"I don't want you to go" you mumbled, voice muffled in his neck.
Tom chuckled softly, squeezing you a little bit tighter. "Miss you already, love" he murmured softly.
You hated farewells, but you hated the airport and paparazzi more, so you were saying goodbye to Tom at home, away from prying eyes. There was a car waiting for him out front and his bag sat next to the door. Tessa was in between the two of you, her soft brown eyes gazing up at you reproachfully. The driver honked for the umpteenth time and you reluctantly pulled away from Tom.
"You'd better get going. Don't want to miss your flight"
Tom nodded, sighing. "I really don't want to go"
Your heart ached, and you reprimanded yourself for making it harder for him. You pulled your lips into a fake happy smile, hoping it would make him feel a little less guilty about leaving. "You'll have the best time, like you always do. You'll meet awesome fans, get some cool gifts and fan art. You'll be back before you know it Handsome"
He smiled at you, making the already difficult impossible. It was only forty-eight hours you reminded yourself, but that was a long time to be without him after everything that had been happening lately.
"Love you BabyDoll"
"Love you more Daddy"
Tom knelt down and scratched Tessa's ears, muttering something to her along the lines of "take good care of her while I'm gone". You smiled; your lovable, noble, idiot dork.
"Come on Handsome, drivers waiting" you said, nudging him with your foot. He stood and gave you a brief but passionate kiss before he picked up his bag and leaving, the door closing quietly behind him. You turned to Tessa, who looked at you morosely, her expression clear - "And he's gone. Again".
You stood by the front door, unsure what to do now. You were always at a bit of a loss whenever Tom went away. As you mulled over what to do, Tessa sighed dramatically, lying down and looking forlornly at the door. Your heart twinged again. She missed him worse than you did whenever he left, knowing he would come back eventually but never really understanding why he left in the first place. You knelt down and scratched her behind her ear.
"He'll be back girl. Come on, let's go see Nan and Pop"
**
"Okay, I'm coming out" you called, picking up the skirt of the dress.
"Ready!" replied Nikki and Dot. They had been tittering since shop number 3, and you made a mental note to stop them from chugging anymore of the free champagne offered by the staff.
You stepped out of the change room and walked over to where they sat, standing on the small pedestal and looking at yourself in the mirror. You could see Nikki and Dot's faces in the mirror, bright with excitement, their eyes practically love hearts. Unfortunately, you weren't sharing their excitement.
"Oh Y/N" Dot sighed.
"You look amazing!" Nikki declared.
"Thanks" you muttered, turning to look at yourself from the side. It was a simple dress; A-line cut with a sweetheart neckline and decent train. It was pretty. But you felt overwhelmed and a little claustrophobic.
"You don't love it" Dot said matter-of-factly, quickly picking up on your flagging mood.
"Mm" you replied.
"What don't you like dear?"
"I don't know. It just feels...I don't know"
"That's okay! If it's not right don't get it! Try another one"
"Dot, this is the last dress! I've tried on over twenty dresses, and this is the sixth shop!" you snapped. You instantly felt bad. It wasn't her fault that you hadn't found a dress today. You breathed deeply, a little difficult given the tightness of the dress. "Sorry, I just...I didn't think this would be so hard"
So far, you'd tried on everything from princess ballgowns to empire silhouettes, even lacy figure hugging styles. None of them had given you the "Moment" everyone had been repeatedly telling you about today, as you traipsed from store to store. It didn't help that you had a solid paparazzi tail, and as you left each shop, unsuccessful in your hunt for a wedding dress and growing increasingly aggravated, they would harass the three of you for details about your wedding.
"You don't have to find it today dear. There are plenty of other dress stores in London" Nikki said soothingly.
"Yeah. I'm gonna get changed"
You quickly undid the ties of the dress and did your best to hang it on the hanger. You honestly hadn't expected it to be so difficult to find a dress. You didn't think it would be the first one you tried on, but you also didn't think you would spend all day trying dresses on with not one of them remotely close to what you wanted, which you still had no clue what that was. You thought you'd known your style, but evidently wedding dresses were not the same as normal dresses. Still, Nikki and Dot had been nothing but supportive all day and it wasn't fair to them that you were taking your stress out on them.
"Let's go get a coffee" you said as you emerged, Nikki and Dot following you as you left the store.
"FIND YOUR DRESS DARLIN'?"
"WHEN'S THE BIG DAY?"
"WILL YOU BE SHOWING IN YOUR WEDDING DRESS?"
