It was nice being able to talk to Phoenix again. She was one of my best friends and I felt awful that I had been ignoring her and my goddaughter, because I had no idea who they were. Once my memory had returned, I had called her and apologised, and now I was glad that I had her on hand again.
'Right, so you've recieved a letter about a pre-wedding consultation?' Her voice sounded distant on the end of the line.
'I didn't know it was still going ahead.'
'I think the question is do you still want the wedding to happen?'
I thought for a moment. 'Yes. Zed is my soulfinder and I love him. Before... you know what... I had been buying things for the wedding, I was excited.'
'I think you need to speak to Zed.' She replied. 'And see if he wants the same.'
There was a time when I knew he wanted the same. Now I wasn't so sure and the thought made me feel sick. I knew Phee was right and after saying goodbye, I promised I would see him. I decided it was best to do it in person, so I headed to the apartment. He had had to move back in now his parents had gone back to Wrickenridge, and I wondered if he wished that I was still living there with him. I wanted to move back in, I wanted him to hold me every night. I just wasn't sure if it was the best idea.
When I arrived at the apartment, Zed seemed to be halfway through a study session. Books and his laptop were laid out on the kitchen table as he led me inside and poured me a glass of mango juice. He handed me the glass and then kissed me softly on the lips.
'This is a nice surprise.' He said, and I knew that he meant it. I followed him to the living room, where he sat in his favourite armchair. He pulled me onto his lap and kissed my forehead. 'I've missed you.'
'It's only been a day.' I smiled.
'I know, but I miss having you here with me every minute of the day.' He sighed, wrapping his arms around my waist. 'There's so much that I wish hadn't happened.'
I thought back to the letter, which was tucked away in my bag. 'Do you ever think about our wedding?'
'Of course.' He replied, his voice sad. 'It was only meant to be two months away.' He looked up at me with his soft brown eyes. 'Do you?'
'I tried on my wedding dress last night.' I replied, honestly. 'And... well... actually that's why I'm here.'
'Oh?'
'I recieved a letter... from our venue. The wedding wasn't cancelled.' I bit my lip and looked at Zed, trying to read his reaction.
'Oh.' He replied, his mouth making the shape of the sound. He looked thoughtful for a moment. 'So what do you want to do? Do you still want to get married?'
'Do you?'
The edges of his mouth turned up into a smile and he took my hands in his. 'Sky, you're my soulfinder, my whole world, of course I still want to marry you. But only if you want to marry me.'
'I do, I was worried that you wouldn't want to.'
He laughed and pressed his forehead against mine. 'Both times I have proposed to you, I have meant it. There's nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life with you.'
We booked the pre-wedding consultation for after our final exam. The weeks leading up to it were busy with revision and study parties. Jenni was also busy studying, and we only met up when on a coffee break in the library. She wasn't too busy though to be making plans for a night out after our final exams. She had decided it was a great idea, especially as the night out for her birthday had been such a success.
'So what are you wearing tomorrow night?' Jenni asked as she passed me my coffee in the library.
'I've not even thought about it.' I replied, truthfully.
'But it's tomorrow.'
'So is my final exam.' I sighed. 'It's okay for you, you had yours this morning. For you, it's all over!'
Jenni grinned. 'I know, but I'm not celebrating until tomorrow.'
'Are you and Rob not doing anything later?'
'Watching a movie.' She shrugged. 'Just something simple.'
'But simple is nice.' I replied with a smile.
'I know, but tomorrow is a big night in many ways.'
I raised an eyebrow. 'Do I want to know what you mean?'
'I think tomorrow is going to be the night if you know what I mean.'
My eyes widened. 'I do know what you mean. And I won't be wanting any details.'
'Spoilsport.' She stuck her tongue out at me. 'I'd listen to any details about you and Zed.'
'There aren't any at this moment of time.'
'What, you haven't slept together since you got back together?' She whispered, her eyes wide with surprise.
'No.' I shook my head. 'But it might be quite nice, you know, to wait until our wedding night.'
