Epilogue
Elena
2 years later…
“Where is Nicole?”
“You mean your bridesmaid?”
“Do you know another Nicole?”
“Well,” Renee hesitates. “No. Did you call her?”
“I tried but it went straight to voicemail.”
“I’ll try her again, if she does not answer it will be her problem. She would have to miss it.”
“She cannot miss it, it’s her brother’s wedding. Please get her here before the ceremony.” I plead with Renee. Today is my wedding day and I can tell that Renee may have grown jealous of my bond with Nicole. She is scared that I might forget about her. As if that could ever happen. She was there when my heart was broken the first time and then the second time but both times she comforted me in a different way.
She gives my hand a light squeeze reassuring me that she will make sure that Gabriel’s little sister will be here for his wedding.
A knock on the door catches my attention and my mother walks into the room wearing her dress. Renee leaves the room for us to have a moment alone.
“Estás linda.” You look beautiful. She says, her voice slightly trembling as if she is about to cry.
“Mama.” I call out for her and at the moment, I myself feel like crying. I am not moving far away or something that might make this next step in my life hard. Just the fact that I am taking the next step in life. Two years ago, I would have never believed I would be getting ready for my own wedding but here I am. In white dress that is similar to the inspiration I had on my Pinterest and marrying a man I love.
“Que noiva linda você faz.” What a beautiful bride you make. She runs her thumb along my cheek as a single tear falls down her cheek. Today, I am most grateful that my mother is with me at my wedding.
I have been scared and anxious all my life of the thought that I would have to throw a wedding without her here and today, I beat and proved my anxiety and my fear wrong. She is here. Happy, healthy and in a beautiful dress which she will be walking me down with along with Papa down the aisle.
“Isto é tudo você,” This is all you. I point out because it is true. Most of my genes are from her. If not all.
“Crisis averted. Almost.” Renee pops into the room without knocking, tapping her foot on the carpet while biting her lip.
“What do you mean halfway?”
“I was able to reach Nicole, the problem is that she is forty-five minutes away and no taxi can get her here in time because there is huge traffic.”
“What? Why is she so far away?”
Renee shrugs her shoulders. “She won’t tell. Private business.”
At this point I am stressing out, like majorly to the point I am thinking of chugging another anxiety pill. I have started therapy again and the meds I got are actually working. I huff out a loud breath, massaging my forehead. “Well, is there anyone who can bring her in the next half an hour?”
“I have an idea.”
And before I can ask her what her brilliant idea is, she runs off. Almost thirty minutes later she comes storming into the room. “Crisis averted fully; Zanders is on his way on his motorcycle to pick her up. Or rather they are on the way back.”
I widen my eyes at her. “Are you mad?”
“What?”
“Are you trying to cause an accident on the streets? Those two cannot stand each other.”
“Really?”
“Yes, do not see them bickering at any given moment, or worse, give each other the silent treatment while throwing daggers at each other with their eyes.”
“That’s why they are always quiet around each other?”
“Why else?”
“I just thought they were… shy ?”
“Shy and Nicole?” I laugh at her words. “Those are words I thought I would never hear.”
“I apologise for the mistake but Zanders was our only hope. Let’s pray there won’t be an accident.”
“I trust you to tell me when they are here.”
“It should be in around ten minutes. The motorcycle is pretty fast..”
“Keep me updated. Can you get me a glass of champagne?”
“On it!”
I wait in the comfortable seat in the bridal suite for God knows how long with my mother trying to comfort me while cooling me off with a fan. After some time, she got frustrated as well and got out of the room to find her.
The door opens again not three minutes later and Gabriel walks in. I panic standing up and try to cover the dress that is hanging by the closet. “Gabriel, what are you doing here?”
“Bringing you your glass of champagne.”
I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. “Did Renee send you?”
“No, your mother did. She asked me to bring you this since you are parched with thirst while she looks for Renee and she will drag her by her hair. Her words, not mine.” He puts his hands up in defence before he wraps them around my waist and places the palm of them on my arse, giving them a light squeeze.
I wrap my hands around his neck, trying not to spill the champagne. “I can see that happening,” I murmur under my breath before Gabriel presses his lips to mine in a slow tender kiss. The kisses slowly get hotter and dirtier. He picks me up and sets me down at the nearest table.
“We cannot,” I whisper as he runs the kisses along my jawline, butterflies storm in my stomach in havoc.
“There is no one stopping us,” he says. He stops his kisses and pulls away to look at me. His stare holds much intensity and hunger behind his eyes. He reaches for my bathrobe and unties it in an agonising slow manner while staring me in the eyes.
“Don’t,” I warn. “Someone might barge in.”
“And yet I don’t see you stopping me.”
“Renee will murder you.”
“I don’t care. I just want to be with my wife.”
“I’m not your wife yet.” I argue, but mostly just trying to get on his nerves.
“You have been my wife the moment I set my eyes on you, love, can’t change that fact.”
I smile at him; I take a small sip of my champagne before I place it down on the table next to me and wrap my arm around his neck again. “I suppose I cannot.” I smile.
“I’m here!” Nicole storms into the room, her dress with a million wrinkles and her hair a complete mess. Gabriel I pull away immediately when the door hits the wall.
Honestly, this woman needs to learn to open a door with delicacy. “Oh,” she stops in her tracks, biting her bottom lip. “I interrupted something, didn’t I?”
“No, you came at the right moment,” Gabriel says, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. I roll my eyes at him, slightly pushing him away and jump off the table.
I get up from my seat and rush to aid my sister-in-law. I’ll try my best to make sure the dress does not have that many wrinkles when she walks down the aisle. “What happened? Where have you been?”
“Private matter, sister.” She has been calling me that ever since we got engaged. It’s kind of sweet.
“Okay.” I just give up at this moment to try to convince her to tell me stuff. She will never open up.
“I will see you later, wife,” Gabriel’s voice echoes next to me. I smile brightly at the nickname which will be in less than an hour.
He leans in to give me a kiss.
“Her lipstick, you idiot!” Nicole shouts at her brother and pushes him out of the room.
She slams the door shut, leans against it, and lets out an exhausted exhale. “Let’s get you pampered up to walk down the aisle.
THE END