immediately asks me, ignoring my previous comment. She sounds worryingly panicked, not her usual relaxed tones. “I’m having coffee with Ollie, why?” I ask whilst my smile drops. Ollie notices and drops his smile too as he leans forward in concern. “You should go home,” Emmie instructs. “Why? Emmie you’re scaring me. Can you tell me what’s going on?” I ask her in panic.

“Have you seen the papers?” she questions.

“No, should I have done? What’s in them? Is there something about me?” I get up and march over to their newspaper collection. “What’s going on?” Ollie asks me.

“There’s something in the paper,” I inform him. I can hear my voice wobble as I know whatever it is, it won’t be good. “All they have left is the really tacky ones,” I tell Emmie.

“That would be where to look,” she replies. It must be bad. I grab the first one I see and read the title.

   Dizzy Izzie’s Shocking Secret

Less than a week away from the long awaited wedding to Ollie Daniels, Isabelle Emerson’s wedding planner reveals the seemingly ditzy bride-to-be has been harbouring a dark secret.

Cora Silverson, the well known celebrity wedding planner has been working tirelessly to provide the film star’s fiancée the perfect wedding. However the entire wedding was nearly destroyed by a shocking revelation about Emerson. “What many people don’t know,” explains Silverson, “is that Isabelle suffers from severe insecurities and only a short while ago she had a dramatic battle with anorexia.”

It appears that Melody Bloom’s interference with her relationship has affected Miss. Emerson more than anyone could imagine. “She could have died,” Cora informs with a tear of concern forming in her eye. “She is much more delicate than anyone could possibly imagine. I know she seems an unusual choice for a film star’s bride on account of her plainness but who are we to judge? I sincerely hope I can make light of this tragedy by throwing her a superb wedding day… (CONTINUED ANDPAGE 4 AND 5. ALSO DON’T FOGET TO CHECK NEXT WEEK’S SATURDAY PAPER FOR EXCLUSIVE ALL-ACCESS PHOTOS OF THE EMERSON-DANIELS WEDDING.)

I close the paper feeling physically sick. How many people must know by now? I glance around the coffee shop feeling as if every single person is looking at me in pity. A young woman is staring at me from her window seat. I can tell what she’s thinking. ‘There goes that poor tragic girl with her film star boyfriend. He must have taken pity on her, why on earth would he have chosen her otherwise? Isn’t she pathetic? An emotional, insecure wreck.’ I feel utterly humiliated. The entire world thinks I don’t belong with Ollie and now they must think I am pitiable. Or even worse, what if they all think it is some bad taste stunt in order to get more publicity. I feel Ollie take the phone from my hand but I’m too distraught to really object. “Thanks Emmie… yeah… yeah… no I need to go somewhere first,” he says before hanging up the phone. After that he puts an arm protectively around my shoulder slams some money down on the table for our things and then marches me onto the street corner. Within moments he has hailed a taxi and is helping me in. “Go home, take the phone off the hook, stay away from the internet and try not to think about this. I’ll be home soon,” he instructs.

“Where are you going?” I ask. He doesn’t give me an answer. But he clasps my hand tightly as if to assure me that he is going to make this go away. I can tell he’s furious as his jaw has been clenched ever since his eyes fell on that horrendous newspaper article. I have seen Ollie furious on various occasions but this is something new. I’ve never seen his eyes so intense with detestation. “Don’t worry I am going to sort this,” he concludes. At that he closes the taxi door shuts and storms of in an opposite direction. I don’t want to have to face the house on my own and I want Ollie here with me. I consider getting out of the taxi and running after him but he has already disappeared out of sight. So shakily I tell the taxi driver the address. “Are you okay?” he asks me.

“Mmhmm,” I manage to reply as I bite my lip in an attempt to stop my chin wobbling miserably.

I get home and all I want to do is hide under the duvet of my bed. I never want to leave the house again. And where is Ollie? I really need him right now. He didn’t even tell me where he was going. I gather myself up in the sheets and dissolve into tears. But then a panic takes over me. I’m not going back to the way I was ever again. I jump of the bed, tear off my t-shirt and jeans and stare at my reflection in the mirror. I am NOT fat. I have a perfectly normal figure. There is nothing I need to change about myself. I force myself to say these words over and over again so there is no chance of any doubt to creep back into my mind. A few minutes later and I am feeling pretty safe but I can’t help but feel I would feel all the more stronger if Ollie was here with me. But he’s not. So I run myself a bath and try to push everything out of my mind.