Hi! I bet you weren't expecting this! I can't believe how long it has taken me to get this up. I've been writing this chapter for so long and the reason for the delay is the fact that I wanted this to be a really long chapter, but it just doesn't seem to happening in the way that I want it to. I can't thank people enough for their continued support of and patience with me and this story. I really hope now that this chapter is out of the way (so to speak), I can get on with writing more and updates will then be a lot more regular. Thank you so much again and I'm very sorry for the delay! I hope you enjoy it!
Slowly, Now
The pleats in her dress have been irritating her since the moment she threw the garment over her head this morning. It's almost the afternoon now and she's downing champagne in her flat, Maria busy doing Michelle's hair on the sofa, music blasting from the stereo. Looking at the place, it's hard to imagine she lives here with a child. All of Hayley's things, along with Hayley herself, have been packed up and shipped over to Portsmouth. The exchange with Peter in the middle of Piccadilly Station is always an awkward one; less awkward the more frequently it happens, but awkward nonetheless.
"Carla. Pass us a glass of that bubbly, would you?"
Taken from her thoughts, Carla complies with Maria's request and hands her a flute. She smiles over at Michelle, at how radiant she looks, how truly happy for the first time in what seems to be forever.
Rubbing at the bottom of her dress, she quickly comes to the conclusion that it is not going to last her the full day.
"I can't stand this," she announces "I'm getting changed!"
Michelle stands, the action immediate. Behind her, Maria cusses under her breath, the clip she had just put in place now askew.
"No, babe! Don't. You look gorgeous."
"It's not that. The pleats are irritating me." Carla enters her bedroom. "Won't be two ticks!"
Michelle and Maria share something of a disbelieving glance, shaking their heads with amusement as they go back to their previous positions. Maria continues to pin Michelle's hair into an up do until the last clip is in place and there is a firm knock at the front door.
Michelle frowns. "Who's that?"
Shrugging, Maria turns down the volume of the speakers and goes to answer it.
"Nick…"
Michelle's eyes widen, a knowing smile spreading across her lips. Carla hadn't told her she'd actually gotten round to inviting him to the wedding. She's impressed.
Having had the door opened to him by Maria, Nick is slightly put out, his earlier confidence and knowledge in his head of what he was going to say to Carla lost. He awkwardly flashes his past lover a smile, unintentionally bouncing from foot to foot.
"Ah, sorry," he says. Maria is more than a little bit confused. Nick clears his throat. "Is Carla there?"
"She's just getting ready, babe," says a voice. It is Michelle's voice and it causes Nick to dip his head slightly into the flat, making him able to greet his friend properly. It's strange how quickly everything seems to have developed.
"Hi," he says.
"Hello." She smiles at him. "Come in, Nick, love."
Nick does as he is told, perching on the arm of the nearest sofa to the door. The door is clicked shut behind him. Michelle looks happy to see Nick. Dare he say too happy. Happier to see him than she is about her own wedding - or so it seems. He believes only what she wants him to.
"'Chelle! Which one looks better?"
Carla, without warning, comes parading into the living room. She is holding up two dresses by their hangers; one black, one white. All that is covering her modesty - and herself from her accidental audience - is a black, silk dressing gown her first instinct is to pull tighter around her upon making sudden eye contact with Nick.
The noise that she makes, upon realising he is present, makes Maria laugh into her flute of champagne. She isn't even subtle about it.
"Nick!" Carla gasps. The dresses are moved to cover her; something of a protective barrier.
Nick instantly blushes and looks away from her on instinct. He tries desperately not to show that seeing her in such a state of undress has caught his attention, but fails miserably. It is embarrassing for all parties involved.
"I'm so sorry, Nick. I didn't know you were gonna be here. I… wasn't expecting you." There is an awkwardness in Carla's voice, but the look she throws Michelle tops it by tenfold. She'd have appreciated a little bit of caution.
"No, it's my fault." Nick is staring at the ground when all he wants to be doing is staring at her. There is a part of him that wonders what might have happened had Michelle and Maria not also been present when he caught her in such a way, but he quickly silences that part of him - and gladly so - to focus on salvaging their date. Their date. He still can't seem to get his head around that; not entirely. "You said to meet at the registry office and I should've listened. I should've realised you'd all be here."
He flashes Michelle and Maria uneasy smiles.
Despite knowing better, Michelle can't help omitting a noise akin to that of adoration at his shyly spoken words. He is so cute. Carla's look is no longer awkward; it is smouldering and it forces Maria to take it upon herself to try and keep a conversation flowing.
"Ah! So you came over to pick Carla up before the wedding? As a surprise?"
Nick nods before dipping his head, as if he is ashamed of having thought up such a gesture. Carla's heart hurts. She knows that he wouldn't be acting so bashful if they didn't have an audience, if everything would have gone to plan. She smiles at him; softly, genuinely. His eyes meet hers and she knows there and then that the only reason she has been so eager for Michelle's wedding to come around is the promise of being able to spend hours in the company of those eyes and the beautiful soul to whom they belong.
