37. Chapter Thirty Six
Chapter Thirty Six
After I take a quick shower, I walk back into Blaise's bedroom, still drying my hair. I find him sitting up on the bed, legs sprawled out as he stares at the book shelf.
When I enter, he looks over at me, smiling.
"How was your shower?" he asks.
"So good," I reply with a groan. "The water pressure here is much better than ours."
Blaise nods. "The landlord really needs to sort his shit out."
I fold my towel, placing it over the back of the computer chair. Turning around, I look at the bed, before focusing on Blaise.
"If you'd prefer for me to sleep on the bean bag or something, I'm fine with that."
He raises an eyebrow at me, astonished. "I'm not letting you sleep on the floor."
I grin sheepishly, hands playing with the bottom of my oversized shirt. The tips of my shorts are barely visible so I tug them down a bit, walking over to the other side of the bed.
"I don't snore," I tell him proudly. "But if I kick in my sleep, I do apologize."
Blaise laughs, pulling his rings off his fingers. "We'll be fine. Just climb in. We have a big day tomorrow."
Pulling back the blanket, I climb into the bed, letting out a groan as my head hits the pillow. "Oh, man. I am going to crash so hard. I'm wrecked."
He pauses, looking over at me. I tilt my head to gaze back at him, confused. "What?"
"Nothing," he says. "Let me know when you're ready and I'll get the light."
"Probably for the best," I mumble, sleep already threatening to take over me. "I'd likely run into something. I'm ready."
Blaise gets off the bed, and I glance sleepily at him as he crosses the room to the light switch. He's in his usual pajamas, toned legs flexing as he walks.
A few seconds later, the room is dark, and I hear his muffled footsteps before the mattress sinks with his weight.
He throws the blanket over himself and immediately, I can feel his warm body temperature close to my arm.
Reaching out, I touch his arm gently.
"Hm?"
"Goodnight," I say. "Thanks for still bringing me."
Blaise hums to himself for a brief second. "I'm glad you're here," he replies. "Get some rest."
"Okay," I whisper, rolling onto my side, facing his direction. I cuddle my pillow with my arms, curling into a ball. And for once, I sleep peacefully without nightmares or broken patches of restlessness.
Somewhere in the room Blaise's cell alarm buzzes, jolting me awake.
I'm a little groggy, eyes blurred as I glance around the room, blinking until it comes into focus. The room is filled with sunlight, the blue walls reflecting little bits of sparkle and dust.
When I can see clearly, I'm startled as arms tighten around my waist.
"I don't want to get up," Blaise mumbles, still half-asleep.
I stay motionless, registering the feel of his chest against my back. Smiling to myself, I relax, not fazed now that the initial shock was over. We've hugged a thousand times before. It's only natural that we might do it in our sleep too.
"It's wedding day," I murmur. "I'm on coffee duty. You're on groom duty."
Blaise stretches out, pausing suddenly. Slowly, his arms pull back, letting me go.
"Wedding day," he repeats. "I better make sure Alfie is awake."
Above us, the sound of footsteps walk around. I turn onto my back, staring at the ceiling.
"The girls are already awake," I state. "I imagine hair and makeup takes a long time."
Blaise rolls onto his back too, relaxing for a second while he tries to wake up more. "Definitely."
"I bet she looks beautiful," I whisper.
He turns his head to look at me, eyes scanning my face. "You're beautiful too," he says, surprising me.
"Thanks," I reply, feeling shy at the compliment. It's much too easy for my brain to register all of this.
Blaise nods. "The guys and I will be getting ready in the guest rooms downstairs. Will you be okay getting ready in here? I'm sure if you want to go upstairs, the girls would be more than happy for you to do it with them."
"I'm okay," I smile. "I'll get dressed in here. They are probably having getting ready photos taken. I don't want to be in the way."
"You wouldn't be," he replies but I shake my head, sitting up.
"I'll behave and promise not to snoop around," I laugh, swinging my legs out of the bed. "Anyway, I'm going to go to the kitchen and start making some coffee for Alfie. Tell him I said good morning."
Blaise climbs out of bed, stretching. "I will. Just come get me if you need me, okay?"
I walk over to him, putting my hands on his shoulders. "Today is about you. I know it's Alfie and Lauren's day, but you're the best man. That's a really important role. You focus on what's important. I've got it all taken care of. Don't worry about me for once. Let me worry about you."
He smiles, looking down at me. "I always worry about you."
"Except when you're mad," I laugh, trying to crack a joke.
Blaise's eyes scan my face, serious. "Even when I'm mad."
Swallowing, I realize my stomach is doing flips. Taking a step back, I take a deep breath, giving him a reassuring smile. "Today will be magical," I say to him, heading for the door. "Now, go get your brother out of bed."
The kitchen is empty when I enter, and I make a beeline for the pantry, searching for coffee.
