mila (listentoteeth) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2023-11-01 10:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | #july 2018, mila, mila x roxy, roxy |
Who: Mila and Roxy
When: Morning, Saturday July 21st
Where: Moretti House
It was her wedding day. Something she and Aaron had been planning for a while, but now that it was here, Mila was having a difficult time accepting it as real. It was going to be a small wedding down on the beach, and then Caius had been generous enough to let them use one of the marina’s nicer event spaces for the reception. Mila knew everything was ready and going smoothly, but she was still having trouble. She was at her mother’s house to get ready, and she was sitting in her old bedroom with her wedding dress hanging up in front of the closet. Roxy was on her way to help Mila get dressed, for which Mila was thankful. Her mother was in and out, fretting over Mila and then fretting over making sure there were no issues with the rest of the wedding. Mila wanted to help, but everyone seemed to think she should just get ready and wait, but sitting there in her underwear with nothing to occupy her mind was making it hard. Mila’s stomach was bigger now, and she was as tired as she was excited. She didn’t want to be tired on her wedding day!
As soon as she heard Roxy knock on her bedroom door, Mila stood and hurried over to pull it open, relieved to see her best friend on the other side. “I don’t know if my dress is going to fit,” she breathed, reaching out to pull Roxy into the bedroom. “I haven’t tried it on in a while and it fit last time but…” She motioned to her stomach with a worried look. “This baby will not stop growing.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Roxy replied as she stepped in, her hands full of bags. This wedding was on a budget, and she was going to do Mila’s makeup for her as well as help her into her dress. Her own face and hair were already done, but she hadn’t gotten into her dress yet either. It had been a whirlwind of a day already, Roxy had already been to the reception venue to help Mrs. Moretti decorate. There had been a mix up with the flowers, so she’d been on the phone off and on, impatient with the florist, but it seemed to be straightened out now. It was hard to believe it was still morning. But they were going to all get this wedding done and make it enjoyable for Mila and Aaron, even if it killed them.
She had a smile ready for the bride as she dumped her bags on the bed though, and Roxy felt like she could finally slow down and maybe enjoy the day too. Spence would be arriving later with the rest of the guests, and she was looking forward to seeing him even mildly dressed up. Roxy was determined not to think about Caden and his new wife being there -- this day was about Mila and Aaron, so Roxy could just hope he would keep his mouth shut and support his brother. Roxy took Mila’s hand once hers were free and squeezed it. “It’ll be okay, don’t panic yet. Let’s try it on real quick first to make sure? We’ve still got a couple of hours, just in case.”
It was a good thing. Mila was happy the baby was still healthy and growing, but she wasn't due until October and Mila was imagining herself as bloated as a whale by then. Today though, she just wanted to fit into her wedding dress. Having Roxy there was calming some of her nerves, so she nodded and turned to pull the dress off the hanger, turning back to Roxy so her friend could help her slip it on. Mila was at the point where she couldn't even suck anything in, but the dress seemed to slip on all right, even if it was a tiny bit tight. "Will it zip up all the way?" she asked Roxy, tugging at small pieces of fabric around her hips to try and get it to sit better. "If not, I'll be walking down the aisle in a sheet wrapped up like a toga." Mila's voice was light and even amused. But there was some very real fear there. She wanted to look perfect for Aaron. Hell, they both deserved some perfection today.
In hindsight, Roxy realized they should have found a looser backup dress, but there wasn’t anything to do about that now. “No ma’am, we will come up with a better plan,” Roxy said as she pulled the dress a bit tighter to work the zipper up. “We’ll at least wrap you up in a tablecloth.” She huffed a bit through her nose, hoping Mila found that even mildly funny. What would really happen would be Roxy frantically running out to find a workable dress off the rack somewhere. Thankfully the zipper slid all the way up, and Roxy let out a sigh of relief. “There, you’re zipped. Can you still breathe? Or do I need to make an emergency trip to Veronica’s?”
She was zipped. Mila exhaled and took another breath, just to make sure it was comfortable. There was immense relief when she didn't feel any tightening around her ribs and she nodded, smoothing the dress down over her belly. She was thrilled to be marrying Aaron and even more thrilled to be having his baby, but at the same time, everything was about to change. And she never really imagined being this pregnant at her wedding, even though it was everything she had ever dreamed of. But Mila couldn't help but think about the baby that could have been, and how she and Aaron would be parents already if nothing else had interfered with it. Mila studied herself in the mirror over her dresser and felt her eyes start to burn with repressed tears. She turned back to Roxy. "Does it look okay?" she asked, her voice wavering. It probably wasn't a good sign to burst into tears on her wedding day, but hormones were a bitch.
