Reliving Yesterday ✔

Chapter 20.

Rolling over, I hit my beeping alarm with a little bit of annoyance. I wasn't ready to crawl out of bed on to the floor just yet. My mind wandered, until a little thrill ran through me as I remembered that the wedding was today. Slowly, I opened my eyes and stared at my star spangled ceiling.

Ten Years Ago

"You get scared of what?" Parker asked, a slight smile playing at his lips, as he tried to hide his laughter.

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down, which only pushed him over the edge and he was laughing like it was the funniest joke in the world, exposing his fallen teeth.

"It's NOT funny, Parker," I cried, wanting him to stop. Slowly, he stopped and walked closer to me.

"OK," he said, "If you're scared, why don't we just keep some light in the room?"

"How?" I asked.

"Go up to your room. I'll be there in a sec."

I walked up to my room and sat by the window waiting for him to come. He crawled his way over, across the bridge and sat with me at the window ledge and held up a small packet full of stars in a million different sizes. "I was going to give this to you on your birthday," he shrugged, "But you need it now. You can stick them up on your ceiling and they glow in the dark. So you'll always have light with you, OK?"

"OK."


I stretched and climbed out of bed, walking to the bathroom. I had packed the bag I needed the night before. I put on a sun dress and some sandals, before walking over to the window. I looked out on to the lawn and then across to Parker's window. The curtains were drawn and the house looked silent. I couldn't hear anything either. Parker's car wasn't in the driveway. Maybe he had already left.

I brushed away the feelings of a few nights before when Parker had dined with me. After that day, he hadn't shown any signs of change and had relapsed into the moody, brooding Parker I had come to know. Dance class hadn't been any different and all we had done was silently glide among the others, still struggling.

I headed out to my car, while calling my dad and telling him that I was leaving.

"I'll see you there, sweetie," he promised.

"I'll look out for you."

When I got to their summer house on the outskirts of town, the place looked like a summer daze. It was impeccably beautiful with hoards of summer flowers in the middle of Autumn and the sun shone merrily, giving its blessing for Bianca's and Bryce's wedding.

The inside of the house was pretty peaceful for one where a wedding would take place in a few hours. I walked into the room I heard the most voices coming from and inside there were places set up for each bridesmaid and the bride and our dresses were hanging in line against the wall at the back. It was a picture perfect place.

"Alex, great to see you," Bianca said, "Come in and sit down. We'll get started in a while so just relax and go out on that bathrobe."

"I'll just go get some water first," I told her and wandered off towards the kitchen. Inside, Blake was there with the other groomsmen, looking worried. As soon as he saw me, he stopped chewing on his cuticle and smiled.

"Hey," he said, warmly, but there was a hint of distraction in his tone.

"Hey," I replied, "Sorry if I interrupted. I just came here to get some water."

"Let me," he said, and got me a bottle from the fridge.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, after he returned.

He stared at me for a while, before opening his mouth. "Don't tell Bianca," he said in a low voice, "But Parker is missing."

"What?"

"I tried calling him and texting him. He hasn't replied to any one of them," he said, his worry surfacing, "Did you see him this morning?"

"No."

"Bianca wanted the perfect wedding. Parker is about to ruin it."