'And your honeymoon.' She smirked.
'Maybe.' I checked my watch. 'Right, break over, I need to get back to studying.'
'Okay.' Jenni smiled, grabbing her bag. 'Be at mine for pizza at six tomorrow. Gives us time to get all dolled up.'
'Sure, sure. See you then.'
'You're shaking.' Zed said to me the next morning as we walked onto the campus.
'I'm nervous.' I replied, feeling nauseous.
'You'll be great.' He squeezed my hand, reassuringly. 'And then tonight you can let your hair down.'
'Sure.' I half-smiled, still feeling anxious.
'Did you... uhm... what to stay over later?' He asked as we reached the entrance to the lecture theatre.
'After we've been out?'
'Sure, if you'd like to.' He turned to face me and I realised he seemed more nervous about my answer than about the exam we were about to walk into.
'Yeah.' I smiled, looking up at him. 'That would be great.'
The exam wasn't quite as bad as I had imagined it to be. The two hours raced by and before I knew it, it was all over with. Zed met me outside, a smile playing on his lips.
'You look so cute when you're concentrating.'
'I hope you wrote the essay and didn't just stare at me the whole time.' I laughed, looking up at him.
'Of course not, but I did take a few glances.' He wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my forehead. 'Was it as bad as you were making out?'
'No.' I replied, blushing.
'See, told you. You did enough prep to do great.'
'So what are we doing now?'
'I thought that maybe we could go cake tasting.'
I laughed at that. 'Cake tasting? Now?'
'Why not? I don't know about you, but I'm starving.'
When I arrived at Jenni's that evening, I didn't need much pizza. Zed and I had tasted a lot of different cakes, although red velvet was clearly the winner from the beginning. We'd chosen two designs to be combined to create our perfect wedding cake. I felt excited to be back planning the wedding and I was glad that the only thing left to sort was a bachelorette party. I knocked on Jenni's door and she opened straight away, a bottle of wine in her hand.
'Hey, how was the exam?' She hugged me and closed the door behind me.
'It was fine.' I replied, honestly.
'Good.' She smiled. 'Wine?'
'Sure. Oh, and I know you said to bring a little black dress but I couldn't decide...'
'No problem.' She grinned. 'That's what I am here for.'
I pulled out my choices and laid them out on the spare bed. Jenni looked at them, thoughtfully. She chose a short black bodycon dress with lace cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline.
'Definitely this one.' She smiled.
'What are you wearing?' I asked, taking the dress off of her.
She held up her black skater dress with halterneck and cut out sides. 'What do you think?'
'That's cute and very you.'
'Do you think Rob will like it?'
I looked over at my friend, who looked the happiest I had ever seen her. 'Absolutely.'
We got changed and shared the mirror as we sorted out our hair and make-up. We both went for winged eyeliner, although Jenni added red lipstick to her look, giving out a 50s vibe. We both wore heels, mine higher (but surprisingly comfy) than Jenni's. I liked making my legs look longer, as God hadn't created me that way in the first place.
'So, are you ready for uh, tonight?' I asked my friend, breaking the silence as she checked her appearance in the mirror.
'I think so.' She replied, her voice quiet.
'Have you ever-'
'No.' Her eyes became nervous. 'Sam wanted to but I said no.'
My stomach twisted as I thought back to the time my memory was erased. I hadn't said no.
'Sorry.' She apologised, as if reading my mind.
'No, it's fine.' I smiled. 'You're a stronger person than I am.'
'Hardly.' She scoffed. 'Sky, you and Zed have been through so much since you first got together. So much. And despite everything, you're getting married in two months time. I hope I find myself marrying someone who would still rescue me after that many times.'
The boys picked us up shortly after that. We had decided to make it a double date, so that we didn't need to keep track of any single friends. Having two couples, all soulfinders funnily enough, was ideal as no one was left out and we all got on well with each other. We caught a taxi into town, to a neighbourhood I was not familiar with. After paying, we climbed out onto the sidewalk.