Roxy was watching Mila’s face over her shoulder and she could practically see the emotional storm brewing. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing -- weddings always tended to be emotional, and this time the bride had been through so much. So Roxy wasn’t surprised at the shake in Mila’s question, and she was getting a bit misty-eyed herself as she nodded and extended her arms to offer a hug. “It looks absolutely beautiful, and so do you,” she told her as they embraced. “Aaron is going to faint at the altar when he sees you coming.” He would probably just blubber and cry and make his brothers feel embarrassed, if she knew Aaron at all, and Roxy liked to think she did. What she knew the most was that he and Mila loved each other, and she wanted the very best for them.
Mila clung to Roxy for a moment, thankful that they hadn't done her makeup yet. When she pulled away, she brushed her fingers under her eyes to try and get rid of any tears that had escaped. Mila knew Aaron would think she was beautiful no matter how big she was, but eight months had been so hard on both of them. Today was a day of joy and happiness and yet she was still terrified something could, or would, go wrong. What if she had a panic attack in the middle of the service? What if she woke up back in that tunnel? What if she looked at Aaron's family and had a meltdown? Mila inhaled deeply and closed her eyes to gather herself before she nodded. "Okay. I guess we can do my hair and stuff now. I'm afraid if I take off my dress, I'll gain ten more pounds in the next ten minutes and not be able to get it back on." Mila was eager to try and shake off the lingering concerns of doom. This was her wedding day. "Can we do that stuff in here? If my mom or dad see my eyes red, they'll think I'm having second thoughts and try to talk me out of getting married."
“We can definitely do it in here,” Roxy assured her, moving to grab her bag of beauty supplies. “Sit down on the bed, unless you feel like you’ll bust a seam.” She pointed to the best spot for Mila to sit, then started unloading brushes and pins and makeup onto the dresser. Roxy thought she really might start strangling Mrs. Moretti if she heard her starting that kind of bullshit today. She’d been intent on marrying a Lucas herself, after all, arguably the worst one. Mila and Aaron were great for each other, and if her mom couldn’t see that yet, her bias was definitely showing. They were having a child together regardless, shouldn’t a staunch Catholic want them to be married too? Ugh. But Roxy would keep her mouth shut unless the older woman started in on Mila. Her best friend didn’t need any extra stress today. Once they were all arranged, Roxy started to brush out her hair. “So we decided mostly down, soft curls, the sides up and pinned, right?”
Mila adjusted her dress enough to sit comfortably and she nodded when Roxy asked about her hair. "Just something simple," she said. "Hopefully, it won't be too windy outside." Over the past week, Mila had checked the weather religiously every day, ready to make alternate plans if the forecast showed rain on their wedding day. But so far everything seemed pretty perfect. Mila sat there with her hands resting around the bottom of her belly as Roxy got started on her hair. "How're things with Spence?" she asked after a moment. "He's coming right?" She didn't want the fact that Caden was Aaron's brother to deter Roxy from inviting her boyfriend.
“I got a lotta bobby pins and hairspray, you’ll be fine,” she said as she started work. Roxy was no professional stylist or anything, but she’d done Mila’s hair a few times during their friendship, and it wasn’t like she wanted some crazy complex up-do. Getting married on the beach was going to be unavoidably windy, but Roxy hoped she would end up looking sexy and tousled more than windblown. “Things are good with Spence,” Roxy went on, a smile that she couldn’t help crossing her face. “And yeah he’s coming. Girl, I am so excited to see him in a proper shirt and jacket, I can’t wait.” Spence was a good looking guy and he’d cleaned up for some of their dates, but something about a wedding outfit just hit different. It flashed across her mind that Caden would be there and presumably dressed up too, but she was determined not to think about that too much. “Did you help Aaron pick out his suit? Or do you both get to be surprised?”
Mila understood exactly why Roxy was excited. She loved Aaron, but his wardrobe did not consist of suit and ties, so she was excited to see him dressed up in something nice. Honestly, it was going to be weird to see all of the Lucas men dressed up. "He picked out his own suit," Mila said with a playful grimace. "But I think he may have taken Kat with him so I'm not too worried. He hasn't seen my dress yet though, so hopefully he likes it." Mila took another deep breath, hoping it would calm her nerves. "Spence will look amazing though. I'm glad he's coming. I just... hope it's not awkward for you. If I could have uninvited Caden, I would have."
