After a late night, Millie's 7am alarm was the most unwelcome sound. She turned over and softened as the reality set in that he was there. She smiled. It was rare she turned over and was greeted by Dex's sleeping face. He looked so sweet when he slept, his tan looked flawless, Millie wished her skin looked that good in the morning.. after a night of drinking! His silky dark brown hair fell around his head, contrasting against the crisp, bright white hotel pillow. His long dark eyelashes flickering just slightly. Her eyes wandered down to his plump lips, she wanted to kiss him so badly.
She moved closer to him and snuggled into his bare chest wrapping her arm around his back. He stirred a little, his eyes still closed he kissed her on top of her head and dropped his arm down around her.
"Morning babe" whispered Millie
"Hey" he whispered back, barely audible
It look a few minutes before he properly came around.
"I don't want to go" groaned Millie, nestling her face into his chest.
"Then don't" replied Dex, his eyes still closed.
"I have to, it's kinda a big day" said Millie sarcastically.
"I have to try and make this mess look presentable" she added, running her hand down the side of her face
"You look gorgeous, stay in bed" said Dex. Smiling with his eyes still closed.
"You haven't even opened your eyes!" Millie replied
"I just know" said Dex, his voice muffled by the fact that half his mouth was nestled into the pillow
"Sorry babe" said Millie, kissing him on the head as she climbed out of bed.
"I have to go get my hair done" she added, already out of bed attempting to put her joggers on.
"You need to meet Craig and the other Ushers downstairs at 11am ok babes?"
Dex grunted, still half asleep, his head still nestled between pillows
"See you later" she called as she shut the hotel room door behind her.
She walked down the empty hallway. The only sound was the quiet footsteps of someone on the floor above.
Reaching Aria's room she knocked gently on the door, not wanting to wake anyone else up, it was early.
The door flung open straight away, causing Millie to gasp, she wasn't expecting it.
"Baby sister!!" Shouted Aria throwing her arms around her sister in the corridor.
"Well if I didn't wake anyone knocking that ought to do it" said Millie!
Wine glass in hand Millie braced herself for the wine being spilled down her back, as Aria still clung to her. Arms wrapped tightly round her neck. luckily she had a dressing gown on over her pink joggers and black vest top
"Jesus Ari! How much have you drank?! It's 7am!" Said Millie as she followed her back into the room, taking the wine glass from Aria's hand and setting it down on the table.
"Oh hardly anything" lied Aria, Millie clocked the nearly empty bottle of wine on the bedside table.
"No more, you need to be able to remember today!" Said Millie
"I'll help you out!" Smiled Millie, downing the last little bit in the bottle.
"The hairdresser will be here in a minute" said Aria, slumping down on the bed next to where Millie was perched.
Millie took a magazine from the nightstand and flicked through, she had no real interest in celebrity magazines but it was nice to flick through sometimes and find an unexpected picture of Dex.
Half way through the magazine she noticed his name in a story title
'Dexter Rose of Craze cosy's up with mystery blonde after apparent split with Brit Amelia'
"Oh for fuck sake, if you're going to write this shit about me, at least get my name right!!" Said Millie
"What does it say?" Asked Aria
"Probably a load of made up, untrue bollocks like all the rest!' Millie replied, shrugging it off. Despite the fact that it was almost always fabricated rubbish her heart still sank every time she read a new story.
But despite that probably being true, inside Millie was crushed. Every single one of these stories broke a tiny piece of her heart away. Even if it wasn't true it was in magazines for the world to see. True or not It was embarrassing! Millie flicked through to the story and her heart sank a little more, there was no denying that it was Dex in the pictures this time, his face could clearly be seen getting into a car with a blonde girl, but it wasn't Lucy. Millie swallowed the lump in her throat as she read the story.
"I think these pictures are old" said Millie, not wanting Aria to think he'd been unfaithful, it was too humiliating. They'd only been together a few months, maybe the photos were taken before then, and had only just surfaced. She tried hard to convince herself of any explanation that didn't result in him cheating. Until she noticed the bracelet she had given him on his wrist. These pictures were less than a week old.
"Yeah, he wouldn't cheat anyway babes, he's one of the good ones" smiled Aria.
She looked closely at the photo, it was someone she'd not seen him pictured with before, a little blonde girl, she looked about 14! they were sat in the back of a car, the young girl was wearing Dex's sweatshirt! Millie's favourite sweatshirt! Mac stood next to the car door. A sick feeling flooded Millie's stomach, she swallowed hard attempting to dislodge the lump that had formed in her throat as she tried to hold back the tears.
