Yours Truly

I sat on one of barstools in Liam’s kitchen, drinking the tea Bettie had been preparing when I arrived, and patiently waited for her to finish getting ready. We were supposed to be meeting Cristabel at a small boutique to look at bridesmaid’s dresses in under 30 minutes, but she was still taking her time getting ready. I flipped through one of the bridal magazines I had tucked into my large purse for the day, and dog-eared the pages that held things I wanted for the wedding. Bettie finally emerged a few minutes later, her Alice in Wonderland mug dangling limply in her hand, and still looked half asleep.

“If your boyfriend wasn’t out of town, I’d say you looked like you were making the walk of shame,” I said, motioning to the shirt she had clearly nicked from Liam’s closet.

“You know I hate mornings,” she grumbled, grabbing her purse and shoving random things into it, “Now let’s go try on some dresses.”

“Don’t be too excited, Bettie,” I laughed, leading her out of the apartment, “I still can’t choose between the aqua dresses, or the red dresses though. Any thoughts on that matter?

“Aqua, and we can have a red accent somewhere. Plus, red would clash with my hair, and Crista’s a bit,” she nodded matter-of-factly as we entered the lift.

I smiled widely, realizing how right she was, and practically pushed her towards the car so we wouldn’t be much later. When we finally got to the boutique, Cristbael was waiting out front, and texting away quickly on her phone. I waved as we approached her, the wind nearly causing my deep yellow dress to expose my knickers, and quickly pushed it down so the media wouldn’t have anything to say. Since Zayn and I become engaged about 2 months ago, there had been rumors that the ring I was wearing was different than the one I had been snapped with previously. We didn’t want to announce anything to the media, because we didn’t feel like we needed to, but didn’t do anything to put the ‘rumors’ to bed.

After a quick hug, I lead the girls inside the boutique, ignoring the few paparazzi that had nerve to yell questions out. The clerk, a middle aged woman who I had spoken to once before, greeted us all happily, and led us back to one of the dressing areas. She had dresses picked out in both of our wedding colors, and handed each girl one of the dresses before ushering them into their own stalls. I sat on the couch, texting Zayn idly, and blushed at sweet he was being.

“So, here’s option number one in red,” the lady announced, Bettie walking out from behind the curtain, “The short cotton look is becoming more and more popular, especially with garden weddings, like you told me yours would be.”

“I like the style, but Betts, you were right, it clashes with your hair,” I said, making her nod in agreement, “Cristabel, let’s see yours!”

“I put her in a short aqua dress, but this one made from a chiffon and silk material,” the lady said, moving aside so Bettie could go back to change.

The dress landed just above Cristabel’s knees, gripping her chest with a crossed ruching, and becoming looser as it fell down her body. Her light tan was accentuated, meaning it wouldn’t drown out Bettie’s pale skin, and looked fine with her reddish hair. I immediately voiced my interest, asking the lady if we could get Bettie into one as well, and laughed when Bettie groaned about putting on another dress. The lady also pulled nude pumps for the pair to wear, and I nearly dropped my jaw when they stood side by side. The dresses looked amazing on them, the heels being the perfect accent, and I had to snap a pic to show Zayn later. We bought the dresses, figuring we could shop around for shoes later, and left after the girls’ measurements had been taken for alterations.

“So, who wants to get some lunch?” Bettie asked, rolling the sleeves of the shirt up since it had gotten warmer.

“I’m famished, so I say lunch is a great idea,” Cristabel said, stopping as we came to a crosswalk, “How do you guys feel about diner food?”

“I feel like it’s reasons like this that you’re my best friend,” I laughed, glancing up from my phone, “So, who else is excited for the boys to get home for a little bit before they head back to America?”

“Me!” Cristabel answered, almost too quickly, “I mean, I am. It’s not as exciting when they’re gone I’ve realized.”

“Or you just really miss a certain Irish boy,” Bettie winked, opening the door to the diner, “I’m personally excited for my teddy bear to get back, I hate sleeping alone.”

“My fiancé just needs to help me plan some of this damn wedding,” I said, probably too loud, as we sat in our booth, “You’re still flying out with me to visit them in America, right Bettie?”

She nodded, an excited smile taking over her face, and we all turned our attention to the menus in front of us. I scanned over everything, already knowing I would end up getting some form of breakfast food, and traced the pattern of the table with my fingertips lazily. I looked up when the cheery elderly woman approached our table, and smiled at how happy she looked as she asked what we wanted. We rattled our orders off, handing over our menus, and I nearly blushed as she commented on my ring. She showed me her ring, one much simpler than mine, and told me about how she had just had her 50th anniversary with her husband.