I'm pleasantly surprised to find everything neatly organized and labeled. Grabbing what I need, I get to work, making coffee for Alfie.
"Cream and three sugars," I mutter to myself, making sure I do it correctly.
Coffee is an important part of the morning, and I'm determined to make sure I start his day off right. When I finish Alfie's cup, I make one for myself, before deciding that Blaise needs caffeine too.
As I'm packing up, I hear the boys come downstairs, heading to the guest rooms.
Grabbing Alfie and Blaise's coffees, I carefully carry them across the house, pushing the door to the guest room open with my foot.
There's a flurry of movement as the guys try to get things in some type of organization. Suits hang from the curtains and I spot Alfie immediately, hovering in the corner as he watches the groomsmen while giving instructions.
"No, the shoe boxes need to go in the corner together. Stack them on top of each other. Who has the bowties?"
"Knock knock," I say, as Alfie looks over. He glances at the cup, eyes lighting up.
"You have coffee," he groans. "God, I love you."
Blaise pokes his head up from the other side of the bed, scaring me. I didn't realize he was on the floor, his dark eyes finding me immediately at the mention of coffee.
Alfie takes his cup, thanking me profusely. I smile at Blaise, holding up his. "One for you too."
He smiles, standing up from the floor and walking over. "We've lost a cufflink," he says, taking the cup from me.
"And here I thought you were searching for monsters under the bed," I tease.
"Very funny," he laughs. "You didn't have to make me coffee," he adds warmly.
I brush him off with my hand. "Don't be silly. We make coffee for each other all the time. Do the other guys want any?"
A few hopeful faces look over and I pull my cell out from my pocket, opening up a blank text message. "Alright," I laugh. "Everyone give me your orders."
I jot them all down, returning to the kitchen to start again. Two by two, I take coffee to the room to the appreciative groomsmen before heading back upstairs with my own.
The wedding is in two hours, so I sit down on the computer chair, scrolling on my cell for a bit as I drink my coffee.
It's a beautiful day — the perfect wedding weather.
Even though this is all I ever wanted, I'm so happy for the couple. I thought it would be harder after everything that happened with Jordan, but surprisingly, I'm at ease here. I don't know if it's the welcoming warmth from Blaise's family, the fact that I'm finally allowing myself to heal, or that the feelings of love are so contagious — but regardless, I'm so excited for today.
I make sure to give myself an hour to get ready. When there's about an hour until the ceremony, I send Blaise a message checking in to see if they need me to do anything. He writes back that they are fine and to relax, so I stand at the window, watching the flurry and frenzy below.
It looks like the ceremony is going to be held outside, not far from where we had dinner last night. There's a gorgeous large floral archway constructed with two sides of white chairs.
As people walk in and out of the barn, I realize the reception will be inside. Finally, I drag myself away from the window to start pulling my dress out of the garment bag.
It's a mission to pull it on myself, but I manage. The blue material hugs my torso before fanning out to the floor, the bottom half a lace tulle flowy effect. The sparkles shine in the sunlight and I realize my dress is a similar color to Blaise's bedroom.
Only the top part of the dress is sparkled — little bits of silver sequins across my chest and the bottom of the waistband. The top of the dress has two thin straps that go over my shoulders, the back of the dress lacing up like thin corset straps. Once again, not sure how I managed to squeeze my way into this alone, but I'm thankful no one witnessed my worm-like dance moves.
Blaise's room has a mirror stand in the corner, covered by an old blanket. I remove it, standing in front to put makeup on. I try to keep it simple — some black winged liner, light blue eyeshadow and mascara, with a classic red lip.
Hair always confuses me. I never know what to do with it. I brought my curler with me so I opt for soft beach waves, letting my hair down.
When I'm finished, I'm elated to see there's still twenty minutes before the ceremony starts. I figure it's best to start making my way down so I can take a seat.
Checking my cell in case I have any messages from Blaise, I put it on silent before popping it into my matching blue purse. I quickly put my blue aquamarine tennis bracelet and silver strappy heels on, heading to the door.
The whole second story is quiet, the only sounds coming from the above level as the girls squeal in excitement. As I reach the stairs, I glance up, spotting one of Lauren's bridesmaids. She smiles at me, motioning for me to come up.
Smiling, I climb the steps to the third story, greeting her warmly.
"Meredith," she says happily.
"Oh, thank you," I breathe out, relieved. "I have so many names to remember."
Laughing, she shakes her head. "You're absolutely fine. Oh, my gosh," she mutters, looking me up and down. "You are beautiful."
"Right back at you," I smile.
Meredith is dressed in a floor-length flowy purple dress, her brown hair pinned up in soft curls. She beckons me to follow her to Lauren's room and when she opens the door, I'm greeted with an ethereal vision of white.
Lauren pauses, looking at me with a big, bright smile. "Sky! You look beautiful!"
Tears well in my eyes, but it's not because of her compliment. It's because of her.
