Chapter 12: Chapter Eleven

Athena

I walk down the aisle, gripping hard onto my father's forearm. Everyone is looking at me and smiling at me. I just look down and avoid making eye contact with any of them as possible. I'm not really a big fan when people pay attention to me.

''Look up, Athena,'' Dad says, and I sigh before looking up—meeting eyes with the devil. He is looking at me in... awe. The look he is giving me is the look that I've never seen on him before.

We end up lost in each other's eyes. It was just the two of us right now. After a few seconds, his lips curve up into a small smile, and without me noticing, I am only a few steps away from him.

Dad looks down at me, raising an eyebrow at me as a gesture to loosen the grip on his forearm. I clear my throat, feeling my cheeks heat up as I let go of his forearm. He pecks on my cheek before walking toward mom.

I can see Alex smirks a bit, but he covers it up with a smile before grabbing my hand slowly. There's a tingling sensation, and I'm sure he felt it too, but oh well, let's just forget about that right now.

''Dearly Beloved, we are gathered together here in the sign of God—and in the face of this company to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore—is not by any—to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly—but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this holy estate, these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together—let them speak now or forever hold their peace.'' The priest says. I look at him, furrowing my eyebrows as he speaks.

The only sound that was heard is the sound of the waves and birds chirping. A few coughs, but none wanted to object. At this moment, I wanted at least someone to object, so I could just jump in joy and run away, but nah, no one did.

The priest nods at both of us—gesturing us to say our vows.

Alex turns to face, and I follow him.

His blue eyes are making me nervous, especially right now. He looks directly into my eyes, and I swear to god I could just pass out right now. I can feel my legs becoming weak—just from his little gaze.

He chuckles a bit as he looks down at my hand. Everyone is focusing on us, and I can sense myself burning up. It feels like someone just throw me into the flames or something. He looks up once more, ''I see these vows not as promises but as privileges; I get to laugh with you and cry with you; care for you and share with you. I get to run with you and walk with you; build with you and live with you.'' Oh wow, where did he get that vow? I roll my eyes mentally at my sarcasm.

Suddenly everyone starts to laugh, and I furrow my eyebrows immediately. I turn to look at them as they clap their hands and let out laughter.

''Um, did I just say that out loud?'' I turn to ask Alex.

''Unfortunately, you did.'' He replies, shaking his head, but I can see a glimpse of a smile forming as he looks down, covering it up. Ah, at least everyone wouldn't be so serious.

''I'm sorry.'' I laugh a bit, and the crowd claps before going silent, a sign for us to continue.

Alex clears his throat, glancing at the priest, ''You know me better than anyone else in this world, and somehow still you manage to love me. You are my best friend and one true love. There is still a part of me today that cannot believe that I'm the one who gets to marry you.'' I keep quiet this time as he continues, scared if I might say anything out loud again.

The crowd keeps quiet.

''So... I take you, Athena; to be my wife from this time onward, to join with you and to share that all is to come, to be your faithful husband, to give and to receive, to speak and to listen, to inspire and to respond, a commitment made in love, kept in faith and eternally made new.''

I can hear a chorus of awws, and I wanted to slap their faces and bring them to reality, but I just smile at Alex—giving him the reaction everyone expects. I'm quite glad he manage to say those vows without reading them on a piece of paper, but he somehow memorizes them.

And knowing that it's my turn—I didn't really get to memorize any vows, so I need to be creative and create it right now. I look up to find him just staring at me, ''I pledge to you to be your loving friend and partner in marriage. To talk and to listen, to trust and appreciate you, to respect and cherish your uniqueness, and to support, comfort, and strengthen you through life's joys and sorrows. I promise to share hopes, thoughts, and dreams as we build our lives together.'' I say. Alex somehow seems to get caught with the vows as he blinks a few times.

''I promise to shed tears with you when your team loses and drink beer with you when you win,'' I add, and the crowd chuckles. I smile to myself, a bit sarcastic.

Someone from Alex's family walks toward us, holding a white diamond box that contains our wedding bands. There are diamonds around mine, and Alex's just a simple band. They look alike.

Alex takes my ring and slowly bring my hand up closer to him. My hands are somehow cold, and his warmth just makes it more comfortable. He seems to notice how ice-cold my hand is, so he wrapped his hand around mine, kissing the back of it afterward after sliding the ring down. People seem to notice the sudden act, and cameras click, catching the moment.

I bet they capture the look on my face too. Not shock but the look of what-the-hell.

I slide down his wedding band, and he is not letting my hand go. He just holds it tightly, rubbing soothingly—somehow turning me on than calming me down.

We both turn our heads toward the priest; he smiles at both of us, ''You may now kiss the bride.'' I almost sigh at that moment. I've kissed him before, lots, so how can this make any difference? I mean, it feels weird kissing him right now because people would think that we are doing this because of love but... no.

I feel his hand touches my jaw, and slowly, he pulls me closer toward him. His lips brushing against mine for a few seconds before I can completely feel his lips on mine. They move slow and softly, making me kiss him back the same way. I can hear the crowd standing up and cheer for us, but everything went quiet as time passes.