“Aw, I know, but that’s sweet,” Roxy told her with a little laugh. It was easier to laugh it off than really think about it, especially when the reality of it was barrelling down on her. She hadn’t seen Caden since he’d turned up at her doorstep after she’d taken her anger out on his car, and she was doing her best to ignore the flutter of nerves in her gut. Not only would he be there, his wife would presumably be there too. Roxy didn’t want to talk about Caden though, so she diverted the topic back to Aaron. “Aaron’s gonna love this dress,” Roxy said with absolute confidence in her voice. Mila looked like a dream and she didn’t even have her makeup on, Roxy couldn’t imagine Aaron not swooning over her walking down the aisle. “You look amazing already, and I’m not even done prettifying you. Are you nervous? How are you feeling?”
Mila understood not wanting to talk about Caden. She was trying her best to be civil, even kind, to Shan now, but it was hard. Caden had treated Roxy like shit for years and to run off and get married as soon as they broke up? Fucking dickface. But he was Aaron's brother and her soon to be brother-in-law, so she was willing to be cordial. It was difficult sometimes, knowing what she knew, but Aaron was her number one priority and he could never know. "I'm nervous," she admitted. "Happy and excited too. I'm just... afraid that something will go wrong." Mila could feel the baby pressing against her palm and as much as she loved feeling movement, she hoped the baby would behave for the ceremony. "Like a thunderstorm will open up over us, or someone will interrupt the wedding, or I'll start to question my reality again..." Mila licked her lips anxiously. "I'm worried everyone will be watching me, whispering about what I did to Aaron. I just kind of wish we had eloped, you know?"
Those were all valid concerns that Roxy didn’t want to brush off as silly worries, as much as she didn’t want Mila to fret about anything today. She rolled another strand of hair around the curling iron in her hand and nodded a bit. “I get that. I’ve been obsessively checking the weather at least, and it should stay clear,” Roxy said, which was the most concretely helpful thing she knew for sure. “As for the rest of it ... if anybody out there objects, they shouldn’t have come. I will personally kick the ass of anyone who gives you shit today. I even brought heels to make it more painful.” Roxy glanced up at Mila’s reflection in the dresser mirror and gave her a smile. “Is there anything I can do to help? Like ... like a password if you start to feel unreal or something?” Roxy still didn’t fully understand everything Mila was going through mentally, but she still wanted to support her as best she could.
Mila returned Roxy's smile with a small, appreciative one. "That might help. Aaron always seems to recognize it when it happens... and it hasn't been as frequent, at least." Her hair was starting to look wavy and smooth and Mila watched Roxy's movements, letting it calm her even more. Mila didn't think anyone would object. Her mom may not completely approve of Mila marrying Aaron, but Mila was pregnant and her mom would likely fall over dead if Mila wasn't married when the baby was born. Gavin and Caden though... no, they wouldn't say anything. But she felt judged, even if what she had done to Aaron wasn't her doing. Now they would be her in-laws and it was difficult for Mila to accept that they would be family after what they'd done. Maybe it was hard for them to accept her after what she had done. And why was she so fixated on that today? It was her wedding day. She had fantasies of marrying Aaron since she was a teenager and now it was happening. Mila licked her lips again and forced another bright smile. "Make sure you stay close when I throw the bouquet, okay? I'm going to try and make sure you get it."
Roxy could see the tension in that smile, but she was going to dutifully ignore it. Sometimes telling someone not to be stressed on a big day like this only made their situation worse. Mila already had enough pressure on her. “I’ll jump for it,” Roxy said instead, giving her a little grin in the mirror. She knew there were a lot of complications around Mila and Aaron getting married, a lot had happened and most of it had been bad. Knowing Caden as she did, Roxy was sure he still held some sort of grudge for the actions Mila had taken while she hadn’t been herself ... but caring about Caden and Gavin’s opinion of her was a losing battle. They weren’t going to interrupt the wedding, if they really wanted to put a stop to it, they would’ve done it already in a much more manipulative way. As long as Aaron turned up at the altar, everything would be okay. Today, at least. “So do you remember that guy I had a crush on way back freshman year? Steve Davis? If you start feeling weird and unreal, ask me like, ‘what’s his name?’ and I’ll tell you. That sound okay?”
