Everybody had left. It remained just me and him-Xavier alone in the wedding hall. Our wedding would make history, because this is the first wedding I knew of, where the bride and groom were the last to leave the hall.
As a little child, I remember attending a wedding with my mum. The bride and groom left the whole guests behind. They drove away in the car they had come with.
It’s now over thirty minutes, since Xavier had been on the phone. Only God knows who he was talking to for that long. His back was turned to my face.
My naughty brain began to fantasize how my first night with him would be and feel like. Stealthily, I walked over to his back trying to eavesdrop. It was just me being curious.
My face fell. It wasn’t long he hung the call. Immediately, Xavier turned. I tried to force a smile through my face. I wondered how it looked to Xavier.
‘Trying to eavesdrop uhn’ He held my cheek and shook it slowly.
My cheeks blushed red on their own, without me forcing it to. But wait his touch? This felt new. Or maybe or just maybe it was me overthinking like I usually do.
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to reply, because he already caught me red-handed.
I cleared my throat, my curiosity getting the best of me ‘Who were you on a call with?’.
‘Do you really want to know?’ He replied, taking one step closer to me.
‘Of course, or else why would I be asking?’ I answered.
‘It was a friend. An old friend’
‘Well, that was new’ I thought as my eyes bore into his. However, it wasn’t long when he looked away from me.
‘You are doing it again’ I blurted out unknowingly. It was just a whisper though. He shouldn’t hear it at all.
‘Doing what again?’ He asked, looking above my head.
‘Never mind’ I responded.
‘Remember the reason why I decided that we should choose this flower to our wedding?’
Xavier nodded at my question, but he didn’t mutter anything.
‘Come on’ I tugged at his left arm slightly. I felt it. I couldn’t miss that. His muscles felt stiff at my contact.
Pim. Pim
We heard the blasting of car horn outside.
‘It’s here’
‘What is here?’
‘The taxi is here’
‘Oh!’ I mumbled. I looked at him as we walked side by side. I had asked a stupid question; although, he replied me. It was the same dry reply.
I shook my head and convinced myself that I was just overthinking things again.
We got outside, and the taxi was there indeed, A black Toyota Camry.
‘Get in’ Xavier muttered; he gestured his right forward.
In the bid of trying to get in, my wedding gown got stuck in between the car door. I didn’t try to get it.
I didn’t say anything. I wanted him to notice himself. And finally, he did.
Xavier bent down and carefully removed the fabric from where it hung itself.
‘Thank you!’
The side of his lips curved into a smirk. It didn’t go unnoticed by me. Well, I ignored it and moved my ass on the chair. I adjusted myself on the Camry’s back seat, so he could sit beside me.
Afterall, we were going to our new home together. But his next words weren’t the ones I expected.
‘I will meet you at home’ He bent forward and placed a short kiss on my forehead.
‘But-’
‘Shsssh no buts. I will be back tonight. If you are worried about not knowing my new house. The driver will take you there. Show yourself around’ He winked at me. He gave me no space to respond to him.
‘Slam’
The door was shut.
The driver ignited the engine and pressed the accelerator pedal, causing the car to lurch forward.
My heart raced with fear now. Anxiety creeped in like it had been waiting for me at this perfect moment of its.
I pushed myself sideways, the chair squeaked as I shifted. I wound the window down and stared outside. Ever passing second made him become smaller in my vision.
I couldn’t see him again. He appeared minute.
I slumped to the seat. My head hitting the armrest of the seat that was in the middle.
‘Fucccccck’ I cursed.
‘Hi, Driver’ I called out.
‘Yes, Ma’am’
‘Who the heck leaves his bride on his wedding day to go home alone?’ I started.
The driver adjusted the rear-view mirror to look at me.
‘I am no place to say anything Ma’am’ He replied me.
I stared at my fingers for what felt like forever ‘I guess mine would be the first of such marriage’
I brought out my phone and dialed Xavier’s number. I didn’t get a chance to respond before he shut the car door. But right now? I needed to give him a response.
First ring? Nothing
Second ring? Nothing also.
‘The number you are trying to call is switched off’
‘Fuccckkkk!’ I cursed again. My breath hitched.
Now I couldn’t call my best friend Racheal. And my dad? No go area.
I stamped my feet on the floor, attracting the driver’s attention again.
‘Ma’am is everything alright?’
I shot a dead glare at him ‘Should that really be a question? Do I look alright to you?’
‘Sorry Ma’am’
Instead I hissed, I need him. I want my old Xavier back.
My mind flashed back to our discussions before this whole preparation.
~FLASHBACK~
Xavier and I went to MON’s mountain top. It was a chopper that took us.
We got down from the chopper; although, Xavier was the one who assisted me down it.
The breeze blew my gown sideways. I am a slim girlie so it felt like the breeze was actually strong enough to push me off.
Xavier collected the duffel bag that I held. It contained the few things I thought could make the meeting a success.
‘So, we are here as you wished,’ He dropped the bag down and smiled at me. The smile felt warm and that alone gave me shivers.
That’s true. Being on the mountain top with my boyfriend was one of the things I had on my wish list. I had to keep on reminding Xavier about it. He easily forgets, but I love him that way. Why shouldn’t I? He has a lot of thing on his mind. So, I completely understand every bit of him.
‘The cloth’
He opened the bag and withdrew a green fabric that had a flowery design.
‘Should I spread it’
‘Yeah, Yeah’
I watched him as he did that. When he bent, a black mole on his lower back was visible.
We arranged the necessary things and sat down. We joked a lot and he reminded me of our first meeting.
‘Come on. I don’t want to remember that’ I tapped his shoulders playfully.
‘I want our wedding night to be a memorable one’
‘Of course, I want that for us. I wouldn’t leave you on our wedding day’ He laughed about it.
~
Frankly speaking, he just did that. The same thing he said jokingly on that day.
Am I just overthinking or he really had some important work to do just like the driver had said?