Chapter 5: Mirabella

Mirabella

I needed air but even though I was breathing it wasn't enough. My throat had stretched so thin that air just couldn't pass through. The air pricked my throat, it couldn't pass through and the ones that did constricted my chest.

The ache was dull at first but the pain began to pull, to tear me down.

My eyes welled up with tears and I reached for an anchor to lean, I didn't want to fall into the darkness. I attempted to grab on to what looked like a coat holder, it was a fading gold.

I knocked it over and it clattered to the ground.

The lace wrapped around my throat tighter, the coarse texture turned to glass, sticking its fragments into my neck and hands, strangling me. My throat and nose could no longer accept air, the air was harming me with its jagged edges. The room was starting to fade and I so desperately needed to hold on to something. I reached out for something else to lean on and began to stagger, almost falling down but I never got to the ground.

An arm wrapped around me, not too tight but sturdy enough to hold me up. My legs had given out.

“Mira. Baby.” Theo called. His voice reaked of panicked concern.

He had never seen this side of me, I made sure of it but here he was in this faded room with me.

I weezed again and again. Still no air. My hands clawed at the lacey neck of the dress.

“Mirabella!” He called again with more frenzy.

He held me up with one hand, lowering it to the ground, I sat with my back resting against his knee. His other hand went to my back. He fumbled with the numerous buttons on the back of the dress.

The buttons lined nearly the full length of the dress. When they were not coming undone he hooked his hand underneath the button lining and forcefully drew down against them sending all the little buttons spiraling to the ground.

Some color was restored into the room. The jagged edges of the air began smoothening out and my eyes were starting to open up again, the room no longer appeared dim. I glanced to the side, not just the gold coat holder laid there, some stanchions had also fallen over, that explained the incessant clatter of metal bouncing around the tiled floor.

Theo touched my face and immediately reminded me of his presence.

“Are you okay?”

His face streaked with lines of worry.

I managed a nod. My instinctively hand went to my neck, the lace wasn't so disturbing anymore, it stayed more fractions away from my skin.

The buttons on the floor and the cold breeze caressing my back made me conscious of the fact that Theo had just ripped the dress apart.

A knock rattled the both of us and I scampered to appear less scandalous, Theo shifted quickly to block my body from the door.

“Mr & Mrs. Hartley the wardrobe team is here.” An attendant announced.

“Leave. I'll take care of my wife myself. I need you, I'll call you.”

My stomach did the stupid flip, this time with less nausea.

“yes sir.”

Then feets shuffled away from the door.

Once out of earshot, Theo gazed down at me.

His eyes scanned through my entire face and body, assessing, his brows dipped with concern.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” His hands touched all over my body to be sure I wasn't.

I nodded slowly.

A warmth spread across his face and it disappeared almost as though he was hiding it. He held me up to my feet and turned his back to me running his hands through his thick silky hair.

He walked over to the dress stand and pulled out a familiar dress.

It was a pastel yellow midi dress, it flared from the cinched waits, opening up like a flower towards the end.

It was the dress I had loved so much at the dress shop but decided against since it wasn't my wedding day, not to talk of the cost of it.

The designer was French and only made ten of it every year, the flowers on dress were pressed into the silk underneath the chiffon. The silk glistened once light kissed it.

Theo ignored the shock on my face and handed it to me.

“Let's get you into this.”

Too stunned to speak, I simply stepped out of the uncomfortable shoes I had to walk in all day. Then I peeled off the sleeves of the wedding dress, Selena's wedding dress. It was metaphoric, I was peeling off my act of theft, the guilt, the stupid responsibility that clawed away at my lungs.

My eyes meet Theo’s in the mirror and my skin prickled with heat.

His eyes watched me like a predator watched its prey.

This shouldn't have been any different, as kids we'd changed together in the locker room of the swimming pools, no shame, no guilt and certainly no heat.

The warmth rose up my cheeks as the dress pooled around my feet.

I was standing bare to him in a bra and thong my sister had made sure I wore before disappearing. She'd said she knew I'd never wear it on my own accord and I merely did it for her on her wedding day.

Here I was standing bare and almost naked in front of her husband.

The cool air swept over my exposed skin. I turned around to look at Theo, he looked sideways then leaned away from the wall, walking towards me.

I parted my lips, unsure whether to run, stay or better still cuss at him.

“Why are you doing this?” That was all I could muster up. My voice was so small in my ears, it was embarrassing.

He didn't answer and just knelt before me. He let the dress down so I could step into it, his eyes were fixed on me as I did, then he pulled it up and heavens knew the heat on my skin on all the places his hand grazed nearly set me ablaze. I momentarily closed my eyes. I ought to hate it but I didn't.

The glint in his eyes made me suspect he was enjoying it.

I hated it.

His hand rode up my dress while he was still looking at me like I held his entire world. One wouldn't even suspect that the man kneeling before me was marrying the sister of the girl he appeared madly in love with some months ago, no, some days ago.

Theo's hands moved up my thigh with an expertise that made me question his intention. A mischievous grin dawned on his lips as he pulled out a Lacey band from his breast pocket.

Again with the damned lace.

My heart picked up pace as his hands coasted my ankle, then my calves, then my thighs.

He kissed my thigh and stole all the air from my lungs, I voluntarily gulped in air.

Everything about this, him kneeling before me looking at me like he'd devour me and leave no crumbs, his hands underneath this gorgeous dress, coasting over my bare skin, me without shame biting my lower lip. It was scandalous. A betrayal to my sister.

Selena. I had to get away and call her.

Everyone else was too complicit with her disappearance and it was unsettling.

I was starting to feel like the clueless fool in the movie

I was too rattled to realize it was a garter until he'd fastened to my thigh.

He rose to his full six whatever inches. I tilted my head to look up at him.

“At the reception I'll take that off with my mouth. Don't rattle up like this.”

I flushed. Again with the stupid flip and heat.

Again? and in front of all those people.

I jerked away from him and walked to the painted window staring down at the trail of cars filled with people I couldn't care less about all attending the reception. A managed act of defiance. I couldn't conform.

He chuckled dryly, a mockery I presumed. He must've felt my shivers and cold sweats.

The evening was going to be long and hard but whatever dirt Theo had been yapping about, I had to find out about it. I needed to know whoever gave this man my P*******t board or told him I liked the dress a little too much.

Everything was wrong and I was going to stay put till I figured it out.

I glanced towards him to find him bare chested, hands pushing into a pale yellow shirt, all tight and leaned, carved muscle. My head spun trying to figure out if the glisten on his torso was oil or sweat, either was a sight to behold.

It was going to be a long night.