‘You’re glowing,’ Hannah said.
‘So does radioactive waste,’ Maddy replied.
Laughter filled the room, and Maddy wanted to scream, ‘What’s funny about that?’ Instead, she took a sip of room-temperature champers.
A knock on the door signalled ten minutes until the ceremony.
The room quieted. Her mother hugged her tightly. ‘Enjoy your moment,’ she whispered.
Maddy nodded, and a giggle escaped.
‘Nerves,’ her mother assured her.
When the bridesmaids left to line up, Maddy found herself alone for a rare moment of silence. She sat down, hands trembling slightly.
The door opened softly. Eva stepped inside. ‘You look beautiful,’ she said.
Maddy looked up at Eva, and she wanted to say the same. Instead, she said, ‘I hate this dress.’
Eva closed the door quietly and moved closer. But nottooclose. ‘You’re pulling it off anyway.’
Maddy swallowed. ‘It’s too stiff. Why didn’t I get the one I wanted?’
Eva sighed. ‘Breathe, Maddy. You’ve spent a year and a lot of money, leading up to this. You’re allowed to panic. But everything is good. Everything is ready.’
‘I feel like running,’ Maddy said, surprising herself.
Eva crouched slightly so they were at eye level. ‘Really?’
Maddy shook her head. ‘I don’t know. I don’t know.’ Tears threatened but didn’t fall. ‘I’m not going to run.’
‘It’s almost time,’ Eva said quietly.
Maddy stood slowly. They faced each other in silence, the air thick. Maddy noticed every detail: the dark sweep of Eva’s hair pinned loosely at the nape of her neck, soft strands escapingaround her face; the sharp line of her collarbone above the deep green silk of her dress. Her dark eyes, steady and unreadable, were almost black in the low light.
‘Thank you,’ Maddy said. ‘For everything.’
Eva nodded once.
The music started outside, a soft instrumental cue signalling the ceremony’s beginning. Maddy reached for the door handle.
But then she dropped her hand. She turned. ‘Last looks?’ she asked Eva.
Eva nodded and lifted her veil carefully. They looked at each other directly, inches apart, Eva still holding the veil in her hands.
‘Exquisite,’ she said sadly.
Maddy’s eyes dropped to Eva’s mouth. It was a terrible, devastating mistake.
Months of restraint snapped all at once as Eva caught her face with both hands and kissed her with startling force. Maddy met it with equal passion. Eva’s thumbs pressed against Maddy’s cheeks while Maddy’s fingers twisted into the front of Eva’s dress, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them. Maddy could feel every millimetre of Eva’s body against hers, and it thrilled her beyond measure.
Eva backed her against the vanity table without breaking the kiss. The edge pressed into the backs of Maddy’s thighs as bottles rattled softly beside them. Eva’s hands slid shakily from her jaw to her waist, holding onto Maddy for dear life as they kissed each other with a passion neither had ever known.
A knock sounded sharply at the door.
‘Maddy? It’s time.’
Maddy and Eva pulled back instantly, panting. The space between them rushed in, cold and sharp. They stared at each other, breathing hard. But Eva didn’t reach for her again.
