CHAPTER 32 – THE RINK
THE RIDE inside Sydney's car is expectedly awkward. None of them are talking ever since they were inside. All of them are all silent except for the soft melody coming out of the radio of the car. Mia and Viane are both seated on the backseat while Sydney is on the passenger seat as she tells the driver the direction of the boutique she has mentioned to which they are headed.
They finally arrived in a seemingly really expensive boutique which is almost the same as the jewellery shop earlier.
They followed Sydney inside and Sydney was greeted immediately by the staffs in the reception area that didn't surprise Mia. Sydney, just like Mateo is already well known in the elite class so it's as the future heiress of another successful company, the Lynden Fashions.
One of the staffs led all of them into a room filled with all sorts of dresses. Specifically, wedding dresses.
Mia was mesmerized as her eyes landed on the designs. They were all really detailed and clearly elaborated, pinned with expensive stones all over the dress. She really admires designers sometimes.
But she rarely admires this sort of designs because the dresses she is used to are skaters dresses that were designed custom for her by her friend designers in the figure skating industry.
"Why did you bring us here Sydney?" Mia asked. "Do you want us to help you chose a wedding dress for your wedding?" She said as she browsed on the wedding dresses that are displayed.
She heard Viane scoffed. "Yeah right, as if. She doesn't even have a groom yet."
"Yet." Sydney immediately butted in. "He's going to say yes. I just know it."
"You know Ms. Sydney, you shouldn't force yourself to guys that probably doesn't even want you. You'll just end getting hurt in the process." Viane said. She said it in a warning tone, but there was also a hint of concern in her tone.
"What? You got your marriage proposal rejected? Is that why you're so against my proposal?" Sydney crossed her arms and raised a brow and faced Viane.
Mia could feel the tension starting to creep out in the air.
"No. But I did got rejected." She said. Viane's are filled with pain as she probably remembered the rejection she got from her own brother.
Argh... She wished that her brother was here so she could smack him hard in the head.
(Meanwhile, Tsukishima in the office...)
"Achoo!"
"Sir, are you alright?" Christian asked in his English accent. "Did you catch a cold?"
Tsukishima rubbed his nose. "Maybe, the temperature outside is starting to go down."
"YOU'RE THE one who got rejected, not I. So mind your own business and I'll mind my own."
Viane sighed. "Alright. Just say that I didn't warn you."
"Okay, okay ladies, were here for something. Uhm...what exactly are we here for Sydney?"
"We're here to get you your dress." Sydney said, answering her question.
"My dress? For what?"
"An ice skating performance. You're a figure skater right? And I want you to help me impress the guy whom I'm proposing to. So..." Sydney entered a room inside a walk-in closet.
She and Viane just looked into each, both curious on what this girl is up to.
A few minutes later, Sydney came out, holding out a beautiful white skater's dress in her hand.
"That's so beautiful." She can't help but admire the dress.
Like the dress was literally her style. The flowy fabric, the little frills pinned diagonally on the skirt as well as on the hem. There was a rose on the one side of the waistline that connects the soft strips of flowy fabric which seemed really light that it could probably easily taken by the wind. If she would pick out a dress for her next performance, she would definitely pick this one.
"Are you sure that this is for me?" Mia confirmed to Sydney as she gave her the dress.
"Yes. Who else would you think will wear something like that? Me? Uh-uh... definitely not my style." She went back to the closet and rummaged something inside. When she came back again, she was holding a color peach backless skater's dress with a really low neck line and obviously expensive gems covered all over it. It was a bit revealing, but a really gorgeous dress.
She winced when she saw the designed. Sydney's right, they both have different tastes in clothing.
"Now for you." Sydney said pertaining to Viane who was just silently observing everything.
"What?"
"You're gonna need a dress too. Here." Sydney threw a dress at Viane and she caught it with finesse with one hand, smirking at Sydney afterwards.
But her smirk turned into a frown as she stares into the dress.
"Why do I have to dress too?"
Sydney rolled her eyes and walked towards Viane and whispered something in her ear that made Mia curious.
Then after Sydney finished her mysterious information to Sydney, Viane's face lightened up as if she discovered something great.
"Oh...okay." Viane has a weird grin on her face.
Mia was confused with girl's weird sudden actions. A moment ago, Viane and Sydney were like in a silent war, then after a few seconds, they were like teenager bestfriends giggling and shrieking with each other.
"Okay, what's going on?" Mia asked, not able to supress her curiosity anymore.
"Nothing Mia...Uhm... I'm just so excited to see you perform in the rink later. I'll just go and wear this dress okay?..." Viane said before she hurries to the dressing room but Sydney stops her.
"No, before that, we'll have to do our make-ups first." Sydney said before she pushed the two of them towards a room which turned out to be a salon leaving them with no choice but to follow because she was literally being pushy. She thought that this was just an ordinary boutique though.
MIA STARED at herself in the mirror. Is that woman really her? Wow... the power of make-up. She thought to herself.
Although it is not new to her to wear such make-ups as she has done this so many times for her performances a few years ago. But it has been so long since she had it so it feels kinda weird seeing her self like this again.
Sydney made a staff brought a full viewing mirror to see her whole self with the dress. And the dress looked so good when worn. The small frills that she has always like in her skater dresses and the flowy strips of light fabric in the dress feels like she is in a fairytale. Her hair was a crown braid with a small flower crown on the side.
"Yup... He was right. It does really look good on you." Sydney whispered as she stood beside the mirror, inspecting her. But Mia wasn't able to catch on that.
Sydney has also worn her own peach dress.
"By the way, I'm sorry if I was a bit mean to you when we were in Barcelona. I was just really overprotective of Mateo as her only bestfriend. I never really thought that he was in love with you during that time." Sydney suddenly opened up.
"That's alright. It was all in the past now. And Mateo really wasn't inlove with me during those times. I was just a mere secretary to him." Mia explained.
"Not inlove? Are you kidding? Then why the heck is he ogling on you almost all the time then? He would always keep on staring at you when you're not looking. Kind of irritating sometimes actually. I was talking to him, yet his attention was not on me. Like, how rude can he get?"
Mia cannot believe what she just said. Those were the times when Mateo had already discovered that she was pregnant. And all along, she thought that he hated her because they returned to their casual relationship as boss and secretary.
"Are you sure that he was staring? I'm quite sure that he was just observing me on how I work."
"I know what I saw Mia. Anyway, I hope we can be acquaintances after this."
"You mean, friends?"
"Nah... I don't really like the idea of having friends. It feels too weird for me. Mateo's enough."
Mia just smiled on Sydney's remark. Sydney can be mean, sometimes, but she's not that bad as a person.
"Alright. Acquaintances then." Mia said and offered her hand to Sydney.
Sydney reached out as well and shakes her hand, but with a stoic look on her face.
"Uhhh... No offense Mia, Sydney, but I don't really like this kind of dresses. It looks cute and I love seeing one of this, but I just don't like wearing them." Viane said after coming out of the fitting room, obviously uncomfortable wearing the dress that she's been pulling the skirt down a little.
Sydney rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Agh... You're such a fuss. You'll only have to wear it for a few hours. You can throw it away if you like once we're finished. Besides, it's not even that short."
Viane sighed. "Fine...Just this once. It's just, the fabric is too thin and I feel like it could easily be flown by the wind."
"Great, shall we head on then?" Sydney asked with a hint of excitement.
"Where to?" She asked.
"To the rink, of course, where else?" Sydney answers.