Chapter 3-3
After three months:
Zack's POV:
FLASHBACK:
Since the day I asked Mr. Mathews the permission to date Nadia, things became more awkward between Nadia and I, especially after she asked me to cancel everything. And although I had my reasons to marry her, I didn't want to force her to do anything she didn't want.
Nevertheless that day, we couldn't even talk about it because grandma interrupted us and broke our conversation. After that, we just acted like everything was okay until they left an hour after, grandma didn't leave me any space even when they were gone since she started asking about how I met Nadia, how many hours I saw her per day and a lot of other questions.
Luckily, I didn't have to answer anything because grandpa rushed-in and saved me right away, leaving grandma grumbling behind me when I headed to my room. I didn't want to talk about my relationship with Nadia yet since I wasn't sure if we were going to proceed our act.
Nadia and I, we lost contact for more than a week; she didn't call to tell me about her decision and I didn't want to disturb her although I had moments when I really wanted to speak with her and tease her like usual. Which was strange for me since I always went after what I wanted except with Nadia.
I watched her from a distance, she looked actually beautiful; she was wearing a champagne dress which reached just above her knees, what looked like a Camel Wool Coat and offwhite ankle boots, she had a plaited stitch Beanie on top of her head, which fitted her hair that fell freely on her shoulders like usual, reaching her waist, and she was holding a brown leather shoulder bag.
I didn't realize I was staring at her until we locked our eyes for few seconds, she just looked at me and I knew I had to take my gut to talk with her, to see where we were standing and what would happen in the future so I called her.
"Hey" I said a soon as she picked up "Are you free?"
"I am" She spoke quietly "Where should we meet?"
"Anywhere but here" I answered her, thinking of a place "The restaurant of the blind date is okay"
"Okay, I'll meet you there"
I put my phone back to my pocket, glancing at Nadia, who said goodbye to her friends then started walking off heading to the parking lot. As I started the engine and drove out of college, I couldn't help but think of what could Nadia say and how her decision would affect both of our futures.
I entered through the glass door of the restaurant as flashes of the blind date wandered in my mind but my thoughts were interrupted when I felt a touch on arm, I turned my head thinking that it would probably be Nadia but it was a blonde girl that I could hardly recognize. She was wearing a red dress which reached her knees, black boots and a black leather jacket.
"Can I help you?" I asked the blonde who was standing by my side.
"It's good to see you again" She ran her fingers from my upper arm to my wrist, seductively "I had always wanted to talk to you" She flickered her hair from side to side, revealing her neck to display.
"Sorry but do I know you?" I seriously wanted to know.
"Well, you don't but I hope you will" She simpered at me, still touching my arm.
"I don't want to" I tried my best to calm myself because throughout years, I had always that kind of girls running after me. They were amusing in the beginning but then, they became so annoying that I couldn't even handle them.
"Why so?" Her face expression totally changed.
"Because..." I started speaking but I was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"He has a girlfriend already" Nadia answered her, tugging at my right hand "Am I late?"
"No, you're not" I looked down at Nadia, who looked like she was going to burst out laughing.
The blonde girl stormed right away without adding a single word, obviously disappointed that she missed her opportunity with me. But I couldn't give it a bit of attention since girls like her only cared about material things, and she apparently saw me stepping out of my car before entering so I just shrugged off and went to the reception to order a table after taking off our jackets and giving them to the man in the reception.
/* the restaurant was actually hot*/
All the way to our table, Nadia didn't spell a word nor did she react about what just happened but I could tell that she was smirking at me in her mind for being in that position. The waiter put a menu on my side of the table then hurried to Nadia's and pulled a chair for her and put the menu in front of her while I settled down and looked for something to eat.
"I'll give you few minutes and I'll be back to take your orders, what drink would you love to have?" He smiled at both us.
"I'd like to have orange juice but with extra pulp please" Nadia told him what she wanted as he wrote it down on a small notebook.
"What about you, sir?" He turned his gaze at me.
"Same thing" I answered him directly.
As soon as he was two tables far, I gained a stern look from Nadia, who just kept glaring at me "A 'please' wouldn't bother you" She lifted her hand in the air, exaggerating on the word 'Please' with her fingers.