"Actually I think that's Jesse's sister Natalia" lied Millie, she knew it wasn't but she couldn't face the humiliation, not today, not in front of her sister.
Aria seemed to accept Millie's explanation and got up to get another drink.
Millie stared at the photo, when was this going to end, it was girl, after girl, after girl! Clenching her jaw she attempted to keep every muscle in her face still. One move and she was sure to burst into tears.
She felt even worse to think that Dex would think it was ok to be with a girl of that age! She definitely looked underage! Surely he knew how much trouble that could land him in and Mac was stood right next to them, knowing Mac she didn't understand how or why he would just let that happen. She thought she had built a good relationship with Mac, she trusted him and he'd completely let her down helping Dex to cheat.
There was a knock at the door, Millie jumped, brining her mind back to reality she threw the magazine of the floor. Taking a deep breath she pulled herself together.
'Game face on' she told herself.
"I'll go first" she said as she walked over to greet the hairdresser.
1pm came around in a flash, all of the wedding party were ready to go, despite being mad at him Millie wondered what Dex would look like in his suit. It was very rare he ever wore a suit, Millie had never seen him wearing one. His usual day to day go to look was a kind of scruffy 'I got dressed in the dark' look that Millie had grown to love.
Millie, Lexi, their dad and soon to be sister in law Carly stood waiting in the lobby, a few minutes later Aria emerged at the top of the stairs with her bridesmaid Jessie.
Millie gasped.
"Wow" said Millie, she watched as her dad wiped a tear from his eye with a handkerchief. Lexi rubbed his back, knowing what a huge moment this was for him.
Aria walked slowly down the stairs, with Jessie helping to carry her huge ball gown style lace dress, the crystal encrusted bodice sparkled with every step she took.
Millie rushed up the stairs to help with her long cathedral length veil.
Struggling herself with a tight fitting long pastel grey dress, she could barely part her legs enough to climb a step! Lexi laughed at her attempting to reach Aria half way up the stairs.
When she finally got to her, her dress wouldn't allow her to bend enough to pick up the veil from her floor.
"I'm ok Mil, don't worry" laughed Aria
"Sorry, I'm a rubbish maid of honour" said Millie
"You're not" replied Aria, still laughing at Millie as she continued to try to bend to pick the veil up
"What the fuck are you doing now Vine?" Shouted a voice from half way across the lobby. Millie looked up, as did both her sisters... and her dad!
"Oops, sorry Mr V!" Said Ricco
"I didn't realise you were there, too many Vines in one place!" He laughed awkwardly. He always got the feeling Millie's dad didn't like him much, he guessed he was just a bit too loud and flamboyant for her dad.
He looked at Millie, her ass in the air she had finally reached the veil and was attempting to hold it up for Aria to walk down the last few steps into the lobby.
By this time, after Ricco's drawing attention to them, most of the people in the lobby had clocked Aria and stopped to watch her as she made her way through the lobby to the room she had to wait in until all her guests were seated. She was getting married on the beautiful beach just outside the hotel.
A guy caught up with Ricco, a few paces behind him.
"Mils, this is my boyfriend, Luca" said Ricco, raising his eyebrows at Millie for her approval stepping aside so they could hug.
"Luca this is my girl Millie" said Ricco, winking at her.
"So good to meet you Luca" said Millie, she'd never knowingly seen Ricco with one of his boyfriends before, he'd always kept them very private. They were usually long distance so it was a little odd to see him with a man.
"Pleased to meet you Millie, Ricco's told me so much about you" he replied
"All good I hope" smiled Millie
"No, only all the shit" teased Ricco
Millie rolled her eyes.
"I have to go now Ri, I'll see you in a little bit" said Millie, kissing him on the cheek.
Thanks
Dex helped to show all the guests to their seats with Lexi's boyfriend Nate and Craig's brother, Danny before taking his own seat in the second row.
He hated that the rest of his band were at the back and he had to sit alone near the front until Millie came. He felt so out of place. Being dressed up just didn't feel natural.
He was looking forward to seeing Millie though. He knew she was going to look stunning in whatever she was wearing and the thought of having the entire day with her made him feel slightly more at ease with the situation.
Eventually Aria arrived at the start of the beach. A violinist began to play, then guests stood up and turned to see her. Dex glanced over at Craig, watching as he wiped a tear from his cheek. Dex smiled. He hoped someday that it would be him stood there, waiting for Millie to walk down the aisle to him. He'd been thinking more and more lately about proposing to her. He was beginning to struggle to find a good reason not to.
He knew he'd never find someone be loved more than her, the only thing stopping him was his career, he wondered if it was fair on her when he was away so much, what sort of family life could they have with him away for three quarters of every year.