Mila blinked rapidly for a moment before she understood what Roxy was saying. Steve Davis. She did remember him. Her and Roxy giggling together in the hall whenever he walked by. Roxy dragging her along during pep rallies so they could sit close to Steve on the bleachers. Those memories were real and Mila exhaled softly and nodded with a grateful smile. "That sounds good, thank you." Mila reached up to touch Roxy's hand with her own. She knew she was lucky to have someone like Roxy in her life, especially now. "And if you need anything today... if you start to feel uncomfortable with Caden there... if he's an asshole or Shan is an asshole... please tell me. I'll make sure Aaron gets them to leave."
Roxy paused in her curling to give Mila’s fingers a squeeze, feeling plenty of her own gratitude. She really didn’t want it to come to some sort of eviction from the wedding, but she also didn’t want any crap from either of them at the same time. Roxy just hoped that Caden and his wife would keep their mouths shut for Aaron’s sake. She just planned to avoid them as much as possible. “I will,” she promised Mila, even if she might not actually keep that promise. She could hold her own, and Roxy didn’t want Mila upset about anything today. She left it at that for another couple of minutes, focusing on separating out the strands of hair to pin back. “... is she much of an asshole?” Roxy asked, trying to keep her tone casual. She knew nothing about Shan yet really, hadn’t even seen the woman, but Roxy knew that Mila had and she couldn’t help being curious.
The curiosity was natural and honestly, Mila was surprised Roxy hadn't asked about Shan sooner. Then again, maybe thinking about it was still a bit painful. The two had been together for over five years and had been engaged after all. Mila could never understand the appeal of Caden Lucas beyond his looks, but Roxy had, so she had tried hard to keep her mouth shut. "She's... not an asshole, from what I know so far. I only met her once and it wasn't for very long. She mentioned opening like, a dance studio in town. Aaron told me she had already rented a place, by the hair salon." So Roxy could avoid that particular area if she wanted to. "I mean, it can't last very long, can it? Who gets married to a stranger and expects happy ever after?"
It was painful, and Roxy wanted to forget all about Caden Lucas and pretend none of it had ever happened and he hadn’t fucked up her life and broken her heart a few times over. But that wasn’t the truth. She couldn’t forget, and part of her still cared about him and what he was up to, as much as she hated it. It seemed that he’d already forgotten her, or moved on completely, and that stung too, but part of Roxy wanted to know who exactly had made that possible. “Dance studio,” she repeated thoughtfully, trying not to tug too hard on Mila’s hair as she pinned it. “What like, a stripper school?” Roxy snorted a touch and rolled her eyes to herself. “I give it less than a year. Their marriage, I mean.” Caden had resisted getting married the entire time they’d been together, she couldn’t imagine he would just settle into this arrangement and be happy. Roxy smoothed Mila’s hair a bit more and then let her hands drop. “What do you think, good?”
Mila had thrown out the S-word with Shan too, though she had felt a bit bad about it later. It wasn't Shan's fault Caden was an asshole, and maybe she was a nice person. Her loyalty to Roxy just made it hard for Mila to let down her guard. But maybe it wouldn't matter. Maybe Roxy was right and it wouldn't last more than a year. But what if it did? What if they had a baby?! What a thought that was. Mila smiled in the mirror, loving the waves and how they fell over her shoulder. "It looks amazing," she told Roxy, looking up at her. "And you know how miserable you would have been if you had stayed with him, right? I've seen how Spence looks at you... I can tell how much he wants to make you happy."
She knew Mila was right. And Caden was on Roxy’s mind less and less often these days -- the sting had eased some, she knew she was healing. It was just taking time, which seemed normal for the end of a five year relationship, especially one as rocky as theirs. Roxy put both hands on Mila’s shoulders and leaned over to smooch her friend on the cheek before she hugged her from behind. “I know,” she sighed. “You’re right. And I feel so, so lucky. Like I bet you do too, because Aaron just like ... shines out love for you. I’m happy for both of us.” They were definitely better off than Caden and his blackout-bride, Roxy felt that deep in her soul. Petty or not, that made her feel better, like there was some kind of justice in the world. She straightened up and moved around Mila to start getting the makeup together.