He deepens the kiss as he bends his head down. I don't know how long we have kissed, but it doesn't really matter, to be honest. My hands move up to his neck, wrapping around it.

When he pulls away slowly, I open my eyes to see him clenching his jaw as he looks into mine. I love whenever his lips become red whenever we kiss. It's hot! I'm not going to lie.

I hear whistles coming from Alex's teammates as they cheer. Alex pulls himself away from me slowly before moving his hand down to my waist. I blink a few times, trying to make me come back to reality. The kiss was different. It was something.

We walk down the aisle, his hand still around my waist. Mom walks toward me before pulling me into a hug; I hug her back. I feel her kiss my cheek lightly, ''I'm so proud of you.'' She says to me. I chuckle at her, ''You've grown up to be a stunning woman, Athena.'' And she starts to wipe away her tears.

I frown at her, ''Mom, don't cry. I hate it when you cry.''

''Oh honey, these are tears of joy!'' And she turns to Alex, ''I finally have a son.'' She pulls Alex into a hug, and I can hear Alex laugh before hugging her back.

As time passes, people walk and congratulate me. The ceremony goes on without a single trouble. People laugh, talk, and have fun. I am now standing near Alex as he talks to his teammates. They are talking about football, and I don't even bother to listen.

''Athena,'' Alex whispers into my ear, and I look up at him.

''Yeah?'' I raise an eyebrow, and he points at Sarah, the same person I met at the event. She waves at me as she walks toward me. When we are close enough, she pulls me in for a hug. I hug her back awkwardly.

''Congratulations, guys.'' She smiles at both of us, ''Way to keep your relationship a secret from all of us, Alex. Seriously? For the past three years, you were with Athena, and no one found out about it?'' She chuckles, and I can see Alex smiles, ''Great job at keeping her hidden.'' Sarah jokes.

''You look beautiful.'' She adds, touching my arm.

''Thank you.'' I smile at her, ''Did you have a good time?''

''Yeah! I love the place. Nice,'' And she looks around, enjoying the view. Alex planned to rent the beach for the wedding. He thought it would be nice to have a private wedding at the beach. I couldn't deny because, well, it's not like I wanted any of this, ''We should hang out sometimes, like going out and meet up.''

''Sure,'' I nod. Hm, going out with Sarah? She seems like the person to who the media also pays attention.

''Sarah!'' One of Alex's teammate call her, and she walks toward them immediately. I turn to Alex, who is looking down at me.

''What?'' I ask.

He shrugs, ''Nothing.'' And he clears his throat, ''It's just... nothing.''

''Yeah, right.'' I roll my eyes.

My eyes widen when I see Joanna looking in my direction. How did she get in? I gulp, trying my best to look away from her, but I can't keep calm when I know she's here. She wasn't invited! Did she sneak in? She probably asks the security department to hack her name in the guest list.

''Your stuff has been sent to my house a few hours ago.'' Alex suddenly says.

''What?'' I shake my head, ''What do you mean?''

''Well, since we are married, we live together.'' He clenches his jaw, ''Don't be so surprised about it. The media questions why we aren't living together if we have been together for three years. We can't cause chaos by not living together once we are married.''

''It's not my fault that you decided to cover your three years of being single was a lie. I didn't know you were going to say you and I were together for those years.'' I cross my arms.

He sighs, ''Just don't make things worst than it already is, Athena.'' And he walks away, leaving me alone. I groan when he's far enough from me.

I turn around to look where I spotted Joanna, and I see that she's no longer there. With a sigh, I walk toward the crowd, trying to talk to them, or they might think I'm a loner.

I don't even know most of the people from here. Mostly, they are Alex's friends. Some of his relatives, some from mine—I've greeted them already.

''Athena,'' Joanna calls out from behind me.

''Joanna, what are you doing here?'' I walk away with her to a less crowded place.

She chuckles, ''Well, you have been rejecting my calls and ignoring my messages. Remember our plan? You couldn't forget about it, right. We've made a deal.''

The plan. I let out a deep sigh, ''I remember about it, Joanna. You don't need to remind me.''

''So, any information about him?'' Her eyes meeting mine. Those eyes always know if I try to hide something, and I still fail to do so.

''Nothing,'' I mutter.

''Nothing?'' She raises an eyebrow, ''Don't lie to me. There must be something.''

There is something. About Alex's parents, about Alex's mom, but I can't tell her about that. It's too personal, and it wouldn't bring any good either. It might bring good to the media and the press, but it won't to me. I would end up feeling guilty afterward.

''Nothing, Joanna. Nothing yet.'' I reply, this time sounding annoyed.

''Come on, Athena.'' She smiles, taking a bite of the cupcake which was served earlier, ''Don't hide it from me when you get any information about him. Each detail is important.'' She leans in closer, ''And when I say important, they are essential.'' And she walks away, heading toward the crowd.

I gulp before looking down on the ground. God, I feel bad.

''Now, a first dance for the bride and groom!'' Someone shouts, and I look up to find them all clapping and glancing toward my direction. I feel my cheeks heat up as I try to look for Alex. Great, the groom is gone.

