The Wedding Day by Joanne Clancy Read Free Book Online

forcefully.
    "Are you sure you don't mind?"
    "Of course I don't mind. You need all the support you can get right now, besides, what else are sisters for?"
     

Chapter 5
     
     
    "This is it," Nicole said as she paused outside the apartment that she used to share with Paul.
    "I'm afraid to knock."
    She felt panicky and desperately wanted to run away.
    "I'll do it" and with that Evette was knocking loudly on the front door.
    Several minutes later Paul swung the door open.
    Nicole gasped when she saw his appearance. He looked as bad as she felt. His hair was limp and greasy and he smelled as if he hadn't showered in days.
    This was a man who used to spend longer than Nicole getting ready in the morning! He'd agonise in the mirror over every spike in his gelled hair, primping and teasing it until he got every strand perfected.
    Now, his face was deathly pale under his thick stubble. He had dark circles under his eyes and his clothes were hanging from his body. He seemed to have lost a lot of weight.
    "Nicole!" Paul exclaimed. He sounded genuinely happy to see her.
    "We've come to collect my sister's belongings," Evette announced curtly as she stepped forward.
    "Ok. I see. Of course," Paul stumbled over the words.
     
    Nicole turned to her sister. "Ev, do you mind if I have some time alone with Paul?" she asked.
    "Are you sure?"
    "Yes. I think we need to have a chat in private."
    "Ok, I'll wait in the car. Call me if you need me and I'll come straight back."
    She glared pointedly at Paul as she turned on her heel and left the two of them standing alone in the corridor.
    "May I come in?" Nicole asked gently. She was shocked by her ex-fiance's appearance.
    "Yes, sure, come in."
     
    Nicole was even more stunned when she entered the apartment and saw the state of the place. The curtains were only half-open which made the apartment appear dark and gloomy. There were beer cans and wine bottles strewn across the floor and half-empty boxes of stale pizza were piled high on the coffee table.
    The living room wreaked of cigarettes and smelly socks.
    She turned her attention to the kitchen which was in an even worse mess than the living room. There were dirty dishes piled high in the sink and the rubbish bin in the corner was full to overflowing.
    Her heart sank. She'd always had such pride in the apartment and had kept it in pristine condition and now it was a filthy mess.
     
    "Would you like some tea?" Paul asked quietly as he tried to wash some dirty cups in the overflowing sink.
    "Yes, please, tea would be nice," Nicole answered quickly.
    She couldn't believe that their relationship had come down to this; an exchange of polite pleasantries. Less than a month ago they'd been madly in love. They'd had a few arguments in recent months, mostly about the wedding plans, but they'd still been sleeping in the same bed, well, most nights anyway.
    She had dismissed the air of tension between them as wedding nerves. Every couple experienced bad patches and weddings were notoriously one of the most stressful times in any couple's life.
    They were planning their wedding and looking forward to spending the rest of their lives together. Well, she'd been looking forward to spending the rest of their lives together. He'd clearly had other plans.
    He'd been her best friend in the whole world and he'd hurt her very badly. She felt sad when she looked at him now.
    She missed his smile. She missed his touch, but most of all she missed her best friend.
    The familiar lump was beginning to rise in her throat. She willed herself to hold it together and swallowed hard to stop herself from crying. She didn't want to cry in front of him. She didn't want him to let him know how much he'd hurt her, how he'd ruined her life.
     
    Nicole opened the living room curtains to let some light into the apartment. Then she cleared some empty beer cans from one end of the sofa and carefully perched at the other end.
    Paul kept himself busy in the kitchen while he waited for