Gladiator | Harry Styles

V - Bachelorette

Water rippled around my ankles as I gently swayed my feet in the pool water. Clarissa lolled on a lounge chair, eating fruit. Her sister, Lucilia, was the oldest of her siblings and had joined the party.

"I must admit I'm jealous. Antonio is every maiden's dream," Clarissa gossiped with her face looking dreamy. "When you lose your maidenhood, you have to tell me all about it."

I blushed till my cheeks burned. I hadn't thought about giving away my virtue to Antonio. He was so much older than me. Plus, I had someone else in mind.

I tossed the last of the wine in my mouth and set aside the glass. Lucilia order the servants to bring more food and they scurried away to the kitchen.

Clarissa and Lucilia giggled as they tried to give me tips for my wedding. They were teaching me the art of feminine seduction and how to appeal to their desires.

"Isn't he quite old?" I asked, my face quizzical and unsure of her repsonse. "What if I want someone younger?"

Clarissa's eyebrows raised, mouth opened in surprise. "Oh, so, is there another man?"

"Well..." I started. Then, I heaved a sigh. "He's my soulmate. I don't know if he feels that but I do. I only met him once or twice..."

Clarissa and Lucilia sat up from their lounge chairs. They sprung from their laze and showed interest.

"Who is the man? You must tell me," Clarissa asked and leaned forward with interest.

"I won't tell," I responded coyly.

Lucilia shook her head and warned me, "You cannot be with another man. You have a ring on your finger! Adultery will get you killed. It's law."

Before I could argue, Clarissa jumped to my defense. "Oh, please. Women are in affairs all the time. I bet all my money Antonio is living it up with harlots at his bachelor party right now."

Lucilia shook her head and sighed in indignation.

"I'm just warning her of the consequences."

Clarissa crossed her arms and frowned.

I suggested that we play a game to ease the tension. So, the rest of the afternoon was spent playing party games. That was until Clarissa had an idea.

We were in the pool with water lapping around us and laughter bouncing off the walls.

"Hey, I have a wild idea," Clarissa announced, buzzed and happy. "We should sneak a peek at Antonio and his friends. Let's see what those men are doing."

Lucilia commented that the idea was childish. I bounced in the water and said, "Yes! He said he would be at the tavern tonight. Let's go now!"

A little clumsy, I crawled out of the pool. Lucilia ultimately decided to retreat to her chambers. We dressed and we took a horse-drawn coach to the tavern. It was almost night and there was dancing lights and shadows from inside the tavern. Excited, we exited the coach and peeked through the window. The sounds of men bellowing, mugs clinking, and women giggling were heard. We spotted Antonio with a group of men and...a harlot, of course. The woman was dressed raunchy and making out with my fiancee.

"Oh, Angelina, I'm sorry. We shouldn't have come," Clarissa apologized and sympathy was evident in her soft voice.

"No. It's fine. He's not taking this marriage seriously and neither am I," I stated.

Clarissa rubbed my arm and we shuffled back to the privacy of the coach. The coach pulled away from the tavern and was headed towards Clarissa's villa. Tears sprung from my eyes and I hid underneath the hood of my cloak. I covered my face with shaky hands. A confused Clarissa asked what's wrong.

"I don't wanna marry him. I just realized I have to marry this man. It wasn't real until now," I sobbbed, breathless and head throbbing.

Clarissa scooted closer to me and held my slumped over body with gentle arms. I leaned my head onto her chest. The gentle roll and shake of the coach combined with comfort silenced my cry.

Clarissa broke silence and said, "I'm sorry I didn't know how much this bothered you." She promised, "I promise I'll be there. You won't do this alone."

I nodded my head and thanked her.

When the coach arrived at the villa, I slept in the guest bedroom. My wedding was one day away and tomorrow Antonio had planned a day with me. Luckily, the wine helped me sleep.