She's radiant — her princess ball gown flowing around her like waves. It's strapless, the bodice beaded with sparkling white sequins and lace.
"Lauren," I mutter, trying to compose myself. "You are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen."
Her eyes widen momentarily before she waves me off. "Oh, stop. You'll make me cry."
"You're going to make me cry," I laugh, wiping under my eye.
The other bridesmaids are dressed exactly like Meredith and I notice Lauren's bouquet on the bed. Walking over, I pick it up, handing it to her. She takes it, smiling.
"You're all ready," I say to her.
"I just need something blue," she murmurs, looking around the room. "We've come up short."
I glance around, spotting lots of white. Pausing, I put my purse on the bed.
"Here," I say, undoing my bracelet. "Wear this."
Lauren watches quietly, lip trembling slightly. She holds out her hand and I clip it on her wrist, smiling.
"There," I finish. "Now you're ready."
She reaches out suddenly, hugging me. "Thank you," she whispers.
I hug her back, giving the bridesmaid a smile.
"I'll go make sure the coast is clear for you," I say, pulling back. "I'll see you down there."
Heading out of the room, I make my way down the first set of stairs to the second landing. As I head down the next set, the groomsmen start walking past, heading to the backdoor.
They all give me grins and smiles, along with a few waves. I'm their best friend now. You don't make friends with salad, but you sure do with coffee.
Blaise is the last groomsman, coming around the corner with Alfie as I descend the last final steps.
"Whoa," he breathes out, pausing in his tracks. Alfie runs into him, grunting before following his line of vision.
"Skylar!" Alfie says excitedly. "Look at you."
I laugh. "Look at me," I repeat, stepping off the stairs. "And look at you guys. Most handsome bridal party I've ever seen."
Alfie grins, running his hand down his black jacket to smooth out non-existent creases. He has a white bowtie underneath, while the groomsmen have purple ones. Under their jackets they have white shirts, and matching black trousers.
"Why, thank you. I picked them out myself," he says proudly.
"You did well," I smile. "And just wait until you see your bride."
His eyes light up brightly, before he looks over at Blaise. "I'll see you out there," he tells his brother, disappearing after the other groomsmen.
"Alright," Blaise replies, still looking at me.
I walk over to him, straightening up his bowtie. "There. Now you're perfect," I muse. "And I'm ready for these awesome dance moves."
Blaise laughs, looking me up and down. "God, Sky. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
I shake my head playfully. "Just wait until you see Lauren," I tell him. "You're going to have to hold Alfie up."
He stares at me intensely. "I can say without a doubt that I'll be watching you."
My heart races again, our eyes locking.
What is going on? Why do I feel like this?
Butterflies swirl around my stomach and slowly, I begin to realize.
Oh, my God. I think I have feelings for my best friend.
Swallowing, I force a smile, fixing up his jacket. "You better get out there. The girls will be heading down shortly."
Blaise nods, not moving.
"What?" I ask.
He smiles, offering me his arm. "I'll walk you to your seat."
Laughing softly, I link my arm with his. "Alright then."
We head out the doors and by now, most of the guests have taken their seats. Eyes look over as we cross the grass, and I can't help but feel a little fraction of guilt at our deception.
Mackenzie spots us, covering her mouth as she gasps before she smiles, whispering to someone.
I look down, embarrassed at the attention, but Blaise squeezes my hand.
"They all think you are beautiful," he murmurs. "And they are right."
"Stop," I groan. "You're making me blush."
Blaise grins at me, pausing when we reach a vacant seat in the front row. I look at him bewildered.
"The front row?"
He nods. "Mom insisted you sit next to her."
"That's really sweet," I smile. "Alright, off you go."
Blaise leans down, kissing my cheek. I'm stunned, but before I can react, he turns, walking over to Alfie who's waiting at the start of the aisle.
Quickly, I sit down in my seat, trying to shield myself from curious eyes.
It's not long before Mackenzie joins me, wiping eyes as she looks at Alfie.
"My baby boy is getting married."
"Yeah, he is," I reply, watching Blaise over my shoulder.
Sensing my gaze, he looks over, smiling. I return a smile his way, just as music starts playing.
Blaise walks Alfie down the aisle, the two of them joining the other groomsmen in front of the floral archway.
The song changes, and we turn our heads again, spotting the bridesmaids coming out of the house one by one. They make their way down the aisle, looking elegant and gorgeous. And when Lauren walks out of the house with her father, we stand.
As she reaches the start of the aisle, I turn my head to look at Alfie, desperate to see his reaction.
And he doesn't disappoint.
He looks ready to break down crying with happy tears as she glides toward him. Suddenly, my eyes shift next to him, finding Blaise.
My heart skips a beat as I find him watching me, completely focused on me alone.
We exchange a smile and then I realize.
I don't think I have feelings for Blaise.
I know it.