Tears

I sighed, clearly Kyle didn't know when to stop. "It's a guy called... Bradley."
"Here comes our bride," Sarah announced excitedly, she quickly ushered us towards the waiting chairs just outside the dressing rooms.
"Come out come out already," Kyle sang clapping his hands in excitement.
"My good lord!" I gasped and my eyes stung with tears. "M—Mel... you, you're going to be the most beautiful bride ever."
"Just what I was about to say." A new voice came from behind us.
I twirled around and came face to face with a petite woman, with laugh lines, her round face was wide and her brown eyes matched the colour of her hair. She was crying.
There was a man who was shorter than the average man. He was surprisingly in shape and looked exactly like Melissa only with black hair.
"Mom, dad," Melisaa said. "You made it?"
Melissa's voice stung with disbelief. Her eyes fell skeptically on her father. Her dad had a serene look but he fell back a step when Melissa approached. He looked uncomfortable in the presence of his daughter.
"This is Nuru, my maid of honor, and that's Kyle our friend and one of the bridesmaids. "
"The gay friend?" Melissa's father asked with a scowl.
"Steve!" Melissa's mother said to her husband and then looked at Kyle, "Never mind my husband dear. He's... not very much open minded."
"Helen, let's leave the kids to go about their business," he glared at Kyle. "We'll wait in the car Matthew — oh, I forgot, you go by Melissa now" — he gave Melissa a disgusted look and then turned to me with a smile — "Nice to meet you, Nuru." he shook my hand.
It was all too clear in his face, being in Kyle's presence made him uncomfortable.
And I was positive I had never seen this man before. He leaned dangerously on the dwarf side. There was no way in hell I could forget his square face. Zoe was definitely lying about me and Melissa's dad. I wondered why.
"Nice to meet you Kyle," Helen said. "As I said ignore my husband. And nice to finally meet you, Nuru, my daughter can't stop singing your praises. You can call me Helen and this is Steve."
"Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Pike... Mr. Pike," I mumbled shyly, hugging Helen me.
Kyle extended his hand to shake Mrs. Pike's but Steve quickly took his wife's hand and lead her down the aisle.
Sarah cleared her throat awkwardly and said, "So?"
I realized I was staring at Melissa with my jaw dropped. "You look amazing, Mel," I gasped, my throat closing again.
"Thanks," Melissa said and her eyes fell on Kyle whose eyes were wide with confusion. "...Kyle?"
"You look great," he said. His body was trembling with inner turmoil. His eyes were wide, dazed and thoughtful. He was suddenly very pale.
"Kyle..." I took his hand with a sigh. "I'm sure Mr. Pike didn't mean to hurt you. You're strong though, don't let anything get you down. We love you, that's all that matters, right?"
Melissa sighed. "I apologise for my father. Not everyone's going to accept you for who and what you are and that's okay. Nuru is right. You've got friends that find no fault in you. I'm his daughter and he is yet to accept me."
"Group hug," Kyle said.
"Oh no," I said, horrified. "Seriously?"
"Oh jah," Kyle said pulling Melissa and I to a hug. "Now..." he said, letting us go. "You look like the princess you are, Lissa."
"Really?" Melissa said looking at herself in the mirror, not convinced.
The dress was ivory white, strapless, with a complete A-line. It's waist fell naturally on Melissa's curves. There were twinkling stars embedded on the surface in no particular shape.
"You sure my boobs aren't too small for this thing?" Melissa asked desperately. "Maybe I'll stuff a t-shirt to make them look bigger...?" she suggested.
Kyle laughed. "Your eyes look brighter, it was made for you."
"Now show us the shoes," I said with enthusiasm.
Sarah gave me a dress that Melissa had chosen. It was cute, blue in colour with a bare back and spaghetti straps. The material was pure silk. It might have been a beautiful gown — but I shrugged, I didn't have to like it, it wasn't my wedding anyway. If Melissa loved it, my opinion didn't account to anything. I nodded once toward the dress and said I loved it, and asked Sarah to get my size.
