Bubbles. That’s what suited her. It was perfect. Why had she wasted so many hours trying on a thousand and one meringue dresses when she had a full bottle of bubble bath at home? Covering all the right places, white in colour, nicely scented and it was original. Lying wrapped up in the crackling bliss Amber giggled at the thought of it, walking down the aisle with nothing but bubbles covering the ‘naughty bits’ as her niece called them.

“Imagine their faces.” She said aloud to Dr. No and Houston as they tried to catch the bubble clusters she had blown at them. “You guys wouldn’t care if I got married in the garden shed wearing my PJ’s would you?”

That was the beauty of pets, cats especially. They didn’t give a flying fornication about what you looked like so long as you fed them and petted them. Unconditional love.

Amber didn’t doubt for a second that the bossy crew that had spent the last eight hours forcing her into wedding dresses loved her enormously, but it was only as she let the day ooze out into the bath water that she felt generous enough to admit it. She hadn’t wanted to go dress shopping in the first place, all those people telling you how this and that looked and what you should and shouldn’t do, constantly discussing the details of the wedding as if it were their day, all of them judging you and trying to force their opinions on you.

Ugh. Amber couldn’t think of anything worse.

She’d been talked into it anyway. Using the verbal equivalent of thumbscrews her mother and future mother-in-law had tortured her into submission. Simply going to a department store or boutique and picking out a reasonably priced dress that she liked the look of was not going to be enough. Oh no. There had to be a day of it, at least, there had to be professional dress fitters, designer labels, frills and trains and tiaras. Amber hated the attention. She always had done. The whole day had been horrific.

As searing hot water trickled into the bath and replenished the temperature swirling around her Amber let a much-needed mouthful of cabernet sauvignon fall into her mouth.

In the little clouds that continuously circled above her brown hair she could see her ideal wedding perfectly. There were about 20 people in rows either side of a short aisle, Lucas would be waiting for her in a simple suit and she would walk down the aisle alone wearing a simple dress that was comfortable, colourful and flattering. Not like the monstrosities that had been oohed and ahhed over during the day.

Lucas wanted the same thing as her. Neither of them saw the attraction in a big wedding that left them in debt for months. All either of them wanted out of the whole affair was a marriage, the lifetime together that comes afterwards. The wedding day was just a way of celebrating with their nearest and dearest.

She’d been glad of the curtains in the changing rooms as her friends and relatives directed her as to exactly what she should do, who to book with and basically planned the entire day. Whenever she tried to interject and tell them that she didn’t want the big fuss and ceremony she was brushed aside like a child and calmly told not to be so silly, every girl wants the dream wedding.

“Anyway, I’ve done my duty now and appeased the sentimentalities, the rest is up to me. Right guys?”

Dr. No ignored her and carried on destroying bubbles with ferocious intensity. Houston fell in the bath.  

___________________________________________________

“Cut it out will you! It’s just a fly damn it!”

Amber tried her best to get through to Dr. No whilst she got ready for work. She couldn’t decide if it was funny or creepy that whenever Dr. No’s territory was invaded by something as insignificant as a bug he turned into a Jurassic Park velociraptor – sound effects included.

Houston hovered on the back of the red armchair, feigning disinterest.

Five minutes later Houston sauntered past Amber, cocky and pleased with himself, crunching away. No more buzzing or raptor clicking bounced off the wooden floors.

“Show off.” She grinned as she applied the final stroke of mascara.

It wasn’t until she was half way to the tube station that she noticed she was a full half an hour early. A rare bonus! Amber wasn’t the sort of person who was intentionally late, in fact she detested being late and would have loved to be able to list punctuality as a personality trait. However, she completely lacked any concept of time. From one day to the next she would be amazed at how something that routinely took ten minutes miraculously and inexplicably took forty-five minutes, despite the fact that she had done nothing different. Luckily she had a very understanding employer, and when it came to meeting clients being a few minutes late and blaming a prior meeting only helped create a reputation for being in demand. This was good for business.

To buy coffee before tube ride, or after tube ride? The machine waved to her through the Starbucks window and promised a tall, skinny latte with a cinnamon swirl for breakfast. Just in time her eyes refocused and looked instead at her own reflection.

Nice new white coat + coffee + crowded tube + ingrained clumsy streak = ruined white coat + bad mood + wasted coffee.

She’d get breakfast from the Starbucks nearer the office.

Shoe horned into a corner of the train Amber felt her Blackberry buzz in her bag. After nearly poking out the eyes of the gentleman behind her with her elbow and almost falling in the lap of another passenger, she managed to fish it out of her purple faux Gucci purse. Her face lit up as she read the single line email from Lucas.

‘So, you calmed down yet? x’

She’d called him as soon as her apartment door had closed behind her on Saturday night to vent about their respective in-laws and their troop of cooing women. Amber thought for a second about how she felt before she replied.

‘A little. Spending yesterday with my nose in Pride and Prejudice helped…How was your flight? x’

Conversation, jokes and general chatter flung its way back and forth and carried Amber to her desk.

‘I’m at work now baby, and you should get some sleep. Love you x’

She sighed as she settled into the day. It wasn’t fun having a fiancé who spent half the year jetting around the world. Lucas was on a fast track from promotion with the top advertising agency in the UK, and they weren’t content with just being top in one little island. He was in LA now, spending his days with the glamorous and the rich and famous, and here she was, still at her little desk in London contending with the wedding plans all by herself; well, except for the family of course!

“What’s this? On time and sans Starbucks?” Monty dropped himself onto her desk as he spoke and knocked over her pen pot.

“Damn! I forgot to get my coffee. Fancy joining me for a quick walk?” Amber was half way to the door.

“Of course dear, but won’t you be needing this?” He was dangling the faux Gucci bag in front of her.

“Ah, yeah. Thanks Monty.”