I see Alex walking toward me, and he grabs my hand lightly. Everyone watches us as we step into the middle of the crowd. I can't help but laugh a little. They seem to find that cute because they went with the chorus of awws again.

''I can't dance,'' I whisper into Alex's ear.

He chuckles, ''It's just a slow dance. You have to move, that's all.''

''We should have taken a class,'' I grumble.

''What was that?'' He raises an eyebrow at me as he slips both of his hands around my waist, wrapping it securely.

''N—nothing.'' I shake my head. I put my hands up to his shoulder, near his neck.

The music started playing, Come Away With Me by Norah Jones. I breathe in when I feel that we are moving slowly. It feels awkward, hell it does. I can also feel my hands shaking as I feel his hands lowering down a bit. I move up to look at him, as he just looks back at me. His eyes show innocence, but I glare at him, ''Don't touch my ass.'' I whisper lightly—enough for only him to hear.

He grins as he let out a light chuckle before moving his hands up a bit, right on my waist.

I don't bother to look at anyone else as I lean in closer and rest my head on his chest—hearing his heartbeats. They are calm and steady. One of Alex's hands moves up, rubbing my back soothingly. The way the music goes on and our dance goes on. I feel calm. We just move slowly.

From here, I can see mom wiping her tears. She is looking at us in awe, in adoration.

Come away with me in the night. Come away with me... I look up at Alex, and he looks down at me. I don't know why I feel this way, but I feel like I'm growing closer with him; it's like we are somehow meant to be. One of my hand moves up to his face, caressing his cheek slowly. He exhales before bending his head down and leaning in, brushing his lips on the bridge of my nose.

Come away with me, and we'll kiss, On a mountaintop, Come away with me, And I'll never stop loving you, His lips moving down to my lips and I stay still at his touch. Within a second, he kisses me softly. I pull him by the neck to deepen the kiss, and so we did. We didn't mind if people are looking at us—or even Joanna is looking at us.

I breathe in, and he did too as we continue to kiss. His hands tighten on my waist as he pulls me closer so that our body touches. This is a part of the act, anyway. The media wants this, scenes of us together, so.

When I pull away, Alex rests his forehead on top of mine. His eyes are still closed and I look down at his lips. Our bodies sway side by side to the music. I don't know who chose this song because I didn't plan any of this for one.

To come away with me in the night, Come away with me. The music stops, and I breathe out before letting go of his neck. Some people clap at us after seeing our intimacy. Suddenly, the familiar song comes on, and everyone starts to dance and clap their hands. I laugh when I see Alex look at them in surprise.

Alex chuckles before pulling me back. Everyone jumps into the circle, dancing with their partners.

Marry You by Bruno Mars.

It's a beautiful night. We're looking for something dumb to do Hey baby; I think I want to marry you. Everyone starts to sing at the chorus, and I just laugh when Alex spins me around. He holds me tightly on the waist before turning me around and pulling me back for a hug from behind. People seem to enjoy themselves, and I can see Mom dancing with Dad. They both have wide smiles on their faces.

Don't say no, no, no; no-no Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah And we'll go, go, go, go-go If you're ready like I'm ready I laugh when everyone claps, going with the beat.

I think I wanna marry you.

Alex sings to the song, and I just laugh, hearing that he could actually sing. He pulls me closer so that our faces are touching. He whispers into my ear, ''Just say I do, tell me right now, baby.'' And he pecks on my cheek.

Everyone starts to sing, ''Tell me right now, baby!''

From the slow dance, things change into something exciting.

I can see Sarah claps as she dances around. Everyone continues singing, ''Tell me right now, baby, baby. Just say I do. Tell me right now, baby. Tell me right now, baby, baby!''

Some cameramen start to capture pictures of us, and some also manage to record a video. I'm pretty sure everyone is having a great time.

I think I wanna marry you. The song ends, and everyone claps before wooing. I feel Alex wrap his arms around me, protectively. I enjoy his warmth from being too close.

Even though all of this may be an act, but right now, right here, it doesn't matter because we both know we are having a great time.

After the whole dancing, everyone seems like they couldn't get enough. From a slow song to a different one, they keep on dancing. Unfortunately for Alex and me, we both have to join them.

They say it wouldn't be fair for the bride and groom not to join the fun. I'll admit it; it was fun; it was something that I haven't experienced before. Seeing smiles on their faces, hearing their laughter made me happy.

My eyes widen at Alex's baby pictures.

''Who put this up?'' Alex stands up and turns around to look at his teammates, laughing as loud as possible. They both shake their heads, but the look on their faces shows that they did it.

I laugh when I look up at the screen. A picture of Alex doing a duck face when he was around two? He looks adorable! Then there's a picture of him wearing a dress and his hair up into a bun. His hair used to be long up to his shoulders until he was four.

He looked happy.

''I swear to god, I'll kill them.'' I hear Alex mutter to himself beside me.

I chuckle, ''Oh, come on. I have my pictures too.'' At the same time, I point at the screen, and the screen shows a picture of me laughing. Then a picture of me—chewing condoms.

Well shit.

I hear people gasp, but I just shrug before seeing my mom's jaw drop. My dad must have put it on because he starts to laugh.

Alex laughs beside me.

Oh well, who cares?