"But it's his job after all" I retorted.
"Whatever"
The same waiter came back after couple minutes with our drinks, and took our orders. And since it was 3pm and we both had lunch already, we just ordered deserts. I ordered chocolate mousse with chocolate chips whilst Nadia ordered Tiramisu and Vanilla ice cream.
"So? You miss me already?" She smiled at me, mischieveously.
"Nah. Not at all" I took a sip of my juice.
"So why did you call me then?" She questioned, staring at me.
"Well, I want to know what you decided" I felt my face heat up but not because of the place's heat.
"About?" She raised her eyebrows at me.
"Are you...." I had to stop talking as the waiter put our deserts in front of us. So as soon as he left, I finished what I was saying "You know exactly what I am talking about"
"Well, I have already discussed everything with grandpa" She spoke quietly, tasting her dish.
"You told him about our arrangement?" My eyes widened in horror.
"Chill out, I only told him that we have been seeing each other a lot lately. And I may have added a small detail" She raised her fingers in front of me.
"What did you tell him?" I asked right away.
'I hope it's something good' I thought to myself.
"I may have mentioned that you already confessed that you love me and that you are serious" She replied looking at her desert, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"You did what?" I whisper-yelled at her because we were at a public place after all "Why the hell did you say that?"
"Why do you look mad at me?" She gazed at me, confusingly.
"Because you didn't even ask me before telling him" I didn't know what else to say nor why was I angry in the first place.
"Did you ask me before seeking for grandpa's permission?" She digged in her Tiramisu again.
"It's not the same thing" I retorted, enjoying the taste of the chocolate mousse in my mouth.
"It is"
"No"
"Yes"
"If we can't agree on this, how are we going to stand each other for a year, I sighed at her, frustratingly.
"I don't know but you have to propose to me soon so that we get everything done quickly" Her words mirrored my thoughts.
"Yeah, I have to and no need to do anything, I'll give you my grandma's ring and we'll make up a story about what I did for you" I suggested because I sucked at planning such things.
"You're already taking steps back" She hid her chuckles under her simper.
"Romance isn't my thing" I stated before taking one last spoon of my desert and pointing at the waiter to bring the bill.
Nadia didn't even move and just continued enjoying her Tiramisu as if I wasn't even sitting with her on the same table. I could see how much she loved chocolate just by the way she closed her eyes as soon as the pastry was in her mouth.
I put the cash on the table before standing up and making my way to Nadia's side with a handkerchief in my hand without breaking our eye contact. I leant down so close to her face and wiped the corner of her mouth, brushing my fingers with her flawless skin as I whispered in her ear "I recommend you to eat properly next time, I wouldn't mind tasting it myself" And after it, I stormed out of there with a mischievous grin plastered on my face because I could see goosebumps which appeared on her arm.
END OF FLASHBACK
I wore a black Tuxedo with a red bow tie; I fixed my hair slightly as I didn't even bother myself to shave because my bear hadn't grown much since I shaved it a day ago. I put my favorite perfume on and leaved my room right away, heading to our big garden where grandma used to plant her colorful roses.
The garden was beautifully done, white tables surrounded the place leaving an area for the dance floor. Red flowers were everywhere, on tables, on the floor and even hanged on trees while chairs were covered with white satin and violets in order to match the tables.
One of the things I didn't want was a big wedding but grandma insisted on planning a big one in one of our hotels'. However, we came up with an agreement of having the wedding in our garden but grandma could invite whoever she wanted except our friends since we didn't want to invite them.
When I was walking around the garden, I found that grandma actually invited few people to the wedding and by "few" I mean 100 people. I guess, I thought she knew what a personal wedding meant but she didn't. Moreover, I didn't know half of those people so I only wanted to get out of there...
Oliver was wearing a well fitted grey suit with a black tie as his hair was pushed back, he was standing beside Ann, who was wearing a beautiful one shoulder beige dress, which suited her perfectly, her hair was taller than I ever expected, it was fixed and curled and gathered on her sleeveless shoulder.
