Defy the Stars Read Online Free

and he spoke back, squeezing her hand. He looked over his shoulder at the two other girls. I could see Caitlin nodding as she took her position behind Siobhan.
The priest was with them now. The congregation was instructed to stand and, a moment later, the wedding group set off up the aisle.
    I turned away, my heart beating fast, and bent my head over my order of service sheet. I felt faint. Giddy. I knew my face was as red as my dress.
    He was here. About to pass me. I kept my head down. The music soared through a couple of chords. Then I heard the swish of silk and glanced sideways. Siobhan was walking by. Flynn was on her
other side, looking across the pews nearest him. They walked to the front of the church. As they reached the altar, the music stopped. I realised I was still holding my breath and breathed in
quickly, letting the air out in a shaky sigh. Beside me, Michael shuffled from side to side.
    I stared at the back of Flynn’s head. His dark hair was slicked back, the ends lost against the collar of the dark suit. It fitted him exactly. The older bridesmaid adjusted the long train
on Siobhan’s wedding dress. Flynn turned and smiled at her, then gave Caitlin an encouraging nod. He scanned the aisles swiftly, as if looking for something, then turned to face the front.
Gary took his place beside Siobhan and she let go of Flynn’s hand. The priest started speaking.
    I didn’t hear a word.
    All I could hear was the sound of my own heart pounding away. A minute or two passed and Flynn and the bridesmaids sat down. Flynn was on the edge of the front row, next to his mother.
    He turned around again, his eyes flickering over the people behind him, as if searching for something again. I watched his face, recognising the intense expression, the shape of his lips. It was
as if no time had passed since I’d seen him. He seemed as familiar to me as my own reflection in the mirror.
    And then his eyes met mine and he stopped gazing around and just stared at me.
    So
I
was what he had been looking for. My heart felt so full that I thought it might burst, my blood like thunder against my temples.
    He looked and he looked at me. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. I had thought that after the first few dead, dark months without Flynn, my existence was more or less back to normal. But now I
realised that the recent months had been dull and washed-out and that only here and now, with Flynn, was the world bursting into glorious technicolour again, everything exploding with life.
    A terrible fear rose up inside me. Who had I been kidding, thinking seeing Flynn would give me closure? All I wanted was to hold him, to have him hold me, to kiss me.
    I forced myself to look down. I counted to thirty. Slowly. When I looked up Flynn had turned to face the front again. Siobhan and Gary were taking their vows. Then the dark-haired bridesmaid
read a poem. The priest spoke. Caitlin fidgeted. Flynn’s mother wiped a tear from her eyes. Flynn put his arm around her. He didn’t look around again, but I could see there was a new
self-consciousness in the way he was holding himself, like he sensed I was watching him.
    I felt like crying. Dad and Grace and everyone else had been right – I was back where I had been months ago, in agony. I shouldn’t have come. I glanced at Michael. He had folded his
order of service into a paper animal with four legs. He looked bored. I was sure he wouldn’t mind if I asked him to leave.
    I gulped. I couldn’t just walk out in the middle of the actual wedding. But as soon as it was over, we would go. Never mind the party afterwards. I needed to get away as soon as
possible.
    The service was coming to an end. Siobhan and Gary were pronounced man and wife. There was a short pause while they signed the register, then the organ struck up again and the two of them came
back down the aisle, arms linked, matching smiles on their faces.
    Flynn followed behind. He was charting and laughing with the