Have I said how beautiful and sexy you look tonight? Zed's voice filled my head and I smiled, meeting his eyes.
You look pretty good yourself. I replied. His black skinny jeans were tight and he was wearing a black and grey tight-fitting plaid shirt which showed off all of his muscles. He wrapped his arm around my waist and I frowned as I looked at the sign in front of me.
'Open mic night?' I said, interrupting the conversation Jenni and Rob were having. 'Jen, I thought we were going out clubbing.'
'We are.' She replied. 'I just wanted to go here first.'
'Interesting place for pre-drinks.' Zed commented.
'It'll be fun!' She grabbed Rob's hand and led him in.
'Why do I feel like she's up to something?' Zed asked as we followed them inside.
'Because she usually is.'
The bar was dimly lit, with candles and fairylights as the only light source. There were plush leather stools with high black tables, and plush leather armchairs. It was fairly busy, considering it was open mic, and the ground were mainly young. Rob ordered our drinks and brought them to our table.
'Where's Jenni?' I asked, looking around. 'I thought she had gone to help with the drinks.'
'Bathroom.' Rob replied, sitting down with the tray of drinks.
'Shots?' I raised my eyebrow, looking at the four beers and four shots in front of me.
Rob grinned. 'Got to get the party started somehow.'
Jenni reappeared and Rob kissed her cheek. 'Oooh shots!'
'What are you up to?' I eyeballed her with suspicion.
'Nothing.' She replied, without meeting my eyes. She lived up a shot. 'Cheers.'
'Cheers.'
I was halfway through my beer when I nearly choked on it.
'Sky Bright, are you in the audience?' The man on the stage called out.
I glared across the table at Jenni. 'Why would you do this to me?'
'Because you're really good.' My friend replied, innocently. 'And I think people need to see that.'
'Karaoke on your birthday was bad enough!' I hissed.
'Sky?' The host repeated, his eyes searching the audience.
'You'll be fine.' Zed whispered. 'Just look at me.'
I stood up and walked over to the stage, feeling irritated.
'Oh fantastic!' The host beamed. 'Whilst we get Sky ready, give it up for Jack Dawson.'
I followed the host off the stage as a teenager walked on with his guitar. I felt like I was going to throw up, and I was sure it wasn't the shot. Had she got Rob to buy me the drink to give me some liquid courage? Probably.
'So, can I just take a few details.' The host said as we reached his table with a 'set list'. Sure enough, my name was written on there for 9pm, below 'Jack Dawson.' 'So, you're Sky Bright. What are you singing for us? A cover or an original?'
I hadn't even had the chance to think about it. Panicking, I thought of the song I'd been playing recently in the rehearsal rooms at college. I knew it by heart. 'An original.'
'And what's it called?'
'Love me like you do.' I replied.
'Do you need an instrument?'
I glanced over at the corner of the stage, where I could see a baby grand piano. 'Can I please use the piano?'
'Sure.' He smiled. 'You look nervous.'
'Well, I didn't know I'd be singing here tonight that's for sure.'
'Friends are a nightmare, aren't they?' He laughed.
'They sure are.'
Jack Dawson finished and the crowd errupted into applause. The host looked over at me and smiled as if to ask if I was ready. I nodded. Ready as I was ever going to be.
He walked out onto the stage. 'Wow, fantastic! Give it up again for Jack Dawson!' The crowd cheered and applauded. 'Right, now we have Sky Bright. She's here tonight singing an original, but bear with her because her friends totally set her up! Here's Sky with 'Love me like you do'.'
I walked out onto the stage and sat at the piano, glad I wasn't going to have to stand up for the performance. My legs were trembling enough as it was. The audience looked at me, waiting for my start, but I only focussed on Zed, who was sat with a smile on his face.
You can do this.
I slowly started to move my fingers across the piano keys and then I began to sing.