Mila was happy for the both of them too. And hopefully someday Spence and Roxy would have a baby and their kids could grow up together. But that was the future. Right now she was focused on getting married. And then the baby was coming. They had so much to look forward to and prepare for. October wasn't that far, even though she felt like they had some time left for themselves. "I do feel lucky," she said, her eyes on what Roxy was doing. "It's been a difficult year for everyone. But I just want to see Aaron today and get married and have a fun party and go to the Poconos and try to have amazing honeymoon sex without my big ass belly getting in the way. Which... makes me realize I forgot to ask if you could check on the house while we're gone? I was going to ask Adrian but he just moved out and I want to make sure he has time to get settled..."
Calling it a difficult year was a massive understatement, in Roxy’s opinion. It had been a wild rollercoaster of hellish scary things and sadness mixed in with some really high highs. Roxy was just glad that things seemed to be settling down. No one had gone missing for a while, Jasper had come back, her tumultuous relationship with Caden was over so she could move on from it, Mila and Aaron were going to have a healthy baby girl and start their lives together ... Roxy didn’t want to jinx it, but things seemed to be getting better. At least for now. “Your belly is not that big yet, come on,” she answered with a little laugh. “And yeah of course I can. I didn’t know he’d moved out already, where did he go?” It must have been a recent event, Adrian had still been in the house when Roxy had moved out to live with Spence. She leaned over a bit to start smoothing primer onto Mila’s face.
"He moved into an apartment in Castle View," Mila said with a soft sigh. "I'm happy for him, because he's got his job and he's becoming more self-sufficient and everything. He's getting his life back. I just worry." Things were good, but Mila had thought he was dead for several years and there was always the possibility that he could disappear again. Mila wanted him to meet his niece and be involved. She didn't want to lose her brother again. "Aaron and I tried to set him up with Kat," she admitted with a soft laugh. "That did not work out at all."
Roxy laughed too and wrinkled her nose a bit. “Well they’re about to be in-laws now, so maybe that’s for the best,” she said. She’d always been on pretty good terms with Kat, even if they hadn’t been terribly close with Kat living out of town. For a long time she’d thought they would end up sisters, but life obviously had its own plans. “Maybe he’ll start dating now, being on his own. It’s hard to bring a date back to your sister’s place.” She smiled and examined Mila’s face before reaching for more makeup and a brush. “It’s okay to worry though, it’ll just take time for you all to feel secure that he’s back for good.”
Mila supposed Roxy had a point. If Adrian was dating, surely he would have told her, right? Especially when she'd asked. But maybe he just didn't want to venture back into that part of his life until he was on his feet. She couldn't hover forever, she supposed. "I think it's going to take time for so many things," Mila murmured, tilting her chin up a bit so Roxy can apply her make up a bit easier. "But I guess we're all on a good path, right?" Roxy with Spence and Mila with Aaron. Adrian had a job and a place of his own now. And while she wasn't their biggest fan, even Caden and Gavin seemed to be weirdly happy. "Hopefully it lasts. I just want everyone to be happy."
“Yeah, me too,” Roxy agreed. Even though part of her wished Caden nothing but the worst outcomes in life, she knew that was petty and wrong of her. She would come around to wishing the best for him, or at least not the worst. She definitely wanted everyone else in their circle to be happy and healthy and not lost in some alternate dimension. Roxy smiled softly as she thought about her own path and where it was leading while she worked on Mila’s makeup. “I’m really happy with Spence. It’s like a dream, honestly, he’s so sweet to me. Like I know it’s weird to go back to this relationship from high school, but like, we’re falling in love all over again. So ... yeah, I wanna catch that bouquet.”
Mila's next smile came much easier and she reached up to touch Roxy's arm. "You deserve sweet and respect, whether that's some guy you meet off the street tomorrow or it's the boy you fell in love with in high school. You're getting that bouquet." Mila had always liked Spence and if there was anyone in Point Pleasant she trusted to take care of Roxy properly, it was him. "Sometimes we find the person we're supposed to be with when we're not ready for forever... you both found each other again... and I think that's really beautiful, Rox."
Roxy felt a little misty-eyed as she gave her friend another grateful smile. “It is,” she agreed and rubbed at her nose with the back of her wrist. “For you too. I know you and Aaron never dated before, but I feel like you two had to wait for the right time.” Everyone knew about Aaron’s reputation as a big manwhore, but he really seemed to have matured, and Mila deserved that version of him. If they’d dated when they were younger, it was likely that Aaron would’ve cheated and ruined it all. Roxy hoped he was truly settled down now with Mila and that he would be a much better family man than his own dad had been. Out of all the Lucas brothers, he had the most potential, in Roxy’s humble unbiased opinion. “Okay, eyes closed,” she instructed Mila, picking up some eyeshadow.
