A Promise Older than us

VASILISA 3

“I think this is the one” I put on a tight smile as I came out of the changing room.

“Lissa, you could at least put on a better show by pretending you're happy for your damn wedding” Eva rolled her chocolate doe eyes at me.

Deduska thought it would be a good idea to get out of the house since I haven't left my room in close to a week. If I wasn't at the training grounds, I was stuffing my face in my room, staring into the void.

He had to pull out the big guns and call Eva. We've been friends since high school and have stuck by each other ever since, going as far as attending the same college.

We've been described as polar opposites. She has a light feminine aura surrounding her in ways that remind me of snow white.

Meanwhile, there's me, with my femme fatale energy. It makes it worse that I'm 5"10 and she's 5”7. But regardless, she gets me.

“You're lucky you're not the one being forced to get married” I grumbled and walked to the nearest mirror to examine the dress.

The gown hugs my body through the bodice and hips before dramatically flaring out around the knees into a sweeping skirt emphasising my hourglass shape.

The bodice is heavily boned and tailored, giving it a sculpted, almost armour-like effect, enhancing my waist

The gown is also covered in intricate embroidery all done in shimmering metallic threads and white beads. From neckline to hem, the gown sparkles with detailed beadwork and strategically placed rhinestones or crystals, giving it a dazzling, light-catching effect.

The train is extremely dramatic — wide and flowing, and extends far beyond the hem of the gown. The veil is long and sheer, extending to the floor and beyond.

It’s edged with matching embroidery, perfectly complementing the dress. It also appears to cascade from my shoulders or arms in a cape-like fashion, adding to the drama and ethereal effect.

The neckline is romantic and open, baring my shoulders while creating a soft, feminine silhouette.

The sleeves are created with drapes, lightly covering my upper arms and flowing into the cape-like veil extensions.

Leave it to Eva to pick something dramatic. But in all honesty, it's the dress I hated the least amongst the others I'd tried on. Why should I be putting so much thought into a wedding I don't want?

“But this is only the third dress—”

“Exactly, I guess I'm just lucky”, I threw her a look, letting her know I was done with the conversation. I could hear her mutter something under her dress.

I told the shop attendant I'd made my choice and sat back down with Eva after changing into my casual clothes.

“How about after this, we go shoe shopping?” she squealed and clapped.

“I think you're here to cheer yourself up instead of me. And besides Eva, you probably have more shoes than Cinderella”

“True but this time, it's wedding shoes. There's a difference” Deduska was lucky he called Eva, I'd planned to wear an all black outfit like I was mourning someone.

Correction: I am mourning someone MYSELF!

“Honestly, I don't think shopping is going to do it for me. I just want to go home and rest” I checked the time, it was past one in the afternoon.

“We haven't even started planning your bachelorette party. Although it would just be the two of us but still. We need to hit the club”

Now that caught my attention. Hitting the club was just what I needed. Maybe I can get wasted to the point where I can't remember anything.

It's a bad image for me, but screw it. Hopefully, it would also tarnish my husband's image.

“There's this new place that opened that has had such good reviews. We could check it out—”

“Perfect, let's go tonight” My sudden enthusiasm had caught her off guard. She stared at me with skepticism.

“What?” My voice went higher than expected. “It's better to dance the night than mope in my room, besides Deduska thinks it'll be a good idea for me to be out of the house anyway”, I grinned.

“You have that mischievous glint in your eyes, but it's not like I can say no”

“Perfect. I'd get my things and come over to your house. If we leave from my place, Deduska would make us take security and that's the last thing I need”

Grandfather would be pissed if he found out which is why he isn't.

~~~~~~~~~~

Everything went according to plan. I'd told my grandfather I was going to sleep over at Eva's place, and he didn't refuse or request security.

Being the heiress to a multi-million dollar company, her house was already secure on its own.

I had enough money on me and a knife strapped to my thighs under my dress. I also had a gun in my purse. Being defenceless and this beautiful isn't a good combination.

We got an Uber and within 20 minutes, we were at this ‘new club’ Eva was raving about. There wasn't anything special about it in my eyes. It looked like a regular club.

Stepping inside, my nose immediately flooded by the overwhelming smell of alcohol, sweat and raging hormones. I could see people grinding on each other aggressively on the dance floor.

Just get a room at this point, would you? Some people looked seconds away from ripping each other's clothes and f*****g right there.

The floor and the walls vibrated to the beat of the overly loud music. The room was dimly lit safe for bright flashes of coloured lights.

I suddenly didn't feel like dancing. Mostly because I felt like I could see the amount of germs being passed around as everyone was rubbing their sweaty bodies together.

Eva must have felt the same way too, because the look of repulsion was too difficult to hide.

“I think we should get our own section,” she screamed. I couldn't have agreed more. She took my hand and we made our way out of the sea of people and up the stairs.

Most VIP sections on this floor were filled to the brim with people, prompting us to go higher. This particular floor was less crowded but we wanted a section to ourselves, leaving only one other option, and this particular option looked like the most expensive.

Not like it was beyond our budget. How Eva managed to spot this place I don't know. We walked through the light curtains and gazed in awe at the place. It had its own mini bar, complete with several drinks, tables and couches.

“You’ve really outdone yourself, Eva,” I smirked while taking a seat. She was already heading to the bar to make us some drinks.

“This is way better than being downstairs entangled with sweat and body odour”

We were having such a good time laughing and drinking for what felt like hours until a group of men walked into the room.

“Sorry, this place is already booked!” Eva grinned and poured me another glass.

“This area is restricted—”

“Obviously? It's a VIP section and we've already paid for it so could you please leave? You're ruining the mood” I glared at the one to my right.

I was starting to get angrier by the minute. But they didn't budge.

“If you don't comply, we're going to have to drag you out. I'm not in the mood to deal with w****s who don't know when to shut up and leave” Another man boomed as he walked into the room.