'You're the light, you're the night
You're the color of my blood
You're the cure, you're the pain
You're the only thing I wanna touch
Never knew that it could mean so much, so much
You're the fear, I don't care
Cause I've never been so high
Follow me to the dark
Let me take you past our satellites
You can see the world you brought to life, to life
So love me like you do, love me like you do
Love me like you do, love me like you do
Touch me like you do, touch me like you do
What are you waiting for?'
The crowd cheered and I swallowed my nerves. Maybe I could do this.
'Fading in, fading out
On the edge of paradise
Every inch of your skin is a holy grail I've got to find
Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire
Yeah, I'll let you set the pace
Cause I'm not thinking straight
My head spinning around I can't see clear no more
What are you waiting for?
Love me like you do, love me like you do
Love me like you do, love me like you do
Touch me like you do, touch me like you do
What are you waiting for?'
I looked up and saw Jenni and Rob, their arms around each other and they were kissing. Zed shooked his head at them and then returned to look at me with an encouraging smile.
'Yeah, I'll let you set the pace
Cause I'm not thinking straight
My head spinning around I can't see clear no more
What are you waiting for?
Love me like you do, love me like you do
Love me like you do, love me like you do
Touch me like you do, touch me like you do
What are you waiting for?'
I played the final notes and then I stopped, my fingers shaking as I stood up. The audience applauded and I could here some 'woops' from my table by the bar. I laughed and shook my head, walking off of the stage.
'Wow, what a great original song and a superb performance! Give it up for Sky Bright!'
The crowd cheered and some high-fived me as I passed them on my way back to my seat. I sat down and took a huge swig of my beer, making Zed laugh.
I looked at Jenni and glared. 'You're very lucky that you are still alive.'
'One day you'll thank me for it.' She grinned and Rob kissed the top of her head.
'Yeah, right.'
After we had finished our drinks, we headed to the main nightlife neighbourhood. Passing where we had been for Jenni's birthday, I wondered where on earth she was taking us. We reached the end of the road and came to a place labelled 'Spark.' There was a huge line waiting to get in. I groaned.
'Please tell me we're not waiting in that, Jen.'
'Of course not!' She smiled. She walked up to the bouncer. 'Jenni plus three.'
'In you go.' The bouncer nodded, stepping aside.
I let out a sigh of relief.
Desperate to dance? Zed laughed in my head.
Desperate to have another drink and forget about my performance.
He squeezed my hand, affectionately, and we walked inside. Spark was very busy and the loud music was making the floor vibrate. The room glowed with pink, purple and blue lights and a disco ball reflected onto the ceiling. We walked through the dancefloor area, where bodies were grinding together under the disco lights. We passed a few bars, each sleek and modern-looking, and then we walked through a gap in some red velvet curtains. There were white, modern armchairs dotted around circular tables and it was quieter (in noise and in business) than the other room. Through another gap in the curtain, I could see a door leading to a room marked 'Retro'. We took a seat.
'Okay, this round is on me.' Zed announced, pulling his wallet out of his jeans pocket. He turned to face me and Jenni. 'Cocktails?'
'Martinis.' Jenni replied on my behalf.
'I'll come help you, mate.' Rob said, leaving me with my best friend.
'So, are you still mad at me?' Jenni asked, a smile playing on her lips.
'No, but I'm sure glad to be out of that place. People kept looking at me.'
'Because you were good.'
'What if I end up on Youtube or something?' My eyes widened in horror.
'So? You'll get a million hits or something.' She shrugged.
'Hi ladies.'
We looked up at the guy with the short, spiked blonde hair and his brunette friend who had approached us.
'Hey.' Jenni replied.
'We just came over because we wanted to say you ladies are gorgeous.' The blonde grinned. His friend shifted awkwardly at his side.
'Erm, thanks.' I said.
'Mind if we join you?'
'We're waiting for our boyfriends. They've just gone to the bar.'
'But can your boyfriends do this?' The blonde looked at the tealight on our table and it lifted up.
'Dude!' Hissed the brunette guy, elbowing his friend.