"Michelle." Michelle is surprised to hear her name coming from Carla's lips - especially because it is spoken in such a gentle way. "You don't mind if I don't come with you in the wedding car, do you?"
Michelle's smile is too large to be hidden. She doesn't even feel like hiding it.
"Of course not!" She sounds ecstatic to have been let down. Maria is finding the whole thing far too amusing. "You go with Nick, babe. You can meet us there."
Carla turns to face her best friend. She worries her bottom lip with a finger, her face full of thought. "Are you sure?"
"More than." Michelle squeezes Carla's shoulder.
They go to hug, but they can't even manage half of one - not if Carla is going to continue to use her dresses as a shield from Nick. Nick, who is quietly delighted. Nick, who does not know where or at whom to look.
"Okay!" Carla lets herself smile properly, properly in the direction of her date. "Five minutes and I'm yours, okay?"
She moves quickly into the bedroom.
Nick feels something pull tight in his chest.
I'm yours.
Carla and Nick arrive at the registry office early, being amongst the first of the guests to show their faces. Having opted to wear the black dress, it did only take Carla a maximum of five minutes to change before allowing Nick to tentatively lead her out of her flat to his car, parked at the door of their flat complex. During the relatively short journey down the stairs, their hands accidentally brushed together on a number of occasions; a flutter of a movement both against one another and inside each of their chests.
The wedding goes off without a hitch. There are no declarations of undying love from party members; no cold feet from the bride nor groom. There are no last minute jitters or midnight confessions or any disturbances to the proceedings of any kind. Without wanting to sound too cliché, there is only one word Carla can think of to describe the ceremony and that is perfect. As understated and glamorous as it is full of love.
At first, Carla had been unsure as to whether to invite Nick to the ceremony. She'd known from the off that she wanted him at the reception - that was never in any doubt. But it was the flowers and the chocolate and the romance involved alongside the exchanging of rings that made her think twice. She didn't want to give him the wrong impression. Too much too soon is never a good thing. She knows this only too well.
His presence at the ceremony surprises her, though she isn't quite sure why. By the end of it, Carla wonders why she ever thought asking him along could be a bad idea. He is good company; gentle company. They smile throughout and share slight, meaningful glances as Steve and Michelle say their vows, glances they attempt to hide with the bowing of heads as if their pink cheeks and shallow breaths are not obvious. They are unavoidable, so much so that they are the first thing Bethany picks up on when she catches them exiting Nick's car outside Victoria Court over an hour later.
Ever the gentlemen, Nick decides to play chauffeur, coming around to Carla's side of the car to open the door for her. She is giggling as he does so, chastising him for being so silly and extreme. (Not that she doesn't like it.) It is at the exact moment he reaches for her hand to pull her from the car that Bethany spots them on her way home from school, bag on her shoulder, ponytail swinging back and forth as she saunters over to them.
"How was the wedding?" she asks. "Go off without a hitch?"
Now on her feet and out of the car, Carla is quick to unlink her fingers from Nick's in front of his beady eyed niece, though they are slow to take a step back from one another. Their natural closeness is noted by Bethany.
Nick closes the car door behind Carla before locking the vehicle entirely.
"It was lovely, yeah," Carla replies with an actual smile on her face. She doesn't think she's stopped all afternoon. She's practically beaming.
Nick gently places a hand on Carla's back, urging her forwards as he adds, "And now we have a lovely reception to attend, so if you wouldn't mind…"
But Bethany doesn't move. She remains standing in front of them.
"A reception without the bride and groom?" She is frowning as if confused, but Nick can see through her forged innocence. She is meddling and she knows it.
"What do you mean?" Carla asks. Her eyes are narrowed.
"Well, I passed the pub on my way up here and saw the wedding car pull up outside. I went over to congratulate the happy couple, but the car drove off before I could cross the road. I asked Liz what was going on and she said they were still holding the reception for anyone who wanted to come, but Steve and Michelle wouldn't be attending."
Nick furrows his brow. "Why not?"
"Quick dart to the airport?"
Carla is baffled. "They hadn't booked a honeymoon. At least, not to my knowledge."
"It was Tony's treat - apparently. A last minute thing. Something about Spain?"
Carla and Nick share a look, nodding in mutual understanding.
Andy.
It all makes sense now and it is Bethany's turn to look confused. She shrugs her shoulders, indifferent, and adjusts her bag on her shoulder.
"Anyway, I'll leave you two lovebirds to get on." She grins at their faces, panicked at having been caught out. Their eyes are lowered and bodies turned instinctively away from one another, even though they are screaming for the opposite. "Enjoy your night!"
She pats Nick on the arm as she passes him.
"Be careful, Uncle Nicky."
Carla and Nick wait until she has entered the stairwell of Victoria Court to burst into laughter simultaneously, eyes rolling as they link arms and plough on towards the Rovers to find out what is going on.
I'd be hugely grateful for any comments or responses to what you thought of this. I won't lie: I'm rather nervous uploading it. It's been so long since the last time! I really hope people are still interested in this story. There's a lot more to come with it.