I guess I looked at them for too long because they both met me halfway and started teasing me about commitment and marriage life while I just simpered at them until I sighted Mr. Johnson: The court man, he was walking towards us.
"I know what you are doing son" Oliver patted my back, reassuringly when Ann went to show Mr. Johnson his place.
"What are you talking about?" I wanted to know because I had no idea of what he was saying.
"I know about this little game of yours" He fixed my tie.
"Which game?" I tried to act like a fool but I had a feeling that he found out everything.
"You can still stop it" He spoke quietly "You can always find another way"
"I don't think so" I tried so hard to avoid his gaze because I felt like he could see through my soul.
"You took the easy path" He stated before leaving me standing there, thinking about what he said.
What he said was right, I took an easy way but it was the only solution I found that day in the hospital, a solution which solved my problem along with Nadia's in the same time. Therefore, I couldn't leave her alone that day, not after I convinced her that our marriage could fix everything.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Nadia's number. I felt like I had to ask her one last time if she had changed her mind. However, I couldn't talk to her because I was directly redirected to her voice-mail. So, I just hanged up and thought of speaking with her face to face but grandpa and his friend blocked my way and didn't leave me move.
I couldn't leave because the man was one of our partners, he had 2.3 percent in grandpa's company so I had to be nice with him and show him that I was reliable since his voice was important to me if I wanted to be the head of the company.
My phone vibrated in my pocket so I excused myself and took it as my cue to run away. It was a message from Nadia saying that she was busy with final touches. I debated with myself wether I should've just ask her to cancel everything before it was too late.
"We have to talk" I sent her a text after few seconds.
"I'm surrounded with lots of people that your grandma already asked to keep me here" She answered immediately.
I kind of guessed that grandma would do something like that because she said that something bad would happen if the groom saw his future bride before the ceremony. However, she didn't say that texting was bad so I could totally use the few texts I had to get words I wanted out of her.
Zack: So tell me! are you ready?.
Nadia: I was born ready.
Zack: I mean it, do you have any second thoughts about our marriage?.
Nadia: Why would I? Do you?
Zack: I don't but I felt like I had to ask.
Nadia: I knew you have a heart.
Zack: Haha not funny.
Nadia: You really care, don't you?
Zack: Get over yourself.
Nadia: Ps: Don't even think of doing something stupid later. I have to go.
Zack: Something stupid?
/*I knew exactly what she is talking about*/
By time I put my phone back in my pocket, Oliver told me that the ceremony was about to start so I took my place in front of the big table, with Mr. Johnson by my left and Oliver and Ann by my right. The table was huge, it was covered with a sky blue satin and red petals.
The music had started and Sam appeared with a cute pink gown dress and a basket of petals that she threw on ground behind her when she was walking toward me with a big smiled plastered on her face. A crown rested comfortably on her head that was beautifully added a special charm to the cute updo that suited her age.
Nadia and Mr. Mathew followed her immediately. Nadia was wearing a beautiful wedding dress; it was sleeveless, made all of lace and diamonds on the waste. She was gorgeous with a diamond necklace and earrings without forgetting the Veil which hanged from the top of her sophisticated updo to reach the ground, covering her shoulders and all of her back.
I couldn't help but smile at the sight of her beautiful and stunning look and I definitely looked like a lovesick fool in that position because I couldn't wipe my beam off. Her eyes reflected the same feelings I had as her smile didn't leave her face all the way until she reached me.
"Stop staring like that" She mumbled as soon as she approached me.
"I'm not" I retorted right away, pulling a chair for her.
/*maybe I was...*/
We only needed Mr. Jonson and two mature people to witness our marriage therefore Oliver and Ann took that responsibility. Mr. Johnson gestured at the guests to take their seats in order to start the marriage right away.
"Zack Collins, would you accept Nadia Mathews to be your beloved wife and promise that you'll love her and stand by her side until death separate the two of you?" Mr. Jonson asked me.
"I do" I answered; looking right through Nadia's soul.
"Nadia Mathews, would you accept Zack Collins as a husband and stand by his side in happiness and sadness, in health and disease, through thick and thin?" He turned his gaze at her.
"I do" She answered him directly.
"And do you agree of witnessing this marriage?" He then directed his attention to Oliver and Ann.