'So you're savants.' Jenni said, making the brunette guy squirm. 'Nothing exciting really.'
'Are you serious?' The blonde frowned. 'Eugh, let's go find some other girls.'
We giggled as they left.
'I really want to dance.' My friend sighed as our boyfriends returned with our drinks.
'It's a bit early for that, drink-wise.' Rob said.
'No it's not.' She frowned. 'Sky, will you dance with me?'
I took a big sip of my drink. 'Yeah, sure.'
'You're both missing out.' She said to our two men. She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the dancefloor. 'We should totally go in one of those.'
I followed the direction of her eyes and shook my head. 'I am not dancing in a cage.'
'Oh come on, Sky, let your hair down.' She was gone before I could stop her. She was up the stairs and in a cage, dancing around the pole. I groaned, following suite. Flo Rida's 'Low' filled the air and the dancers cheered in agreement. I reached Jenni and looked around at the busy dancefloor. Then I turned to look at Rob and Zed, their eyes locked on us. Maybe this could be fun after all.
xx-xx-xx
Zed.
Sky looked incredible in her heels and her tight dress, with her hair just how I liked it; in its natural blonde curls. I watched her step into the cage and I knew that when she started dancing, I was going to be in serious trouble. I took a swig of my beer and looked over at Rob, mouth open and staring at Jenni.
'Dude, you're whipped.' I said, breaking the silence.
He looked over at me, closing his mouth. He reached for his beer. 'No, man.'
'Liar.' I replied, raising my eyebrows.
'Fine, whatever.' He shrugged.
'Do you love her?'
'Isn't this a bit deep?' He swigged his beer. 'Don't girls have this kind of conversation?'
I shrugged. 'What does it matter? If you love someone, you have to tell them . Life is too damn short.'
'You're right.' He sighed, taking another swig. 'I do love her.'
'Have you told her?'
'No, just waiting for the right time. And what if she decides to run off with her soulfinder... man I want to punch him so bad.'
'You and me both.' I admitted, sipping at my beer. 'But I don't think Jenni is running off with him anytime soon. You should tell her.'
'I want to... and I want to show her that I care too... you know, in every way.'
'Then go for it, man, you don't know until you put yourself out there.'
He nodded and we both turned back to face the girls. I watched Sky as she swayed her hips in time to the music and went down to the floor before coming back up again. I swallowed. Damn she was too hot.
xx-xx-xx
Sky.
Dancing in a cage was a weird experience, but it was pretty fun, especially when I saw Zed's facial expression. It made me smile. Luckily, Jenni got thirsty pretty quick so we headed back down to the guys.
Don't ever dance like that again.
I perched myself on Zed's lap and smiled. Didn't you like it?
Maybe a bit too much.
I kissed his lips softly and he sighed. I reached for my drink and finished it quickly. I was so thirsty and the room was boiling. I glanced over at our friends and then quickly glanced back at Zed.
A warning that they were making out might have been nice!
He grinned. Does that mean I get a dance all to myself?
That depends on how lucky you're feeling?
Very.
We didn't stay out late. Jenni and Rob left, which was lucky as I was starting to wonder if they were going to have sex in the middle of the nightclub. Zed and I left shortly after, catching a taxi back to our apartment. I closed the door behind us and found my fiance kissing me with a wild passion, my back pressed up against the door. Zed's large, soft hands held my face as his lips crashed against mine, making my pulse speed up. His hands moved down the sides of my body, along my curves, and he wrapped my legs around his waist. Keeping his lips on mine, we moved through the apartment and I felt my back hit the soft mattress. I flipped us over so that I was on top, in control, teasing him by placing soft kisses around his mouth. He looked up at me, his eyes full of passion and his breath quick. A smile played on my lips as I sat straddling him.
'Can we wait until our wedding night?' I asked, my voice a whisper. 'It's an extra something to look forward to.'
'I had the same thought the other day.' He replied, his voice hoarse. 'But you've got to stop teasing me.'
My smile became wider. 'Of course.' But where was the fun in that?