Tomorrow's Blues

29. I Do

My revelation last night meant that I could barely look at Joseph the next morning. At breakfast, we were next to each other, and when Joseph's hand brushed mine under the table, I felt my cheeks flush. Out of the corner or my eye, I saw Joseph glance at me, a slight smirk crossing his face.

The morning was busy and chaotic. There was so much to do – the wedding didn't start until four, but it seemed that we had to be ready by three. Ellie was rushing around, sorting things out for her mother and herself. All she'd said to us was a breathless "hi" and then a "bye" as she sped off somewhere else. The hotel lobby was full of staff bustling about, making sure everything was going to be perfect. They were often accompanied by Michael, who didn't seem to be stressed in the slightest. He greeted us politely and calmly, thanking us for coming. Lunch consisted of room service since Alice refused to go to the restaurant, stating adamantly that we didn't have enough time.

I had to admit, I enjoyed getting ready. There was something so exciting about dressing up and making ourselves look nice, knowing we had a great night ahead of us. Alice kept us on a strict schedule – makeup first, then hair, then dresses, and finally jewellery.

"What do you think, Ana? Wing or no wing?" Alice asked as we did our makeup in the bathroom. Alice was onto her eyeliner while I was filling my brows in slightly.

"Wings," I said decisively. "You know that eyeliner flicks are your talent."

"I am rather good at them." She delicately drew on her eyeliner, outlining perfect wings and filling them in.

My makeup didn't consist of eyeliner flicks but of shimmery brown eyeshadow and classic red lip. My skin was bronzed and glowing, my green eyes complimented by the warm tones of the eyeshadow, and my lips made fuller by the deep red. It took us both a while, but we looked glamourous and elegant when we were finished, each of the makeup looks we'd chosen enhancing and flattering our features.

After makeup, we both curled our hair but with different effects – Alice styled her dark blonde hair in beachy waves parted down the middle, while mine was more in glossy, loose ringlets. We finally slipped into our dresses, shoes and put on jewellery. When we were ready, we stood next to each other and admired ourselves in the mirror.

"We look insane!" Alice exclaimed, turning and examining herself at different angles. "I don't think I've ever looked this fit in my life."

I laughed. "I think you might be right." My dress was incredible. The whole look was classy yet sexy, and I was loving it. "If only we could dress like this every day."

"Well, technically, there's no one stopping us," Alice said, looking at her phone. "Shit, it's almost three. We need to go downstairs. Can you go knock on Joseph's door while I find our key?"

"Mm-hm." I gave myself one last glance in the mirror before heading to Joseph's room a few doors down from ours. I took a deep breath and knocked.

He opened the door, and my lips parted in slight shock at how good he looked in a tuxedo. Joseph's expression, though...

"Jesus Christ," he muttered, his eyes running over my face, my body. He rubbed his jaw. "God, Lily, I..."

I couldn't help but grin at him. "Well, I have never seen you speechless before."

A choked laugh escaped him. "Yeah, well, can you really blame me?" He ran a hand through his hair – another nervous gesture. "You're really not making this easy for me."

I was enjoying this far too much. Feeling bold, I said in a low voice, "Is this as distracting as the, uh, red underwear that night?"

He laughed again and shook his head. "Hard to say, Lily." He took a small step forward and I caught a hint of his cologne and God, did he smell good. "Equally as distracting."