A Beautiful, Terrible Love, Lucky 97 [classic romance novels .txt] 📗

actions, definitely, because you are the only person in his heart. He doesn't care about that other girl. Only you. He's probably told you that before."
"Yes," I whispered. He did. I just didn't believe him.
He continued, "I'm just going to ask you one thing, Eve. Why... are you so willing to forgive me, and talk to me again, yet you can't forgive the man who is closest to your heart?" Silence reined, my conscience spiked by his observation. There was a clicking sound, and I knew immediately that he had hung up.
I slowly padded to the bathroom; my head muddled with strange thoughts, and closed the door. It was time for me to spend some time in the shower... to think.
I had never been so confused in my entire life.

Chapter 25

It was finally Sadie's wedding day.
As I drove my rickety old car down the rough and cracked road, I looked at the sky, hanging so precariously above me. Clouds floated in the mysterious realm above us, a world we could only look at, much less experience on our own. Birds flocked above me, provoking my envy, for it was always my wish to fly by their side. To feel the cold, rushing air as I soared through the blue, never to return, suspended in happiness forever. The vast expanse above almost felt like the ocean to me; with the way you could almost grasp it, but it always just escaped your reach.
Kind of like the pursuit of true happiness. It was so hard to attain, so hard to snatch for your own... fate twisting your life and throwing in a few more surprises merely to make you stumble. Happiness was a dream for adults, a nirvana they could never achieve. A pure fantasy.
But you couldn't help but wish for it.
The thinly cut green-brown grass slowly progressed into healthy stabs of emerald blades as I drove closer to the church, the trees growing trim and covered with flowering buds. The road suddenly became cobblestone, signaling a sudden change in my surroundings. I looked up, observing the beauty around me, and smiled.
Flowers erupted in little bursts all around the premises, a spectrum of colors that delighted my senses. A huge church stood magnificently before me, pure white, the doors twice as tall as I was. The sides of it were shrouded in thin carpets of ivy, trees framing the church also. The crystal clear lake, the one I enjoyed every morning, was right beside this splendor, the sun catching the water's gaze and making it shimmer in pleasure. Not a single ripple raced through the lake's surface, transforming the surface into a giant mirror, one that reflected the serenity above.
It was pure beauty.
Not many cars were parked in the gravelly road, but that was to be expected. I was six hours early, after all. I told Sadie that I would help her with her dress, hair, and makeup. I was a fan of staying all-natural, but to help Sadie, I had been practicing how to apply makeup. Also, I tried to learn how to curl hair into ringlets, and I had slowly started to improve.
I exited my car, stepping across the brief expanse of gravel, heading towards the open doors. The sun glinted at me, as if it was angry at my presence, lashing me with its whip of golden light. However, I managed to barely escape it, rushing into the air-conditioned church before the heat baked me to a crisp.
The inside of the church was just as beautiful as the exterior, with creamy white walls and a high ceiling. It wasn't huge, but not really small either, seating probably around one hundred people. A colossal chandelier dangled, crystals suspended by tiny wires, catching the light and reflecting it in little bursts along the walls. There were rows and rows of pews, then a spectacular display of beautiful, blooming flowers. There were hundreds of them, the multicolored beauties that were stacked up upon each other until the whole wall facing me was covered with them. Directly in front of that was a beautiful array of the very midnight glories that our town was so proud of... but they did not bloom like the others. I frowned as I surveyed them. Why would Sadie put midnight glories in the church when it wasn't nighttime?
I walked down the hall, not half as elegant as the grand room, and knocked cautiously on the designated door. A nervous, frazzled cinderella opened it, garbed in pure, snow white. Sadie smiled, though her eyes unveiled her true emotions of disconcertment. I had never seen her like this before.
"It's eating at me," she said anxiously, shoving me inside the room and slamming the door shut. Scared, I backed away from her nervous walk, full of frenzied and robotic movements. "What is this?" she asked me, "this terrible feeling?" Her eyes were wild, her hair in a rough ponytail, garbed in her wedding dress.
It truly was a wonder, her beautiful dress, with the best material and best design I had ever seen. It wasn't strapless, but a halter neck, something you rarely see in a wedding gown. It puffed out a little at the chest, then clung to her waist until it released its grasp at about the hip. There, it flowed outwards, a long train behind her. The halter neck design sort of reminded me of a sundress meant for the beach, yet it seemed to fit the elegance of the occasion.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused by her words.
Lou stepped out of the shadows coming towards Sadie. Quietly, she put a thin, comforting hand on Sadie's shoulder. It calmed her, soothing her spiked nerves. "Honey," she reassured Sadie, "you probably are just feeling worry, that's all. Every woman wants their wedding to be just perfect,"
