I will never be a maid of honor again! I was my sister, Khyri's, maid of honor and she turned out to be a bridezilla. I love her to death, she's my best friend, but for someone as chill as she was, it really surprised me how anal she was about her wedding plans. She was getting married to Nile Borran. It makes sense because they'd met during our first summer in Mullingar, Ireland at our Step-Great Aunt Persephone's manor after our mom and stepdad got married. Then, years after she became famous, they ran into each other again and I guess that led to planning a wedding.
So, as her number one best friend, and little sister, I was her maid of honor.
Things got pretty hectic while planning the wedding because she had shows to perform, Nile had shows to perform, and I had shows to perform.
See, me and my best friend, Kasey, are singers, as well. So with all the crazy schedules, planning the wedding wasn't easy, but we got it done.
The night before the rehearsal dinner, Khyri's bachelorette party, was the lightest time in the whole process; but her rehearsal dinner…disastrous for me.
My sister, the bright cookie and schemer she is, remembered a look and a dance that I had shared with Harrie Stiles- one of the guys from This Way- like almost six years ago at our first society ball, so, she made sure to arrange the seating so that I was next Harrie. I'm not gonna lie, I did have a crush on Harrie, years ago, but I never really saw him again in person, so there was no point in the matter. Besides, he was Harrie Stiles- he could have anyone he wanted.
"Sister-in-law!" my best friend and singing partner, Kasey, screamed as she bounded up to my sister. She'd been calling Khyri sister-in-law since she and I claimed that we were married back in the ninth grade.
"All of the black and blue decorations are set up in the reception hall for tonight," Kasey told Khyri.
"Thank you, Kase. You've been a huge help to me today," my sister said relieved. "Honey, you should go get dressed."
"You sure you don't want me showing up to the rehearsal dinner in my jeans, because I will," Kasey joked.
"I loved that dress that you showed me. You have to wear it, it's stunning!"
"Anything the bride asks," Kasey smiled.
"I can't believe you got Ed and Olly to sing tomorrow night!"
"I didn't. Nile did. They're his friends. But I did get to request the songs they'd sing. You and Kase ready to sing tonight?"
"Of course. We've been ready for weeks."
"Let's get ready."
Khy and I dressed together at our loft. She had most of her stuff packed up, ready to move into the house that she had bought with Nile that they were moving into after they came back from their honeymoon. She wanted just her and me to be the only ones at the loft that evening getting prepared.
"This is our last night of just you and me, baby sis," she said as she took my hand.
"I love you, Khy," I smiled.
"I love you, more," she said.
We hugged each other tightly then, she turned me around to tug and adjust my dress.
"It doesn't matter if you're two, twenty two, or fifty two- I'm gonna be forever fixing you," she chuckled.
It was true. My whole life, she had been fixing me, cleaning up my messes, taking care of me. Of course, my mom took care of me as a kid and our stepdad Bill later on; and I loved my stepsister, Mallory, but Khyri always took care of me. She knew every single thing about me.
I started to tear up as I thought about the fact that it wasn't just going to be Khyri and me anymore. She was going to be married tomorrow evening and we wouldn't be the Marrin pair anymore. I would be the only one left with our late father's last name.
"I see that," she smiled. "You know I'm hyphenating my last name, Rey." I never had to say it, she always just knew what I was thinking.
"It's not the same thing," I sniffed, a tear rolling down my cheek. "I don't care who the guy I'm marrying is, I'm not changing my last name," I said defiantly as I stuck up my chin and wiped at the tear.
She laughed, "That may change."
"It won't," I insisted.
She just smiled at me and shook her head. She swiped at some stray mascara or eyeliner on my face and then breathed at her satisfaction for fixing me.
"This is your rehearsal dinner. Let's get you perfect," I said.
I curled her hair and pinned it up. I was glad that she had grown it back out, because she'd kept it short for the last four years. She'd lost a lot of weight over the years for her career and lost even more the last six months to fit into her ideal wedding dress. I'd lost my share of weight over the years too. Both of us were thicker, we both wanted a type of body, and we achieved them. Except that Khyri didn't get any taller…there isn't much that she could do about that.
Khyri was dressed in a vibrant purple dress while I dressed in a green. They were similar in the fact that they were short and strapless, but mine had more embroidering and hers was sweetheart and tutu-ish while mine was straight-edged and pencil.
"Let's go," I said after we'd picked out our shoes and jewelry.
So, I was seated at the spot I was assigned, next to Khyri and her best friend/my big sister, Vanessa, on the other side of an empty chair because there was no Harrie next to me!
I had actually, foolishly, had my hopes up to see Harrie. But when he wasn't sitting next to me well into the dinner, I felt deflated and my mood soured.
"Sorry I'm late!" I heard a British accent laugh to my left.
"It's okay, Harrie, just go sit down," I heard Nile's Irish accent laugh.
"Where's my seat?" Harrie asked.
Khyri beamed up at him and kissed him on each cheek before saying, "You'll be sitting next to my sister, Reyghan." She pointed to me, "She's right here."
Harrie looked up at me in slight recognition and smiled, his dimples showing prominently.
