To Color Your Life

A month later.

A good day starts with good coffee. If it's an ordinary good day. A wonderful day begins with a kiss from your loved one. Now Emily knew it for sure.

But at the moment she wanted coffee more.

Yesterday's bachelorette party ended after midnight. Perhaps it was the craziest get-together in which she participated. Emily put a mental tick on her list of "do not repeat that again! It's life-threatening!" things. This list also appeared after that event. Gathering Zoya Evans and Kelly Ohara at the same table turned out to be a bad idea.

This couple in terms of their energy reserves can compete with a nuclear reactor. With their eccentric behavior, they first attracted all men (and not the fact that these men were single!) within a radius of five hundred meters, and then turned them down in such a way that Emily mentally prayed for the repose of the broken self-esteem of at least two dozen representatives of the stronger half of humanity.

After that, she will not be surprised if some of these men move on to play for another team, having not dealt with the psychological trauma they received.

Women, it turns out, are terrible creatures! Especially some of them.

Emily glanced at the two bridesmaids. Zoya showed Mrs. Hayes a video of their bachelorette party yesterday on her phone, and Kelly verbally added details.

Both girls giggled mysteriously, and Granny kept sighing and throwing her palms up to her flushed cheeks. But she continued to watch what was happening the day before, like a schoolboy who turned on a movie for adults for the first time.

"Maybe that's enough! A couple more details, and you will spoil my grandmother!" Emily made another attempt to interrupt this movie session, but everyone pretended not to hear her.

"God, Emy, don't be such a bore. You should be glad you had such a bachelorette party! Just look at these boys! What movements, what charisma! And what kind of group is this? Maybe I should invite them to my birthday party or something? An eighty-year-old woman would love to watch some hot dancing too." Mrs. Hayes winked at Emily, who rolled her eyes. After all, she knew that this would all end up like this!

"The team's name is 'Dancing in the dark'. Their leader is a good friend of mine," Zoya said proudly. "Their performances are scheduled for six months in advance, but for our sake, they made an exception. By the way, if we order them for your anniversary, they will show their new program "In the Rain"! Imagine twelve sexy hot guys splashing in the water to the rhythmic music, completely naked!"

"Completely naked?!" Emily turned her head so abruptly that she forgot about the makeup artist, who was finishing her hair at that moment.

"Miss Hayes, sit still!"

"Sorry," Emily froze immediately. Knocking off the best bridal hairstyle specialist in town was not worth it. She'd rather not bother like that, though. It is a pity that the regular makeup artist of the Pharaoh magazine left with his boyfriend for RnR in Cuba. But this woman was also a top-level pro.

"They'll be wearing boxers," Zoya explained with a sigh. It seems that she didn't mind them wearing no boxers at all.

Hah, you might think a small piece of fabric would leave room for imagination!

"Granny, I won't let you stare at naked guys," Emily replied in a tone that could not tolerate objection.

"You will be talking like that to your husband, darling," Mrs. Hayes chuckled. "Zoya, can you give this friend's phone number?"

"Don't forget to invite Mr. Pitcher. I'm sure he will appreciate the performance." Younger Hayes smiled sweetly, and her inner dragon rolled into a snide laugh, like the creak of a crumbling cart.

Marian Hayes wrinkled her nose and looked at her granddaughter, as if she had passed the coordinates of the secret shelter of mankind to aliens, "You know how to spoil the mood, Emily. And who did she such a character after?"

Emily shrugged. "I'm worried about your boyfriend's health. He has a weak heart, why create unnecessary stress for a man."

As soon as the grandma opened her mouth to argue about her new boyfriend, this same guy appeared on the doorstep in person.

"Are you talking about me?" Arthur Pitcher entered the room with their family's trademark smile. The man was dressed in a dark blue tuxedo, his gray hair was perfectly styled, and in one ear was a stud earring with a large diamond.

Kelly and Zoya whistled without saying a word.

"Wow, grandpa! You are awesome! I urgently need a selfie with you for my Instagram!" Zoya jumped up to Mr. Pitcher, grabbed the man by the elbow, took the phone out of her purse and began clicking frame by frame. 

"When you upload these photos, remember to mention that I have a girlfriend," Arthur glanced at Mrs. Hayes, "She's terribly jealous."

