‹ Prequel: Smiling Politely
For One Beat More
But She Keeps Me Coming Back For More
“I can’t believe you’re getting married. In Vegas. Without your best friend,” Kaylah huffed.
Lexi rested her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she browsed through a rack of dresses in a vintage store she and Amanda had happened upon on their mission to find her wedding dress, “I’m sorry Kay, it’s just a spur of the moment thing, you know? We’re going to have a do and stuff when we get back.”
“But that’s in like six weeks,” she whined, “And it won’t be an actual wedding.”
“I think we have to have a civil ceremony in the UK to make it legal, so technically it is an actual wedding and more important than this one.”
“How rock and roll, two weddings,” Lexi could imagine her friend rolling her eyes.
“Tell you what, you can pick my dress for the UK ceremony. You can put me in anything you want and you will be my maid of honour so you can pick what you wear too, no silly colours or daft fabrics. It’s all up to you,” Lexi tried to reason.
The line was quiet on the other end, “You’ll wear anything I pick?”
Lexi smiled, “Within reason.”
“Within reason is not anything Lexi Edwards-soon-to-be-Nicholls.”
“Fuck,” Lexi stopped shuffling hangers, “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“What? Changing your name? You don’t have to I suppose,” Kaylah mused.
Lexi scratched her head, “I hadn’t really thought about it before.”
Her friend sighed, “Yeah well you’re lucky you’ve got one of those classic names that goes with pretty much anything. You could even be fancy and go all double barrelled.”
She scrunched her nose up, “I don’t like double barrelled names, I’d rather go with Nicholls. There are worse names.”
“What like Sykes? It always remind me of the baddie in Oliver Twist,” Kaylah laughed.
“Lex! I think I’ve found it!” Amanda cried from the other side of the store.
“Who’s found what?” Kaylah asked.
Lexi crossed the room to her friend who had a short, strapless ivory dress, with large fabric roses trailing across half the bodice, in her hands, “Amanda’s just found my dress.”
***
Oli lugged his feet along as Matt dragged him around yet another jewellery shop, “Were ye drunk?”
Matt rolled his eyes, his friend had spent most of their morning together trying to figure out just what was the reason behind his proposal the night before, “No.”
“Were ye high?”
“No.”
“Was she drunk?”
“No an’ she wasn’t high either,” Matt chuckled.
Oli frowned, “I jus’ don’ get it.”
“Really? Hadn’t noticed,” Matt leaned over to look in a case of diamond rings.
“Is she pregnant?”
Oli jumped on his friend’s silence and stood next to him, lowering his face to his level, “She’s with sprog isn’t she?”
Matt squared his jaw and looked up from the rings before speaking quietly, “She was.”
The front man’s face broke into a grin for a split second, “Wait, was?”
“It weren’t in the right place, that’s why she collapsed,” Matt moved down to the next display case.
Oli paused and took a second to process everything before following, placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “I’m sorry mate.”
Matt looked over at him, half expecting a snipe or a quip.
“Seriously man, that’s just… fuck dude, I’m so sorry.”
The drummer shrugged, “Can we just find her a ring?”
They stood in silence for a couple of minutes before Oli pointed into the case, “That one.”
“What one?”
“The big purple one with the diamonds in the band,” he tapped the glass.
Matt smiled and nudged his friend, “You’re good at this.”
Oli shrugged and straightened the front of his jacket, “What can I say? I’ve got an eye for these things.”
***
Lexi stood in front of the mirror in the ladies toilets in the chapel and nervously smoothed down her dress and looked down at her peep toe heels that matched it perfectly, even the rosettes on them were identical to the larger ones scattered over her bodice.
“No second thoughts?”
She jumped at the sound of Tom Sykes’s voice from behind her, “Fuck Tom, don’t do that to me.”
“Sorry,” he smiled, “Ye look rad. Matt’s going to have a fucking heart attack.”
“He better not,” she laughed and turned back to the mirror checking her simple flick of eyeliner one last time, “I’ve never been so fucking terrified in all my life and all I have to do is walk in a straight line and repeat a few words.”
“They’re right important words and ye are in heels,” Tom grinned, “Come on, can’t keep ’im waitin’ much longer, looks like ’e’s abou’ t’ pee ’is pants.”
“Just the image I want in my head,” she laughed as she followed her friend out of the bathroom and down the hall.
“No turning back,” he turned to smile at her as she slipped her hand into his and he squeezed it reassuringly, “Ready?”
She nodded, “Absolutely.”
Matt shuffled from one foot to the other at the alter and nervously ran his hands down the front of his dark blue checked shirt.
“Would ye stop fidgetin’,” Oli demanded, “It’s fuckin’ annoyin’.”
He shoved his hands in the pockets of his dark skinny jeans, “I’m right nervous so I’m allowed t’ fidget. Anyway I thought you’d be spoutin’ on abou’ how this is such a bad idea.”
“Aye, well, changed my mind haven’t I?” Oli crossed his arms over his chest.
Matt raised an eyebrow, “Oh yeah?”
Oli shrugged, “She’s a good lass an’ that and she loves ye and you love her so,” he shrugged again, “Gettin’ hitched seems to make sense in tha’ way but I still think yer stupid to do it this young.”
Matt rolled his eyes, “We’re goin’ ‘t do it any road so wha’s it matter when we do it?”
Oli shrugged, “Jus’ think yer a bit daft is all and yer mam is goin’ t’ kill ye.”
“Don’t remind me,” Matt fidgeted with the cuff of his shirt.
