“Let’s go, pigeon belly,” she says, gently whacking my stomach with her bouquet. A stray petal falls away.
We step forward and into the room, and my breath is immediately taken away. The aisle is littered with white rose petals, and a bouquet of white and lilac roses, raised on see-through stands and vases, sits by each row. At the end of the aisle, three candles, all individually enclosed in lanterns, sit at the base of the dais. The chandeliers hanging down from the high-rise ceilings are the same gold as the floor-to-ceiling curtains draped behind the altar and along the right side.
We slowly make our way up the aisle, family members on both sides waving or taking pictures on their phones. Kelly’s vice-like grip on my arm slowly cuts off my circulation as we walk up to where Daniel stands patiently with his two best men.
Our mum stands at the front on the left side, unmissable in her oversized hat, and I say a little prayer that she stays on her best behavior. From the look on her face, she seems to have moved on from the altercation upstairs.
We make it to the end of the aisle, and I help Kelly lift her veil before reaching out my hand to Daniel.
“Take good care of her, brother,” I say, shaking his hand before turning and making my way to the seat beside my mum. I catch a glimpse of Alexander at the back of the room by the door, waving goodbye.
Thank God that he and Rob were here to help out today. I don’t know what I would have done without them. The minister cues everyone to take their seats.
“Dearly beloved, we are here today to join Kelly Marie Foster and Daniel Ashley Reed in holy matrimony,” he begins.
The faint smell of burning tickles my nostrils and I try to shake it off as the minister continues, but the scent gets stronger. I look backward to try and work out where it’s coming from, then look down to see Kelly’s train catching fire from a candle that’s been knocked out of the lantern and onto her train.
“Fire!” Aunt Brenda screams from beside me as Kelly looks back. There is horror in her eyes as she sees her train igniting, working its way up rapidly toward her.
I rush up, throwing my blazer jacket on top of the flames. I kneel down to pat the blaze down, Uncle Michael doing the same behind me, while my mother sits there watching it all unfold.
“That’s a sign from your father, if ever I saw one,” she utters under her breath.
She lifts her right leg over her left and crosses her arms, seemly unbothered, while she looks at my sister. Part of me wonders if she somehow knocked the candle over to get revenge.
She wouldn’t though, surely.
Would she?
27.Alexander
Saturday
“Ithink we got it!”
Freddy cheers, his hands raised, as the chords of the outro play out over the speakers.
The track is beyond anything I could have imagined. The backbeat Freddy added perfectly complements the acoustic guitar, keys, and base. Then he added more magic with some ambient sound and synths to tie it all together.
“You, my sweet prince, are the best,” I say, high-fiving Freddy.
“And don’t you forget it,” he says, flicking his long dark hair back over his shoulders and giving me a chef’s kiss.
“Let me bounce it out so we can listen to it on our way to the venue, just to make sure we like it before we sign it off. Then I’ll fire it across to Nathan for mixing and mastering.” Freddy grabs a handful of sour candies from the table and demolishes them in one go before washing them down with a swig of water.
“We gotta go, boss.” Rob jerks his thumbs at the door.
“Freddy, you good to meet us downstairs in five? I’ve got something I need to do first.”
Freddy nods as he clicks export on the track and fires up his email.
Rob looks at his watch, then up at me.
“We don’t have time. It’s already seven fifteen.”
“We’ve got plenty of time. It takes what, forty minutes from here to the O2? And I’m not on till nine, right? That gives us plenty of time. Plus, I’m already ready.” I point at my hair and face, which Erica came and did an hour ago.
All I need to do is change into my first outfit andHey presto!Rob shakes his head but waves me out, heading along the hallway and down the elevator to the ground floor.
