Page 148 of Tall, Royal Hater
But the stress was winding me up so tight, I wanted to pull at my hair. The only thing stopping me was reminding myself I had pins holding my curled hair in place that I had yet to take out.
“Okay, okay, okay,” I repeated more for myself than for them as I looked around the dining hall, checking if anything else looked amiss.
“You haven’t finished getting ready yet,” Shehryar then said.
“Yeah, no shit,” I said without looking at him. “We’re behind as it is, and things are fucking falling apart. The projector wouldn’t connect to the laptop, so Kai went to get his, and I’ve left him and Adam to login for the Room call. Fay still needs to put the painting on the table but can’t because of the cake. Bruno needs to finish decorating the table where Nur is going to officiate the ceremony. And—” Realisation smacked me in the face. “The fucking petals. They’re still in the bags.”
I swung around searching for someone who could help me distribute the petals.
Shehryar wrapped a hand around my wrist. “Come with me.”
Before I could argue, he was already gently pulling me away from the table towards the exit. I shook my wrist in his hand, trying to free myself. “Shehryar, I don’t have time to—”
“You need to finish getting ready before the guests arrive.”
“I will after I make sure everything’s in order first.”
But he didn’t let go, not even when he stopped in the archway of the wedding ceremony room and stepped in halfway.
“Princess Esmeralda,” he called in.
“Yes?” she replied, though I couldn’t see her.
“Could you please come out into the hallway?”
“Of course,” she sang. “Give me a second.”
He nodded, and then we were off again, heading towards the end of the corridor.
“Shehryar, I seriously don’t have the fucking time,” I grumbled.
More than halfway to the end of the corridor, he tugged me to the wall and crowded me in.
I angled my chin high and stubborn. “I’m going back in there.”
“No.” He nodded his head in the opposite direction. “You’re going upstairs with Esmeralda to finish getting ready.”
“Shehryar.”
“It’s just the projector—”
“And the petals and cake and painting. I can’t just—”
“Shh.”
I gaped, taken aback. “Did you just—”
“Shut the fuck up, Mariyah.” I clapped my lips together and glared. He smirked in satisfaction, but his voice softened. “You’re going to go upstairs with Esmeralda and finish getting ready, and I’ll watch over everything else.” He shook his head as he traced one set of fingers along my jaw. “You’ve done all you could to make the wedding look great, and a few mishaps are not going to take away from that. Everyone knows what they’re doing, so let them get on with it while you take care of yourself.”
“But the guests are going to be here soon—”
“I can’t help with the cake or flowers, but I’ll make sure the painting is on the table as it should be if Prince Fay can’t. And tell me where the petals are. I’ll sort those out too.”
I huffed out a breath, annoyed with his high-handed behaviour, but his encouraging assurance was making it so easy to consider relying on him. “Fine,” I uttered. “They’re in four pink boxes at the back of the ceremony room under the last window. They need to be put into a bowl so everyone who wants to throw them can grab a handful. And then the rest need to be put into the two baskets for Alisha and Zain’s kids to carry. And the stand for the painting is under the table.”
“Okay.”
I narrowed my eyes and jabbed a finger into his sternum. “And just because I’m listening to you this once, doesn’t mean you getto boss me around again.” His lips slowly spread wider. “Don’t fucking get used to it.” And wider. “I won’t be told what to do again.” And wider.
