Disease

Afton ran a hand through her greasy hair and sighed, setting her pen down, "Oli love, I dunno 'ow yer plannin' on payin' fer this weddin' when we 'ave no god damn money."

Oliver walked up behind her and shoved the bills to the other side of the counter. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head, "Doll. Stop yer worryin'. Why don't yeh shower up and we'll go get yeh a dress."

"Thought we were gonna do it alone," She said, turning to face him, "Yeh know, I pick out yer's and yeh pick out mine?"

"Tell yeh what, yeh go get ready and we'll go from there."

"Right." Afton pecked Oli lightly and got off the stool, walking slowly into the bathroom. As the shower started up, Oli began sifting though the bills. All the usual ones were there, besides Afton's prescription bill. Confused, he walked into the bathroom.

"Hey Af?"

She stuck her face out of the curtain, "Yeah?"

"Did yeh forget teh fill yer prescriptions?"

She dropped the curtain and stared at the soapy pouf in her hands, "I might've lost it."

"Might've?"

"Yeah, I dunno what 'appened to it. Sorry I never told yeh."

"'ts alright Af. I'll give yer doctor a call and we'll pick it up while we out, okay?"

Afton nodded to herself in the shower, "Alright."

Oliver left the bathroom to make the phone call and Afton stepped out of the shower, starting up the sink so she could brush her teeth. Moments later, she walked into the bedroom and dried herself off. She pulled on her undergarments and pulled a pair of grey stockings out of her drawers. She then pulled on a t shirt long enough to cover her thighs and a black cardigan over top. She put on a pair of black flats, and walked back into the bathroom, fixing her hair and make up and drying her hair just slightly.

"Alright Af. Just called yer prescription in. Yeh ready teh go Love?" He asked, walking into the bathroom, "Yeh look quite lovely."

"Thank yeh," She grinned, looking from Oli's smiling face in the mirror to the emerald on her finger, "I love yeh."

"Love yeh too." He smiled again, bending down and kissing her on the cheek, "Yeh ready?"

She grinned, "Ready teh pick yeh out a very nice ruffled suit."

Oli took her hand in his and smiled as they walked out the front door, "Yeh don't want us lookin' 'ideous on our weddin' day, do yeh?"

"'m always lookin' like that. Won't quite matter teh meh." She smirked, getting into the car.

Oli shook his head, shoving the keys into the ignition, "Yeh never look bad, love."



Once they arrived at the dress store, they went their separate ways. Oli didn't care much for finding himself a suit, but Afton couldn't help staring at all the dresses that lined the walls of the store. There were so many. Short, medium, long. Some were homecoming dresses. Others were wedding dresses. Her hands trailed over the fabric and her eyes stuck to the embroidery. She finally made her way back to the suit section. She knew Oliver didn't want something fancy and gaudy. He came up behind her as she pulled out a plain black suit from the rack.

"I like that one."

She jumped slightly, "Yeh scared meh, yeh arse!"

He chuckled, "'m sorry Love. But I like that one."

"It's just plain though."

"Yer lucky teh be gettin' me in somethin' as stiff and uncomfortable as that. I don't think yer gonna get any further with it."

She smiled at him, "Yeah I guess so. Did yeh find meh a dress?"

"Not quite yet. Why don't yeh 'and meh that and go look through 'em?"

Afton handed over the suit and walked away from Oliver, one dress in mind. It was the highest one up on the wall. It was a ball dress, a dark green. The pieces of material were held up at the bottom by small jewels. It was strapless at the top and had a curved neckline. She gazed up at it, the lights twinkling off the dress. She patted one of the clerks on the arm.

"'Ow much is that dress up on the wall?"

"'ts 'bout 2,000 euros."

Afton's eyes grew big as she gazed up at the dress, "Thank yeh."

She walked away from it and moved on to the soft pink ones next to it. Not as flowy. Not as long. Not as pretty. Her eyes kept trailing back to the green dress on the wall. She sighed loudly and looked around for Oliver, not seeing him. She reached up with one hand and grazed the bottom of the silky dress, wanting it so badly to be her's. She brought her arm down and it connected roughly with someone's shoulder.

"Aye, 'm sorry." She said, turning around to face Oli, becoming embarrassed, "Jesus, yer always like right behind meh."

"Yeh like that dress?" He asked.

"That green one?" She nodded, "It's alright I guess. But not for 2,000 euros."

"But do yeh like it?"

"I said it's alright." She said, making her way over to a fairy like dress, the top of it a teal color and the bottom made of green and blue tulle, "This one's nice."

Oli gazed up at the green one she'd been looking at, "This one matches yer ring."

"Weddin' dresses are supposed teh be white, remember?"

"Who cares. This'll be the only time we get married, might as well make a few statements, yeah?"

"I guess so."

"Well then let's get the green dress."

"I don't want that one."

"Yes yeh do. I can tell."

"I don't Oli." She snapped slightly, "We're not buyin' it."

"Why not? 'ts a nice a dress."

"It's too big and it costs too much. I'll find somethin' else."

Oli sighed inwardly as he watched Afton thumb through the dresses. He told her he was leaving to get some coffee and he walked out of the store, stopping outside the window. And there she was, peering up at that dress. The green one she wanted to badly. He watched as she reached up and touched the bottom of it again. And he sighed again. 2,000 euros might be out of the question, but he knew she wanted that dress so bad it hurt. He walked off towards the coffee stand, his hands stuffed in his pockets, trying to make a decision.

After he'd gotten his coffee and came back to the store, he saw Afton still gazing at the green dress on the wall. But draped across her arms was a light grey one with the inside of it white. It was longer than most, but not as long and pretty as the one she wanted. She saw Oliver and her face lit up. She couldn't stand being in the store looking at all those dresses any longer. She just wanted to get out.

