Wedding blues

Wedding blues
Carrie
True to Alessandro’s words, our wedding was slated to be held a week after that smoky proposal.
And after hours and days of rigorous preparation for our low-key wedding, the morning of our new start arrived.
As if I’d never done this before, I woke up extremely nervous.
That feeling worsened when I looked down at the outdoor wedding setup from the window of the small, cosy hotel we booked. That feeling turned extremely worse when I stepped back and looked around my room to realise that I was alone with my simple wedding gown hanging on a grand rack opposite my bed.
I know family-wise, I’ve been alone for a while. But at this moment, it hits me harder than I wish that I’m truly separated from my family.
At least I had my Uncle walking me down the aisle in the first wedding; this one, nada.
Maybe I should hold the side of my stomach and imagine my baby walking me down the aisle to hand me over to the warm hands of his or her father.
I do wonder if my child will be a boy or a girl.
“Sister?” Eduardo’s voice called me out of the sad thoughts I shouldn’t be having on a pleasant day like this one. He carefully pushed his head past the door, and his wide smile brightened my mood. “We’ll start in two hours.”
“Two hours is enough to get dressed,” I responded, my voice drooling with gloominess.
Eduardo walked closer after he shut the door. I watched as he eyed my wedding dress before taking a seat next to me and asked, “Nervous?”
“I think so.”
“Is this because this is your second wedding?”
I sighed and turned my attention to the ceiling while my feet swung back and forth. “In two hours, I’ll be married to Alessandro.”
“And that scares you.” It wasn’t a question. “Is this about who Alessandro is? About what he does?”
“Is it?”
“Is it more than that?”
“It might be. I know his line of work concerns me. I’m trying to get used to it, but I still feel worried.”
“You know you don’t have to go ahead with the wedding if you don’t want to.”
“I want to be with Alessandro, so I am not backing out of the wedding. But… despite that, I still feel nervous.”
“Do you think meeting Alessandro before the wedding to discuss this will help?”
I faced him. “Isn’t it bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?”
He shrugged. “That’s what they say. But when you feel this nervous, you have to do something about it, don’t you think so? I’m mostly a stranger to the concept of marriage, but I know it is a lifetime commitment, and it can be risky if someone is greatly uncertain.”
Another sigh escaped me. “I am not greatly uncertain. Just slightly nervous.”
He slapped his thigh and jumped to his feet. “If that’s the case, and you’re sure you want this, let’s get you ready for your wedding. The hairdresser sent me to get you. She wants to add finishing touches to your hair.”
“Oh, I must have been keeping her waiting for too long. Is Alessandro done dressing up? He must be. Men don’t waste time with such things.” I stood up and got rid of the hair bonnet shielding my pinned-up beautiful hair from straying eyes. “I should put on my dress soon. I don’t want to be late for my wedding.”
“Take your time, Carrie,” Eduardo encouraged and patted my shoulder assuredly. “You’ll be the most beautiful wife ever. And I swear on my life, Alessandro will make you happy. He’ll be committed to it, even if it costs him his life.”
I smiled. “Thank you, Eduardo.”
“So, do you feel better now?”
I took a minute to think. After that, I shrugged and replied, “Meh. I still feel shitty.”
Eduardo shook his head and laughed. “Women. What do you really want?”
“I don’t know either.” I also laughed, and that became more than enough to take the burden of nervousness off my chest.
And with that, I proceeded to prepare for my wedding ceremony to Alessandro Valante, a one-night stand that has become a part of my life in a way I would have never imagined.
~~~
Alessandro
“Is the priest here?” I asked as I checked if my bow tie was still in place. “I might strangle someone if something goes wrong.”
“Relax. What’s with you two?” Eduardo chirped while munching on some chips he discovered last week. “You both love each other. So what’s with the nerves all over the place? Be happy, no?”
I swiftly faced him. “You met Carrie? Did she say something?”
He smirked. “You’re expecting bad news or what? Just make sure you’re careful with your words, don’t ruin her special day.”
“Hmm. So, is the priest here?”
“Uhh…” He stretched to look out of the small window. With short nods, he said, “The priest is here. He looks good, must have gained weight. But… Look, some camera dudes. They look gossip hungry.”
I hurried to the window side, and truly, unwelcomed people were lurking around the lilies decorating the entrance to the ceremony. “Who are those people and why are they here?”
“I’m not going downstairs to check.”
“Do we have to use our guns on this fine day?”
“Should we?” Eduardo’s eyes glimmered, but he quickly shut them down. “We shouldn’t. We can’t let blood stain Carrie’s big day.”
“It is also my big day,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, right.”
I nearly rolled my eyes at Eduardo’s dismissive response and returned to the mirror to check if I was still looking prim and proper.
Sometimes, I can’t trust the gel in my hair to stay still. And sometimes specks of dust settle on my clothes. I don’t want any of that happening on a day that’s going to become a special memory.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the groom to be.”
“Kante,” I gruffly acknowledged the man I didn’t expect to see today.
After all, he had vowed the other day to ruin my relationship with Carrie. Since I have no intention to let that happen, I also vowed not to let him survive coming close to Carrie or me. But since today is a good day, I guess my not-so-lovable brother can stay.
“You are here,” I added.
With pride in his gait, he walked into the suite and made sure to imprint his cold gaze on every corner. Then he asked, “Have you seen my gift?”
“What gift?”
“The press.”
A frown quickly formed. “You called them here? To film you being slaughtered for calling them here?”
“I told you,” he shrugged, “I won’t let you get away with forcing Carrie to be with you.”
“You’re clearly possessing a blockage in your brain.” I scoffed. “Leave and take those camera bastards with you.”
Kante chuckled. “Whatever you say, Alessandro. See you downstairs. Today is about to get insane.”
I wished to remain nonchalant.
But the thought of Kante doing something to ruin this day, which Carrie still has unspoken doubts about, made me furious.
I walked to him, gripped the fingers of his right hand and with a satisfactory bend, I cracked them and rendered them almost useless.
“Make a mess here,” I said with a smile that mocked his twitching frown, “and I'll make sure you watch how I rip out your tongue, hands, and legs. The mirror back home will give us quite a huge view of that.”
Kante, who failed to hide the wince of his pain, forced his hand out of mine and manageably raged. “Your e…end is near. Just k-know that.”
“What a clown,” Eduardo mocked as Kante walked out while shaking the hand I should have completely obliterated. Why the fuck did he call the press? He might as well tell the world who we are.”
“Call Calistus.” I returned to the mirror to ensure nothing was out of place. “He’ll control things and get rid of Kante.”
“Get rid of Kante…” Eduardo narrowed his eyes with slight excitement. “As in kill him?”