He took a seat next to me and continued to smile.
"Hey," I said for lack of something better to say.
"I remember you. That ball in Mullingar a few years ago, didn't we dance together?"
"Once, I think," as I took a sip of champagne. I wasn't going to be obvious that the dance I had shared with him years ago had been on my mind for weeks after.
"So, what've you been up to, lately?" he asked. His red lips still turned up in a smile at me.
I looked at him, guarded, "I've been touring."
"You and your mate, Kasey, right? You're called 'Outta Sight'. I have your EP and your album," he continued smiling.
"You're kinda freaking me out," I chuckled before taking a bite of my dinner.
Harrie looked puzzled and taken aback as he turned to eat the food on his plate.
"Oh, crap! You took that to heart?! I'm so sorry," I laughed. "I'm a suck person."
"You were joking?" he looked at me with vulnerability.
"Of course! I'm not that mean. Thanks for buying our music!"
"Yeah," he said, guarded.
I was terrible with guys. I never knew what to say to guys I thought were attractive…and Harrie was definitely attractive.
I basically cowered away from Harrie that whole evening, scared that I'd say something terrible to him again. It was all I could do to sing For Good from Wicked with Kase. I almost had a panic attack, and I thanked God for the Prozac I had taken that morning.
"C'mon! Please!" Khyri begged. "It would mean so much to me."
"Fine!" I laughed. "Ugh! Why are we friends?" I laughed harder.
"Because you love me," she said for the millionth time.
It was true.
I climbed under her covers and we snuggled up together for the night.
We lived in California and made sure to keep the thermostat constantly set at sixty eight degrees because we both hate heat.
That night, after the rehearsal dinner, Khyri had asked me if I could sleep with her that night. She wanted us to be together throughout this. It may seem sick how much we really leaned on each, but we leaned on each other for anything and everything. So we snuggled up together in her bed, arms around each other, and her head lower than mine.
"Hey, you'll work things out with Harrie. Just be your charming self, everything will be fine," she mumbled in a sleepy haze.
"What?"
"Just don't cuss as much, you sailor. Be a little ladylike."
"I don't even know Harrie well enough to like him. What are you talking about?"
"Rey, stop trying to play like I don't know you inside and out," she murmured, drifting farther asleep. "I love you; sweet dreams," she muttered before turning in the other direction.
"I love you; sweet dreams," I said as I curled up in my famous sleeping ball.
"Wake up, you two!" mom said as she shook both of us and screamed our names. "This is just like when you were both in school. WAKE UP!"
"Ten minutes," I managed to get out. Khy's bed was so comfortable and warm in the cold air, I wanted to stay.
"Yeah, ten minutes," Khy agreed and the covers moved, which meant she burrowed down farther in the bed.
"Khy, you are getting married today, get up!" mom yelled again.
Khyri grumbled but I felt her get out of the bed and knew she went straight to the bathroom to go pee, like she did everyday as soon as she woke up.
The bridal party barged into the huge bedroom, not that I was surprised, everyone had keys to our loft. I sat up and smiled groggily at them.
"Y'all ain't up, yet?!" Sienna laughed.
"Sorry!" I laughed back.
All the girls in the bridal party I considered my big sisters, other than the two who actually were. But Khy had been friends with Carsen since they were ten, Vanessa since they were fifteen and fourteen, and Sienna since they were fourteen.
"Well, let's get ready," my stepsister, Mallory, said as Khy stepped out of the bathroom.
A group of stylists were there to prepare us all. The whole time during prep, we were telling stories of our times together and laughing.
The wedding went off without a hitch on April 13th. I'd found myself crying a time or two. I was really going to miss having my sister to myself.
I do have to add that I was honestly happy that Khy hadn't asked Bill to walk her down the aisle and give her away. Khy and our dad had a strong bond while I had one with our mom. She refused to let anyone walk her down the aisle because- and I quote, "I love Bill, I do, but if I can't have daddy here to walk me down the aisle, then I'm walking down alone!" I respected that because I wouldn't want anyone other than my dad to walk me down the aisle.
Besides, in the huge wedding, being televised- might I add- her coming down the aisle was one of the most memorable moments. She made it clear that this was her wedding, her dream wedding she'd been planning since she was a kid.
Anyway, during the whole ceremony, I'd caught Harrie trying to catch my eye, which he did, as we watched Nile and Khyri exchange their vows. It may sound pitiful, but I'd never kissed a guy before, and all I kept envisioning was Harrie's lips on mine. The thought made me breathless where I stood.
After the ceremony, the reception was just as Khyri had described it to be in her head a billion times. There were purple lights, white silk and sheer fabric everywhere, and blue and black rose petals scattered over everything. Khyri had made it so that she had three dresses to wear that day, so, after she'd changed into her second dress, the party really began.
Everyone was dancing like they were really having the time of their lives, the way Khyri had wanted. Then, a slow song came on.
I didn't have a date to my own sister's wedding, which sucked, but I didn't have time to find one. So, I made my way over to the open bar, and ordered a glass of wine.
"Would you like to dance?" I heard a deep, buttery, British accent ask behind me.