"Huh, who's jealous here? We are already old for such nonsense. And in general, I do not remember agreeing to be called your girlfriend, you old scoundrel."

"However, you agreed to a joint trip to Cancun, my dear Marian. Or did you forget that too? Well, it's ok, everyone's memory suffers with age."

Emily blinked uncomprehendingly. What a trip to Cancun? When did they manage to do it all?! And most importantly, why doesn't she know anything about it?!

Granny had tormented her for a year, bringing her with various potential husbands, and when she had her own boyfriend on the horizon, she did not even tell her granddaughter about it!

"I hope I won't find out about your wedding when your honeymoon is over," she muttered to herself. Never mind, she still has time to torture Granny Hayes with questions. Let her feel for herself what it feels like when someone cares deeply about your personal life.

Mua-ha-ha!

Somehow, the dragon is extremely active today. Is it the nerves playing or what?

Emily exhaled and clenched her palms into fists. If Mr. Pitcher is here, then it's time for the ceremony.

Lord, why is it so scary?!

What if I stumble, fall? Or someone will step on the train of the dress and leave me with a bare butt, as shown in videos on the Internet? Or will I blurt out something wrong? Absurd thoughts rushed through the girl's head like bees in a disturbed hive.

A warm hand fell on Emily's shoulder. "Everything will be fine. You look great, my girl. Your Justin will forget English when he sees you." Mrs. Hayes smiled. This smile was enough to instantly banish all worries.

Emily nodded. Only now did she notice that the wrinkles on the woman's face became larger and they became deeper. That the once-bright eyes have faded a little, and the shoulders have sagged. Even in height, she became a little smaller.

But the love and warmth that Mrs. Hayes gave the girl entirely did not diminish in the least but grew more with each passing year.

Even those annoying attempts to find a husband for her were nothing more than a desire to get the girl out of depression, breathe life into her. Even in such a provocative way.

Emily just now suddenly realized that over the past year she hardly called her grandmother, because she knew that she would call herself at a specific time.

Lord, how carelessly she accepted the care of another person and how little she gave in return, taking it for granted! Only now, at her own wedding, she realized with horror that the moment might come soon that the next call would not happen.

"Granny, I will call you every day. And you too, call me every day, all right?" Emily squeezed her grandmother's hand and pulled the woman to her, hugging her tightly. "I love you. You're the best in the world."

"Well, well, what are you doing, dear? I'm not going anywhere," Marian stroked her granddaughter on the back when she heard the girl's trembling voice, "Calm down, or the makeup will turn into an awful mess."

"Miss Hayes, don't screw up your eyes!" a makeup artist picked up a magazine lying next to her in panic and began fanning the bride's face, "If you cry, do it with your eyes open!"

"What is it like?" Emily sobbed and tried to pull herself together. At this rate, she will reach the altar with spread mascara, smeared shadows and snot under her nose. Although the mascara should be waterproof in theory.

"Like this! Like a dead fish washed ashore," Kelly goggled her eyes and sobbed dramatically. "Clear?"

"It's more like a donkey choking on a carrot," Zoya laughed.

"Miss Hayes, don't squint when you laugh!"

The city's best makeup artist grabbed her heart as the bride joined in the laughter in the room. The makeup, which was supposed to be another top case in her portfolio, was on the brink of destruction!

"Grandpa, has Christian come? Did you see him?" Zoya's eyes shone in anticipation of an answer.

Emily already knew that in the three weeks that the girl stayed here, she repeatedly tried to meet with Denver, but the man always found arguments and avoided meeting. It seems that Zoya's expectations were completely different from reality. But the girl did not despair.

Such persistence can only be envied.

"Yes, he is already among the guests. Just be good, don't jump on him like a monkey again."

"Grandpa, I'm not five years old!" Zoya was indignant, and in the next second, she evaporated, as if she had never existed.

"Tsk, you'd think something has changed in fifteen years," Arthur Pitcher shook his head. This granddaughter was like a thorn in the butt.

He walked over to Emily who was sitting on the couch and held out his hand to her, "Come on, my girl. Justin is waiting for you."

The girl got up and put her hand in the man's hand, "Then let's not make him wait any longer."

"Yes, he has waited enough."

...