“I want my face to light up like that when I talk about Zayn in 50 years,” I gushed, watching her walk away.

“Well, you have a good start on it,” Bettie smirked, “And don’t even say anything about Liam and I. I know that we act like kids in love.”

“You guys make me want to puke,” Cristabel laughed, faking a gag.

“Just wait until you’re all rainbows and puppies with the leprechaun, and we’ll see if we still make you want to puke,” I retaliated, making her face darken, “Just what I thought.”

We spent the rest of our lunch laughing, talking mainly about work and the trip to America in a month. The boys would be back in London in three days, leaving for America in only five, meaning we would barely get to see them. Part of me was sad, because I had gotten used to Zayn being around a lot, but I also knew this is what his job entailed. I knew I should do something special as a goodbye, and mulled ideas around my brain, until I thought of the perfect plan. I voiced the idea to the girls, both of them agreeing it was perfect, and Bettie even decided to do something similar for Liam.

I paid once the bill arrived, saying it was the first of many since they were helping me with the wedding so much, and drug the pair towards the store we needed to go to. We split up once we were inside, and I immediately shifted through the racks until I found the perfect item. The girl behind the counter looked up from her magazine when the three of us approached, and quickly tried turning the page that had Bettie’s face on it while blushing profusely. Bettie cracked a joke about the picture, something about the lighting be terrible, and the girl visibly relaxed as she rung up our purchases. I offered a movie night at my house, since it was still early enough, and the girls agreed as we made our way to the cars. Cristabel said she’d be over in half an hour, enough time to change into comfier clothes, and bid us goodbye as Bettie and I crawled into my car.

“So, I have something to tell you,” Bettie announced as we arrived back at the complex, “Promise to stay calm?”

“If you’re pregnant, I may slap you,” I said, turning to her with a serious face.

“Oh god no, nothing like that,” she said with wide eyes, “I was just gonna tell you that Liam asked me to move into his flat, and I may have said yes.”

“Bettie, that means we’ll practically be neighbors!” I grinned, pulling her into a tight hug, “When are you moving in?”

“I kind of already did,” she mumbled, “We decided to sell my furniture since most of it was still stuff my parents had handed down to me when they redid their place. I was surprised you didn’t notice some of my stuff in the kitchen.”

I thought back, realizing I did see her mixer and Mickey Tea Kettle in the kitchen, and shrugged telling her I wasn’t observant. We got to my floor first, and I stepped out of the lift, telling her that I’d leave the door open and to just come in when she was ready. I tossed my purse into its normal place when I got inside, and undid my belt as I walked towards the bedroom. I tossed my dress into the hamper, placing my shoes and belt in their rightful place, and slipped on one of Zayn’s shirts and some sweats. The smell of his cologne was still on the shirt, and I inhaled deeply with a smile on my face. I glanced at the clock, realizing he would be available if I were to call, and opened Face Time while flopping onto my stomach across the bed.

“’Ello gorgeous,” his scruffy face greeted, “I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” I sighed, still managing a smile, “Hence why I stole one of your shirts to wear.”

“My clothes always do look good on you,” he winked, making me bury my face into the comforter, “So how was your day love?”

I told him about the dress shopping, and told him that we’d have to pick a venue when he got home since we had a theme set. I then told him about the old woman the diner, to which he kept making comments about. When I finally finished my recap, I asked him about the recording, and smiled as he gushed about everything. I listened intently, watching his face light up as he told me about the song they were writing, and barely noticed Bettie standing in the doorway. She kept making kissy faces at me, and I flipped her off playfully.

“I’m going to assume Bettie arrived then?” Zayn asked, noticing my actions.

“Yeah, she’s making fun of us,” I laughed, as she shouted a greeting to Zayn.

“Ello to you too Bettie,” he laughed shifting on the couch he was sitting on, “I’ll let you go, love. I love you, and can’t wait to see you in a few days.”

“I love you too, babe,” I smiled, blowing him a kiss.

He blew one back, and we ended the call, my face slightly falling. Bettie noticed, and immediately cheered me up when she tossed the movie she was holding in front of me. I picked up the case, the giant letters of SPICE WORLD popping out to me, and practically screamed as I ran into the living room to put it in. We barely let Cristabel come in the door when we had the movie playing, and were reliving our childhoods.