Page 66 of Once Bitten, Twice Fried
“Fuck.” Julie whispered. She looked around the room. “The bathroom. Go in the bathroom.” She sprung out of bed and put her pyjamas on like her life depended on it. “Coming!”
Zoe felt her heart stop. She was still half-naked, trying to pick up her stuff as quickly as possible. She ran to the bathroom and closed the door, her face felt white as a sheet. She quickly finished dressing while she overheard Julie telling Alice that she had a small alarm clock problem. Zoe stopped moving until she heard Alice walking away and the door closing. She swallowed.
The bathroom door opened slowly.
“Zoe? Are you dressed?” Julie asked as if they hadn’t just spent the night wrapped around each other.
“I am.” Was any of it worth it? Zoe was starting to regret everything.
Julie walked into the bathroom. “Sorry, I think you have to go, I gotta get ready and go downstairs and-”
“Yes, don’t worry. I also have to be downstairs, my team must be wondering where I am.” Zoe sighed. “I can’t believe we’re late, why didn’t we set an alarm or something?”
Julie grinned. “Well, now you know why I’m always late everywhere.” She quickly realised the poor timing of her joke.
Zoe didn’t want to laugh either.
“Zo, this has to stay between us. We can’t ruin Yasmine’s wedding because we’re idiots.” Julie sighed. “I know this is insane and I can’t believe it’s coming from me but we have to act like nothing happened.” She exhaled.
“We’ve got this. We can deal with this later.” Zoe had no idea what‘later’meant and how they would deal with this. There was no coming back from whatever had happened.
“OK, now go.” Julie turned around and opened the front door to look into the corridor before slightly closing it again. She looked at Zoe. “The coast is clear.”
Zoe swiftly walked out of the bathroom and hesitated as she walked past Julie. It felt a bit weird to just… leave? But she wasn’t going to kiss Julie goodbye, was she? She smiled and awkwardly waved at her before going full speed into her own room.
Zoe closed the door and leaned her back against it for a minute. There was no time to be dramatic about last night. About the fact that she’d slept with Julie. That she had had sex with another woman. When she was engaged and about to marry a man. Zoe tried to put the thought aside as she got into her own bathroom to get ready.
The warm water of a morning shower didn’t help her wash off the smell of Julie. Nor her touch. Everything was stained with Julie. Zoe put on her dark green short-sleeved cocktail dress - one that Nicki had picked out for her - and as she zipped it, she could only imagine Julie unzipping it in a firm gesture. She put lipstick on and could only imagine Julie kissing it all off again. Zoe sat down on her bed, feeling powerless. There was no Nicki nor Tom to help her deal with this today, she had to do it by herself. This was her own personal mess.
Zoe walked downstairs, trying to remember what was supposed to be done today. Her chefs were already at it in the kitchen.
“Goeiemorgen.We started the breakfast buffet already since you weren’t there.” One of them said coarsely, but Zoe couldn’t be upset. She’d also messed up professionally by not showing up for the morning team briefing.
“I’m sorry. I had some… personal issues to deal with. Things should go as planned. I will check in with the bride to see if there are any changes.”
“Great. By the way, champagne was delivered this morning right on schedule.”
“OK, thanks.” Zoe nodded, left the kitchen and went looking for Yasmine. She had to focus on what needed to be done, but she had no idea what she had to do any more.
All she could see was Tom’s face when she would tell him what happened. The disappointment in his face, the betrayal. How could she? Why did she do that? Zoe had no answers to give him. She didn’t even have any for herself. She was in front of the door of Yasmine’s room before she realised it. The door abruptly opened and a middle-aged woman with a huge camera around her neck and another one in her hand rushed out - the photographer, Zoe thought.
“She just needs a bit of time.” She smiled apologetically at Zoe. Zoe smiled back at her and waited for the lady to disappear downstairs before she knocked. She didn’t really understand what the photographer meant. Her head was miles away today.
Some shuffling happened inside but nobody answered.
Zoe knocked again.
The door opened. It was Leila, looking stricken.
“Hi Leila, I’m just checking with Yasmine to see if there are any changes or requests regarding catering.”
Leila shook her head. “We’re a bit in a… a crisis of sorts.”
“A crisis?” Zoe’s heart jumped. Was it because of Julie and her? Did Yasmine find out the selfish reason why her two best friends were late on her big day?
“Come in.” Leila ushered her into the room before closing the door quickly behind her. Yasmine was sitting on her bed, dressed in a stunning white wedding gown with gorgeous lace work, surrounded by her bridesmaids. Julie had her arm around her. Maria and Alice were patting her on the knee. Yasmine was sobbing.
“I can’t do it.”