You shoved through the paparazzi crowd and hopped into Nikki's car, which Nikki promptly drove away, leaving the flashing cameras behind. You sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of your nose. Not for the first time, you wished that you and Tom had gotten married at the courthouse.
"So, what do you need to organise still, apart from your dress?" Dot asked, trying to keep the mood light.
"Um...R.S.V.P's are supposed to start coming back soon. Tom's made an appointment to see Josh to get the suits sorted. Sydney is taking care of the barn, I just need to confirm with the florist and find a band or decent DJ"
"Colour scheme? And what about us bridesmaids, what are we wearing?"
You shrugged. "I don't have a colour scheme, and you girls can wear whatever you want"
"Y/N!" Dot sighed exasperatedly.
"I honestly don't care! So long as you girls aren't in white, I couldn't give a rats arse!"
"You're impossible, you know that right?"
"Okay. I like the colour green"
"Pastel? Forest? Bottle? Mint?"
"Why are there so many options?!"
"Y/N, YOU WORK IN FASHION!"
"AS AN ASSISTANT! Lara does all the styling, I just get the clothes and keep her organised"
"Ugh, I'm calling Zendaya. You cannot be seriously planning on getting married in a few months with so little direction!", and with that Dot pulled out her phone.
You looked at Nikki, who shrugged her shoulders in response.
"Zendaya? Hi, it's Dot. Yeah, we need you. Desperately"
**
"Thanks so much guys, I really appreciate it" you said.
"All good, don't stress!" Zendaya replied, smiling through the screen.
You were at Nikki's with Dot, the three of you huddled in front of an iPad sharing a Skype call with Zendaya and Law, whom Zendaya had roped into the call. Law had been mortified at your lack of vision and insisted on taking over creative control. You'd happily relented, letting him run free. So long as you married Tom, you didn't give a shit about the rest.
"Right, I've gotta go, busy busy busy, but I'll send one of my team over soon with the items we've pulled, probably in three to four weeks. Is that ok?" Law said, his assistant jotting down notes in the background.
"Thanks Law, I really do appreciate it"
"You're welcome. Say hi to your fiance for me!"
"I will. Bye guys" you said, hitting END. You sat back and sighed, feeling a weight lifted from your shoulders. "I'm so tired" you mumbled, picking up your glass of wine and finishing it off.
"Well at least Law will take care of the aesthetic. Now you just have to get in the mood to marry Tom" Dot replied.
"I am in the mood to marry Tom. I'm just not in the mood for all the crap that has to go into planning a wedding" you sulked.
"Well you could've fooled me"
Nikki wisely chose to leave the table, taking the bottle of wine with her. You and Dot sat in a charged silence. You hated fighting with her, but you didn't think you'd been that much of a bitch to warrant her sourness.
"Have I done something to you?" you asked Dot quietly.
"Matthew broke up with me" she replied, even quieter.
"Oh. Shit. I'm sorry Dot"
Dot shrugged. "It's not your fault"
"When did that happen?"
"After our lunch the other day"
"What? Why didn't you tell me?"
"You've got enough going on..."
"Dot, you're my best friend! You're supposed to tell me this kind of stuff. How am I supposed to help you get over him if I don't even know that you're not with him anymore?"
Dot shrugged again. "Like I said, you've had a lot going on and I didn't want to add to your stress"
"You're a dumbass, you know that? Come on, let's get you out on the town, pull a guy or two!"
Dot snorted. "You're engaged!"
"I never said I was pulling anyone!"
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely, now come on! We've got plenty of time to make ourselves beautiful"
**
"Do you want me to ask the twins if they want to go?"
"Handsome, I'm 25 years old. I was clubbing before you'd even tried your first beer"
"Okay. Well, have fun and be safe!"
"I will, how's Comicpalooza going?"
"Yeah, really good. I miss you and Tessa though"
"We miss you too Handsome"
"I gotta go, but keep me in the loop, kay? No falling in love with good looking strangers either!"
"Same goes for you Handsome. Love you"
"Love you too"
You readjusted your outfit, hoping it wasn't too short or revealing. "What do you think?" you asked Dot, turning to look at her.
"I think I'll never pull a guy with you by my side"
"Oh shut up. You look hot" you replied, turning to inspect your dress again. "Maybe it is a little short..."
"It's not the length Y/N. It's the curves you've packed into the dress. You look like a modern Jessica Rabbit"
You glanced down at your breasts, which were busting at the top of the dress. "I'm going to change" you said, just as the taxi honked. "Shit"
"Don't worry about it. I'm used to looking like Uncle Fester next to you"
You rolled your eyes at her and grabbed your purse. "Come on sad sack. Let's get you laid"