Querencia [Prince Harry]

『ONE』

Belladonna Caldwell was brought out of her home boutique-like office by a ringing phone, her long blonde hair in soft waves and in a half bun that was held in place by a pencil, her slender fingers wrapped around the phone and her thumb delicately swiped across the screen, answering the call before she pressed the smartphone to her ear.

"Hello." 

Her smooth and calm voice greeted, a tad chirpy as it was usual of her, her dark brown eyes fleeting around the spacious living room that also worked as a waiting area until they landed on a pair of three-year-old gingers trying to complete a lego castle that they'd been attempting to build, an easy and loving smile etching on her lips the second she spotted them.

"Bella? Belladonna Caldwell?" 

An uncertain voice inquired from the other side of the call, hope and desperation soaking the words making the blonde woman guess that this wasn't the first time the person on the other side of the call had tried to contact her. "Yes, that's me. How can I help you?" she inquired in return, the British accent she'd been able to mask coming out into play as she heard the accent on the other side of the call.

A sigh of relief was heard, followed by a muttered "Thank God" before the caller claimed "Bella, it's Annie Wilson." their tone now much lighter and happy instead of desperate. Bella's brows furrowed at the name, it sounded awfully familiar but not from the past 2 and a half years. As the blonde continued to watch the ginger toddlers, her mind racked its deep storage memory from the past that she'd wished to ignore.

Successfully it would seem, as she couldn't place her finger as to whom the name belonged or why it sounded familiar, "I'm sorry, I don't know an Annie Wilson." Bella claimed apologetically, silently preparing herself for a disappointed caller. To her pleasant surprise, however, chuckled and added "I'm Lucien Greene's girlfriend." her tone was not at all upset, which in turn made the blonde's brows raise.

This time Bella didn't reply, giving the caller, Annie Wilson, the silent I don't know any Lucien Greene reply, "Harry's old co-pilot." Annie tried once more, this time making a lightbulb turn on in Bella's brain as some of the suppressed memories flashed through her mind. "Annie!?" The blonde inquired, her tone now filled with shock and delight.

The ginger toddlers turned to the blonde with confusion swimming in their dark brownie brown eyes as they frowned, Bella quickly shook her head in reply to them before turning on her bare heel and returning to her boutique-like office, leaving the door slightly open in case the toddlers needed anything. 

"Yes..." Annie laughed, her soft yet vocal laugh making Bella smile, "I know it's been a while, but I didn't think I'd to bring up him for you to remember me." were Annie's next words, words at which Bella scoffed as she sat on one of the sofas in her office. "I didn't remember you because it has been a while." Bella countered, her voice making her words teasing, "I know, I understand. I know you haven't been in England for a while. Your sister told me." Annie inquired, slowly turning inquisitive.

"I haven't been in England since we broke up." The blonde woman stated almost instantly earning a low hum in reply before the blonde questioned "Why are you calling me? Has something happened to Lucien?" alarm slipping both into her words and her features, even though Annie couldn't see it.

"No! Nothing's happened to him. He's alive and in one piece." Annie laughed once more, almost as if she had forgotten how worried Bella tended to get in relation to Lucien and him, "Although, he did ask me to marry him..." she then started before being, quite comprehensively, interrupted by a squeal originated from the blonde. Bella's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at the fantastic news and her loud squeal, even though comprehensible, brought the two toddlers running into the office with untamable ginger curls and worried features.

"That's fantastic! How did he- When did he propose?" Bella promptly interrogated, giving the toddlers a small smile that claimed I'm alright, don't worry simultaneously. "Christmas Eve." Annie replied enthusiastically. A moment of silence surged as Bella motioned the toddlers, clearly fraternal twins, to her, watching as they instantly ran to her, flinging themselves onto either side of her.

"Besides to tell you the good news, I was calling for two things." Annie then proclaimed, hesitantly "Fire away." Bella stated, her tone warm and kind, instantly soothing the woman on the other side of the call, who took a deep breath in before shakily inquiring "Will you be my maid of honor and wedding planner?" the request was something that Bella was half taken by surprise, half honored.

She often got calls from people asking her to be their wedding planner, whether they be from America, Canada, Europe, Australia or England, so she was used to that. But to be asked to be a maid of honor, she had only been asked once, and that was in 2011 by a uni friend of hers. "Why me? You have plenty of friends." was the friend inquiry that came from the blonde, it wasn't that she was trying to be rude, but simply the fact that she was truly dumbfounded.

"Well I have given it much thought, but I came to the conclusion that none of my friends actually know the worry that it is to have a loved one in the army with the exception of you. And you were always there to soothe my worries, even if it was at 2 in the morning on the other side of the city." Annie explained, slowly and carefully, almost as if she were talking to a scared dog.

The blonde nodded slowly, even though the woman on the other side of the call couldn't see her, as she interiorized the woman's words. "I-I'd be honored..." she finally replied, a reply fit for both questioned and the only reply that the bride to be wanted to hear. "When's the wedding?" Bella then questioned, the important that every wedding planner needed to know the answer to.

"No set date but we are thinking somewhere between late September and early November." Annie replied, the time span worked great with Bella's schedule as her last wedding had been a few days prior and seeing as they were just a weeks time shy of entering February it meant that she had 8-10 months to work with, more than enough time to give her old friend a great wedding.