Thank you so much for the reviews so far. I love reading them.
I'm not feeling great about this chapter but hopefully it's not too bad.
Aidan & Orla (and their family) belong to me. Everyone else belongs to themselves.
Before she knew it Thursday had rolled around, and so Orla accompanied Bronagh and her other bridesmaids to a local bridal shop in order to have their dresses fitted for the wedding.
The youngest of the Sweeney siblings was fond of Tommy's fiancée. Bronagh was a couple of years older than Orla, but she always seemed to look youthful. Her rounded face was framed by chocolate brown locks that skimmed her shoulders, deep brown eyes that stood out against her somewhat pale complexion, and a wide smile that was warm and friendly. She was always smiling too. Orla had never seen Bronagh without a smile on her face until Tommy's accident.
"So, what do ya think?" Bronagh asked her bridesmaids as she displayed one of the dresses.
"I like the colour," Orla replied, "It's brighter than I was expectin' but it's lovely."
The dresses had been described as 'mermaid green', which turned out to be shade of teal, quite similar to Orla's eye colour. The dresses were ankle length with spaghetti straps and the smooth material was ruched in places. Martha, the seamstress and owner of the bridal shop, pulled out some matching boleros to wear on top of the dresses given the cool February temperatures.
"Come on then, let's see yours!" Bronagh's sister Kerry, who was also her maid of honour, exclaimed excitedly.
Tommy's fiancée disappeared into one of the fitting rooms. Martha followed with a garment bag containing the brunette's wedding dress.
"You ready?" the bride to be asked a few minutes later, before stepping out of the dressing room.
There was a collective gasp of delight as Bronagh twirled around in order to fully display her wedding dress. It was white, with a full skirt and v-neck bodice that were embroidered with delicate floral designs. Martha approached the brunette and attached a waist length veil that was trimmed with delicate lace. Another chorus of 'oohs' and 'ah's' sounded as the bride to be gave another twirl.
"Oh, Bronagh," Orla sighed, "Ya look beautiful."
"Thanks, Orla." the brunette smiled back at her future sister-in-law.
When the women finally left Martha's bridal shop it was almost four in the afternoon. Kerry and the other three bridesmaids said their goodbyes and set off for their respective homes and workplaces. Bronagh and Orla had decided to head into town for a coffee and a chat before heading back to the Sweeney house, where they had left the still recovering Tommy under the watchful eyes of his mother.
"Orla?"
The blonde woman turned to her left and saw an all too familiar face. One that she didn't want to see.
Standing in front of her was Mark Murphy, her emotionally abusive ex-boyfriend. A smirk crossed his lips as his hazel eyes twinkled mischievously. It wasn't difficult to see how Orla had been attracted to him in the first place. Nobody could deny that Mark was a handsome man. His dark brown hair was always neatly slicked back, showcasing his strong jawline and cheekbones, as well as those hazel eyes. He was tall, taller than Aidan and her father. She had to lift her head in order to address him.
"Mark." she replied.
"You're lookin' good," the Irishman eyed her up and down, "Better than you were anyway."
"That's probably down to you not bein' around, always puttin' her down." Bronagh interjected.
"Puttin' her down?"
"For months ya told me tha I wasn't good enough," the blonde woman frowned, "That I wasn't worth anybody's time."
Mark laughed, "But ya stuck around, didn't ya? Yer brothers tried to make ya see sense and leave."
"Yeah, well," Orla shrugged, "Guess I should thank ya for dumpin' me."
"And why's that then?"
"Because otherwise I wouldn't have a man who actually does care for me."
"Would that be Fergal Devitt?"
"What's it ta you?" Bronagh folded her arms across her chest.
"News travels fast in these parts." the Irishman smirked.
"Well I don't care who knows it," Orla shrugged, "I'm in love with a man who loves me and doesn't treat me like crap."
Mark smirked, "He may have a man's body but he's not a man."
"And you are?" Bronagh gave a smirk of her own.
"He's more of a man than you'll ever be." Orla told her ex.
"He'll get bored o' ya, I did."
"Come on Orla, he's not worth it." Bronagh took the blonde woman's arm and led her away, throwing a dirty look over her shoulder at Mark.
Seeing Mark again had stirred up some unpleasant feelings for Orla. Looking back she couldn't believe how easily he had manipulated her. They had begun dating last spring and for the first couple of months everything was great, but then he changed, subtle changes that flew under the radar until eventually they were the norm. For the next few months Orla was subjected to daily criticisms of her appearance, her personality, and her intelligence.
Her family had all attempted to make her see sense. Her parents had begged her to leave him and move back into the family home. She had seen tears in her father's eyes. Shane and his wife had invited her to dinner on numerous occasions, simply to see to it that she had a decent meal, given her noticable weight loss that had stemmed from being called 'chubby' and told that she could 'stand to lose a few pounds' by Mark.
Later that evening the youngest Sweeney sibling found her mother sitting in the living room, preoccupied with a battered cardboard box next to her on the sofa.
"Whatcha lookin' at there?" Orla enquired.
"Photos," Roisin replied, "From back when yous were kids."
"Wow, I haven't seen these in ages." the younger blonde sank onto the sofa next to her mother.
"There's a lot o' them in here," Roisin nodded down at the box.
Orla reached into the box and pulled out an album that caught her eye, "Aidan's 21st."
That was probably the first time she had noticed Fergal. As a romantic prospect anyway.
It was early March and Orla had spent the afternoon helping her mother to set up their local sports hall for Aidan's birthday party since he was turning twenty-one. The place was now decorated with balloons and banners, as well as a table set up ready for the delivery of the birthday cake, which was to be shaped like a camera in recognition of his photography hobby.
Orla wasn't much for parties herself, tending to stay in her room listening to music and reading teen magazines. She made appearances for Christmas and other special occasions, but it was always preferable to slip away for some time alone, since Sweeney parties had a habit of being loud and jolly.
When it came to her wardrobe she was a typical teenage girl; owning a large assortment of clothing but often complaining that she had nothing to wear. After spending twenty minutes choosing between three different outfits the youngest Sweeney sibling opted for a knee length dress in a black and white gingham pattern. After a quick coat of mascara and some strawberry flavoured lip balm, Orla slipped into a pair of black flats, deciding to leave her honey blonde locks loose to fall across her shoulders.
By eight o'clock the party was in full swing. Orla was keeping to herself in the corner when she felt a pair of eyes on her. Looking up to meet the blue eyes of Fergal Devitt the youngest Sweeney sibling found her heart skip a beat. He was Aidan's friend. In fact, he was a friend of all of her brothers, since they had played football together for years. He was keen on becoming a professional wrestler though, according to snippets of her brother's conversations that she'd overheard.
She looked back in his direction to see him approaching her.
"Hiya, Orla."
"Fergal." the blonde managed a nod.
"Whatcha doin' over here in the corner?" he enquired.
"Just standin' here I guess," Orla shrugged, "I'm not really into parties."
"Ah, come on! Will ya not have a dance and some cake?"
The youngest Sweeney sibling shrugged again, "I dunno."
"Come with me," Fergal took her by the hand and led her to the dancefloor, "Just one dance, for me?"
Orla looked away from his gaze for a moment, sure that she was blushing, before looking back, "Okay, I suppose. Just one dance though."
The Irishman grinned and she felt her heart skip a beat all over again.
Probably gonna include more flashbacks in future as they're one of my favourite things to write. Review!