Mila obeyed and closed her eyes, well aware of how right she was. No matter how desperately her young heart yearned for Aaron Lucas, she would definitely never trade what she had now for what she wanted back then. They both had had a lot of growing up to do and she was glad they had become friends first, even if her crush had always lingered. "We should try to do more together... you and Spence and me and Aaron. Aaron needs more friends who're like, good influences." She tried not to smile too much, not wanting to mess up her makeup. "Spence would definitely be a good influence."
She gave a snort of understanding as she brushed some color onto Mila’s eyelids. She was so naturally beautiful, she really didn’t need much enhancement, but Roxy felt a sudden surge of gratitude to be able to do this for her. Roxy had friends, but none of them had gotten as close to her as Mila. Her relationship with her blood sister had always been strained, so she had needed Mila even more growing up. “He would be,” Roxy agreed with a fond smile. “Let’s do that, for sure. Sometimes I miss you, living over there. And you know I’m gonna be right there to help you with the baby as much as you need, right?” That baby in Mila’s belly was already so loved, had so much family, it made Roxy so happy for her. Mila was going to be the best mom.
"I miss you too," Mila admitted with a small smile. "Especially when Aaron is working late... the house is so quiet." If Roxy wasn't with Spence on those nights, they would watch movies and eat ice cream. Probably cliched for two women, but Mila didn't care. She hadn't grown up with a sister and Adrian had been a menace to them when they were kids, so yes, she had clung a bit more to Roxy when they had become friends in school. "I think at this point I have endless possibilities for help. I'm really scared my mom is going to move in as soon as the baby is born. I'm hoping my dad keeps her reined in. I may lie to her and say you're still living with us so she knows there's no room."
The reason behind it had sucked, but it had been nice living with Mila for a while. She’d felt a little awkward with Aaron sometimes, being Caden’s brother, and crowded with Adrian there too, but sharing a house with her bestie had been fun, and they’d had a lot of conversations they probably wouldn’t have had otherwise. It made Roxy wonder why they hadn’t gotten an apartment together out of high school or something. Roxy snorted a little laugh at the last part -- it was tempting to tell Mila to just put her foot down and set boundaries with her mom, but ... well, Roxy knew Maria Moretti and that just wouldn’t work. “Use me as an excuse anytime you want, doll,” she said, reaching for the liner and mascara to finish up Mila’s eye makeup. “It’ll spare me a lecture about living in sin with yet another man. Though I think she would approve of Spence more than Caden.”
Mila smiled, amused at the thought of her mother lecturing Roxy, of all people. She was absolutely sure her mother had already prayed for Roxy at church time and time again. "She would definitely approve of Spence," Mila said, trying not to move too much as Roxy applied her mascara. "You should've heard the things she called Caden and Gavin back in the day, especially when we were all in high school. For a deeply religious person, she certainly knows plenty of obscenities." Caden had his moments. Mila could remember a couple of times over the years when she was waitressing there that he would kick someone out for harassing her or Roxy. But his personality flaws far outweighed any good traits he might have picked up. Roxy absolutely belonged with someone who knew how to treat her well.
That didn’t surprise Roxy in the slightest, and while it may have been a little mean, it made her laugh again. Maria was a proper Catholic lady until she wasn’t, and for some reason it just tickled Roxy when she got to see it. It reminded her of her grandmother, in a way. “Well hopefully she’ll be nice while they’re all here together,” she murmured, still grinning a bit. Roxy didn’t hate Caden -- not every day, at least. She just knew he had a boatload of issues he refused to deal with, and it made him a rotten romantic partner. They’d had their good moments, of course, which had made the bad ones sting worse and had kept her sticking around and hoping for far too long ... which she knew she couldn’t completely blame him for. Roxy still had a lot of complicated feelings about it all, and she hoped one day that would all just fade into some neutrality, for both of them. She was sure Caden was pretending he didn’t give a fuck at all, even to himself, but Roxy didn’t think that could be true, or else he was genuinely a sociopath. “Did she just resign herself to you marrying Aaron, or does she feel better about it now?” she asked Mila.
