The Wedding Planner

Chapter 2: "The Call-off."

Ava rolled her eyes as the call went off. "Rude brat," she muttered to herself in irritation as she returned her phone to her bag. She looked around the hall one last time, and seeing that everything was duly in place, she headed to the elevator.

"I really hope this is about my payment," she muttered and let out a sigh as she waited for the elevator door to open. Deep down, her subconscious told her it wasn't about that. If it was concerning her pay, she wouldn't have spoken to her with such a harsh voice.

"Whatever. I just hope nothing went wrong with my planning." As she said that, the elevator door opened and some of the guests inside of it walked out, while she stepped in. The door was about closing when a young man rushed in.

"What a close call," he chuckled and heaved a sigh of relief as he adjusted his suit, while Ava just stared at him.

Noticing that another figure was there with him, he rested his back on one side of the elevator's wall, and looked at Ava who was also resting on the other side. They were now both standing opposite each other. Their eyes met, but they didn't say a word to each other and seconds later, Ava looked away. She had a lot more to worry about than start a staring contest with some stranger.

Ava Bennett always considered herself well-prepared for any wedding planning catastrophe, or so she thought. All the times she had needed to go to the third floor or the fourth to meet Victoria or to coordinate something, the elevator ride was usually uneventful, a brief but crucial moment of solitude before she had to face the whirlwind of coordinating a high-profile wedding. Today, however, fate seemed to have other plans.

Just as she was about to bring out her phone from her bag to check what time it was, the elevator door stopped abruptly, making Ava gasp in shock.

"No, no, no, not now, please," she begged as she stared at the buttons in the elevator. She didn't know how operate anything there, so to as well not cause more problems for her and the stranger who was there with her, she pressed nothing. "f**k! What a stupid time for this stupid thing to malfunction!" She yelled in frustration.

She continued to rant under her breath as she checked the time on her phone from time to time, not giving any attention to the stranger sharing the cramped space with her. His amusement at her predicament was evident, and he couldn't help but let out a chuckle at how pained she was.

Ava's irritation rose as she heard him chuckle, and she turned her attention to the young man angrily. "What's so funny?" she snapped, her patience wearing thin.

He grinned, making her annoyance peak. "Sorry, but it's just that you're cute when you're angry."

Ava's cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and irritation. "Well, that's just great," she replied sarcastically. "Cute and stuck in a malfunctioning elevator, in the middle of work. Just my luck."

The stranger laughed wholeheartedly this time, finding Ava's snarky response rather entertaining. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh, but your reaction was priceless." He paused, then added. "I'm Carlos, by the way."

Ava's sarcastic smile persisted, and she replied, "Ava. Nice to meet you, Carlos, even in this peculiar situation." Her tone softened slightly.

Laughter still danced in Carlos' eyes as he expressed his amusement. "Pleasure's mine, Ava," he said, "so, what brings you to this glamorous elevator?"

Ava sighed, and for a moment, the tension gave way to a sense of shared predicament. "I'm here for a wedding," she confessed. "Actually, no. I'm the wedding planner, and, well, the elevator chose the worst time to malfunction."

Carlos' intrigue was piqued, and he leaned in to listen. "Oh, Ethan and Victoria's wedding, yes?"

"Isn't that obvious? Or is there another wedding going on in this exquisite hotel and today?" She rolled her eyes at him.

He simply chuckled, ignoring the way she snapped at him. "That's cool anyway," he simply said.

Ava let out a sigh. "Cool, you say? Well, cool and extremely stressful."

Almost immediately, the elevator suddenly jolted back to life, making Ava jump in excitement, forgetting that she had been speaking to someone.

The doors slid open, and without a word, Carlos stepped out, shooting Ava a wink and a wave before disappearing into the hallway. Shaking her head in disbelief at what he just did, Ava resumed her journey to Victoria's room.

She was running late, and the door to Victoria's room felt like a barrier between her and the rest of the wedding preparations. She was about to push it open, when it opened by itself, and she was met with a sight she had never anticipated.

Victoria stood there, her face contorted with rage. Ava assumed it was because she was late and immediately began apologizing.

"I'm so sorry for the delay, ma'am," she hurriedly began, "The elevator malfunctioned, and there was nothing I could..."

Victoria interrupted Ava with a scathing glare. Ava's voice trailed off as she realized that there was more to this fury than a simple case of tardiness.

"What is it, ma'am? What's wrong?" Ava asked, her concern overriding her irritation.

Victoria's voice trembled with anger as she finally spoke, "I can't marry that toxic man! This nonsense, this stupid s**t of a wedding is cancelled!"

Ava stood there, stunned, unable to process the bombshell Victoria had just dropped. She had heard her share of last-minute jitters and pre-wedding drama, but this was a whole different level of chaos.

"Wh… what are you saying, ma'am?" Ava stammered.

Victoria, however, had no intention of entertaining any questions. Her anger boiled over, and she shoved Ava aside before she could react, heading back into the elevator. The doors slid closed before Ava could say another word, leaving her standing alone in the hallway, bewildered and confused.

"What the heck just happened? Did the bride just run off?" She muttered to herself, trying to be sure she wasn't dreaming.