Dare to Love

The Wedding

12 years later...

                Jade watched as one leaf after another fell from the red maple tree that stood tall and proud in the courtyard of their townhouse, her forehead bunched up against the cool of the glass. Her chocolate brown eyes beheld the Chinese style pavilion overlooking the stone path, now lined with vibrant yellow and dark red cymbidium orchids. Men and women, dressed in long gowns and ironed suits, stood around chattering to each other in tones that reached up to her bedroom balcony.  The season was changing once again, cooler weather taking over. For normal kids her age, it would mean hayrides, trick or treating, and pumpkin carving. For her though, it meant remaining at their community of townhouses, guarded against the dangers that lurked outside.

                She squirmed, adjusting her blue qipao adorned with white flowers, in a classic porcelain style, similar to the ones that littered the inside of her family’s townhouse. The dress only went down to the middle of her thigh which she wasn’t used to wearing. She turned, looking to her best friend, Eileen Wang, who was decked in a full-length red qipao, embroidered with golden phoenixes. She was elevated on a stand as two other ladies circled her, checking her hair, makeup and dress were in excellent condition. For a brief moment, Eileen’s gaze met Jade’s as they both smiled.

                “Stop squirming so much! You’re beautiful! You should wear dresses more often,” Eileen scolded her from her stand. Jade shook her head, looking down at her slim, bare legs that seemed out of place. She moved closer to her best friend in awkward strides, making sure she didn’t fall over in the heels she was wearing.

                “You are the beautiful one!” Jade answered coolly. She looked up to her friend, amazed at her beauty that had been only enhanced with the dress and makeup. “Travis is going to die when he sees you!” Jade smiled, watching the effect of mentioning Eileen’s soon-to-be husband come over her friend’s face. She’s hopelessly in love, she thought. The room became silent as the echo of men’s laughter bounced off the walls. Jade rushed as quickly as she could in her heels to the door, reaching it just in time to see Tao and Seth exit from a room down the hall. Jade paused at the door, catching Seth’s eye. They stared at each other, a look of solitude and pain crossing his features, as she was sure that the same look had crossed over her own face. She watched as Seth and Tao turned the corner, walking down the steps to the courtyard. Jade watched his back, looking over his wide shoulders that slimmed slightly at his waist, a sense of guilt washing over her. Tao gave her a quick wave that she returned.

                “I’ll never understand why the two of you broke up,” Eileen broke the silence. Jade closed her door with a quick snap, rolling her eyes. Seth let it known in their relationship that he thought women shouldn’t fight which Jade violently disagreed with. She wobbled back over to Eileen, her muscular but still feminine shoulders squaring up. “Ok, ok let’s not fight on my wedding day,” Eileen cheered up, holding her hand out for Jade to take. Jade took it, holding her hand tightly and with the help of the other two ladies, they were able to get Eileen off the stand.

                A double knock on the door alerted them to the door once again. This time Gavin, his thick black hair hovering over his eyes, with the sides shaved short, poked his head in. Once again Jade rolled her eyes, turning to look at the wall as she crossed her arms. There was a brief moment of silence as the other two ladies took their leave of the room.

                “Your father is here to see you,” Gavin announced, his voice a little louder than it needed to be.

                “Tell him to give me one moment,” Eileen replied. The door snapped shut once more. “Jade…” Eileen called her name, and Jade looked back at her friend with a questioning glance. She could read her friend's face instantly. She wanted to know why she was still so stand-offish to Gavin. They had always fought and disagreed on many things, and after Eric, her brother had refused to become second in command, Gavin had agreed to take on the roll. It was hard for Jade to accept him as someone to help her family in such a dangerous role. “Seth loves you. Love is possible and someday I want to see you as happy as I am now. If you would just try,” Eileen squeezed Jade’s hand before nudging her towards the door.

                Jade huffed as she wobbled out of the room, wanting to let her friend know that she had tried… it just hadn’t worked out, but she didn’t want to spoil the mood of her best friend’s wedding day. She hiked up a smile on her lips, exiting from her bedroom. She passed Eileen’s father on the way to the stairs, bowing to him with respect. She slowed as she came to the top of the stairs, grabbing onto the handrail for assistance. It wouldn’t look so good for her if she showed her face for the first time that day by falling down the four stories of steps, would it? She huffed again, lowering herself down onto the first step.

