The Wedding Day Part 2

"Can I really?" Nicole looked almost happy for the first time that afternoon. "Oh, Evie, I love you," and with that she flung her arms around her sister and held her tight.

Chapter 2.

"Nicole! Get up, get in the shower and get dressed, NOW!" Evette yelled at her sister.

She'd had enough of Nicole's wallowing in self- pity and moping around the apartment in her wedding dress. A dose of tough love was in order.

Her sister had hardly moved from her position on the couch in almost a week! She was still wearing her wedding dress for heavens' sake! She'd spent the past week helping herself to Evette's rapidly diminishing wine supply and watching endless day time television.

She refused to leave the house and fluctuated between anger and tears at having been dumped at the altar. She'd even thought about calling Paul and asking him to try again after one particularly drunken episode.

Evette had managed to save her sister from humiliating herself even further by hiding all the phones in the apartment. Thankfully Nicole had left all her own possessions behind when she'd fled the wedding.

"What? Where am I?" Nicole mumbled as she pushed her greasy hair out of her eyes.

"You're coming out with me for a few hours. I'm going to meet my friends in the pub and you're coming too."

"I can't," Nicole weakly tried to protest. "I can't face anyone ever again. My life is over. I'm a mess." She groaned dramatically and pulled the duvet over her head.

"Yes, I know you're a mess, but that's nothing that a hot shower and a change of clothes won't fix."

Evette unceremoniously pulled the duvet off her and helped her to her feet.

"You smell," Evette wrinkled up her nose. "

Thanks, sis. Kick me when I'm down, why don't you?" Nicole said indignantly.

"Shower time." Evette marched her sister down the hall and pushed her into the bathroom.

"There are fresh towels on the radiator and a new toothbush in the cabinet," she instructed.

"Wonderful," Nicole muttered to herself from the other side of the bathroom door.

She sighed and reluctantly turned on the bath taps. Everything had become such an effort to her these days. She used to be obsessed with hygiene, often having two showers a day.

She would agonise over every strand of hair on her head to ensure that it was sitting perfectly. She'd spend hours getting dressed and putting on her makeup in the morning. Her nails were always immaculate, thanks to weekly manicures and pedicures at her local beauty salon.

Image mattered a lot to her. "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" was one of her favourite lines from the many self-help books that she'd read.

However, right now, after everything she'd been through, she really couldn't care less how she looked or smelled. The simple act of brushing her teeth seemed like a huge effort.

Nicole searched through her sister's myriad collection of lotions and potions before settling upon a bottle of vanilla scented bubble bath. It was the most exclusive looking bottle in her sister's collection. Nicole wasn't used to using cheap bubble bath. She had rather expensive tastes in everything. She leaned against the bathroom sink as she tried to gather the energy to brush her teeth and gasped when she saw her reflection in the mirror.

Her usually perfectly groomed bob was clinging in limp, greasy strands to her head. Her eyes were red from crying and had dark circles from the restless sleep she fell into most nights. Her skin was dry and blotchy from stress and too much drinking.

Her mouth was parched from dehydration and for the first time in her life she looked and felt old and world-weary.

Who cares what I look like anyway? she said to her reflection in the mirror. I've got n.o.body to look good for anymore.

She grabbed the toothbrush from the cabinet and brushed her teeth. Then she peeled off her wedding dress and sank into the welcoming warmth of her bubble bath. She sighed as the scented water washed over her tired, aching body. She closed her eyes and sank further into her coc.o.o.n.

"Nicole! Are you ok in there?" She jumped as her sister knocked loudly on the bathroom door.

"I'm fine. I must have dozed off for a minute."

"You've been in there almost an hour," Evette said impatiently from the other side of the door. "We're going to be late if you don't get a move on."

"I'll be out in a minute."

Nicole shivered in the now cold bath water. She hauled herself out of the bath and quickly wrapped herself in one of Evette's comforting, fluffy bath towels. She smoothed on some generic body lotion and spritzed her body with one of her sister's perfumes.

Nicole glanced at her discarded wedding dress on the floor and realised that she had absolutely nothing to wear. She briefly contemplated putting the once-beautiful dress back on again, but wisely decided against it.

She bit her lip in a valiant effort to hold back the tears that threatened to erupt yet again. She was tired of crying and bored of feeling like a victim. She took a few more deep breaths and opened the bathroom door.

"Are you feeling any better?" Evette asked gently as Nicole padded quietly into the kitchen.

"A little," Nicole smiled weakly, "but I don't have anything to wear."

"Oh, don't worry about that, you can raid my wardrobe until you pick up some things of your own," Evette offered.

"Are you sure?" Nicole looked doubtfully at her sister.

"Of course I'm sure. Come with me and we'll choose something for you to wear this evening." Nicole hesitantly followed her sister as she walked down the short hall to her bedroom where Evette pulled open the huge doors that housed her extensive wardrobe collection.

Nicole sat on the edge of her sister's bed and waited with some trepidation at the outfit that Evette might choose for her. Their individual style was at opposite ends of the fashion spectrum. Nicole liked wearing "smart casual" outfits when she wasn't working i.e. smart trousers or designer jeans, stiletto heels, a low-cut fitted top and a blazer.

Evette embraced bohemian or hippie chic. She favoured long skirts, floaty tops and always wore sandals, even in winter. She didn't like shoes or boots and preferred going barefoot whenever possible, sandals were her compromise to the necessities of footwear.

"There you go, Nicole," Evette emerged triumphantly from her closet and with a dramatic flourish placed a long, floaty maxi dress in her sister's hands.