I glanced at Kyle warily. "Maybe you should start looking for dresses that the bridesmaids might like and a suit for yourself. You're coming back here right, to choose the right dress with the other bridesmaids?"
Kyle nodded and walked away with Sarah. He didn't notice the urgency with which I wanted him out of earshot.
I complimented the silver shoes Melissa chose with faint interest now. The familiar angst I felt when I was away from Roman for a long period of time was beginning to claw at my conscious.
"... So Mel?" I whispered, hesitant, and stared at my red Converse.
Melissa walked back into the dressing room and I followed behind her. While she closed the door I bit my bottom lip in impatience.
"Yes, Nuru?"
I cleared my throat, hesitating again.
Melissa popped her head around the door and then turned her back on me so that I could help her with the zipper.
"Thanks," she said with a genuine smile. She stepped out of the dress and it pooled at her feet.
"It's my pleasure."
Melissa passed me the wedding gown and I placed it on my lap and ironed it out with my hands. I was just about shaking now.
"Er, Lissa...?" I said, my voice drifted out with no confidence.
Melissa giggled behind the door. "What is it, Nuru?"
"How do you satisfy a guy?" — I felt my cheeks redden with heat and my heart stopped beating for a second — "I mean... How do you make a guy enjoy himself without you having sex with him?"
"Oh?" Melissa's voice was just a murmur but then she whipped her head around the door again as the words finally sank in. "Oh! My my, Nuru, you naughty girl."
"Um, So...?" I was tapping my feet in the gray shiny floor. I wondered yet again about Roman; was he safe, what was he doing?
"Well... can you narrow it down?" she said appearing around the door fully dressed now, in her usual dirty jeans and tank top.
She waited impatiently while I tried to gather enough courage to speak. I cleared my throat but kept my gaze solemnly on the dress.
"I want to do something nice — sexually — for him without getting anything in return." My arms crawled with tiny goosebumps and my stomach filled with nerves.
"Hmm... steamy." She took the dress and led the way back into the racks of dresses. "Well, you could give him a hand job... but... if you want him to think about you for days later — and he's special, you should definitely blow his brains out."
"How do I do that?" I looked at anywhere but her probing eyes. "The special thing...?"
She looked at me curiously and I dropped my gaze again. "Is it Roman?"
I hesitated and then took a breath. Maybe someday I could tell her but just... not yet. Maybe when it was legal for me to be with Roman. When there would be no complications if her tongue slipped. I took another breath.
"Is it?" she asked again.
I sighed, hating myself for keeping this from her.
I heard Melissa grumble her frustration as the silence lengthened.
"Oh c'mon," she bellowed.
"It's Bradley." That wasn't much of a lie.
She nodded thoughtfully. "Do I know him?"
I shook my head once. "No but I'll introduce you to him." Someday.
She considered that for a minute and then nodded.
"Now the special thing," Melissa continued, "Is simple really. I'll send you a few videos for reference —"
"Of you and Chad?" I grimaced and tried not to picture it. "No thanks."
She chuckled and pulled my arm towards a small section that had a handful selection of lingerie.
"Funny, Nuru." She flashed up a red lingerie in my direction and I nodded. "No. I got these off the internet."
My mouth fell open with an audible gasp. "Mel!"
She laughed. "Never mind then. Geez, you're so innocent, it's cute."
I flushed. "Just don't send me anything, I'd rather you talk me through it."
She smiled. "Of course."
There was nothing more to say for the moment. She dragged me around as she looked for a bracelet. I followed without complaint. She stopped and when I looked up she was examining my face.
"You confuse me," she said, searching my face.
"What did I do?"
"It's what you haven't done that's bothering me." I raised an eyebrow, confused. "You haven't asked if what Zoe said is true or not." She chuckled darkly. "You probably already know. But why haven't you asked me why I did it? When I did it. You don't seem curious at all."
"Haven't you heard curiosity killed the unsuspecting cat?"
She almost smiled. "I believe that's true."
"You're here and you're the nicest girl I know and I love you. Shouldn't that be enough?"
She was nodding, tears streaming down her face. "And you wonder why you're my bestfriend?"