                “May I be of some assistance?” A baritone voice interrupted her concentration on the steps, forcing her to hug the banister. She spun her head around, finding Gavin just behind her, extending his arms. His face blank of any emotions as he stared back at her, his jaw set hard. Jade thought about rejecting but figured the help wouldn’t hurt her. It wasn’t like they were going to talk anyway. She extended her arm, placing her hand in his. Gavin pulled her up with a steady hand, helping her to conquer one stair at a time. “You look beautiful,” the volume of Gavin’s voice was so low that the comment almost went unnoticed. Jade cleared her throat, looking down at the steps.

                “Thank you.”

                “For once,” Gavin added. Jade looked up in time to see a grin spread on his face.

                “I could say the same for you,” She quipped back, already annoyed. She stumbled forward just to be pushed back by Gavin’s muscled arms.

                “So clumsy, no wonder why your dad doesn’t let you fight,” Gavin’s voice turned deeper and more serious. Jade gritted her teeth, trying her best to move faster down the stairs. She had gotten slightly more used to going down the steps in heels and made it halfway down when she couldn’t keep her mouth shut any longer.

                “You try walking in four-inch heels and a dress and see if you can fight. I bet you’d fall on your face.”

                “You already would have done that if I wasn’t here holding you up.”

                “Well, I’m so sorry if I’m wasting your precious time. At least I don’t spend all my time sharpening knives that I never use.” Jade brought up Gavin’s specialty. Most of the time it was hand to hand combat, but sometimes extra weapons were used in their line of work. She noticed that Gavin was clenching his jaw so hard now that the muscle had begun to pop out. They only had one more story to go.

                “Let’s get this straight. I could crush you.”

                “Why? Cause you’re a man?” Jade hooted, covering her face with one of her hands. She could feel the pressure on her other hand as Gavin’s hold became tighter. As they reached the final step Jade turned to him. “I know you agree with Seth… but let me make this absolutely clear. I’m a good warrior. I’ve trained in China and I’ve fought in several battles. Don’t let the fact that I’m a woman fog your brain,” Jade warned, poking her finger into his solid chest, turning on her heel when her outburst had finished. She headed straight back to her father’s study, knowing that was the place to be until the wedding was going to start.

                She heard several shouts and cheers even before she got to the hallway. Her father’s study was in the darkest part of the house, the lights in the hallway broken and never changed due to her father’s preference. Old oil paintings of horses, phoenixes, and dragons were hung on the walls leading to the door. When Jade opened the door, the cheering died down momentarily before it picked back up again, the several men in the room inviting her over to join in the fun, some daring to mention that it was the first time seeing her wearing a dress. She joined them, taking a seat in the middle, giving some of them high fives while accepting a few drinks.

                “Eileen will haunt you… if you get her bridesmaid drunk before the wedding even starts,” Travis’s voice resonated through the room, some of his own words beginning to slur. Another round of cheers went up. Jade’s lips widened in a smile for the first time that day. She was finally surrounded by what she knew, by the people she respected and trusted with her life, besides Eileen who was busy talking with her father. When they all found out that there was to be a wedding within a mess of business like this, it had come as a shock to everyone, but everyone had also found no better time to hold such a glorious moment for a couple as Travis and Eileen.

                The door opened to her father’s huge frame blocking the hallway from view, ushering everyone out. The ceremony was to begin in five minutes. As everyone else left, her father walked further into the room, followed by Seth. Jade once again averted her eyes. She could feel warmth creep up onto her cheeks, giving her feelings away. She had dated Seth for nearly two years and still couldn’t deny the feelings left. She just couldn’t agree with someone who wouldn’t let her fight to protect her own life and her family’s life.

                “I’ll leave you two,” Her father had become a man of little words and even less so at showing any kind of expression, but Jade knew that he was still warm-hearted and felt deeply about the effect that this war had on his kids, his allies and this community that they lived in. Jade followed him with her eyes until the door was closed behind him. Once again, silence enveloped the space she was in. At first, she tried to avoid any eye contact but the silence made her weary, forcing her to look at Seth.

