Chapter Forty-Eight
Fallon
The last two weeks have gone by so quickly.
In just a few small days, I will finally have my time to shine as the world's best maid of honour. And I deserve a fucking trophy for the amount of shit I have needed to do. It’s a bloody good job I love Maya as though she is my own blood, because that woman would get married in a ditch wearing a bin bag without me guiding her down the right path.
Maybe event management would have been a better career choice for me to go down, because god knows hairdressing isn’t the one for me anymore. I have had to mask who I am around people for so long that I have lost sight of who I really am. I need a change, something that’s new, and just for me.
Luke is working his last shift today for a week, so I’ll get to spend as much time as possible with him.
As bad as it sounds, the night of the gala has actually brought us closer together.
I basically live at his house now, even if it is out of a suitcase.
He did offer to make space for me in his wardrobe, but why rush when what we have is going so well?
Today, though, is most definitely a me day. Luke's mother surprised me by rebooking our spa day, which we had planned for the day after the gala. Who would have thought that the last time we were meant to go, everything would go to shit?
The pair of us have just had a hot stone massage, facial and pedicure.
I haven’t experienced anything like it before.
I sat in a room with no one other than my therapist and enjoyed the peace.
I even got the choice of having a silent appointment, and I jumped on that the second I saw the option.
Now, I am relaxing back on a lounger at the poolside, a cocktail in one hand and my Kindle in the other.
“Have you enjoyed today, darling?” His mum asks, taking the lounger beside me.
“Honestly, more than you could ever know.”
“I originally only had us down for massages, but I thought we deserved a little R and R, don’t you?” She giggles, raising her cocktail to me.
“Hell yes,” I cheers her with my own, smiling back. How did I ever get so lucky to have a mother-in-law like her? Wow, did I really just think that? Mother-in-law. But if I were ever to pick one, it would most definitely be her.
“Are you excited for the wedding this weekend?” She asks.
Maya invited them both after spending so much time together recently, and to my surprise, they said yes.
Luke's father even employed staff to look after his animals full-time, saying that he doesn’t want to miss out on any more time being stuck in the shed.
I laughed when he said it, only because his so-called shed is bigger than my parents' house.
“I can’t wait. It’s been a long time coming.”
“Would you like to get married one day, Fallon?”
I’m shocked. No one has ever asked me that before. It’s always ‘when will you get married’ or ‘why aren’t you married?’. For her to phrase it in such a way melts my heart. I’m positive she doesn’t know everything that has happened to me in the past, but she must suspect it.
“I never thought I would, but the idea doesn’t scare me as much anymore.”
“I think if you ever decided it's what you wanted, that you would make a beautiful bride.”
I blush, my throat clogging up with emotion.
So instead, I just smile and take a sip of my sweet drink.
Would I ever marry Luke? Would he even want to?
After how I have acted towards him and commitment, there's a chance he wouldn’t even dare to ask me, and the feeling in my stomach is heavy at the thought.
After another hour of relaxation, I say my goodbyes and head on to my next appointment of the day.
I have needed to face this, but the guilt eating at me stopped me from doing so.
Walking along the river's edge, I follow my map to where she has dropped the pin for us to meet.
It only takes a few more steps, and I find Layla sitting on a blanket under a tree.
She looks different, like a whole new person. Her skin is fresher, her hair is brighter, but the biggest thing is that the worry lines usually covering her face are nowhere to be found. The second her eyes land on me, she jumps to her feet, a huge smile on her face.
“Fallon! It is so good to see you,” she exclaims, dashing over to wrap me up in a hug. “I’ve brought us some snacks.”
On the blanket, Layla has laid out a tray of fruit, chocolate and nibbles. All we’re missing is some prosecco, but that’s more of a me problem. We both sit down side by side, and she gives my hand a small squeeze.
“How have you been?” She asks, her eyes searching mine.
“I’m fine. I’m so sorry I didn’t come to see you sooner,” I admit.
“Oh don’t worry. You're here now, and I have been dying to thank you in person ever since John got arrested.”
“Thank me? I feel like I was the one who made the whole situation worse for you,” I admit, looking down at the spread around us.
“What? Fallon, if it wasn’t for you, I’d still be stuck in the hell I was living in. For the first time in years, I feel free to leave the house and do whatever it is I want to do. Even this,” she spreads her arms out. “Sitting here with a friend feels like heaven.”
“Layla, as soon as he said he did something to you, I panicked. I haven’t been able to sleep thinking of the what-ifs. I didn’t think, and for that I am so, so sorry.”
“Don’t let it bother you for another second. Nothing happened. The worst he did was send me a nasty text message. You are the one who went through something, not me. It’s because of you that he’s locked away.”
In what feels like the quickest turnaround possible, John got sentenced yesterday for all he did to both of us.
I have a suspicion that my brother and his friends have a lot to do with that.
He has been put away for a very long time, but knowing Jenson and his friends in high places, I can't see him ever getting out.
The bad thing about this is that poor Layla has to fully restart her life.
What she went through seems much worse than what I ever did, but that's not my story to tell.
“What are you going to do with your newfound freedom?” I ask.
“I have decided to move away. Start over from scratch. There are too many bad memories here, and I need something new.”
Even in saying this, she looks so bloody happy.
“I’ll miss you,” I admit. “We haven’t really had the chance to be normal, have we?”
She laughs. “Normal is overrated.”
“That is true.”
“Will you thank Luke for me?” she asks.
“Of course I will. He wanted to tag along today but got stuck at work.”
“You two are perfect together. You’re so lucky to have found your missing piece,” she says, her eyes glossing over.
“You will find yours one day. Just give it time and be open to it when it comes around.”