Her mom would be nice at the wedding, that much Mila knew for sure. She wasn't going to treat Aaron poorly now that he was about to be the father of Maria Moretti's first grandchild. Now if her mom had some wine at the reception, there was always the possibility of Roxy getting a lecture about living with a man before marriage, but that would only be because she hadn't been able to lecture Mila without Mila's dad doing his best to change the subject. "If I hadn't gotten pregnant, she'd probably be calling me with names of single men at the church," Mila quipped. "But no, I think she's... okay with it. Sometimes I think she may still believe Aaron had something to do with my disappearance, but... she knows he makes me happy and he's taken care of me since I've been back. At this point I think she just wants to see a ring on my finger to save the baby's soul and everything. I'm patient with her though. Between what happened to me and Adrian coming back from the dead... it's been a lot for her and my dad. I just want everyone to be happy and have fun today. You included."
“Girl, don’t you worry about me, I am about to tear up that dance floor ... and the open bar,” Roxy assured her, flashing her a grin as she finished up with Mila’s eye makeup. She fanned her friends face a bit to help it all dry, then reached for the lip liner. “Now shush and relax your mouth for a sec.” Once she had Mila’s lips done and the setting spray misted onto it all, she sat back and studied her for a second before she beamed. “God, you’re a stunner, here.” Roxy picked up a hand mirror from the dresser and offered it to Mila so she could examine Roxy’s handiwork. “Let me know if you want any adjustments. We still have a bit of time before we need to head over there.” She started to put some of her makeup back into the bag and went on, “You said a mouthful though, about your mom. It’s been a hell of a year for like, everyone I know. So if I hear her getting tipsy and critical of the groom, I’ll be sure to tell her you got the best Lucas male out of the bunch. I’ve got that insider information, maybe she’ll listen.” She chuckled.
Mila smiled as soon as she saw her reflection, because Roxy had done an amazing job, as Mila knew she would. "It looks great," Mila said, pausing to try and keep the emotion from welling up in her throat. If she started crying now she would ruin everything Roxy had just done. She stood to hug Roxy, wishing she had a better way of showing her appreciation. "Thank you." It had been a rough year for so many people and Mila just wanted things to be normal and boring again. Anything was better than scary and traumatic. "And for the record, I'm pretty sure my mom knows I've got the best Lucas, though for her that may not be saying much." Mila chuckled and pulled back to look at Roxy. "Do you want me to help you with your makeup? I'm not as good as it as you are, but I can promise I won't make you look like a clown."
Roxy hugged her back, a bit more tightly than usual, because she could feel that emotional appreciation in the embrace. She felt so much of it in return for Mila too, and it took effort not to smooch her cheek before she pulled back. Mila’s makeup was still setting, Roxy didn’t want to fuck it up already. “You’re welcome babe,” she murmured before they parted, then smiled at Mila’s offer. “You can help with my eyes? It always takes me like twenty minutes to get my own liner right,” she said. That was a bit of an exaggeration, but she got the feeling that just sitting around and waiting was going to make Mila antsy. Roxy very lightly cupped her jaw for a second and made a little sound. “You look so good, oh my god. The beautiful-est bride. Aaron’s going to swallow his own tongue.” She grinned and let her go, then moved to pull out her own foundation to get started on her face. She wanted to look good herself, for several reasons, not least of which was Caden and his wife.
While Mila knew that Roxy could handle her own makeup just fine, she was still grateful to her friend for giving her something to do. The day seemed to be dragging along and Mila was thisclose to just pacing in her childhood bedroom. Roxy's compliment drew another smile from Mila and she couldn't help but wonder how Aaron was, or what he was doing or thinking. Was he nervous too? She knew he was going to look amazing in a suit and tie. The Lucas brothers rarely dressed up for anything, but she was a woman and she knew all three - despite her personal feelings about them - would look incredible today. Since her feet were starting to ache again, Mila moved to sit back down, ready to wait until Roxy needed her help. "Yeah, well, you're going to look good too. Spence is going to swallow his tongue and Caden's going to see what he lost." Yes, Mila could be petty too and she hoped Aaron's brother felt all sorts of regret today.
She laughed a little, not surprised that Mila saw right through her when it came to looking good for Caden. It wasn’t for his benefit anymore, it was for his suffering now, and that made her want to look even better. It probably wasn’t that healthy to be thinking about him and how he might feel seeing her again, but the wounds were still fresh and sometimes you just had to be petty. Roxy wanted him to see her thriving without him, even though she felt deep down that he probably didn’t care, just like he’d barely cared about her when they’d been together. That stung even more though, so Roxy hoped Caden would see her looking great and in love with Spence and rot inside with jealousy. At least for a little while. “He threw me away, so ... I hope he does,” she muttered as she dabbed on her foundation. “And then I don’t want to ever think about him again.” Roxy knew it wouldn’t be that simple, but she wanted to be ready to move on. Once her base coat was on, she moved to sit next to Mila and sighed. “Are you nervous?”
