Common Knowledge

Chapter 1

one

Seeing as I'm already telling you about the wedding that wasn't, in which my stellar role as The Bride was cut short by my co-star (The Groom) not showing up at the performance, it only seems appropriate to introduce myself at this point.

My name is Bliss Clarke, I'm twenty-three years old (there's a reason for that name I promise you, and I will tell you so please don't roll your eyes at me just yet), I graduated last year from University with a degree in English. Up to February 2017, I used to work in an online magazine, that specialized in celebrity gossip, but not your run of the mill tabloid. This was classy gossip, trying always to look at the human side of each story, like what might lead such and such actress to cheat on her model husband with the gardener. Also in Common Knowledge that's what the online mag is called, we kept a proper perspective on very important news like what shape handbags would be in fashion next. And of course, being the kind of publication that it was Harry Styles was a creature of mythical proportions to all of us who worked there, we literally thought he lived in an Mt. Olympus kind of place, fed only on honeydew, had a pet unicorn, rode a dragon, and came down to Earth to visit us mere mortal every so often.

I worked at Common Knowledge for 4 years, from November 2012 until August 2016, which is highly pertinent to mention since the wedding fiasco thing is kind of related to my work. I must say that although I do consider myself a person who has the deepest an utmost respect for the written word and devour serious, highbrow literary works done written by bearded men and cigar smoking women, I did adore my work. I only left because mid-2016 my then boyfriend (later fiancé and deserter groom) who also happened to be my editor and boss at the time, asked me for the hundredth time to marry him, and I finally said yes.

After the offering, accepting and placing of the ring on my hand, having the mandatory celebration toast, Edward (yes, that's the offending creature's name) said matter of factly that it'd be better if I left my job to devote myself to wedding preparations, at the moment it not only seemed like a good idea, it also seemed completely logical. See? That's what being in a relationship does to you at a times, it renders you completely devoid of your own set of opinions and individual thinking, while it dissolves your backbone.

There was a time when I was different. I had many opinions, I did things on my own, rather to enjoy myself than to please anybody else. I had a very content adolescence, and then when I became of age, that is 18, I met Edward.

I was having fun through my first year of University, not as much as some of my classmates were thought since I was living at home and they had managed to flee from parental tutelage. My father was a professor at the university, which gave him access to discount tuition rates. Since I am the oldest of three daughters the only way my parents could afford higher education for all their children was with a mixture of the reduced rates and living at home while studying, which meant not having to pay for room and board.

I am digressing here so let's leave the family finances behind and go back to having fun at uni. On a Friday night, like many other nights I was sat on our local pub with Joy my best friend since grammar school, and some fellow student. We were taking full advantage of finally being 18, and thus able to drink alcohol and even buy it when our meager student income allowed. I procured such income by working one night a week and weekends at the pub. The night in question I was sat with my mates because finally, my grueling shift was over. There were a bunch of us girls, and a couple of bored boyfriends, the subject we were discussing was Haylor. I had been writing a blog on 1D (and occasionally other celebrities, and fashion stuff) ever since 2010 when they began their X factor and highly successful trajectory. Regarding Haylor I had already analyzed the pros and cons of the relationship, whether ship names were appropriate and finally concluded that Harry, as well as Taylor, deserved their privacy since dating at 18 (in his case) and 22 (in her case) was hard enough, and then proceeded to cite recent real live couples within our social circle, trying to make this piece of writing more relatable to ordinary people.