"Yeh ready love?" He asked uneasily.

She nodded at him, "Yes."

"Yeh sure yeh don't want that green one?"

"Positive."

She carried her dress to the counter and they paid for both the dress and Oliver's suit. Afton took a hold of Oliver's coffee, taking occasional sips out of it while he carried the bag containing their clothes in his arms. They made it out to the car and Oliver put the clothes in the back seat, setting the dress on top. He asked Afton to hand him his coffee and she placed it into the cup holder, getting into the car. Oliver stepped into the car as well and they started it up, driving off.

"Where yeh goin'?" Afton asked as Oli took a turn that wasn't in the direction of their flat.

"I'm goin' teh pick up yer prescription. Because yeh never did it."

"Told yeh I lost the slip," she paused, looking out the window, "Didn't mean teh."

"Well I don't see why yeh couldn't just tell meh that. Or the doctor. We coulda gotten yeh another slip. It's not that big of a deal."

"Next time I guess I'll just do that then." She said sourly, looking at the side of Oli's face and then back out the window.

Oli placed a warm hand on her knee and chuckled slightly, "Don't get yer knickers in a bunch, all will be resolved soon."

She shook her head at him, smiling slightly, "Alright wizard."

They came to the pharmacy window and Oliver unrolled his window, speaking into the microphone, "Yeah I need teh pick up a prescription fer Afton Wright."

The pharmacist nodded, "Can I 'ave yer ID?"

Oli passed over his ID and his debit card to pay for the prescription, "'ere yeh go."

"Alright. Total is gonna be $16.04. Yeh lot alright with that?"

Oli nodded, "Yep."

He scanned the card, bagged her medication and sent it out the window, "Yeh 'ave a nice day."

"Thank yeh sir."

They drove off and Oliver handed Afton the prescription, jamming his ID and his debit card into his pocket, "See that wasn't so difficult."

"Yeah, I know."

Moments later, they pulled up to the flat and Oli grabbed his coffee. He reached into the back seat to grab the dress and the suit. Afton had started walking up the steps when she heard Oliver cuss loudly.

She whipped around and looked at his body, halfway in the car, "What 'appened love?"

"Nothin'." He snapped, looking at the grey and white dress, all covered in coffee, "Shit. 'ts alright. I'll get the dress and suit later, alright?" He slammed the car door shut and locked it, looking up at Afton, "That alright?"

"'ts fine."

He smiled at her, coffee in one hand, her hand in the other and walked up the concrete stairs to their front door. They walked inside and Afton threw her medication on the couch, walking into the kitchen to put the kettle on for tea.

"Aren't yeh gonna take yer pill?"

"Fuck Oli. Yes I'll take it. 'm puttin' water on for tea so I can swallow it. Will yeh chill out?"

"Sorry." He said quietly, picking up the prescription off the couch and tearing it open, "Yeh know I just want yeh teh get better. Don't mean teh nag at yeh."

She sighed loudly, tears brimming at her eyes. She waited to speak, as she didn't want her voice to waver, "I know. 'm just a bit tired from shoppin'."

"Well that's all done now." He said, opening open the bottle of pills and setting one on the counter, "Now all we 'ave teh do is get married."

"Who's comin' teh the weddin'?"

He shrugged, "Meh mum and dad. I was thinkin' of inviting Matt and meh mates. That alright?"

Afton scoffed lightly, "Yeah that's fine."

"What're yeh actin' like that for?"

"I didn't mean it towards yeh. 'ts just yer family's comin'. Yeh've got friends that are comin'. And I don't 'ave anyone teh invite."

"Less people teh feed." He grinned, propping himself up on to the counter. The kettle started to boil and he pulled two cups out of the cabinet, "'ere love."

Afton poured the hot water into both mugs and dumped tea bags into the cups, putting a bit of sugar into both cups and cinnamon into one. She stirred the tea and stared at her pill, thinking of ways she could fake swallowing it. She really didn't want to take it. It was sitting there. Big and yellow.

"Looks like it's gonna be a tough one teh swallow." She commented.

"Yeh can do it love."

She grinned up at him, picking up the pill, putting it in her mouth and taking a cautious sip of her tea. The pill sat on her tongue, tasting bitter and powdery. She swallowed it. She felt it in her throat and screwed her face up.

"I 'ate takin' medication."

He nodded, "I know yeh do. I know."

"It's terrible."

"I know."

"It's bad for meh body. Yeh know that? Teh alter it with drugs."

He jumped off the counter and picked up both of their mugs, "'ts also bad teh drink. Teh smoke. Teh stay up past yer bedtime and have unprotected sex," he walked into the living room, "It's bad teh lie, teh steal, and teh not finish 'ighschool." He grinned, patting the spot on the couch that was next to him, "But yeh've done all those things, so I don't think takin' medication is gonna worsen anything else."

She sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder. And they sat like that for hours. Talking. Just talking. Their tea got cold. Their bodies grew warm. Afton felt embarrassed. Oli felt lost. They talked more. Afton really wanted that dress at the store. Oli was upset he'd spilled his coffee on the one they'd bought. Afton was scared about getting married.

Oliver just wanted everything to end. He was sick of the medication. Of the not happy Afton. Of the fight to get her to stay healthy. He wanted her to be healthy for once in her life.

"'m sorry." Oli said, interrupting Afton's story about being at home while he was gone on tour.

"For what?" She asked quietly, cocking her head at him.

"For sayin' that thing 'bout yeh kickin' the bucket. Yeh know I don't want that teh 'appen, ever."

She nodded, "I know Oli."