Suddenly the official sitting behind the desk beside them stood up and smiled as some soft music played and the door at the other end of the room opened to reveal Lexi and Tom.
Lexi rested her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she browsed through a rack of dresses in a vintage store she and Amanda had happened upon on their mission to find her wedding dress, “I’m sorry Kay, it’s just a spur of the moment thing, you know? We’re going to have a do and stuff when we get back.”
“But that’s in like six weeks,” she whined, “And it won’t be an actual wedding.”
“I think we have to have a civil ceremony in the UK to make it legal, so technically it is an actual wedding and more important than this one.”
“How rock and roll, two weddings,” Lexi could imagine her friend rolling her eyes.
“Tell you what, you can pick my dress for the UK ceremony. You can put me in anything you want and you will be my maid of honour so you can pick what you wear too, no silly colours or daft fabrics. It’s all up to you,” Lexi tried to reason.
The line was quiet on the other end, “You’ll wear anything I pick?”
Lexi smiled, “Within reason.”
“Within reason is not anything Lexi Edwards-soon-to-be-Nicholls.”
“Fuck,” Lexi stopped shuffling hangers, “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“What? Changing your name? You don’t have to I suppose,” Kaylah mused.
Lexi scratched her head, “I hadn’t really thought about it before.”
Her friend sighed, “Yeah well you’re lucky you’ve got one of those classic names that goes with pretty much anything. You could even be fancy and go all double barrelled.”
She scrunched her nose up, “I don’t like double barrelled names, I’d rather go with Nicholls. There are worse names.”
“What like Sykes? It always remind me of the baddie in Oliver Twist,” Kaylah laughed.
“Lex! I think I’ve found it!” Amanda cried from the other side of the store.
“Who’s found what?” Kaylah asked.
Lexi crossed the room to her friend who had a short, strapless ivory dress, with large fabric roses trailing across half the bodice, in her hands, “Amanda’s just found my dress.”
***
Oli lugged his feet along as Matt dragged him around yet another jewellery shop, “Were ye drunk?”
Matt rolled his eyes, his friend had spent most of their morning together trying to figure out just what was the reason behind his proposal the night before, “No.”
“Were ye high?”
“No.”
“Was she drunk?”
“No an’ she wasn’t high either,” Matt chuckled.
Oli frowned, “I jus’ don’ get it.”
“Really? Hadn’t noticed,” Matt leaned over to look in a case of diamond rings.
“Is she pregnant?”
Oli jumped on his friend’s silence and stood next to him, lowering his face to his level, “She’s with sprog isn’t she?”
Matt squared his jaw and looked up from the rings before speaking quietly, “She was.”
The front man’s face broke into a grin for a split second, “Wait, was?”
“It weren’t in the right place, that’s why she collapsed,” Matt moved down to the next display case.
Oli paused and took a second to process everything before following, placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “I’m sorry mate.”
Matt looked over at him, half expecting a snipe or a quip.
“Seriously man, that’s just… fuck dude, I’m so sorry.”
The drummer shrugged, “Can we just find her a ring?”
They stood in silence for a couple of minutes before Oli pointed into the case, “That one.”
“What one?”
“The big purple one with the diamonds in the band,” he tapped the glass.
Matt smiled and nudged his friend, “You’re good at this.”
Oli shrugged and straightened the front of his jacket, “What can I say? I’ve got an eye for these things.”
***
Lexi stood in front of the mirror in the ladies toilets in the chapel and nervously smoothed down her dress and looked down at her peep toe heels that matched it perfectly, even the rosettes on them were identical to the larger ones scattered over her bodice.
“No second thoughts?”
She jumped at the sound of Tom Sykes’s voice from behind her, “Fuck Tom, don’t do that to me.”
“Sorry,” he smiled, “Ye look rad. Matt’s going to have a fucking heart attack.”
“He better not,” she laughed and turned back to the mirror checking her simple flick of eyeliner one last time, “I’ve never been so fucking terrified in all my life and all I have to do is walk in a straight line and repeat a few words.”
“They’re right important words and ye are in heels,” Tom grinned, “Come on, can’t keep ’im waitin’ much longer, looks like ’e’s abou’ t’ pee ’is pants.”
“Just the image I want in my head,” she laughed as she followed her friend out of the bathroom and down the hall.
“No turning back,” he turned to smile at her as she slipped her hand into his and he squeezed it reassuringly, “Ready?”
She nodded, “Absolutely.”
Matt shuffled from one foot to the other at the alter and nervously ran his hands down the front of his dark blue checked shirt.
“Would ye stop fidgetin’,” Oli demanded, “It’s fuckin’ annoyin’.”
He shoved his hands in the pockets of his dark skinny jeans, “I’m right nervous so I’m allowed t’ fidget. Anyway I thought you’d be spoutin’ on abou’ how this is such a bad idea.”
“Aye, well, changed my mind haven’t I?” Oli crossed his arms over his chest.
Matt raised an eyebrow, “Oh yeah?”
Oli shrugged, “She’s a good lass an’ that and she loves ye and you love her so,” he shrugged again, “Gettin’ hitched seems to make sense in tha’ way but I still think yer stupid to do it this young.”
Matt rolled his eyes, “We’re goin’ ‘t do it any road so wha’s it matter when we do it?”
Oli shrugged, “Jus’ think yer a bit daft is all and yer mam is goin’ t’ kill ye.”
“Don’t remind me,” Matt fidgeted with the cuff of his shirt.
Suddenly the official sitting behind the desk beside them stood up and smiled as some soft music played and the door at the other end of the room opened to reveal Lexi and Tom.