Mila didn't blame her for that. But she also knew the two would likely run into each other from time to time, at least if Roxy attended birthday parties for the baby and the like. But maybe things would be better by then and both would move on and be happy in their own way. Settling her hands together beneath her belly, Mila shrugged softly. "I mean, I guess I'm a little nervous. Mostly just about walking down the aisle with my dad and everyone looking at me. You know me, I'm not exactly someone who likes being center of attention." And yes, she was nervous she might have an episode or panic attack, but she had already explained that much. "But I think if I just keep my eyes on Aaron, everything will be okay. I'm just ready to get it over with... which is probably not something most brides say on their wedding day." Mila laughed. "I just mean I want to be married to him, you know? Have his ring on my finger and change my last name and focus on getting ready for the baby. It feels like things could change any day now and I'm just trying to stay ahead of everything." Mila exhaled slowly and then smiled. "It helps having you and Adrian though. You both kept me sane these last few months. And I promise, when it's your engagement, we're going to go wild for your bachelorette party. Drinking and strippers and everything we didn't get to do for mine!"
“Oh god, don’t tell Spence that,” Roxy said with a laugh, lightly bumping her shoulder into Mila’s. In reality, Spence likely wouldn’t mind if she had a wild bachelorette party, as long as no actual cheating occurred. He didn’t seem to have the same crazy-possessive streak as Caden had ... everyone got jealous to a certain point, but Spence was never scary about it. At least not yet. “I’m sure some brides say that, and maybe once the ceremony is over you’ll feel more relaxed. This day is all about celebrating you and Aaron, so you should get to enjoy yourself, you know?” Roxy knew that was probably a little more challenging when you couldn’t drink, but she really hoped Mila had a good time anyway. She deserved all the good times, much much better times than she’d been enduring. “And if that means sneaking off early, I’ll totally cover for you, just let me know.” She gave her friend a little grin. That likely wouldn’t happen because of Mila’s family, but Roxy wanted to offer anyway.
Mila was pretty sure Spence would be more than fine with any kind of bachelorette party Roxy had. He never came across like a possessive psycho boyfriend the way Caden always had. Mila knew if she'd had strippers at her party, Aaron would have been fine with it. She certainly hadn't minded that he went to Cherries. Mila trusted him and that was more than enough for her. "I'll definitely let you know if we want to sneak out early," Mila said, already imagining she'll be exhausted by the end of the day. She chuckled and brushed a little bit of Roxy's hair back from her friend's face. "I've got to try and save some energy for all that just married and pregnant sex. Though if Aaron drinks too much at the bar, that'll probably have to wait until tomorrow. You brought your dress, right? You're going to get ready here?"
“He’d better not,” Roxy said and tsk’d with her tongue. If there was one thing the Lucases did well, it was drink, so who knew how sloshed Aaron would get, but Roxy hoped he stayed aware and had some self control for Mila’s sake. She also deserved to get laid after her wedding! “But yeah, of course I did,” she went on. “Nowhere else I’d rather be, maid of honor or not.” Maria was surely off bustling around and giving directions for last minute stuff at the venue, Roxy just wanted to keep Mila company and make sure she was having as smooth and happy a pre-wedding-day as she could. She took Mila’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m gonna put you to work though, ready whenever you are to do my eyes,” she added with a warm smile.
Mila also hoped Aaron didn't overdo it at the bar, but she wasn't going to get upset if he did. It was his wedding day too and she wanted to make sure he had a good time, whatever that might look like. Right now, Mila was just eager to see him. Mila smiled at her friend and nodded before standing. "I'm ready if you are. When we're done, let's make some mimosas. Well, a mimosa for you. I'll have a flute of orange juice," she said with a small laugh while gathering up a few colors to start shading Roxy's eyes. She wanted to make sure Roxy look amazing, though that wouldn't take much effort. Caden was a real moron. But she didn't want to think about Caden at the moment. She wanted to think about Aaron and focus on Roxy, whose presence was helping ease Mila's nerves. It was her wedding day and Mila wanted to spend it happy with the people she loved most.