                “You’re breathtakingly beautiful,” Seth smiled, his eyes locking with hers. They stared at each other, giving Jade her stomach an unsettling feeling. The delicate yet harsh whispers of a violin brought them back to the study they stood in. Seth held his arm out for her to take, standing a bit straighter now. “Shall we?” He offered, tilting his head slightly to look at her, his spiked hair making him look like a curious cockatoo. Jade silently took him up on his offer, taking his hand. They slowly exited the study, walking back to the bottom of the stairwell where they met up with Eileen and her father.

                Jade looked up at her friend, tears reaching her eyes for the first time. It had been over ten years that they had become friends, Eileen’s father coming to join in the fight. Being the only two girls in a world of turmoil had made them grow on each other fast. In other words, they only had to look at each other to know that they would be each other’s best friends for a lifetime. The music changed once again and Jade was being swept away by Seth, down the stone aisle, encased by the colorful orchids on either side that Jade had noticed from her balcony. Groups stood along the path looking out, bowing respectfully, waiting for the bride to appear with her father. Seth’s rough hands twitched in hers as they made it to the end of the path, pausing in front of the stone steps of the pavilion to give their bows to the groom. They stepped aside, turning back to watch for the groom.

                The moment seemed to grow, the cloudy, fall sky broke open to let some strands of sunshine fall through just as another song was strung delicately on the strings of a violin. Eileen emerged from the house with the help of her father. There was a stifled cry from somewhere behind her that Jade knew was Travis. Jade dabbed at her own eyes as she watched the couple reunite on the stairs of the pavilion. A few words were said as heads of the family were introduced, the male’s side preceding the females. When the introductions had finished a large table was presented in front of them, carrying a large teapot surrounded by several, miniature teacups. The couple worked endlessly to dish out every family member a cup of tea and take many rounds of photographs. Jade rocked back and forth in her heels on the grass, her feet beginning to hurt.

                “Lean on me,” Seth whispered to her, winking one eye. Jade smiled, taking him up on his request by sliding an arm through his, leaning into him. Even if they didn’t agree on some or many things, Jade could never refuse his debonair attitude and his kindness. Maybe Eileen had been right and Jade had just taken things a little too far. Maybe their relationship could go back to how it had been? Jade smiled, leaning into him, smelling his woodsy cologne. Jade stared up at Seth, smiling at his tentative gaze around the hushed courtyard. Her feelings for him had never died so while she was staring at Seth how could she notice another pair of eyes that remained trained on her?

                “Now ladies and gentlemen, for the finale,” Eric, Jade’s brother, making his appearance in front of the pavilion, the elongated table that had carried the tea now long gone. Travis and Eileen made their way back to the center, taking their places in front of James with permanent smiles plastered on their gleaming faces. “Do you Travis Wei take this woman to be your lawful wife? Do you promise to cherish her and love her for the rest of your days?”

                “I do.”

                “And do you, Eileen Wang, take this man to be your lawful husband? Do you promise to cherish him and to love him for the rest of your day?”

                “I do,” Eileen replied, tears in her eyes. There was a quick shuffle as the rings were slid onto fingers, coos rising from the crowd.

                “Well, then I gladly announce that Mr. Travis Wei and Eileen Wang are now man and wife! Man, kiss your bride,” Eric ran off the steps, tapping Travis on the shoulder. Travis pulled Eileen Wang closer, tipping her back to plant his lips on hers for a drawn-out kiss. Shouts rose in the air, announcing the end of the happy occasion. The violin was replaced with a full DJ, a popular nineties song playing softly as another group of men began to hand out beers and drinks to anyone willing to drink.

                Jade continued to stand at Seth’s side, watching him as he was handed a beer, getting ready to tip his head back, and let the amber liquid flow from the bottle into this mouth.

                The bottle suddenly jerked sideways, leaving Seth’s grip and falling to the floor in front of Jade’s feet with an audible shatter of glass.

                “This just came,” Gavin’s voice echoed through the courtyard, all eyes darting in his direction next to Seth. Jade slowly turned her head, wincing at the recognizable letter with the red wax the depiction of a dragon.