"Thanks," was all Nicole could manage to say.

She didn't want to wear the dress but she didn't have many other options as it was the least flamboyant of the outfits that Evette had in her closet. The dress was a vibrant swirl of pinks and blues, something that Nicole would never have chosen for herself.

Evette's dark blonde hair and sunkissed skin could carry off such colours, but Nicole's fair complexion would be completely washed out.

She slipped the dress on over her head and did a little twirl in front of the mirror. It was a touch too loose for her but that was the style of the dress anyway.

"It suits you," Evette smiled indulgently at Nicole.

"Does it really?" Nicole asked doubtfully.

"Absolutely, it's much prettier on you than those b.u.t.toned up trouser suits and jackets you usually wear and the blue brings out the colour of your eyes."

Nicole blushed at her sister's compliment.

"What about shoes?" she asked nervously.

"Pop these on." Evette placed a pair of black open-toed sandals with diamante detail at her sister's feet.

Nicole slipped them on easily and managed to suppress a groan at their lack of heel. She usually never wore anything less than a three inch stiletto heel. She hadn't been blessed with her sister's height and stood only five feet tall in her bare feet. Luckily the two sisters had the same shoe size.

"Now all you need is my hair and makeup expertise and you'll be like a new woman."

Nicole briefly considered declining her sister's offer but decided that she may as well succ.u.mb. She sat quietly while Evette worked her magic.

She evened out Nicole's complexion with a light application of concealer and tinted moisturiser. Then she dusted some bronzing powder across her sister's face and brushed pink blusher onto the apples of her pale cheeks. She finished off her makeup with a pale pink lipstick and clear gloss.

Then she set to work on Nicole's hair, twisting and pulling it until it lay in soft layers and curls around her face.

"Dah-dah." Evette handed Nicole a mirror.

"I'm starting to look human again." Nicole smiled slowly at her reflection.

Her dark circles had "disappeared" and the curls softened the sharp angles of her face. She had to admit that her sister certainly had a magic touch.

"You look beautiful," Evette squeezed her sister's arm encouragingly. "Now, we really must get going."

Chapter 3.

"Excuse me. Sorry, coming through." Evette pushed her way through the crowded pub.

Nicole followed close behind her.

It was a typically busy Friday evening at Evette's local pub, O' Carolan's.The place was absolutely thronged and buzzing with after-work revellers, who were happy to have left the office drudgery behind them for the weekend.

Evette made her way towards the back of the pub and was suddenly enveloped in a bear hug by a very tall handsome man.

"Ok, Ben, thank you, that's enough." Evette laughed as she tried to disentangle herself from his muscular arms.

"Ben, this is my sister, Nicole. Nicole, this is Ben."

"Hi, Ben, it's nice to meet you." Nicole held out her hand in a stiff greeting.

"You're very formal, aren't you?" Ben smiled, his perfect teeth flashing white in his tanned face.

He kissed Nicole's hand, which made her blush involuntarily.

"Ben, is an incorrigible flirt," Evette looked at her sister apologetically. "Where are the others hiding themselves, Benny?"

"They're sitting by the fire in the corner, as usual. Liv's been here since five o' clock. She's drinking whiskey already."

"Oh, dear," Evette smiled.

"What are you ladies having to drink?" Ben asked.

"I'll have a white wine spritzer, please," Nicole replied.

"Ev, are you having your usual?"

"Yes, the usual. Thanks Ben."

"Evie! It's been too long!" A pet.i.te woman with long, dark curly hair jumped up from her seat by the fire when she spotted Evette approaching.

"We had lunch together yesterday," Evie grinned at her friend.

"Exactly, it's been more than twenty four hours since I've seen you, much too long. Sit down here next to me. I've saved a s.p.a.ce for you."

Evette and Nicole squeezed into the corner together.

"This must be your sister," the pet.i.te woman said as she made room for Nicole.

"How rude of me." Evette smiled around the little group. "Everyone, this is my sister Nicole. Nicole, this is everyone. You'll get to know their names, eventually."

Nicole managed to force a smile at the three happy faces that beamed across the table at her. She was feeling quite overwhelmed at being confronted by so many people. She'd been closeted in the safety of the apartment for too long and it was strange to be out in the world again.

"I'm Olivia, but my friends call me Liv," the pet.i.te woman sitting beside her held out her hand.

Liv had one of those faces that technically was not remotely beautiful, but nonetheless was indescribably very attractive. Her eyes were set too far apart, her nose was slightly crooked and her mouth was almost too wide for her small, narrow face, yet there was a joyousness about her that utterly redeemed her.

"I'm Jack, but my friends call me Jack." Jack raised his gla.s.s in a toast to her.

He was handsome in an unconventional way, with short light brown hair and intelligent grey eyes. He had a kind face which immediately endeared him to Nicole. She smiled at him and he smiled warmly back at her. His eyes held her gaze for a moment.

"Hi, I'm Sarah," the other woman leaned across the table to shake Nicole's hand, her arm jangling with a mult.i.tude of bracelets and bangles.

Nicole was quite startled by the strength of Sarah's firm handshake. She reminded Nicole of someone, but she couldn't quite think who.

She had long blonde hair which looked like it needed a good brushing. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and she kept pushing her too-long fringe out of her eyes. She had piercing blue eyes, framed with long, dark eyelashes and she wore very little if any makeup. She really was strikingly pretty.

"It's nice to meet you all," Nicole smiled shyly around the group.