Sadie nodded, her actions confirming her mother's guess. Lou smiled, her voice flowing like molasses through her dry lips. "You will be just fine. There is a happy future ahead of you,"
I just looked at Lou, wondering what the crap was wrong with her. I was expecting steam to still, even now, be puffing out of her ears. "Are you... actually... okay with this?" I queried, shock running through my veins.
"Well," Lou huffed, "of course I would be happy to have my daughter marry such a kind and gentle man like Jack!"
I stared at Lou, glanced at Sadie, then returned my surprised gaze back to her.
Her voice took on a rather dreamy tone, her eyes starry, as she continued, "Jack is just such a gentleman..."
I walked near Sadie, uninterested in listening to the rest of Mother's drone. "Looks like Lou is in love with Jack," I whispered teasingly in her ear. However, she didn't giggle along with me.
"I know," she sighed, "but it's better than not having her permission,"
"I was just kidding!" I whispered back in surprise. Standing back, I surveyed Mother's so curious approval, and then let loose a giggle. I could clearly tell that Lou was attracted to him. With the way Lou went on about him, it almost seemed like Lou was the one in love, not Sadie.
"She was flirting with him all morning," Sadie leaned close to my ear, her perfume swirling around me, nearly choking me with its strength. "Jack turned on the charm earlier this week and Mom has been crazy ever since,"
I waved my arms around, trying to dismiss the overwhelming aroma. "Sadie, aren't you a little heavy on the perfume?" I asked incredulously, in my efforts to stop it.
"It'll wear off soon," Sadie shrugged, her voice dismissive, "I put on a lot now so that at the wedding, I will have the perfect scent,"
"Speaking of the wedding," I said, "we need to get your hair and makeup done. So sit down!" I made her plop into a hard, wooden chair, smoothing out the wrinkles her beautiful dress caused, and started to work wonders.
Carefully, I brought the curling iron to her hair, taking the first few pieces and wrapping it around the thin iron. I put the rest of her hair into a glorious, but incredibly simple updo, leaving some strands hanging from the back. I took those and curled them also.
I took her eyeshadow palette, scanning the colors that were available to me. I eventually picked varying shades of sparkly brown, colors that would enhance her eyes. Taking a thin brush, I delved it into the correct eyeshadow, then brushed it across Sadie's closed eyelid. It sparkled in the light as I added color after color, light after dark, splashing the shimmery spectrum throughout her eyelid.
Next, I added mascara and lip stick. That was easy, for using mascara and lip stick was pretty much the same for every brand I ended up using. This wasn't the exception. It really was the art of eyeshadow that really enchanted me. All the colors, when artfully applied, made a beautiful set of eyes that sparkled in the light. Eyeshadow, when perfect, was absolutely awe-inspiring.
I was done soon, setting the veil over her hair, signaling her completion. Sadie stared at herself in the floor-length mirror, grinning. "Beautiful," she laughed, "Eve, you did a great job,"
"Thank you," I bowed, my hair brushing across my feet. I suddenly became aware that I was not dressed up at all. "Where are the bridesmaid dresses?" I asked, scouring the room.
Sadie just looked at me. "You're not a bridesmaid, Eve. You're the maid of honor," she said matter-of-factly, as if she just expected me to know that already.
I suppose that would be kind of obvious, but nevertheless, I didn't realize that until now.
"Same thing," I grumbled, trying to hide my embarrassment, "So where are they? The dresses?"
"The next room," Sadie said, looking at her perfectly manicured nails, "Oh, and they all have different flowers on their dresses; see mine?" She gestured to the white rose on her dress, right above the bust. "There are varying types of flowers on each dress, though the dresses are the same. Be sure to pick the one with the carnation," she said, "it will pair you with the man you are walking down the aisle with,"
"Who are the other bridesmaids?" I asked curiously.
"Anna Welsh, Wendy Rochester, Tally Den, and of course Delilah," she said. I noticed that none of them, except for Delilah and I, were from school.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "You aren't trying to keep this from the school, are you?" I probed.
"Well, they will find out on graduation day, but I'd prefer to keep it a secret until then," she stated plainly, her eyes tugging at me, begging me to keep the secret. I rolled my eyes, although protest was useless. Sadie had made up her mind.
As I exited to go to the next room, the scent of cologne erupted near me. I realized that the groomsmen were in the room next to our own. It was so sweet, so delicious smelling... I tried to recognize that familiar aroma, but suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around me, tugging me into the bridesmaid room.
I should have known it was Delilah.
"Eve, what were you doing out there?" she nearly shrieked, "we aren't supposed to see our partners until we are about to walk down the aisle!"
"I didn't know that," I protested angrily, "and how would I know anyway which groomsman would be my partner?"
"The flower on their suit," Delilah rolled her eyes, as if that was obvious. I looked past her to the three figures behind her, stuffing themselves into the skinny dresses. They were also halter neck, but the neckline did not surge as low as the wedding dress, and it cut