"Yes" They both replied in the same time.
"Sign here" He put a pan on the big register and pushed it toward us.
I was the first one to sign then Nadia followed me as Oliver and Sam did the same. And after it, I stood up slowly when everyone started applauding, and held Nadia's hand to help her stand up as Mr. Jonson handed us our family record book.
"Something stupid?" I smirked at her.
"Don't even think of..." She whisper-yelled at me but I cut her off.
I held her cheeks in my hands, leaned down and placed my lips on top of hers, and kissed her gently while my thumbs caressed her skin tenderly. Her eyes reflected her shock in the beginning but after couple seconds, she recovered and just smiled instead of kissing me back.
I pulled away and embraced her in my arms as she threw her arms around my waist and hugged me back. I kissed her cheeks without breaking our eyes' contact, I felt heat on her skin which meant that she was flushed red like usual.
/*She's rip my head after it but her reaction was worth it*/
People stopped applauding, Nadia and I, we went to the middle of the dance floor and the music started playing in the background. I put my hands on her waist as she wrapped her arms around my neck, and we started flowing with the music.
"What do you think the man tells his bride when he speaks in her ear?" I whispered in her ears.
"How would I know?" She simpered at me.
"I guess he just leans to this level" I lowered my head to the spot behind her ear "And just whispers with a husky voice how much she looks beautiful in her wedding dress"
"Oh, really?" She whispered back "And you know what the bride does in that situation?"
"Nah, I don't" I was suddenly interested in what she would say.
"She just stares in his eyes for few seconds admiring their depth" she lifted her head and stared in my eyes "Then she'll tell him how much she's lucky for having him by her side and when their eyes lock for too long, they forget that they are surrounded with people"
Even though we were only acting, I really felt disconnected from others; like we were in our own bubble and no one could see us. I felt a sudden connection with Nadia, a connection I had never felt with a girl before.
Her eyes were shining brightly at me as we swayed from side to side, totally neglecting the fact we were surrounded with people. I had no idea what had gotten to me in that moment but for the very first time with Nadia, I didn't hate her, nor did I love her, I just felt nothing for her.
Awkward...
The music came to an end but we didn't even realize that since we stayed flowing with the rhythm we created in our heads. But when grandma barged-in, she yanked us out of our bubble and brought us back to reality.
She was standing with an other women who looked quite familiar to me. But I couldn't remember where I had seen her before. The women had a huge smile on her face, her brown eyes were glued on Nadia. Speaking of Nadia, she flinched as soon as that women approached us, which made me curious to know who was that women.
"You look beautiful Nadia" She stated, proudly.
"Who asked you to come?" Nadia's eyes brimmed with tears.
I remembered her, she was the women in the hospital and pictures.
"Dad called me" The women answered her, looking at the ground.
"Dad? She was Nadia's aunt?" I thought to myself, still staring at them.
"And you thought it is convenient to come?" Nadia laughed at her "You are not welcomed here"
"Honey" Grandma interrupted her.
To add more confusion to the situation, Sarah: My mother's best best joined us. Sarah hugged me tightly to her chest, saying that she was so happy that she could witness my marriage. Then she diverted her attention to Nadia.
"I am so happy that Zack chose you" She caressed Nadia's cheeks.
"Thanks Sarah" Nadia embraced her in her arms.
'How did Nadia know Sarah?' I kept questioning to myself.
"Sarah, it is good to see you again" The women addressed Sarah with a pat on the back.
"Cecilia, it has been a while since we met" Sarah kissed the women's cheeks who I assumed she was Cecilia.
I heard that name before but my brain wasn't functioning well because of all the confusion I was facing. It seemed that they all knew each other somehow and I was the outsider who knew nothing about what was happening in front of him.
"I wish Leticia was here to witness her son's marriage" Cecilia stated blankly "She had always dreamed of this day"
'How did this women know my mother' I became more irritated because I needed to get everything that was happening in front of me, starting with who was Cecilia?
"Who's Cecilia?" I whispered in Nadia's ear while the others kept talking about mom.
"My mother" She replied immediately.
/*Please, don't forget to vote, thank you*/